Thursday 7 September 2023 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Thursday 7 September 2023
DAILY LECTIONARY

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1 Kings 11:1-13

King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of
Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from
the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the Israelites,
‘You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they
with you; for they will surely incline your heart to follow their
gods;’ Solomon clung to these in love. Among his wives were seven
hundred princesses and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned
away his heart. For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his
heart after other gods; and his heart was not true to the Lord his
God, as was the heart of his father David. For Solomon followed
Astarte the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom the abomination of
the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord,
and did not completely follow the Lord, as his father David had done.
Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab,
and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east
of Jerusalem. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who offered
incense and sacrificed to their gods.

 Then the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned
away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
and had commanded him concerning this matter, that he should not
follow other gods; but he did not observe what the Lord commanded.
Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, ‘Since this has been your mind
and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have
commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and give it to
your servant. Yet for the sake of your father David I will not do it
in your lifetime; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. I will
not, however, tear away the entire kingdom; I will give one tribe to
your son, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of
Jerusalem, which I have chosen.’
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James 3:13-4:12

Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that
your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have
bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful
and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but
is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish
ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,
willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of
partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in
peace for* those who make peace.
Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do
they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want
something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet*
something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and
conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not
receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on
your pleasures. Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the
world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of
the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you suppose that it is for
nothing that the scripture says, ‘God* yearns jealously for the
spirit that he has made to dwell in us’? But he gives all the more
grace; therefore it says,
‘God opposes the proud,
   but gives grace to the humble.’ 
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your
hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament
and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your
joy into dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will
exalt you.
 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters.*
Whoever speaks evil against another or judges another, speaks evil
against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are
not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who
is able to save and to destroy. So who, then, are you to judge your
neighbour?
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Mark 15:12-21
 
Pilate spoke to them again, ‘Then what do you wish me to do* with
the man you call* the King of the Jews?’ They shouted back,
‘Crucify him!’ Pilate asked them, ‘Why, what evil has he
done?’ But they shouted all the more, ‘Crucify him!’ So Pilate,
wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after
flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
 Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is,
the governor’s headquarters*); and they called together the whole
cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting
some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting
him, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ They struck his head with a reed,
spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. After mocking him,
they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him.
Then they led him out to crucify him.
 They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to
carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and
Rufus.
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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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