Thursday 27 April 2023 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Thursday 27 April 2023  
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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