Daily Readings

¹ And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;² That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.³ And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.⁴ And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,⁵ Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?⁶ Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.⁷ In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?⁸ Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:⁹ And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.¹⁰ Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,¹¹ And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.¹² And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.¹³ He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.¹⁴ I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:¹⁵ But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.¹⁶ And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.¹⁷ According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.¹⁸ Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?¹⁹ And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?²⁰ And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant.²¹ For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them.²² Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.²³ And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?²⁴ For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art become their God.²⁵ And now, O LORD God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said.²⁶ And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee.²⁷ For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.²⁸ And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:²⁹ Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.

¹ Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?² Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.³ But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.⁴ How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.⁵ If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?⁶ For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.⁷ I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.⁸ Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it.⁹ Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.¹⁰ Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.¹¹ They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.¹² The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.¹³ They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD.¹⁴ Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them.¹⁵ And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land.¹⁶ And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people.¹⁷ But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD.

¹ Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,² Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:³ All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.⁴ For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.⁵ But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,⁶ And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,⁷ And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.⁸ But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.⁹ And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.¹⁰ Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.¹¹ But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.¹² And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.¹³ But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.¹⁴ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.¹⁵ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.¹⁶ Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!¹⁷ Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?¹⁸ And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.¹⁹ Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?²⁰ Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.²¹ And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.²² And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.²³ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.²⁴ Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.²⁵ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.²⁶ Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.²⁷ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.²⁸ Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.²⁹ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,³⁰ And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.³¹ Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.³² Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.³³ Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?³⁴ Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:³⁵ That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.³⁶ Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.³⁷ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!³⁸ Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.³⁹ For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.