Daily Readings

[1] After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death. [2] But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.” [3] And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. [4] But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? [5] For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply. [6] But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. [7] For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. [8] She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. [9] Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” [10] Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. [11] And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

[3] Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, [4] and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. [5] But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” [6] And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, [7] a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. [8] But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? [9] For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.” [10] But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. [11] For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. [12] For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. [13] Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” [14] Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests [15] and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. [16] So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

[1] Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. [2] So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, [3] and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. [4] Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. [5] And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.” [6] So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” [7] And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. [8] So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate. [9] Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” So he said, “Here, in the tent.” [10] And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) [11] Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. [12] Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” [13] And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ [14] Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” [15] But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!” [16] Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. [17] And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, [18] since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? [19] For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” [20] And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, [21] I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” [22] Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. [23] And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? [24] Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? [25] Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” [26] So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” [27] Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: [28] Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” [29] And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.” [30] Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” [31] And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” [32] Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” [33] So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place. [1] Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. [2] And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.” [3] But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. [4] Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. [5] And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.” [6] So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, [7] and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! [8] See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.” [9] And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. [10] But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. [11] And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door. [12] Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! [13] For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” [14] So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking. [15] When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” [16] And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. [17] So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” [18] Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords! [19] Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. [20] See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.” [21] And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. [22] Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. [23] The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. [24] Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. [25] So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. [26] But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. [27] And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. [28] Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. [29] And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt. [30] Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.

[10] My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. [11] If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; [12] Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, And whole, like those who go down to the Pit; [13] We shall find all kinds of precious possessions, We shall fill our houses with spoil; [14] Cast in your lot among us, Let us all have one purse”— [15] My son, do not walk in the way with them, Keep your foot from their path; [16] For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood. [17] Surely, in vain the net is spread In the sight of any bird; [18] But they lie in wait for their own blood, They lurk secretly for their own lives. [19] So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners.

[11] So it was broken on that day. Thus the poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. [12] Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. [13] And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter. [14] Then I cut in two my other staff, Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.