Monday 8 October 2007 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Monday 8 October 2007 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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2 Kings 21:1-18

Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; he reigned for
fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. 2He did
what was evil in the sight of the Lord, following the abominable
practices of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of
Israel. 3For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had
destroyed; he erected altars for Baal, made a sacred pole,* as King Ahab
of Israel had done, worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.
4He built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said,
'In Jerusalem I will put my name.' 5He built altars for all the host of
heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. 6He made his son pass
through fire; he practised soothsaying and augury, and dealt with
mediums and with wizards. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord,
provoking him to anger. 7The carved image of Asherah that he had made he
set in the house of which the Lord said to David and to his son Solomon,
'In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the
tribes of Israel, I will put my name for ever; 8I will not cause the
feet of Israel to wander any more out of the land that I gave to their
ancestors, if only they will be careful to do according to all that I
have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses
commanded them.' 9But they did not listen; Manasseh misled them to do
more evil than the nations had done that the Lord destroyed before the
people of Israel. 
10 The Lord said by his servants the prophets, 11'Because King Manasseh
of Judah has committed these abominations, has done things more wicked
than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has caused
Judah also to sin with his idols; 12therefore thus says the Lord, the
God of Israel, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such evil that the
ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 13I will stretch over
Jerusalem the measuring line for Samaria, and the plummet for the house
of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and
turning it upside down. 14I will cast off the remnant of my heritage,
and give them into the hand of their enemies; they shall become a prey
and a spoil to all their enemies, 15because they have done what is evil
in my sight and have provoked me to anger, since the day their ancestors
came out of Egypt, even to this day.' 
16 Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, until he had filled
Jerusalem from one end to another, besides the sin that he caused Judah
to sin so that they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 
17 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, all that he did, and the sin
that he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the
Kings of Judah? 18Manasseh slept with his ancestors, and was buried in
the garden of his house, in the garden of Uzza. His son Amon succeeded
him. ******************************************************************
1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1

Therefore, my dear friends,* flee from the worship of idols. 15I speak
as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16The cup of
blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The
bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?
17Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all
partake of the one bread. 18Consider the people of Israel;* are not
those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? 19What do I imply
then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is
anything? 20No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice to
demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons.
21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot
partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22Or are we
provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? 
Do All to the Glory of God23 'All things are lawful', but not all things
are beneficial. 'All things are lawful', but not all things build up.
24Do not seek your own advantage, but that of others. 25Eat whatever is
sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of
conscience, 26for 'the earth and its fullness are the Lord's.' 27If an
unbeliever invites you to a meal and you are disposed to go, eat
whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of
conscience. 28But if someone says to you, 'This has been offered in
sacrifice', then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who
informed you, and for the sake of conscience- 29I mean the other's
conscience, not your own. For why should my liberty be subject to the
judgement of someone else's conscience? 30If I partake with
thankfulness, why should I be denounced because of that for which I give
thanks? 
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for
the glory of God. 32Give no offence to Jews or to Greeks or to the
church of God, 33just as I try to please everyone in everything I do,
not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, so that they may be
saved. 111Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 
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Matthew 8:28-34

When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes,* two
demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no
one could pass that way. 29Suddenly they shouted, 'What have you to do
with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?'
30Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them.
31The demons begged him, 'If you cast us out, send us into the herd of
swine.' 32And he said to them, 'Go!' So they came out and entered the
swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the
lake and perished in the water. 33The swineherds ran off, and on going
into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the
demoniacs. 34Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they
saw him, they begged him to leave their neighbourhood.
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 106:1-18

Psalm 106:1-18

Praise the Lord!
   O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
   for his steadfast love endures for ever. 
2Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord,
   or declare all his praise? 
3Happy are those who observe justice,
   who do righteousness at all times. 


4Remember me, O Lord, when you show favour to your people;
   help me when you deliver them; 
5that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
   that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
   that I may glory in your heritage. 


6Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
   we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly. 
7Our ancestors, when they were in Egypt,
   did not consider your wonderful works;
they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
   but rebelled against the Most High* at the Red Sea.* 
8Yet he saved them for his name's sake,
   so that he might make known his mighty power. 
9He rebuked the Red Sea,* and it became dry;
   he led them through the deep as through a desert. 
10So he saved them from the hand of the foe,
   and delivered them from the hand of the enemy. 
11The waters covered their adversaries;
   not one of them was left. 
12Then they believed his words;
   they sang his praise. 


13But they soon forgot his works;
   they did not wait for his counsel. 
14But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness,
   and put God to the test in the desert; 
15he gave them what they asked,
   but sent a wasting disease among them. 


16They were jealous of Moses in the camp,
   and of Aaron, the holy one of the Lord. 
17The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
   and covered the faction of Abiram. 
18Fire also broke out in their company;
   the flame burned up the wicked. 
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 106:19-48

Psalm 106:19-48

They made a calf at Horeb
   and worshipped a cast image. 
20They exchanged the glory of God*
   for the image of an ox that eats grass. 
21They forgot God, their Saviour,
   who had done great things in Egypt, 
22wondrous works in the land of Ham,
   and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.* 
23Therefore he said he would destroy them-
   had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
   to turn away his wrath from destroying them. 


24Then they despised the pleasant land,
   having no faith in his promise. 
25They grumbled in their tents,
   and did not obey the voice of the Lord. 
26Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them
   that he would make them fall in the wilderness, 
27and would disperse* their descendants among the nations,
   scattering them over the lands. 


28Then they attached themselves to the Baal of Peor,
   and ate sacrifices offered to the dead; 
29they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds,
   and a plague broke out among them. 
30Then Phinehas stood up and interceded,
   and the plague was stopped. 
31And that has been reckoned to him as righteousness
   from generation to generation for ever. 


32They angered the Lord * at the waters of Meribah,
   and it went ill with Moses on their account; 
33for they made his spirit bitter,
   and he spoke words that were rash. 


34They did not destroy the peoples
   as the Lord commanded them, 
35but they mingled with the nations
   and learned to do as they did. 
36They served their idols,
   which became a snare to them. 
37They sacrificed their sons
   and their daughters to the demons; 
38they poured out innocent blood,
   the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
   and the land was polluted with blood. 
39Thus they became unclean by their acts,
   and prostituted themselves in their doings. 


40Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,
   and he abhorred his heritage; 
41he gave them into the hand of the nations,
   so that those who hated them ruled over them. 
42Their enemies oppressed them,
   and they were brought into subjection under their power. 
43Many times he delivered them,
   but they were rebellious in their purposes,
   and were brought low through their iniquity. 
44Nevertheless, he regarded their distress
   when he heard their cry. 
45For their sake he remembered his covenant,
   and showed compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast
love. 
46He caused them to be pitied
   by all who held them captive. 


47Save us, O Lord our God,
   and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
   and glory in your praise. 


48Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
   from everlasting to everlasting.
And let all the people say, 'Amen.'
   Praise the Lord!
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