Daily Scripture

ORTHODOX BIBLE STUDY

Thursday, January 9, 2031

Protomartyr Stephen

Fasting: No fastSix-sticheraJulian: December 27

Epistle

Heb 10.35-11.7

Read in context

Brethren,

10:35Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.

10:36For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

10:37For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

10:38Now the just shall live by faith: but if [any man] draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

10:39But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

11:1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

11:2For by it the elders obtained a good report.

11:3Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

11:4By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

11:5By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

11:6But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

11:7By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Epistle — St Stephen

Acts 6.8-7.5, 47-60

Read in context

In those days,

6:8And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

6:9Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called [the synagogue] of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.

6:10And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.

6:11Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and [against] God.

6:12And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon [him], and caught him, and brought [him] to the council,

6:13And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

6:14For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.

6:15And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

7:1Then said the high priest, Are these things so?

7:2And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

7:3And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.

7:4Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.

7:5And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not [so much as] to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when [as yet] he had no child.

47But Solomon built him an house.

48Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

49Heaven [is] my throne, and earth [is] my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what [is] the place of my rest?

50Hath not my hand made all these things?

51Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers [did], so [do] ye.

52Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

53Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept [it].

54When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with [their] teeth.

55But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

56And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

57Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

58And cast [him] out of the city, and stoned [him]: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

59And they stoned Stephen, calling upon [God], and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

60And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Gospel

Mark 11.27-33

Read in context

At that time, Jesus

27And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders,

28And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?

29And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

30The baptism of John, was [it] from heaven, or of men? answer me.

31And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?

32But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all [men] counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.

33And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Gospel — St Stephen

Matt 21.33-42

Read in context

The Lord said this parable:

33Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

34And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.

35And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.

36Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.

37But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.

38But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.

39And they caught him, and cast [him] out of the vineyard, and slew [him].

40When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?

41They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out [his] vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

42Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

”