Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

This is a song that David wrote for the music leader.

We trust God to help us^[a]

The cloud above the Tent of Meeting

¹⁵ On the day that Moses put up the Tent of Meeting, a cloud covered it. In the evening it became something like a fire over the Tent, until morning. ¹⁶ It was like that all the time. The cloud covered it during the day. But at night, the cloud seemed to have fire in it. ¹⁷ When the cloud went up from God's Tent, the Israelites started to travel. And when the cloud came down, the Israelites made their camp in that place. ¹⁸ The Lord decided when the Israelites should start to travel. And the Lord decided where they should stop and make their camp. During all the time that the cloud was over the tabernacle, they stayed in their camp. ¹⁹ Even when the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for many days, the Israelites obeyed the Lord. They did not start to travel. ²⁰ Sometimes the cloud stayed over God's Tent for a few days. Then they remained in their camp. When the Lord showed them that they should travel, they started to travel. ²¹ Sometimes the cloud stayed there from evening until morning. But, when the cloud went up in the morning, they started to travel. But sometimes it stayed for one day and one night. Then when the cloud went up, they started to travel again. ²² Sometimes the cloud continued to be over God's Tent for two days or for a month or for a year. It stayed above it. Then, the Israelites stayed in their camp. They did not start to travel. But when it went up, they did start to travel. ²³ The Lord decided when they should make their camp. And the Lord decided when they should start to travel. So they obeyed the Lord about everything that the Lord said to Moses.

God on his throne

4 After this, I looked. There in front of me was an open door in heaven. I heard the same voice that I had heard before. It spoke like the sound of a trumpet. It said to me, ‘Come up here. I will show you the things that must happen after this.’

² Immediately God's Spirit caused me to see and to hear more things. I saw a throne in heaven, with someone sitting on it. ³ The person who sat there shone with bright red and white light, like jewels called jasper and ruby. Around the throne there was a rainbow that shone with bright green light like an emerald jewel. ⁴ All around the throne there were 24 other thrones. 24 leaders were sitting on these thrones. They were wearing white clothes and they had gold crowns on their heads. ⁵ A storm with bright lightning came from the throne. There was the loud noise of thunder. In front of the throne there were seven lights of fire burning brightly. These lights are the seven spirits of God.^{[a] 6} Also in front of the throne there was something like a sea of glass that shone with light.

In the middle, round the throne, there were four other beings that were alive. They had eyes all over them, on their fronts and on their backs. ⁷ The first of these beings was like a lion. The second being was like an ox. The third being had a face like a man's face. And the fourth being was like an eagle that was flying. ⁸ Each of these four beings had six wings. They had eyes all over them, even under their wings. All day and all night they never stop saying: