Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

God gives Ezekiel visions

1 It was the 30th year.^[a] God spoke to me on the fifth day of the fourth month.^[b] I was among the prisoners from Judah at the side of the Kebar river.^[c] At that time the skies opened and I saw visions from God.

² King Jehoiachin of Judah had been a prisoner in Babylon for five years. On the fifth day of the month, ³ the Lord spoke to Ezekiel, the priest.^[d] He was the son of Buzi. He was standing beside the River Kebar in Babylon. While Ezekiel was there, the Lord came to him with power.

⁴ As I looked, I saw a great storm that was coming from the north. It was a large cloud, with bright lightning. Light shone all around the cloud. It was like a fire that had bright metal in the centre of it. ⁵ I could see something like four living things in the middle of the fire. Each of them had the shape of a human. ⁶ But each of them had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight. Their feet were like the feet of young cows. They shone like bright bronze. ⁸ They had human hands under their wings on the four sides. Each of these four living things had faces and wings that were like this: ⁹ Their wings touched each other. All the living things moved forward together. They did not turn as they moved.

¹⁰ This is what their faces looked like: Each of the living things had four faces. There was a human face at the front. There was a lion's face on the right side. There was a bull's face on the left side. Each of them also had the face of an eagle. ¹¹ Their wings waved up above them. Two wings of each living thing touched the wings of the living things on each side of them. Each living thing covered its body with its other two wings. ¹² The living things each moved forward, in the direction that the spirit wanted them to go. They did not turn as they moved.

¹³ In the middle of the living things was a fire. It looked like coals that were burning, or like bright flames. The fire moved around among the living things. It shone brightly, with lightning coming out from it. ¹⁴ The living things moved around very quickly, as fast as lightning.

¹⁵ I continued to look at the four living things. Each of them had a wheel on the ground at its side.^{[e] 16} The four wheels all looked the same. They shone like bright jewels. The wheels were made like this: Each wheel had another wheel that went across the middle of it. ¹⁷ They moved forward in the same direction that the living things moved. They did not turn in any other direction. ¹⁸ The wheels had high edges. Eyes completely covered the edges of all the wheels.

¹⁹ When the living things moved, the wheels moved with them. If the living beings rose up from the ground, the wheels rose with them. ²⁰ The living things went wherever the spirit wanted them to go. The wheels would also go with them. That was because the spirit of the living things was in each wheel. ²¹ When the living things moved, the wheels also moved. When the living things stopped, the wheels stopped moving too. When the living things rose up from the ground, the wheels went up at their side. That happened because the spirit of the living things was in each wheel.

²² I saw something over the heads of the living things. It looked like a high roof that shone brightly like ice. ²³ The living things all stood under the roof. Each of them stood with its wings held out towards the living things on each side of it. They covered their bodies with their other two wings. ²⁴ When they moved, I could hear the sound of their wings. They made a noise like lots of water that pours along a river. It was also like the voice of the Almighty God, or the noise of a great army. When the living things stopped moving, they put their wings down at their sides.

²⁵ While they stood with their wings down at their sides, I heard a voice. It came from above the roof over their heads. ²⁶ Above the roof, there was something that looked like a throne. It was made of a blue jewel called sapphire. On the throne, high above, I saw something that looked like the shape of a man. ²⁷ The top part of his body shone like a fire with bright metal in the centre of it. The lower part of his body looked like flames of fire. All around the human shape, there was a very bright light. ²⁸ It shone with the colours of a rainbow in the clouds when there is rain. This bright light showed the glory of the Lord, who was there.

When I saw this, I bent down low with my face on the ground. I heard a voice that was speaking to me.

God chooses Ezekiel to be his messenger

2 The voice said to me, ‘Son of man, you must stand up on your feet. Then I will speak to you.’

²³ Then Peter said to the men, ‘Please come into the house and stay here with us tonight.’

Peter at Cornelius's house

The next day, Peter left Joppa to go to Caesarea with Cornelius's men. Some believers who lived in Joppa travelled with them. ²⁴ The next day, Peter arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was ready to meet Peter and the other men. He told his family and his special friends to come to his house. They were all waiting to meet Peter. ²⁵ When Peter arrived at the house, Cornelius went out to meet him. He went down on his knees in front of Peter to worship him. ²⁶ But Peter lifted Cornelius up from the ground and he said to him, ‘Stand up. I am only a man, like you are.’

²⁷ Peter continued to talk to Cornelius and they went into the house. Peter saw that many people had come together there in the house. ²⁸ He said to them, ‘You all know that we Jews do not become friends with Gentiles. Our Jewish laws do not let us visit the homes of Gentiles. But God has now shown me something different. I should not say about anyone that God will not accept them.^{[a] 29} So when you asked me to come here, I was happy to come. I knew that it was right. So tell me now. Why did you ask me to come?’

³⁰ Then Cornelius said, ‘Three days ago, I was in my house at this time of the day. It was three o'clock in the afternoon and I was praying to God. Suddenly, a man appeared and he stood in front of me. He was wearing bright clothes that shone. ³¹ The man said to me, “Cornelius, you have prayed to God and you have often given money to poor people. Now God wants to answer you. ³² So send some men to Joppa to fetch a man who is called Simon Peter. He is staying there at the house of Simon the tanner. His house is near the sea.” ³³ So I sent some men immediately to bring you here. Thank you that you agreed to come. Now we are all here together, and God is with us. We are ready to listen to your message. Please tell us everything that the Lord God has told you to say.’