Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁸ Son of man, listen to what I tell you. Do not be like those who refuse to obey me. Open your mouth. Eat what I give you.”

⁹ Then I looked up. I saw a hand reach out to me. A scroll was in it. ¹⁰ He unrolled it in front of me. Both sides had words written on them. They spoke about sadness, sorrow and trouble.

3 The Lord said to me, “Son of man, eat what is in front of you. Eat this scroll. Then go and speak to the people of Israel.” ² So I opened my mouth. And he gave me the scroll to eat.

³ Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you. Fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it. And it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

⁴ Then he said to me, “Son of man, go to the people of Israel. Give them my message. ⁵ I am not sending you to people who speak another language that is hard to learn. Instead, I am sending you to the people of Israel. ⁶ You are not being sent to many nations whose people speak other languages that are hard to learn. You would not be able to understand them. Suppose I had sent you to them. Then they certainly would have listened to you. ⁷ But the people of Israel do not want to listen to you. That is because they do not want to listen to me. All the Israelites are very stubborn. ⁸ But I will make you just as stubborn as they are. ⁹ I will make you very brave. So do not be afraid of them. Do not let them terrify you, even though they refuse to obey me.”

¹⁰ He continued, “Son of man, listen carefully. Take to heart everything I tell you. ¹¹ Go now to your own people who were brought here as prisoners. Speak to them. Tell them, ‘Here is what the Lord and King says.’ Speak to them whether they listen or not.”

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was wearing a cloud like a robe. There was a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun. His legs were like pillars of fire. ² He was holding a little scroll. It was lying open in his hand. The angel put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. ³ Then he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. ⁴ When they had spoken, I was getting ready to write. But I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said. Do not write it down.”

⁵ I had seen an angel standing on the sea and on the land. This angel raised his right hand to heaven. ⁶ He made a promise in the name of the God who lives for ever and ever. This is the God who created the sky, earth and sea and all that is in them. The angel said, “There will be no more waiting! ⁷ God’s plan will be carried out. This will happen when the seventh angel is ready to blow his trumpet. God told all this to the prophets who served him long ago.”

⁸ Then the voice I had heard from heaven spoke to me again. It said, “The angel is standing on the sea and on the land. Go and take the scroll from him. It is lying open in his hand.”

⁹ So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will become sour in your stomach. But ‘in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey.’ ” (Ezekiel 3:3) ¹⁰ I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. In my mouth it tasted as sweet as honey. But when I had eaten it, it became sour in my stomach. ¹¹ Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”