The Daily Lectionary
Friday, February 3, 2023
Psalm 112:1-9 [10]; Isaiah 29:1-12; James 3:13-18
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)
A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 112:1-9 [10]
Light shines in the darkness
Beatus vir
Friday, February 3, 2023
Psalm 112:1-9 [10]; Isaiah 29:1-12; James 3:13-18
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)
A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 112:1-9 [10]
Light shines in the darkness
Beatus vir
Hallelujah! Happy are they who fear the Lord
and have great delight in his commandments!
Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches will be in their house,
and their righteousness will last for ever.
Light shines in the darkness for the upright;
the righteous are merciful and full of compassion.
It is good for them to be generous in lending
and to manage their affairs with justice.
For they will never be shaken;
the righteous will be kept in everlasting remembrance.
They will not be afraid of any evil rumors;
their heart is right; they put their trust in the Lord.
Their heart is established and will not shrink,
until they see their desire upon their enemies.
They have given freely to the poor,
and their righteousness stands fast for ever; they will hold up their head with honor.
[The wicked will see it and be angry; they will gnash their teeth and pine away;
the desires of the wicked will perish.]
Lord Jesus, we delight in all of Your commandments. We love You with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. We love Your Father, our Heavenly Father, and we thank Him for sending You into the world to save us from our sins. We love the Holy Spirit, Who helps us understand the way that we should go as we study the Scriptures. Help us to love our neighbors and even our enemies, as You have commanded. Help us to love one another, as You have loved us. Now hear our prayers as You taught us to pray:
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.”
Isaiah 29:1-12
Hunger that goes unsatisfied
Hunger that goes unsatisfied
1 Woe to you, Ariel, Ariel,
the city where David settled!
Add year to year
and let your cycle of festivals go on.
2 Yet I will besiege Ariel;
she will mourn and lament,
she will be to me like an altar hearth.
3 I will encamp against you on all sides;
I will encircle you with towers
and set up my siege works against you.
4 Brought low, you will speak from the ground;
your speech will mumble out of the dust.
Your voice will come ghostlike from the earth;
out of the dust your speech will whisper.
5 But your many enemies will become like fine dust,
the ruthless hordes like blown chaff.
Suddenly, in an instant,
6 the Lord Almighty will come
with thunder and earthquake and great noise,
with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire.
7 Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel,
that attack her and her fortress and besiege her,
will be as it is with a dream,
with a vision in the night—
8 as when a hungry person dreams of eating,
but awakens hungry still;
as when a thirsty person dreams of drinking,
but awakens faint and thirsty still.
So will it be with the hordes of all the nations
that fight against Mount Zion.
9 Be stunned and amazed,
blind yourselves and be sightless;
be drunk, but not from wine,
stagger, but not from beer.
10 The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep:
He has sealed your eyes (the prophets);
he has covered your heads (the seers).
11 For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.” 12 Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I don’t know how to read.”
James 3:13-18
A gentle life born of wisdom
A gentle life born of wisdom
3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]
The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Responsive Readings from the Common Book of Prayer (1789).
The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year A. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2023, we will be in Year B. The year which ended at Advent 2022 was Year A. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
The Daily Lectionary for Friday, February 3, 2023
Psalm 112:1-9 [10]; Isaiah 29:1-12; James 3:13-18
