ISAIAH 41:4-14

Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning?

I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am He.

The coastlands have seen and are afraid, the ends of the earth tremble; they have drawn near and come.

Every one helps his neighbor, and says to his brother, “Take courage!”

The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who smoothes with the hammer him who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, “It is good”; and they fasten it with nails so that it cannot be moved.

HBut you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish.

You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all.

For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I will help you.”

Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I will help you, says the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

GENESIS 17:1-9

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless.

And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”

Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.

No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you.

And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.

-And I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

PROVERBS 15:20-16:9

A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother.

Folly is a joy to him who has no sense, but a man of understanding walks aright.

Without counsel plans go wrong, but with many advisers they succeed.

To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!

The wise man’s path leads upward to life, that he may avoid Sheol beneath.

The LORD tears down the house of the proud, but maintains the widow’s boundaries.

The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD, the words of the pure are pleasing to him.

He who is greedy for unjust gain makes trouble for his household, but he who hates bribes will live.

The mind of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.

The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones.

He whose ear heeds wholesome admonition will abide among the wise.

He who ignores instruction despises himself, but he who heeds admonition gains understanding.

The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor.

The plans of the mind belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirit.

Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

Every one who is arrogant is an abomination to the LORD; be assured, he will not go unpunished.

By loyalty and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.

When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.

A man’s mind plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.

ISAIAH 40:18-31

Thus says the LORD: To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?

The idol! a workman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts for it silver chains.

He who is impoverished chooses for an offering wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skilful craftsman to set up an image that will not move.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nought, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.

Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him?

Says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these?

He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.

Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hid from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God”?

Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

GENESIS 15:1-15

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

And Abram said, “Behold, thou hast given me no offspring; and a slave born in my house will be my heir.”

And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; your own son shall be your heir.”

And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

And he believed the LORD; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness.

And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.”

But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a she-goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

And he brought him all these, cut them in two, and laid each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram; and lo, a dread and great darkness fell upon him.

Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know of a surety that your descendants will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and will be slaves there, and they will be oppressed for four hundred years; but I will bring judgment on the nation which they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.

PROVERBS 15:7-19

The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the minds of fools.

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but he loves him who pursues righteousness.

There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way; he who hates reproof will die.

Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, how much more the hearts of men!

A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise.

A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.

The mind of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

All the days of the afflicted are evil, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it.

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it.

A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

The way of a sluggard is overgrown with thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.

ISAIAH 37:33-38:6

Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city, or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield, or cast up a siege mound against it.

By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, says the LORD.

For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.

“ And the angel of the LORD went forth, and slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went home and dwelt at Nineveh.

And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, slew him with the sword, and escaped into the land of Ararat.

And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.

In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death.

And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order; for you shall die, you shall not recover.”

Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the LORD, and said, “Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in thy sight.”

And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.

I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and defend this city.

GENESIS 13:12-18

Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, while Lot dwelt among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom.

Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.

The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants for ever.

I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your descendants also can be counted.

Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”

So Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron; and there he built an altar to the LORD.

PROVERBS 14:27-15:4

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death.

In a multitude of people is the glory of a king, but without people a prince is ruined.

He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh, but passion makes the bones rot.

He 4who oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is kind to the needy honors him.

The wicked is overthrown through his evil-doing, but the righteous finds refuge through his integrity.

Wisdom abides in the mind of a man of understanding, but it is not known in the heart of fools.

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.

A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor, but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

The tongue of the wise dispenses knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.

The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.

A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

ST. PAUL’S LETTER TO THE HEBREWS 6:13-20

BRETHREN, when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore to himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.”

And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise.

Men indeed swear by a greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he interposed with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

MARK 9:17-31

At that time, a man came to Jesus kneeling and saying: “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; and wherever it seizes him it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.”

And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.”

And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.

And Jesus asked his father, “How long has he had this?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.”

And Jesus said to him, “If you can! All things are possible to him who believes.”

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again.”

And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, “He is dead.”

But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”

And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.”

They went on from there and passed through Galilee.

And he would not have any one know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise.

ST. PAUL’S LETTER TO THE HEBREWS 2:11-18

BRETHREN, he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin.

That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, ‘I will proclaim thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee.’

And again, ‘I will put my trust in him.’

And again, ‘Here am I, and the children God has given me.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage.

For surely it is not with angels that he is concerned but with the descendants of Abraham.

Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people.

For because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

LUKE 1:24-38

In those days, Elizabeth the wife of Zacharias conceived and for five months she hid herself, saying, “Thus the Lord had done to me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you! Blessed are you among women!”

But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be.

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?”

And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.

And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

For with God nothing will be impossible.”

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

And the angel departed from her.

ISAIAH 29:13-23

And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men learned by rote; therefore, behold, I will again do marvelous things with this people, wonderful and marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hid.

“Woe to those who hide deep from the LORD their counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”

You turn things upside down!

Shall the potter be regarded as the clay; that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?

Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest?

In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.

The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

For the ruthless shall come to nought and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right.

Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale.

For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

GENESIS 12:1-7

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.”

So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him.

Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions which they had gathered, and the persons that they had gotten in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan.

When they had come to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh.

At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

Then the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.”

So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

PROVERBS 14:15-26

The simple believes everything, but the prudent looks where he is going.

A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool throws off restraint and is careless.

A man of quick temper acts foolishly, but a man of discretion is patient.

The simple acquire folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

The evil bow down before the good, the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends.

He who despises his neighbor is a sinner, but happy is he who is kind to the poor.

Do they not err that devise evil? Those who devise good meet loyalty and faithfulness.

In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to want.

The crown of the wise is their wisdom, but folly is the garland of fools.

A truthful witness saves lives, but one who utters lies is a betrayer.

In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

ISAIAH 28:14-22

Thus says the LORD, you scoffers, who rule this people in Jerusalem!

Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement; when the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;

therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘He who believes will not be in haste.’

And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”

Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through you will be beaten down by it.

As often as it passes through it will take you; for morning by morning it will pass through, by day and by night; and it will be sheer terror to understand the message.

For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on it, and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in it.

For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim, he will be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon; to do his deed – strange is his deed! and to work his work – alien is his work!

Now therefore do not scoff, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord GOD of hosts upon the whole land.

GENESIS 10:32-11:9

These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations; and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.

Now the whole earth had one language and few words.

And as men migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.”

And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”

And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.

Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.

Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

PROVERBS 13:19-14:6

A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul; but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.

He who walks with wise men becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Misfortune pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards the righteous.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.

The fallow ground of the poor yields much food, but it is swept away through injustice.

He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want.

Wisdom builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.

He who walks in uprightness fears the LORD, but he who is devious in his ways despises him.

The talk of a fool is a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Where there are no oxen, there is no grain; but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies.

A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.

ISAIAH 26:21-27:9

For behold, the LORD is coming forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed upon her, and will no more cover her slain.

In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.

In that day: “A pleasant vineyard, sing of it! I, the LORD, am its keeper; every moment I water it.

Lest any one harm it, I guard it night and day; I have no wrath.

Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would set out against them, I would burn them up together.

Or let them lay hold of my protection, let them make peace with me, let them make peace with me.”

In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots, and fill the whole world with fruit.

Has he smitten them as he smote those who smote them?

Or have they been slain as their slayers were slain?

Measure by measure, by exile thou didst contend with them; he removed them with his fierce blast in the day of the east wind.

Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be expiated, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: when he makes all the stones of the altars like chalkstones crushed to pieces, no Asherim or incense altars will remain standing.

GENESIS 9:18-10:1

The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Ham was the father of Canaan.

These three were the sons of Noah; and from these the whole earth was peopled.

Noah was the first tiller of the soil. He planted a vineyard; and he drank of the wine, and became drunk, and lay uncovered in his tent.

And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.

Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it upon both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.

When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers.”

He also said, “Blessed by the LORD my God be Shem; and let Canaan be his slave.

God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be his slave.”

After the flood Noah lived three hundred and fifty years. All the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died.

These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth; sons were born to them after the flood.

PROVERBS 12:23-13:9

A prudent man conceals his knowledge, but fools proclaim their folly.

The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

A righteous man turns away from evil, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

A slothful man will not catch his prey, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.

In the path of righteousness is life, but the way of error leads to death.

A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

From the fruit of his mouth a good man eats good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.

He who guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

The soul of the sluggard craves, and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

A righteous man hates falsehood, but a wicked man acts shamefully and disgracefully.

Righteousness guards him whose way is upright, but sin overthrows the wicked.

One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth, but a poor man has no means of redemption.

The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

ISAIAH 25:1-9

O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.

For thou hast made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the palace of aliens is a city no more, it will never be rebuilt.

Therefore strong peoples will glorify thee; cities of ruthless nations will fear thee.

For thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the blast of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall, like heat in a dry place.

Thou dost subdue the noise of the aliens; as heat by the shade of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled.

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined.

And he will destroy on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.

He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken.

It will be said on that day, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.

This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

GENESIS 9:8-17

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.

I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

When the bow is in the clouds, I will look upon it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.”

God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.”

PROVERBS 12:8-22

A man is commended according to his good sense, but one of perverse mind is despised.

Better is a man of humble standing who works for himself than one who plays the great man but lacks bread.

A righteous man has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits has no sense.

The strong tower of the wicked comes to ruin, but the root of the righteous stands firm.

An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escapes from trouble.

From the fruit of his words a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent man ignores an insult.

He who speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit.

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Truthful lips endure for ever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

No ill befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble.

Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.

Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan good have joy.

ISAIAH 14:24-32

The LORD of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand, that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains trample him under foot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.

“This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.

For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?

In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle: “Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod which smote you is broken, for from the serpent’s root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying serpent.

And the first-born of the poor will feed, and the needy lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant I will slay.

Wail, O gate; cry, O city; melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you!

For smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks.

“What will one answer the messengers of the nation? “

The LORD has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.

GENESIS 8:21-9:7

And when the LORD smelled the pleasing odor, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done.

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.

The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the air, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered.

Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green plants,

I give you everything.

Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.

Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image. And you, be fruitful and multiply, bring forth abundantly on the earth and multiply in it.

For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning; of every beast I will require it and of man; of every man’s brother I will require the life of man.

PROVERBS 11:19-12:6

He who is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die.

Men of perverse mind are an abomination to the LORD, but those of blameless ways are his delight.

Be assured, an evil man will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will be delivered.

Like a gold ring in a swine’s snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.

The desire of the righteous ends only in good; the expectation of the wicked in wrath.

One man gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

A liberal man will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.

The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.

He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, but evil comes to him who searches for it.

He who trusts in his riches will wither, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

He who troubles his household will inherit wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, but lawlessness takes away lives.

If the righteous is requited on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner!

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

A good man obtains favor from the LORD, but a man of evil devices he condemns.

A man is not established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved.

A good wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

The thoughts of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are treacherous.

The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright delivers men.

ST. PAUL’S LETTER TO THE HEBREWS 4:14-16; 5:1-6

BRETHREN, since we have a high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.

Because of this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people.

And one does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was.

So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, ‘Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee’; as he says also in another place, ‘Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek.’

MARK 8:34-38; 9:1

The Lord said: “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?

For what can a man give in return for his life?

For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.

ST. PAUL’S LETTER TO THE HEBREWS 10:32-38

Brethren, recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.

For you had compassion on the prisoners, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised.

“For yet a little while, and the coming one shall come and shall not tarry; but my righteous one shall live by faith.

MARK 2:14-17

At that time, as Jesus passed on, he saw Levi the son of Alphaios sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me.”

And he rose and followed him.

And as he sat at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were sitting with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him.

And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.

ISAIAH 13:2-13

On a bare hill raise a signal, cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles.

I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.

Hark, a tumult on the mountains as of a great multitude!

Hark, an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together!

The LORD of hosts is mustering a host for battle.

They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole earth.

Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come!

Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every man’s heart will melt, and they will be dismayed.

Pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in travail.

They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame.

Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the earth a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.

For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising and the moon will not shed its light.

I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant, and lay low the haughtiness of the ruthless.

I will make men more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.

Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.

GENESIS 8:4-21

And in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat.

And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made, and sent forth a raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth.

Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground; but the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth.

So he put forth his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him.

He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; and the dove came back to him in the evening, and lo, in her mouth a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.

Then he waited another seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she did not return to him any more.

In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.

In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

Then God said to Noah, “Go forth from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.

Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh – birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth – that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth.”

So Noah went forth, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him.

And every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves upon the earth, went forth by families out of the ark.

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

And when the LORD smelled the pleasing odor, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done.

PROVERBS 10:31-11:12

The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.

A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight.

When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but with the humble is wisdom.

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.

The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.

When the wicked dies, his hope perishes, and the expectation of the godless comes to nought.

The righteous is delivered from trouble, and the wicked gets into it instead.

With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.

By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

He who belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent.

ISAIAH 11:10-12:2

Thus says the LORD: In that day the root of Jesse shall stand as an ensign to the peoples; him shall the nations seek, and his dwellings shall be glorious.

In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant which is left of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.

He will raise an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off;

Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.

But they shall swoop down upon the shoulder of the Philistines in the west, and together they shall plunder the people of the east.

They shall put forth their hand against Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites shall obey them.

And the LORD will utterly destroy the tongue of the sea of Egypt; and will wave his hand over the River with his scorching wind, and smite it into seven channels that men may cross dryshod.

And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant which is left of his people, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.

You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to thee, O LORD, for though thou wast angry with me, thy anger turned away, and thou didst comfort me.”

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

GENESIS 7:11-8:3

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.

And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, they and every beast according to its kind, and all the cattle according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth according to its kind, and every bird according to its kind, every bird of every sort.

They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life.

And they that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.

The flood continued forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark floated on the face of the waters.

And the waters prevailed so mightily upon the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered; the waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep.

And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, birds, cattle, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm upon the earth, and every man; everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died.

He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the air; they were blotted out from the earth.

Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.

But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark.

And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided; the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, and the waters receded from the earth continually.

At the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters had abated.

PROVERBS 10:1-22

A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.

The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

A son who gathers in summer is prudent, but a son who sleeps in harvest brings shame.

Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

The wise of heart will heed commandments, but a prating fool will come to ruin.

He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.

He who winks the eye causes trouble, but he who boldly reproves makes peace.

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

On the lips of him who has understanding wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.

Wise men lay up knowledge, but the babbling of a fool brings ruin near.

A rich man’s wealth is his strong city; the poverty of the poor is their ruin.

The wage of the righteous leads to life, the gain of the wicked to sin.

He who heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof goes astray.

He who conceals hatred has lying lips, and he who utters slander is a fool.

When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is prudent.

The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the mind of the wicked is of little worth.

The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.

The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.

ISAIAH 10:12-20

When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem he will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride.

For he says: “By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding; I have removed the boundaries of peoples, and have plundered their treasures; like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones.

My hand has found like a nest the wealth of the peoples; and as men gather eggs that have been forsaken so I have gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved a wing, or opened the mouth, or chirped.”

Shall the axe vaunt itself over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?

As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!

Therefore the Lord, the LORD of hosts, will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled, like the burning of fire.

The light of Israel will become a fire, and his Holy One a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and briers in one day.

The glory of his forest and of his fruitful land the LORD will destroy, both soul and body, and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.

The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few that a child can write them down.

In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean upon him that smote them, but will lean upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

GENESIS 7:6-9

Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth.

And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark, to escape the waters of the flood.

Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah.

PROVERBS 9:12-18

If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

A foolish woman is noisy; she is wanton and knows no shame.

She sits at the door of her house, she takes a seat on the high places of the town, calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”

And to him who is without sense she says, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

ISAIAH 9:9-10:4

Thus says the LORD: “And all the people will know, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart: ‘The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.'”

So the LORD raises adversaries against them, and stirs up their enemies.

The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west devour Israel with open mouth.

For all this his anger is not turned away and his hand is stretched out still.

The people did not turn to him who smote them, nor seek the LORD of hosts.

So the LORD cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed in one day – the elder and honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail; for those who lead this people lead them astray, and those who are led by them are swallowed up.

Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for every one is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly.

For all this his anger is not turned away and his hand is stretched out still.

For wickedness burns like a fire, it consumes briers and thorns; it kindles the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke.

Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts the land is burned, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no man spares his brother.

They snatch on the right, but are still hungry, and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied; each devours his neighbor’s flesh, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Ephraim, Manasseh, and together they are against Judah.

For all this his anger is not turned away and his hand is stretched out still.

Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!

What will you do on the day of punishment, in the storm which will come from afar?

To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?

Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain.

For all this his anger is not turned away and his hand is stretched out still.

GENESIS 7:1-5

Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.

Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate; and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive upon the face of all the earth.

For in seven days I will send rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.”

And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.

PROVERBS 8:32-9:11

And now, my sons, listen to me: happy are those who keep my ways.

Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.

Happy is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.

For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD; but he who misses me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her beasts, she has mixed her wine, she has also set her table.

She has sent out her maids to call from the highest places in the town, Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”

To him who is without sense she says, Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.

Leave simpleness, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”

He who corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.

Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man and he will increase in learning.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life.

ISAIAH 8:13-9:7

But the LORD of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

And he will become a sanctuary, and a stone of offense, and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

And many shall stumble thereon; they shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.

“ Bind up the testimony, seal the teaching among my disciples. I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.

Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

And when they say to you, “Consult the mediums and the wizards who chirp and mutter, ” should not a people consult their God?

Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?

To the teaching and to the testimony! Surely for this word which they speak there is no dawn.

They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry; and when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will curse their king and their God, and turn their faces upward;

and they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish;

and they will be thrust into thick darkness.

But there will be no gloom for her that was in anguish.

In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou hast increased its joy; they rejoice before thee as with joy at the harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, thou hast broken as on the day of Midian.

For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore.

The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

GENESIS 6:9-22

These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation;

Noah walked with God.

And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.

And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh; for the earth is filled with violence through them; behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.

This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above; and set the door of the ark in its side; make it with lower, second, and third decks.

For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall die.

But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you, to keep them alive.

Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up; and it shall serve as food for you and for them.”

Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

PROVERBS 8:1-21

Does not wisdom call, does not understanding raise her voice?

On the heights beside the way, in the paths she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the sons of men.

O simple ones, learn prudence;

O foolish men, pay attention. Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right; for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.

They are all straight to him who understands and right to those who find knowledge.

Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

I, wisdom, dwell in prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.

The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

I have counsel and sound wisdom, I have insight, I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me princes rule, and nobles govern the earth.

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and prosperity.

My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.

I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, endowing with wealth those who love me, and filling their treasuries.

ST. PAUL’S LETTER TO THE HEBREWS 1:10-14; 2:1-3

IN THE BEGINNING, Thou, Lord, didst found the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of thy hands;

they will perish, but thou remainest; they will all grow old like a garment, like a mantle thou wilt roll them up, and they will be changed.

But thou art the same, and thy years will never end.”

But to what angel has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet?”

Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?

Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

For if the message declared by angels was valid and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him.

MARK 2:1-12

At that time, Jesus entered Capernaum and it was reported that he was at home.

And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them.

And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.

And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay.

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak thus? It is a blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question thus in your hearts?

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven, ‘ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your pallet and walk?

But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”-he said to the paralytic-“I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.”

And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!

ST. PAUL’S LETTER TO THE HEBREWS 3:12-16

BRETHREN, take care lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today, ‘ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

For we share in Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end, while it is said, ‘Today, when you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’

Who were they that heard and yet were rebellious?

Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses?

MARK 1:35-44

At that time, Jesus went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed.

And Simon and those who were with him pursued him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.”

And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out.”

And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

And a leper came to him beseeching him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.”

Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I will; be clean.”

And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

And he sternly charged him, and sent him away at once, and said to him, “See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to a priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

ISAIAH 7:1-14

In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but they could not conquer it.

When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim, ” his heart and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.

And the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go forth to meet Ahaz, you and Shearjashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, and say to him, ‘Take heed, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah.

Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it, ” thus says the Lord GOD: It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass.

For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin.

(Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken to pieces so that it will no longer be a people.)

And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.

If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.’

Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”

But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.”

And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.

Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

GENESIS 5:32-6:8

After Noah was five hundred years old, Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

When men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took to wife such of them as they chose.

Then the LORD said, “My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for he is flesh, but his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.”

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them.

These were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown. The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground, man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

PROVERBS 6:20-7:1

My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them upon your heart always; tie them about your neck.

When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you.

For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, to preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adventuress.

Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; for a harlot may be hired for a loaf of bread, but an adulteress stalks a man’s very life.

Can a man carry fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned?

Or can one walk upon hot coals and his feet not be scorched?

So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished.

Do not men despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry?

And if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold; he will give all the goods of his house.

He who commits adultery has no sense; he who does it destroys himself.

Wounds and dishonor will he get, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.

For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge.

He will accept no compensation, nor be appeased though you multiply gifts.

My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you.

ST. PAUL’S LETTER TO THE HEBREWS 12:1-10

BRETHREN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely,

and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,

looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,

despising the shame,

and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons?

‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him.

For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.

‘It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father.

MATTHEW 20:1-16

The Lord said this parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went.

Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.

And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’

And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’

And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.

Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’

But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you, and go;

I choose to give to this last as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?

Or is your eye evil because I am good?’

2So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”