Friday 2 August 2024 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Friday 2 August 2024  
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Judges 5:1-18

Then Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying: 
‘When locks are long in Israel,
   when the people offer themselves willingly—
   bless * the Lord! 

‘Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes;
   to the Lord I will sing,
   I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel. 

‘Lord, when you went out from Seir,
   when you marched from the region of Edom,
the earth trembled,
   and the heavens poured,
   the clouds indeed poured water. 
The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai,
   before the Lord, the God of Israel. 

‘In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
   in the days of Jael, caravans ceased
   and travellers kept to the byways. 
The peasantry prospered in Israel,
   they grew fat on plunder,
because you arose, Deborah,
   arose as a mother in Israel. 
When new gods were chosen,
   then war was in the gates.
Was shield or spear to be seen
   among forty thousand in Israel? 
My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel
   who offered themselves willingly among the people.
   Bless the Lord. 

‘Tell of it, you who ride on white donkeys,
   you who sit on rich carpets,*
   and you who walk by the way. 
To the sound of musicians* at the watering-places,
   there they repeat the triumphs of the Lord,
   the triumphs of his peasantry in Israel. 

‘Then down to the gates marched the people of the Lord. 

‘Awake, awake, Deborah!
   Awake, awake, utter a song!
Arise, Barak, lead away your captives,
   O son of Abinoam. 
Then down marched the remnant of the noble;
   the people of the Lord marched down for him* against the
mighty. 
>From Ephraim they set out* into the valley,*
   following you, Benjamin, with your kin;
from Machir marched down the commanders,
   and from Zebulun those who bear the marshal’s staff; 
the chiefs of Issachar came with Deborah,
   and Issachar faithful to Barak;
   into the valley they rushed out at his heels.
Among the clans of Reuben
   there were great searchings of heart. 
Why did you tarry among the sheepfolds,
   to hear the piping for the flocks?
Among the clans of Reuben
   there were great searchings of heart. 
Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan;
   and Dan, why did he abide with the ships?
Asher sat still at the coast of the sea,
   settling down by his landings. 
Zebulun is a people that scorned death;
   Naphtali too, on the heights of the field.
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Acts 2:1-21

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one
place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a
violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested
on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in
Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered,
because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.
Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are
speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own
native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of
Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and
Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and
visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in
our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of
power.’ All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another,
‘What does this mean?’ But others sneered and said, ‘They are
filled with new wine.’
 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed
them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known
to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you
suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is
what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 
“In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
   and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
   and your old men shall dream dreams. 
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
   in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
     and they shall prophesy. 
And I will show portents in the heaven above
   and signs on the earth below,
     blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 
The sun shall be turned to darkness
   and the moon to blood,
     before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. 
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
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Matthew 28:1-10

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there
was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from
heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance
was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him
the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the
women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who
was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said.
Come, see the place where he* lay. Then go quickly and tell his
disciples, “He has been raised from the dead,* and indeed he is
going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.” This is my
message for you.’ So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great
joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said,
‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and
worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and
tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 69:1-38

Psalm 69:1-38

Save me, O God,
   for the waters have come up to my neck. 
I sink in deep mire,
   where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
   and the flood sweeps over me. 
I am weary with my crying;
   my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
   with waiting for my God. 

More in number than the hairs of my head
   are those who hate me without cause;
many are those who would destroy me,
   my enemies who accuse me falsely.
What I did not steal
   must I now restore? 
O God, you know my folly;
   the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. 

Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame because of me,
   O Lord God of hosts;
do not let those who seek you be dishonoured because of me,
   O God of Israel. 
It is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
   that shame has covered my face. 
I have become a stranger to my kindred,
   an alien to my mother’s children. 

It is zeal for your house that has consumed me;
   the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. 
When I humbled my soul with fasting,*
   they insulted me for doing so. 
When I made sackcloth my clothing,
   I became a byword to them. 
I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate,
   and the drunkards make songs about me. 

But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
   At an acceptable time, O God,
   in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me.
With your faithful help rescue me
   from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
   and from the deep waters. 
Do not let the flood sweep over me,
   or the deep swallow me up,
   or the Pit close its mouth over me. 

Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;
   according to your abundant mercy, turn to me. 
Do not hide your face from your servant,
   for I am in distress—make haste to answer me. 
Draw near to me, redeem me,
   set me free because of my enemies. 

You know the insults I receive,
   and my shame and dishonour;
   my foes are all known to you. 
Insults have broken my heart,
   so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none;
   and for comforters, but I found none. 
They gave me poison for food,
   and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. 

Let their table be a trap for them,
   a snare for their allies. 
Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
   and make their loins tremble continually. 
Pour out your indignation upon them,
   and let your burning anger overtake them. 
May their camp be a desolation;
   let no one live in their tents. 
For they persecute those whom you have struck down,
   and those whom you have wounded, they attack still more.* 
Add guilt to their guilt;
   may they have no acquittal from you. 
Let them be blotted out of the book of the living;
   let them not be enrolled among the righteous. 
But I am lowly and in pain;
   let your salvation, O God, protect me. 

I will praise the name of God with a song;
   I will magnify him with thanksgiving. 
This will please the Lord more than an ox
   or a bull with horns and hoofs. 
Let the oppressed see it and be glad;
   you who seek God, let your hearts revive. 
For the Lord hears the needy,
   and does not despise his own that are in bonds. 

Let heaven and earth praise him,
   the seas and everything that moves in them. 
For God will save Zion
   and rebuild the cities of Judah;
and his servants shall live* there and possess it; 
   the children of his servants shall inherit it,
   and those who love his name shall live in it.
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Evening Psalms:  Psalm 73

Psalm 73

Truly God is good to the upright,*
   to those who are pure in heart. 
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
   my steps had nearly slipped. 
For I was envious of the arrogant;
   I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 

For they have no pain;
   their bodies are sound and sleek. 
They are not in trouble as others are;
   they are not plagued like other people. 
Therefore pride is their necklace;
   violence covers them like a garment. 
Their eyes swell out with fatness;
   their hearts overflow with follies. 
They scoff and speak with malice;
   loftily they threaten oppression. 
They set their mouths against heaven,
   and their tongues range over the earth. 

Therefore the people turn and praise them,*
   and find no fault in them.* 
And they say, ‘How can God know?
   Is there knowledge in the Most High?’ 
Such are the wicked;
   always at ease, they increase in riches. 
All in vain I have kept my heart clean
   and washed my hands in innocence. 
For all day long I have been plagued,
   and am punished every morning. 

If I had said, ‘I will talk on in this way’,
   I would have been untrue to the circle of your children. 
But when I thought how to understand this,
   it seemed to me a wearisome task, 
until I went into the sanctuary of God;
   then I perceived their end. 
Truly you set them in slippery places;
   you make them fall to ruin. 
How they are destroyed in a moment,
   swept away utterly by terrors! 
They are* like a dream when one awakes;
   on awaking you despise their phantoms. 

When my soul was embittered,
   when I was pricked in heart, 
I was stupid and ignorant;
   I was like a brute beast towards you. 
Nevertheless I am continually with you;
   you hold my right hand. 
You guide me with your counsel,
   and afterwards you will receive me with honour.* 
Whom have I in heaven but you?
   And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you. 
My flesh and my heart may fail,
   but God is the strength* of my heart and my portion for ever. 

Indeed, those who are far from you will perish;
   you put an end to those who are false to you. 
But for me it is good to be near God;
   I have made the Lord God my refuge,
   to tell of all your works.
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