Friday 8 November 2024 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Friday 8 November 2024  
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Ecclesiasticus 50:1,11-24

The leader of his brothers and the pride of his people*
   was the high priest, Simon son of Onias,
who in his life repaired the house,
   and in his time fortified the temple. 
When he put on his glorious robe
   and clothed himself in perfect splendour,
when he went up to the holy altar,
   he made the court of the sanctuary glorious. 

When he received the portions from the hands of the priests,
   as he stood by the hearth of the altar
with a garland of brothers around him,
   he was like a young cedar on Lebanon
   surrounded by the trunks of palm trees. 
All the sons of Aaron in their splendour
   held the Lord’s offering in their hands
   before the whole congregation of Israel. 
Finishing the service at the altars,*
   and arranging the offering to the Most High, the Almighty, 
he held out his hand for the cup
   and poured a drink-offering of the blood of the grape;
he poured it out at the foot of the altar,
   a pleasing odour to the Most High, the king of all. 
Then the sons of Aaron shouted;
   they blew their trumpets of hammered metal;
they sounded a mighty fanfare
   as a reminder before the Most High. 
Then all the people together quickly
   fell to the ground on their faces
to worship their Lord,
   the Almighty, God Most High. 

Then the singers praised him with their voices
   in sweet and full-toned melody.* 
And the people of the Lord Most High offered
   their prayers before the Merciful One,
until the order of worship of the Lord was ended,
   and they completed his ritual. 
Then Simon* came down and raised his hands
   over the whole congregation of Israelites,
to pronounce the blessing of the Lord with his lips,
   and to glory in his name; 
and they bowed down in worship a second time,
   to receive the blessing from the Most High. 

And now bless the God of all,
   who everywhere works great wonders,
who fosters our growth from birth,
   and deals with us according to his mercy. 
May he give us* gladness of heart,
   and may there be peace in our* days
   in Israel, as in the days of old. 
May he entrust to us his mercy,
   and may he deliver us in our* days!
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Revelation 17:1-18

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to
me, ‘Come, I will show you the judgement of the great whore who is
seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed
fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the inhabitants of
the earth have become drunk.’ So he carried me away in the spirit*
into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that
was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.
The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and
jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of
abominations and the impurities of her fornication; and on her
forehead was written a name, a mystery: ‘Babylon the great, mother
of whores and of earth’s abominations.’ And I saw that the woman
was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses
to Jesus.

When I saw her, I was greatly amazed. But the angel said to me, ‘Why
are you so amazed? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of
the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast
that you saw was, and is not, and is about to ascend from the
bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the inhabitants of the
earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the
foundation of the world, will be amazed when they see the beast,
because it was and is not and is to come.

 ‘This calls for a mind that has wisdom: the seven heads are seven
mountains on which the woman is seated; also, they are seven kings, of
whom five have fallen, one is living, and the other has not yet come;
and when he comes, he must remain for only a little while. As for the
beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the
seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are
ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they are to receive
authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are
united in yielding their power and authority to the beast; they will
make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord
of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen
and faithful.’

 And he said to me, ‘The waters that you saw, where the whore is
seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. And the
ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the whore; they
will make her desolate and naked; they will devour her flesh and burn
her up with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to carry out
his purpose by agreeing to give their kingdom to the beast, until the
words of God will be fulfilled. The woman you saw is the great city
that rules over the kings of the earth.’
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Luke 13:31-35

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away
from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and
tell that fox for me,* “Listen, I am casting out demons and
performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my
work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way,
because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from
Jerusalem.” Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets
and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to
gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her
wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I
tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when* you say,
“Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ’
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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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