Wednesday 13 June 2007 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Wednesday 13 June 2007 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Deuteronomy 31:30-32:14

Then Moses recited the words of this song, to the very end, in the
hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:

Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;
   let the earth hear the words of my mouth. 
May my teaching drop like the rain,
   my speech condense like the dew;
like gentle rain on grass,
   like showers on new growth. 
For I will proclaim the name of the Lord;
   ascribe greatness to our God! 


The Rock, his work is perfect,
   and all his ways are just.
A faithful God, without deceit,
   just and upright is he; 
yet his degenerate children have dealt falsely with him,
   a perverse and crooked generation. 
Do you thus repay the Lord,
   O foolish and senseless people?
Is not he your father, who created you,
   who made you and established you? 
Remember the days of old,
   consider the years long past;
ask your father, and he will inform you;
   your elders, and they will tell you. 
When the Most High apportioned the nations,
   when he divided humankind,
he fixed the boundaries of the peoples
   according to the number of the gods; 
the Lord's own portion was his people,
   Jacob his allotted share. 


He sustained him in a desert land,
   in a howling wilderness waste;
he shielded him, cared for him,
   guarded him as the apple of his eye. 
As an eagle stirs up its nest,
   and hovers over its young;
as it spreads its wings, takes them up,
   and bears them aloft on its pinions, 
the Lord alone guided him;
   no foreign god was with him. 
He set him upon the heights of the land,
   and fed him with produce of the field;
he nursed him with honey from the crags,
   with oil from flinty rock; 
curds from the herd, and milk from the flock,
   with fat of lambs and rams;
Bashan bulls and goats,
   together with the choicest wheat-
   you drank fine wine from the blood of grapes.
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2 Corinthians 11:21b-33

To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!

But whatever anyone dares to boast of-I am speaking as a fool-I also
dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites?
So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers
of Christ? I am talking like a madman-I am a better one: with far
greater labours, far more imprisonments, with countless floggings, and
often near death. Five times I have received from the Jews the forty
lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a
stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was
adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from
bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the
city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false
brothers and sisters; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless
night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked. And,
besides other things, I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety
for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to
stumble, and I am not indignant?

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The
God and Father of the Lord Jesus (blessed be he for ever!) knows that I
do not lie. In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas set a guard on
the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in a
basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.
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Luke 19:11-27

As they were listening to this, he went on to tell a parable, because he
was near Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God
was to appear immediately. So he said, 'A nobleman went to a distant
country to get royal power for himself and then return. He summoned ten
of his slaves, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, "Do business
with these until I come back." But the citizens of his country hated
him and sent a delegation after him, saying, "We do not want this man
to rule over us." When he returned, having received royal power, he
ordered these slaves, to whom he had given the money, to be summoned so
that he might find out what they had gained by trading. The first came
forward and said, "Lord, your pound has made ten more pounds." He said
to him, "Well done, good slave! Because you have been trustworthy in a
very small thing, take charge of ten cities." Then the second came,
saying, "Lord, your pound has made five pounds." He said to him, "And
you, rule over five cities." Then the other came, saying, "Lord, here
is your pound. I wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, for I was afraid of
you, because you are a harsh man; you take what you did not deposit, and
reap what you did not sow." He said to him, "I will judge you by your
own words, you wicked slave! You knew, did you, that I was a harsh man,
taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then
did you not put my money into the bank? Then when I returned, I could
have collected it with interest." He said to the bystanders, "Take the
pound from him and give it to the one who has ten pounds." (And they
said to him, "Lord, he has ten pounds!") "I tell you, to all those who
have, more will be given; but from those who have nothing, even what
they have will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine who did
not want me to be king over them-bring them here and slaughter them in
my presence." '
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 72

Psalm 72

Give the king your justice, O God,
   and your righteousness to a king's son. 
May he judge your people with righteousness,
   and your poor with justice. 
May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
   and the hills, in righteousness. 
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
   give deliverance to the needy,
   and crush the oppressor. 


May he live while the sun endures,
   and as long as the moon, throughout all generations. 
May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
   like showers that water the earth. 
In his days may righteousness flourish
   and peace abound, until the moon is no more. 


May he have dominion from sea to sea,
   and from the River to the ends of the earth. 
May his foes bow down before him,
   and his enemies lick the dust. 
May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles
   render him tribute,
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
   bring gifts. 
May all kings fall down before him,
   all nations give him service. 


For he delivers the needy when they call,
   the poor and those who have no helper. 
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
   and saves the lives of the needy. 
>From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
   and precious is their blood in his sight. 


Long may he live!
   May gold of Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be made for him continually,
   and blessings invoked for him all day long. 
May there be abundance of grain in the land;
   may it wave on the tops of the mountains;
   may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
   like the grass of the field. 
May his name endure for ever,
   his fame continue as long as the sun.
May all nations be blessed in him;
   may they pronounce him happy. 


Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
   who alone does wondrous things. 
Blessed be his glorious name for ever;
   may his glory fill the whole earth.Amen and Amen. 


The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 119:73-96

Psalm 119:73-96

Your hands have made and fashioned me;
   give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. 
Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice,
   because I have hoped in your word. 
I know, O Lord, that your judgements are right,
   and that in faithfulness you have humbled me. 
Let your steadfast love become my comfort
   according to your promise to your servant. 
Let your mercy come to me, that I may live;
   for your law is my delight. 
Let the arrogant be put to shame,
   because they have subverted me with guile;
   as for me, I will meditate on your precepts. 
Let those who fear you turn to me,
   so that they may know your decrees. 
May my heart be blameless in your statutes,
   so that I may not be put to shame. 


My soul languishes for your salvation;
   I hope in your word. 
My eyes fail with watching for your promise;
   I ask, 'When will you comfort me?' 
For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
   yet I have not forgotten your statutes. 
How long must your servant endure?
   When will you judge those who persecute me? 
The arrogant have dug pitfalls for me;
   they flout your law. 
All your commandments are enduring;
   I am persecuted without cause; help me! 
They have almost made an end of me on earth;
   but I have not forsaken your precepts. 
In your steadfast love spare my life,
   so that I may keep the decrees of your mouth. 


The Lord exists for ever;
   your word is firmly fixed in heaven. 
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
   you have established the earth, and it stands fast. 
By your appointment they stand today,
   for all things are your servants. 
If your law had not been my delight,
   I would have perished in my misery. 
I will never forget your precepts,
   for by them you have given me life. 
I am yours; save me,
   for I have sought your precepts. 
The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,
   but I consider your decrees. 
I have seen a limit to all perfection,
   but your commandment is exceedingly broad.
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