Daily Scripture

6th Hour

Isaiah 9.9-10.4

9:9And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart,

9:10The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.

9:11Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together;

9:12The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

9:13For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts.

9:14Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.

9:15The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

9:16For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

9:17Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

9:18For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.

9:19Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.

9:20And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm:

9:21Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

10:1Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;

10:2To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!

10:3And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?

10:4Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Vespers

Genesis 7.1-5

Read in context

1And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

2Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.

3Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

4For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

5And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.

Vespers

Proverbs 8.32-9.11

Read in context

8:32Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.

8:33Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.

8:34Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

8:35For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.

8:36But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

9:1Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:

9:2She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.

9:3She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,

9:4Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

9:5Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.

9:6Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

9:7He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.

9:8Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

9:9Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

9:10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

9:11For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

Vespers — Martyrs

Isaiah 43.9-14

Read in context

9Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.

10Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

11I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.

12I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.

13Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?

14Thus saith the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.

Vespers — Martyrs

Wisdom of Solomon 3.1-9

Read in context

1But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them.

2In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure is taken for misery,

3And their going from us to be utter destruction: but they are in peace.

4For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their hope full of immortality.

5And having been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded: for God proved them, and found them worthy for himself.

6As gold in the furnace hath he tried them, and received them as a burnt offering.

7And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble.

8They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the people, and their Lord shall reign for ever.

9They that put their trust in him shall understand the truth: and such as be faithful in love shall abide with him: for grace and mercy is to his saints, and he hath care for his elect.

Vespers — Martyrs

Wisdom of Solomon 5.15-6.3

Read in context

5:15But the righteous live for evermore; their reward also is with the Lord, and the care of them is with the most High.

5:16Therefore shall they receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown from the Lord’s hand: for with his right hand shall he cover them, and with his arm shall he protect them.

5:17He shall take to him his jealousy for complete armour, and make the creature his weapon for the revenge of his enemies.

5:18He shall put on righteousness as a breastplate, and true judgment instead of an helmet.

5:19He shall take holiness for an invincible shield.

5:20His severe wrath shall he sharpen for a sword, and the world shall fight with him against the unwise.

5:21Then shall the right aiming thunderbolts go abroad; and from the clouds, as from a well drawn bow, shall they fly to the mark.

5:22And hailstones full of wrath shall be cast as out of a stone bow, and the water of the sea shall rage against them, and the floods shall cruelly drown them.

5:23Yea, a mighty wind shall stand up against them, and like a storm shall blow them away: thus iniquity shall lay waste the whole earth, and ill dealing shall overthrow the thrones of the mighty.

6:1Hear therefore, O ye kings, and understand; learn, ye that be judges of the ends of the earth.

6:2Give ear, ye that rule the people, and glory in the multitude of nations.

6:3For power is given you of the Lord, and sovereignty from the Highest, who shall try your works, and search out your counsels.

Matins Gospel — Martyrs

Luke 21.12-19

Read in context

12But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.

13And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

14Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:

15For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

16And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

17And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.

18But there shall not an hair of your head perish.

19In your patience possess ye your souls.

Epistle — Martyrs

Hebrews 12.1-10

Read in context

1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

4Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

5And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

Gospel — Martyrs

Matthew 20.1-16

Read in context

1For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

2And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

4And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

5Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.

6And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

7They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.

8So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

9And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

10But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.

11And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,

12Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

13But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

14Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

15Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

16So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011