Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁸ But you, son of man, hear what I tell you. Don’t be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth, and eat that which I give you.”

⁹ When I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. ¹⁰ He spread it before me. It was written within and without; and lamentations, mourning, and woe were written in it.

3 He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”

² So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat the scroll.

³ He said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your belly and your bowels with it.”

Then I ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth.

⁴ 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 a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel— ⁶ not to many peoples of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words you can’t understand. Surely, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you. ⁷ But the house of Israel will not listen to you, for they will not listen to me; for all the house of Israel are obstinate^[a] and hard-hearted. ⁸ Behold, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads. ⁹ I have made your forehead as a diamond, harder than flint. Don’t be afraid of them, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.”

¹⁰ Moreover he said to me, “Son of man, receive in your heart and hear with your ears all my words that I speak to you. ¹¹ Go to them of the captivity, to the children of your people, and speak to them, and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Yahweh says,’ whether they will hear, or whether they will refuse.”

10 I saw a mighty angel coming down out of the sky, clothed with a cloud. A rainbow was on his head. His face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. ² He had in his hand a little open book. He set his right foot on the sea, and his left on the land. ³ He cried with a loud voice, as a lion roars. When he cried, the seven thunders uttered their voices. ⁴ When the seven thunders sounded, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from the sky saying, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders said, and don’t write them.”

⁵ The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to the sky ⁶ and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there will no longer be delay, ⁷ but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as he declared to his servants the prophets.

⁸ The voice which I heard from heaven, again speaking with me, said, “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.”

⁹ I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book.

He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.”

¹⁰ I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth. When I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. ¹¹ They^[a] told me, “You must prophesy again over many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”