Thursday 26 April 2007 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Thursday 26 April 2007 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Daniel 5:13-30

Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel, ‘So
you are Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom my father the king
brought from Judah? I have heard of you that a spirit of the gods is in
you, and that enlightenment, understanding, and excellent wisdom are
found in you. Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in
before me to read this writing and tell me its interpretation, but they
were not able to give the interpretation of the matter. But I have heard
that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you are
able to read the writing and tell me its interpretation, you shall be
clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around your neck, and rank
third in the kingdom.’

Then Daniel answered in the presence of the king, ‘Let your gifts be for
yourself, or give your rewards to someone else! Nevertheless,I will read
the writing to the king and let him know the interpretation. O king, the
Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar kingship, greatness,
glory, and majesty. And because of the greatness that he gave him, all
peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. He
killed those he wanted to kill, kept alive those he wanted to keep
alive, honoured those he wanted to honour, and degraded those he wanted
to degrade. But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened
so that he acted proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and his
glory was stripped from him. He was driven from human society, and his
mind was made like that of an animal. His dwelling was with the wild
asses, he was fed grass like oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew
of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God has sovereignty over
the kingdom of mortals, and sets over it whomsoever he will. And you,
Belshazzar his son, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew
all this! You have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven! The
vessels of his temple have been brought in before you, and you and your
lords, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them.
You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and
stone, which do not see or hear or know; but the God in whose power is
your very breath, and to whom belong all your ways, you have not
honoured.

‘So from his presence the hand was sent and this writing was inscribed.
And this is the writing that was inscribed: mene, mene, tekel, and
parsin. This is the interpretation of the matter: mene, God has
numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; tekel, you
have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; peres, your kingdom
is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.’

Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed in purple, a
chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made
concerning him that he should rank third in the kingdom.

That very night Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed.
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1 John 5:13-21

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God,
so that you may know that you have eternal life.

And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything
according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in
whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of
him. If you see your brother or sister committing what is not a mortal
sin, you will ask, and God will give life to such a one—to those whose
sin is not mortal. There is sin that is mortal; I do not say that you
should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is
not mortal.

We know that those who are born of God do not sin, but the one who was
born of God protects them, and the evil one does not touch them. We
know that we are God’s children, and that the whole world lies under
the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and
has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true; and we
are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and
eternal life.

Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
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Luke 5:1-11

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the
crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats
there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and
were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one
belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the
shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he
had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water
and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have
worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I
will let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they caught so many
fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signalled to
their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came
and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter
saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord,
for I am a sinful man!’ For he and all who were with him were amazed at
the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John,
sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to
Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’
When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and
followed him.
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 37:1-18

Psalm 37:1-18

Do not fret because of the wicked;
   do not be envious of wrongdoers, 
for they will soon fade like the grass,
   and wither like the green herb. 


Trust in the Lord, and do good;
   so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. 
Take delight in the Lord,
   and he will give you the desires of your heart. 


Commit your way to the Lord;
   trust in him, and he will act. 
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
   and the justice of your cause like the noonday. 


Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
   do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
   over those who carry out evil devices. 


Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
   Do not fret—it leads only to evil. 
For the wicked shall be cut off,
   but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. 


Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
   though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there. 
But the meek shall inherit the land,
   and delight in abundant prosperity. 


The wicked plot against the righteous,
   and gnash their teeth at them; 
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
   for he sees that their day is coming. 


The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
   to bring down the poor and needy,
   to kill those who walk uprightly; 
their sword shall enter their own heart,
   and their bows shall be broken. 


Better is a little that the righteous person has
   than the abundance of many wicked. 
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
   but the Lord upholds the righteous. 


The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
   and their heritage will abide for ever;
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 37:19-42

Psalm 37:19-42

they are not put to shame in evil times,
   in the days of famine they have abundance. 


But the wicked perish,
   and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
   they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. 


The wicked borrow, and do not pay back,
   but the righteous are generous and keep giving; 
for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
   but those cursed by him shall be cut off. 


Our steps are made firm by the Lord,
   when he delights in our way; 
though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong,
   for the Lord holds us by the hand. 


I have been young, and now am old,
   yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
   or their children begging bread. 
They are ever giving liberally and lending,
   and their children become a blessing. 


Depart from evil, and do good;
   so you shall abide for ever. 
For the Lord loves justice;
   he will not forsake his faithful ones. 


The righteous shall be kept safe for ever,
   but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 
The righteous shall inherit the land,
   and live in it for ever. 


The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
   and their tongues speak justice. 
The law of their God is in their hearts;
   their steps do not slip. 


The wicked watch for the righteous,
   and seek to kill them. 
The Lord will not abandon them to their power,
   or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial. 


Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way,
   and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
   you will look on the destruction of the wicked. 


I have seen the wicked oppressing,
   and towering like a cedar of Lebanon. 
Again I passed by, and they were no more;
   though I sought them, they could not be found. 


Mark the blameless, and behold the upright,
   for there is posterity for the peaceable. 
But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
   the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off. 


The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
   he is their refuge in the time of trouble. 
The Lord helps them and rescues them;
   he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
   because they take refuge in him.
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