Daily Readings

[1] “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. [2] “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the Lord’s hand Double for all her sins.” [3] The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. [4] Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; [5] The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” [6] The voice said, “Cry out!” And he said, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. [7] The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. [8] The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

[17] Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, [18] “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, [19] and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.” [20] Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. [21] And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.” [22] But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.” [23] So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.” [24] And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. [25] But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. [26] Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. [27] And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— [28] just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

[1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [2] The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. [3] Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. [4] And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. [5] God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. [6] Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” [7] Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. [8] And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day. [9] Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. [10] And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. [11] Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. [12] And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [13] So the evening and the morning were the third day. [14] Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; [15] and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. [16] Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. [17] God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, [18] and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. [19] So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. [20] Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” [21] So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [22] And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” [23] So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. [24] Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. [25] And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [26] Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” [27] So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. [28] Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” [29] And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. [30] Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. [31] Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. [1] Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. [2] And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. [3] Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. [4] This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, [5] before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; [6] but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. [7] And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. [8] The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. [9] And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. [10] Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. [11] The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. [12] And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. [13] The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. [14] The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. [15] Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. [16] And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; [17] but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” [18] And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” [19] Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. [20] So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. [21] And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. [22] Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. [23] And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” [24] Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. [25] And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. [1] Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” [2] And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; [3] but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” [4] Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. [5] For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” [6] So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. [7] Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. [8] And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. [9] Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” [10] So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” [11] And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” [12] Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” [13] And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” [14] So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. [15] And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” [16] To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” [17] Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. [18] Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. [19] In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” [20] And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. [21] Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. [22] Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— [23] therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. [24] So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

[18] Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. [19] And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away. [20] And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” [21] So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. [22] And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” [23] Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” [24] But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: [25] The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ [26] But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.” [27] So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. [28] “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ [29] He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. [30] Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. [31] Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. [32] For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him. [33] “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. [34] Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. [35] And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. [36] Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. [37] Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ [38] But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ [39] So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. [40] “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” [41] They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” [42] Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’ ? [43] “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. [44] And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” [45] Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. [46] But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. [1] And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: [2] “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, [3] and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. [4] Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’ [5] But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. [6] And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. [7] But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. [8] Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. [9] Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ [10] So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. [11] “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. [12] So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. [13] Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ [14] “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

[2] To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, [3] To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; [4] To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion— [5] A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, [6] To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles. [7] The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. [8] My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother; [9] For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck.