First Reading

I, John, looked and there was a white cloud,

and sitting on the cloud one who looked like a son of man,

with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.

Another angel came out of the temple,

crying out in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud,

“Use your sickle and reap the harvest,

for the time to reap has come,

because the earth’s harvest is fully ripe.”

So the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth,

and the earth was harvested.

Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven

who also had a sharp sickle.

Then another angel came from the altar, who was in charge of the fire,

and cried out in a loud voice

to the one who had the sharp sickle,

“Use your sharp sickle and cut the clusters from the earth’s vines,

for its grapes are ripe.”

So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and cut the earth’s vintage.

He threw it into the great wine press of God’s fury.