Baramhat 17, 1742

1 Timothy 2

¹Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ²for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. ³For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, ⁶who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, ⁷for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle--I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying--a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. ⁸I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; ⁹in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, ¹⁰but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. ¹¹Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. ¹²And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. ¹³For Adam was formed first, then Eve. ¹⁴And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. ¹⁵Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

1 Timothy 3

¹This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. ²A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; ³not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; ⁴one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence

¹⁹These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. ²⁰But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. ²²And on some have compassion, making a distinction; ²³but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. ²⁴Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, ²⁵To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.

¹⁶And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty. ¹⁷When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and so were driven. ¹⁸And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. ¹⁹On the third day we threw the ship's tackle overboard with our own hands. ²⁰Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.

¹I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. ²I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. ³When my enemies turn back, They shall fall and perish at Your presence. ⁴For You have maintained my right and my cause; You sat on the throne judging in righteousness. ⁵You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever. ⁶O enemy, destructions are finished forever! And you have destroyed cities; Even their memory has perished. ⁷But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. ⁸He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness. ⁹The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. ¹⁰And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. ¹¹Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people. ¹²When He avenges blood, He remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the humble. ¹³Have mercy on me, O LORD! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death, ¹⁴That I may tell of all Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation. ¹⁵The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught. ¹⁶The LORD is known by the judgment He executes; The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. ¹⁷The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God. ¹⁸For the needy shall not always be forgotten; The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever. ¹⁹Arise, O LORD, Do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged in Your sight. ²⁰Put them in fear, O LORD, That the nations may know themselves to be but men.Selah

⁴⁷Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. ⁴⁸I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. ⁵⁰This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. ⁵¹I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." ⁵²The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?" ⁵³Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. ⁵⁶He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. ⁵⁷As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. ⁵⁸This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever." ⁵⁹These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. ⁶⁰Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?" ⁶¹When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you? ⁶²What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? ⁶³It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. ⁶⁴But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. ⁶⁵And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father." ⁶⁶From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. ⁶⁷Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" ⁶⁸But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." ⁷⁰Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" ⁷¹He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

2 Kings 4

⁸Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. ⁹And she said to her husband, "Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. ¹⁰Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there." ¹¹And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay down there. ¹²Then he said to Gehazi his servant, "Call this Shunammite woman." When he had called her, she stood before him. ¹³And he said to him, "Say now to her, "Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?"' She answered, "I dwell among my own people." ¹⁴So he said, "What then is to be done for her?" And Gehazi answered, "Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old." ¹⁵So he said, "Call her." When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶Then he said, "About this time next year you shall embrace a son." And she said, "No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!" ¹⁷But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her. ¹⁸And the child grew. Now it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers. ¹⁹And he said to his father, "My head, my head!" So he said to a servant, "Carry him to his mother." ²⁰When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. ²¹And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. ²²Then she called to her husband, and said, "Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back." ²³So he said, "Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath." And she said, "It is well." ²⁴Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, "Drive, and go forward; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you." ²⁵And so she departed, and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. So it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant Gehazi, "Look, the Shunammite woman! ²⁶Please run now to meet her, and say to her, "Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?"' And she answered, "It is well." ²⁷Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, "Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me, and has not told me." ²⁸So she said, "Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say, "Do not deceive me'?" ²⁹Then he said to Gehazi, "Get yourself ready, and take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him; but lay my staff on the face of the child." ³⁰And the mother of the child said, "As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So he arose and followed her. ³¹Now Gehazi went on ahead of them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, "The child has not awakened." ³²When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. ³³He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD. ³⁴And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. ³⁵He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. ³⁶And he called Gehazi and said, "Call this Shunammite woman." So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, "Pick up your son." ³⁷So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out.

Isaiah 45

¹"Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-- To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: ²"I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. ³I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. ⁴For Jacob My servant's sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. ⁵I am the LORD, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, ⁶That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; ⁷I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.' ⁸"Rain down, you heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, And let righteousness spring up together. I, the LORD, have created it. ⁹"Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, "What are you making?' Or shall your handiwork say, "He has no hands'? ¹⁰Woe to him who says to his father, "What are you begetting?' Or to the woman, "What have you brought forth?"'

Proverbs 9

¹Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars; ²She has slaughtered her meat, She has mixed her wine, She has also furnished her table. ³She has sent out her maidens, She cries out from the highest places of the city, ⁴"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, ⁵"Come, eat of my bread And drink of the wine I have mixed. ⁶Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding. ⁷"He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself. ⁸Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. ⁹Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. ¹⁰"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. ¹¹For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you.

Job 35

¹Moreover Elihu answered and said: ²"Do you think this is right? Do you say, "My righteousness is more than God's'? ³For you say, "What advantage will it be to You? What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?' ⁴"I will answer you, And your companions with you. ⁵Look to the heavens and see; And behold the clouds-- They are higher than you. ⁶If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him? Or, if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him? ⁷If you are righteous, what do you give Him? Or what does He receive from your hand? ⁸Your wickedness affects a man such as you, And your righteousness a son of man. ⁹"Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry out for help because of the arm of the mighty. ¹⁰But no one says, "Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night, ¹¹Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?' ¹²There they cry out, but He does not answer, Because of the pride of evil men. ¹³Surely God will not listen to empty talk, Nor will the Almighty regard it. ¹⁴Although you say you do not see Him, Yet justice is before Him, and you must wait for Him. ¹⁵And now, because He has not punished in His anger, Nor taken much notice of folly, ¹⁶Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain; He multiplies words without knowledge."

Sirach 11