Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Praise Him, All Creation!

Psalm 148

⁸ Now you, son of man, hear what I say to you: do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth, and eat what I am giving to you.”

⁹ I looked, and behold, a hand was stretched out to me, holding a written scroll. ¹⁰ He spread it out before me. It was written on, front and back. Written on it were lamentations, dirges and woe.

Eat the Scroll

3 Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find—eat this scroll. Then go, speak to the house of Israel.” ² So I opened my mouth, and He gave me that scroll to eat, ³ as He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” I ate it and it tasted as sweet as honey.

⁴ Then He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak My words to them. ⁵ For you are not sent to a people of unintelligible speech and difficult tongue, but to the house of Israel, ⁶ nor to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult tongue, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. ⁷ But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel has a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. ⁸ Look, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. ⁹ I will make your forehead like adamant, harder than flint. Do not fear them. Do not be dismayed by their faces, for they are a rebellious house.”

¹⁰ Furthermore, He said to me: “Son of man, receive in your heart and hear with your ears all My words that I will speak to you. ¹¹ Go to the exiles, to the children of your people. Speak to them. Tell them, ‘Thus says Adonai Elohim.’ Whether they will listen or whether they will refuse to listen.”

The Angel with a Little Scroll

10 Then I saw another powerful angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud with a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun and his feet like pillars of fire. ² He had in his hand a little scroll that was open. He set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, ³ and he cried out with a loud voice, just as a lion roars. When he cried out, the seven thunders spoke.^[a]

⁴ And when the seven thunders had spoken, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said. Do not write it down!”^[b]

⁵ Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand toward heaven ⁶ and swore^[c] by the One who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay.

⁷ But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel—when he is about to trumpet—the mystery of God is completed, just as He declared to His servants the prophets. ^{[d] 8} Then the voice that I heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land.”

⁹ So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little scroll. And he tells me, “Take and eat it. It will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth.”^[e]

¹⁰ So I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth; but when I had swallowed it, my stomach was made bitter. ¹¹ And they tell me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”