Ecclesiasticus 38:24-34
The wisdom of the scribe depends on the opportunity of leisure; only the one who has little business can become wise. How can one become wise who handles the plow, and who glories in the shaft of a goad, who drives oxen and is occupied with their work, and whose talk is about bulls? He sets his heart on plowing furrows, and he is careful about fodder for the heifers. So too is every artisan and master artisan who labors by night as well as by day; those who cut the signets of seals, each is diligent in making a great variety; they set their heart on painting a lifelike image, and they are careful to finish their work. So too is the smith, sitting by the anvil, intent on his iron-work; the breath of the fire melts his flesh, and he struggles with the heat of the furnace; the sound of the hammer deafens his ears, and his eyes are on the pattern of the object. He sets his heart on finishing his handiwork, and he is careful to complete its decoration. So too is the potter sitting at his work and turning the wheel with his feet; he is always deeply concerned over his products, and he produces them in quantity. He molds the clay with his arm and makes it pliable with his feet; he sets his heart to finish the glazing, and he takes care in firing the kiln. All these rely on their hands, and all are skillful in their own work. Without them no city can be inhabited, and wherever they live, they will not go hungry. Yet they are not sought out for the council of the people, nor do they attain eminence in the public assembly. They do not sit in the judge's seat, nor do they understand the decisions of the courts; they cannot expound discipline or judgment, and they are not found among the rulers. But they maintain the fabric of the world, and their concern is for the exercise of their trade. How different the one who devotes himself to the study of the law of the Most High!
Revelation 14:1-13
Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion! And with him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who have been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless. Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth-- to every nation and tribe and language and people. He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." Then another angel, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying with a loud voice, "Those who worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or on their hands, they will also drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the mark of its name." Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them."
Luke 12:49-59
"I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, 'It is going to rain' and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'There will be scorching heat' and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? "And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? Thus, when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison. I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny."
Morning Psalms
Psalm 56 Miserere mei, Deus
1 Have mercy on me, O God, for my enemies are hounding me; all day long they assault and oppress me.
2 They hound me all the day long; truly there are many who fight against me, O Most High.
3 Whenever I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust and will not be afraid, for what can flesh do to me?
5 All day long they damage my cause; their only thought is to do me evil.
6 They band together; they lie in wait; they spy upon my footsteps; because they seek my life.
7 Shall they escape despite their wickedness? O God, in your anger, cast down the peoples.
8 You have noted my lamentation; put my tears into your bottle; are they not recorded in your book?
9 Whenever I call upon you, my enemies will be put to flight; this I know, for God is on my side.
10 In God the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust and will not be afraid, for what can mortals do to me?
11 I am bound by the vow I made to you, O God; I will present to you thank-offerings;
12 For you have rescued my soul from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
Psalm 57 Miserere mei, Deus
1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful, for I have taken refuge in you; in the shadow of your wings will I take refuge until this time of trouble has gone by.
2 I will call upon the Most High God, the God who maintains my cause.
3 He will send from heaven and save me; he will confound those who trample upon me; God will send forth his love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie in the midst of lions that devour the people; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongue a sharp sword.
5 They have laid a net for my feet, and I am bowed low; they have dug a pit before me, but have fallen into it themselves.
6 Exalt yourself above the heavens, O God, and your glory over all the earth.
7 My heart is firmly fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and make melody.
8 Wake up, my spirit; awake, lute and harp; I myself will waken the dawn.
9 I will confess you among the peoples, O LORD; I will sing praise to you among the nations.
10 For your loving-kindness is greater than the heavens, and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
11 Exalt yourself above the heavens, O God, and your glory over all the earth.
Psalm 58 Si vere utique
1 Do you indeed decree righteousness, you rulers? do you judge the peoples with equity?
2 No; you devise evil in your hearts, and your hands deal out violence in the land.
3 The wicked are perverse from the womb; liars go astray from their birth.
4 They are as venomous as a serpent, they are like the deaf adder which stops its ears,
5 Which does not heed the voice of the charmer, no matter how skillful his charming.
6 O God, break their teeth in their mouths; pull the fangs of the young lions, O LORD.
7 Let them vanish like water that runs off; let them wither like trodden grass.
8 Let them be like the snail that melts away, like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.
9 Before they bear fruit, let them be cut down like a brier; like thorns and thistles let them be swept away.
10 The righteous will be glad when they see the vengeance; they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 And they will say, "Surely, there is a reward for the righteous; surely, there is a God who rules in the earth."
Evening Psalms
Psalm 64 Exaudi, Deus
1 Hear my voice, O God, when I complain; protect my life from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the mob of evildoers.
3 They sharpen their tongue like a sword, and aim their bitter words like arrows,
4 That they may shoot down the blameless from ambush; they shoot without warning and are not afraid.
5 They hold fast to their evil course; they plan how they may hide their snares.
6 They say, "Who will see us? who will find out our crimes? we have thought out a perfect plot."
7 The human mind and heart are a mystery; but God will loose an arrow at them, and suddenly they will be wounded.
8 He will make them trip over their tongues, and all who see them will shake their heads.
9 Everyone will stand in awe and declare God's deeds; they will recognize his works.
10 The righteous will rejoice in the LORD and put their trust in him, and all who are true of heart will glory.
Psalm 65 Te decet hymnus
1 You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem.
2 To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come, because of their transgressions.
3 Our sins are stronger than we are, but you will blot them out.
4 Happy are they whom you choose and draw to your courts to dwell there! they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house, by the holiness of your temple.
5 Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness, O God of our salvation, O Hope of all the ends of the earth and of the seas that are far away.
6 You make fast the mountains by your power; they are girded about with might.
7 You still the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the clamor of the peoples.
8 Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your marvelous signs; you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly; you make it very plenteous; the river of God is full of water.
10 You prepare the grain, for so you provide for the earth.
11 You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.
12 You crown the year with your goodness, and your paths overflow with plenty.
13 May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, and the hills be clothed with joy.
14 May the meadows cover themselves with flocks, and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; let them shout for joy and sing.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.
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