Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Ezekiel’s Vision of Living Creatures

1 It was the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month of our captivity. I was by the Kebar River among the people who had been carried away as captives. The sky opened, and I saw visions of God.

² It was the fifth day of the month of the fifth year that King Jehoiachin had been a prisoner. ³ The Lord spoke his word to Ezekiel son of Buzi in the land of the Babylonians by the Kebar River. There he felt the power of the Lord.

⁴ When I looked, I saw a stormy wind coming from the north. There was a great cloud with a bright light around it and fire flashing out of it. Something that looked like glowing metal was in the center of the fire. ⁵ Inside the cloud was what looked like four living creatures, who were shaped like humans, ⁶ but each of them had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight. Their feet were like a calf’s hoofs and sparkled like polished bronze. ⁸ The living creatures had human hands under their wings on their four sides. All four of them had faces and wings, ⁹ and their wings touched each other. The living creatures did not turn when they moved, but each went straight ahead.

¹⁰ Their faces looked like this: Each living creature had a human face and the face of a lion on the right side and the face of an ox on the left side. And each one also had the face of an eagle. ¹¹ That was what their faces looked like. Their wings were spread out above. Each had two wings that touched one of the other living creatures and two wings that covered its body. ¹² Each went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, the living creatures would also go, without turning. ¹³ The living creatures looked like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire went back and forth among the living creatures. It was bright, and lightning flashed from it. ¹⁴ The living creatures ran back and forth like bolts of lightning.

¹⁵ Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground by each of the living creatures with its four faces. ¹⁶ The wheels and the way they were made were like this: They looked like sparkling chrysolite. All four of them looked the same, like one wheel crossways inside another wheel. ¹⁷ When they moved, they went in any one of the four directions, without turning as they went. ¹⁸ The rims of the wheels were high and frightening and were full of eyes all around.

¹⁹ When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the living creatures were lifted up from the ground, the wheels also were lifted up. ²⁰ Wherever the spirit would go, the living creatures would go. And the wheels were lifted up beside them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. ²¹ When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved. When the living creatures stopped, the wheels stopped. And when the living creatures were lifted from the ground, the wheels were lifted beside them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

²² Now, over the heads of the living creatures was something like a dome that sparkled like ice and was frightening. ²³ And under the dome the wings of the living creatures were stretched out straight toward one another. Each living creature also had two wings covering its body. ²⁴ I heard the sound of their wings, like the roaring sound of the sea, as they moved. It was like the voice of God Almighty, a roaring sound like a noisy army. When the living creatures stopped, they lowered their wings.

²⁵ A voice came from above the dome over the heads of the living creatures. When the living creatures stopped, they lowered their wings. ²⁶ Now above the dome there was something that looked like a throne. It looked like a sapphire gem. And on the throne was a shape like a human. ²⁷ Then I noticed that from the waist up the shape looked like glowing metal with fire inside. From the waist down it looked like fire, and a bright light was all around. ²⁸ The surrounding glow looked like the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day. It seemed to look like the glory of the Lord. So when I saw it, I bowed facedown on the ground and heard a voice speaking.

The Lord Speaks to Ezekiel

2 He said to me, “Human, stand up on your feet so I may speak with you.”

²³ So Peter asked the men to come in and spend the night.

The next day Peter got ready and went with them, and some of the followers from Joppa joined him. ²⁴ On the following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him. ²⁶ But Peter helped him up, saying, “Stand up. I too am only a human.” ²⁷ As he talked with Cornelius, Peter went inside where he saw many people gathered. ²⁸ He said, “You people understand that it is against our law for Jewish people to associate with or visit anyone who is not Jewish. But God has shown me that I should not call any person ‘unholy’ or ‘unclean.’ ²⁹ That is why I did not argue when I was asked to come here. Now, please tell me why you sent for me.”

³⁰ Cornelius said, “Four days ago, I was praying in my house at this same time—three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, there was a man standing before me wearing shining clothes. ³¹ He said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and has seen that you give to the poor and remembers you. ³² So send some men to Joppa and ask Simon Peter to come. Peter is staying in the house of a man, also named Simon, who is a tanner and has a house beside the sea.’ ³³ So I sent for you immediately, and it was very good of you to come. Now we are all here before God to hear everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”