Readings for Wed, April 24th

Matins

Prophecies

Proverbs 10:32-end ; Proverbs 11:1-13


        The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
        But the mouth of the wicked what is perverse.

Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,
        But a just weight is His delight.
        When pride comes, then comes shame;
        But with the humble is wisdom.
        The integrity of the upright will guide them,
        But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.
        Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
        But righteousness delivers from death.
        The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright,
        But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
        The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
        But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.
        When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish,
        And the hope of the unjust perishes.
        The righteous is delivered from trouble,
        And it comes to the wicked instead.
        The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor,
        But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.
        When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;
        And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
        By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted,
        But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
        He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor,
        But a man of understanding holds his peace.
        A talebearer reveals secrets,
        But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.

Isaiah 58:1-11
"Cry aloud, spare not;
        Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
        Tell My people their transgression,
        And the house of Jacob their sins.
        Yet they seek Me daily,
        And delight to know My ways,
        As a nation that did righteousness,
        And did not forsake the ordinance of their God.
        They ask of Me the ordinances of justice;
        They take delight in approaching God.
        "Why have we fasted,' they say, "and You have not seen?
        Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?'
        "In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,
        And exploit all your laborers.
        Indeed you fast for strife and debate,
        And to strike with the fist of wickedness.
        You will not fast as you do this day,
        To make your voice heard on high.
        Is it a fast that I have chosen,
        A day for a man to afflict his soul?
        Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush,
        And to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
        Would you call this a fast,
        And an acceptable day to the LORD?
        "Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
        To loose the bonds of wickedness,
        To undo the heavy burdens,
        To let the oppressed go free,
        And that you break every yoke?
        Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
        And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
        When you see the naked, that you cover him,
        And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
        Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
        Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
        And your righteousness shall go before you;
        The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
        Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
        You shall cry, and He will say, "Here I am.'
        "If you take away the yoke from your midst,
        The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
        If you extend your soul to the hungry
        And satisfy the afflicted soul,
        Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
        And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
        The LORD will guide you continually,
        And satisfy your soul in drought,
        And strengthen your bones;
        You shall be like a watered garden,
        And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Job 40:1-end ; Job 41:1-25

Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said:
        "Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?
        He who rebukes God, let him answer it." Then Job answered the LORD and said:
        "Behold, I am vile;
        What shall I answer You?
        I lay my hand over my mouth.
        Once I have spoken, but I will not answer;
        Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further." Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
        "Now prepare yourself like a man;
        I will question you, and you shall answer Me:
        "Would you indeed annul My judgment?
        Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?
        Have you an arm like God?
        Or can you thunder with a voice like His?
        Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor,
        And array yourself with glory and beauty.
        Disperse the rage of your wrath;
        Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him.
        Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low;
        Tread down the wicked in their place.
        Hide them in the dust together,
        Bind their faces in hidden darkness.
        Then I will also confess to you
        That your own right hand can save you.
        "Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you;
        He eats grass like an ox.
        See now, his strength is in his hips,
        And his power is in his stomach muscles.
        He moves his tail like a cedar;
        The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.
        His bones are like beams of bronze,
        His ribs like bars of iron.
        He is the first of the ways of God;
        Only He who made him can bring near His sword.
        Surely the mountains yield food for him,
        And all the beasts of the field play there.
        He lies under the lotus trees,
        In a covert of reeds and marsh.
        The lotus trees cover him with their shade;
        The willows by the brook surround him.
        Indeed the river may rage,
        Yet he is not disturbed;
        He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth,
        Though he takes it in his eyes,
        Or one pierces his nose with a snare.

"Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook,
        Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?
        Can you put a reed through his nose,
        Or pierce his jaw with a hook?
        Will he make many supplications to you?
        Will he speak softly to you?
        Will he make a covenant with you?
        Will you take him as a servant forever?
        Will you play with him as with a bird,
        Or will you leash him for your maidens?
        Will your companions make a banquet of him?
        Will they apportion him among the merchants?
        Can you fill his skin with harpoons,
        Or his head with fishing spears?
        Lay your hand on him;
        Remember the battle--
        Never do it again!
        Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false;
        Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him?
        No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up.
        Who then is able to stand against Me?
        Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him?
        Everything under heaven is Mine.
        "I will not conceal his limbs,
        His mighty power, or his graceful proportions.
        Who can remove his outer coat?
        Who can approach him with a double bridle?
        Who can open the doors of his face,
        With his terrible teeth all around?
        His rows of scales are his pride,
        Shut up tightly as with a seal;
        One is so near another
        That no air can come between them;
        They are joined one to another,
        They stick together and cannot be parted.
        His sneezings flash forth light,
        And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
        Out of his mouth go burning lights;
        Sparks of fire shoot out.
        Smoke goes out of his nostrils,
        As from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
        His breath kindles coals,
        And a flame goes out of his mouth.
        Strength dwells in his neck,
        And sorrow dances before him.
        The folds of his flesh are joined together;
        They are firm on him and cannot be moved.
        His heart is as hard as stone,
        Even as hard as the lower millstone.
        When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid;
        Because of his crashings they are beside themselves.

Psalm

From the psalms of our teacher David the prophet, may his blessings be with us Amen.

Psalm 57:1

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
Until these calamities have passed by.

Gospel

Luke 14:28-35

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it-- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, "This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

"Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

Liturgy

Pauline Epistle

From the epistle of teacher St. Paul the apostle to the (...), may his blessings be with us Amen.

Romans 10:4-13

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, "The man who does those things shall live by them." But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?"' that is, to bring Christ down from above or, ""Who will descend into the abyss?"' that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" that is, the word of faith which we preach: that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.

Catholic Epistle

The catholic epistle from the epistle of our teacher St. (...), may his blessings be with us Amen. My beloved.

James 1:13-21

Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

The Acts of our fathers the Apostles, may their holy blessings be with us all. Amen.

Acts 19:23-26

And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen. He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: "Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands.

Psalm

From the psalms of our teacher David the prophet, may his blessings be with us Amen.

Psalm 51:2 & Psalm 51:3

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.

Gospel

John 6:35-45

And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven." And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, "I have come down from heaven'?"

Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, "And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.