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Daily Readings

Friday, 13th April 2012 --- 5 Baramoudah 1728

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Good Friday of Pascha Week

Season Holy and Great Friday of Pascha Week
Tune : Attribis
Strict Abstinence
Theme of the day :
+ Judas hangs himself.
+ Jesus before Pilate.
+ The soldiers mock Jesus.
+ The crucifixion.
+ The_death of Jesus .
+ The burial of Jesus.

Verse of the Day :

Isaiah 53 : 5

Chapter 53

⁵	But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

First Hour

Deuteronomy 8 : 19 - 9 : 24

Chapter 8

¹⁹	Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.

²⁰	As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God.

Chapter 9

¹	"Hear, O Israel: You are to cross over the Jordan today, and go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and fortified up to heaven,

²	a people great and tall, the descendants of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you heard it said, "Who can stand before the descendants of Anak?'

³	Therefore understand today that the LORD your God is He who goes over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and bring them down before you; so you shall drive them out and destroy them quickly, as the LORD has said to you.

⁴	"Do not think in your heart, after the LORD your God has cast them out before you, saying, "Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land'; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out from before you.

⁵

It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

⁶	Therefore understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.

⁷	"Remember! Do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that you departed from the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD.

⁸	Also in Horeb you provoked the LORD to wrath, so that the LORD was angry enough with you to have destroyed you.

⁹	When I went up into the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water.

¹⁰	Then the LORD delivered to me two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words which the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.

¹¹	And it came to pass, at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant.

¹²	"Then the LORD said to me, "Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you brought out of Egypt have acted corruptly; they have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them; they have made themselves a molded image.'

¹³	"Furthermore the LORD spoke to me, saying, "I have seen this people, and indeed they are a stiff-necked people.

¹⁴	Let Me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.'

¹⁵	"So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire; and the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands.

¹⁶	And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the LORD your God--had made for yourselves a molded calf! You had turned aside quickly from the way which the LORD had commanded you.

¹⁷	Then I took the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes.

¹⁸	And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you committed in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.

¹⁹	For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which the LORD was angry with you, to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me at that time also.

²⁰	And the LORD was very angry with Aaron and would have destroyed him; so I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.

²¹	Then I took your sin, the calf which you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it and ground it very small, until it was as fine as dust; and I threw its dust into the brook that descended from the mountain.

²²	"Also at Taberah and Massah and Kibroth Hattaavah you provoked the LORD to wrath.

²³	Likewise, when the LORD sent you from Kadesh Barnea, saying, "Go up and possess the land which I have given you,' then you rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and you did not believe Him nor obey His voice.

²⁴	You have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you.

Isaiah 1 : 2 - 9

Chapter 1

²	Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: "I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me;

³	The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master's crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider."

⁴	Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward.

⁵	Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints.

⁶	From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment.

⁷	Your country is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire; Strangers devour your land in your presence; And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

⁸	So the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, As a hut in a garden of cucumbers, As a besieged city.

⁹	Unless the LORD of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah.

Isaiah 2 : 10 - 21

Chapter 2

¹⁰	Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty.

¹¹	The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.

¹²	For the day of the LORD of hosts Shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up--And it shall be brought low--

¹³	Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, And upon all the oaks of Bashan;

¹⁴	Upon all the high mountains, And upon all the hills that are lifted up;

¹⁵	Upon every high tower, And upon every fortified wall;

¹⁶	Upon all the ships of Tarshish, And upon all the beautiful sloops.

¹⁷	The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; The LORD alone will be exalted in that day,

¹⁸	But the idols He shall utterly abolish.

¹⁹	They shall go into the holes of the rocks, And into the caves of the earth, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily.

²⁰	In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver And his idols of gold, Which they made, each for himself to worship, To the moles and bats,

²¹	To go into the clefts of the rocks, And into the crags of the rugged rocks, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily.

Jeremiah 22 : 29 - 23 : 6

Chapter 22

²⁹	O earth, earth, earth, Hear the word of the LORD!

³⁰	Thus says the LORD: "Write this man down as childless, A man who shall not prosper in his days; For none of his descendants shall prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling anymore in Judah."'

Chapter 23

¹	"Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!" says the LORD.

²	Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: "You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings," says the LORD.

³	"But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

⁴	I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking," says the LORD.

⁵	"Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

⁶	In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Isaiah 24 : 1 - 13

Chapter 24

¹	Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, Distorts its surface And scatters abroad its inhabitants.

²	And it shall be: As with the people, so with the priest; As with the servant, so with his master; As with the maid, so with her mistress; As with the buyer, so with the seller; As with the lender, so with the borrower; As with the creditor, so with the debtor.

³	The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered, For the LORD has spoken this word.

⁴	The earth mourns and fades away, The world languishes and fades away; The haughty people of the earth languish.

⁵	The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed the laws, Changed the ordinance, Broken the everlasting covenant.

⁶	Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, And those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men are left.

⁷	The new wine fails, the vine languishes, All the merry-hearted sigh.

⁸	The mirth of the tambourine ceases, The noise of the jubilant ends, The joy of the harp ceases.

⁹	They shall not drink wine with a song; Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.

¹⁰	The city of confusion is broken down; Every house is shut up, so that none may go in.

¹¹	There is a cry for wine in the streets, All joy is darkened, The mirth of the land is gone.

¹²	In the city desolation is left, And the gate is stricken with destruction.

¹³	When it shall be thus in the midst of the land among the people, It shall be like the shaking of an olive tree, Like the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done.

Wisdom 2 : 12 - 22

Chapter 2

¹²	Let us therefore lie in wait for the just, because he is not for our turn, and he is contrary to our doings, and upbraideth us with transgressions of the law, and divulgeth against us the sins of our way of life.

¹³	He boasteth that he hath the knowledge of God, and calleth himself the son of God.

¹⁴	He is become a censurer of our thoughts.

¹⁵	He is grievous unto us, even to behold: for his life is not like other men's, and his ways are very different.

¹⁶	We are esteemed by him as triflers, and he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness, and he preferreth the latter end of the just, and glorieth that he hath God for his father.

¹⁷	Let us see then if his words be true, and let us prove what shall happen to him, and we shall know what his end shall be.

¹⁸	For if he be the true son of God, he will defend him, and will deliver him from the hands of his enemies.

¹⁹	Let us examine him by outrages and tortures, that we may know his meekness and try his patience.

²⁰	Let us condemn him to a most shameful death: for there shall be respect had unto him by his words.

²¹	These things they thought, and were deceived: for their own malice blinded them.

²²	And they knew not the secrets of God, nor hoped for the wages of justice, nor esteemed the honour of holy souls.

Job 12 : 18 - 13 : 1

Chapter 12

¹⁸	He loosens the bonds of kings, And binds their waist with a belt.

¹⁹	He leads princes away plundered, And overthrows the mighty.

²⁰	He deprives the trusted ones of speech, And takes away the discernment of the elders.

²¹	He pours contempt on princes, And disarms the mighty.

²²	He uncovers deep things out of darkness, And brings the shadow of death to light.

²³	He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them.

²⁴	He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, And makes them wander in a pathless wilderness.

²⁵	They grope in the dark without light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

Chapter 13

¹	"Behold, my eye has seen all this, My ear has heard and understood it.

Zechariah 11 : 11 - 14

Chapter 11

¹¹	So it was broken on that day. Thus the poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the LORD.

¹²	Then I said to them, "If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain." So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

¹³	And the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter"--that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter.

¹⁴	Then I cut in two my other staff, Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

Micah 1 : 16 - 2 : 3

Chapter 1

¹⁶	Make yourself bald and cut off your hair, Because of your precious children; Enlarge your baldness like an eagle, For they shall go from you into captivity.

Chapter 2

¹	Woe to those who devise iniquity, And work out evil on their beds! At morning light they practice it, Because it is in the power of their hand.

²	They covet fields and take them by violence, Also houses, and seize them. So they oppress a man and his house, A man and his inheritance.

³	Therefore thus says the LORD: "Behold, against this family I am devising disaster, From which you cannot remove your necks; Nor shall you walk haughtily, For this is an evil time.

Micah 7 : 1 - 8

Chapter 7

¹	Woe is me! For I am like those who gather summer fruits, Like those who glean vintage grapes; There is no cluster to eat Of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires.

²	The faithful man has perished from the earth, And there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; Every man hunts his brother with a net.

³	That they may successfully do evil with both hands--The prince asks for gifts, The judge seeks a bribe, And the great man utters his evil desire; So they scheme together.

⁴	The best of them is like a brier; The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge; The day of your watchman and your punishment comes; Now shall be their perplexity.

⁵	Do not trust in a friend; Do not put your confidence in a companion; Guard the doors of your mouth From her who lies in your bosom.

⁶	For son dishonors father, Daughter rises against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man's enemies are the men of his own household.

⁷	Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me.

⁸	Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The LORD will be a light to me.

1 Corinthians 1 : 23 - 2 : 4

Chapter 1

²³	but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,

²⁴	but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

²⁵	Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

²⁶	For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

²⁷	But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

²⁸	and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,

²⁹	that no flesh should glory in His presence.

³⁰	But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption--

³¹	that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."

Chapter 2

¹	And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.

²	For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

³	I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.

⁴	And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

Psalms 27 : 12

Chapter 27

¹²	Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe out violence.

Psalms 35 : 11,12,16

Chapter 35

¹¹	Fierce witnesses rise up; They ask me things that I do not know.

¹²	They reward me evil for good, To the sorrow of my soul.

¹⁶	With ungodly mockers at feasts They gnashed at me with their teeth.

Matthew 27 : 1 - 14

Chapter 27

¹	When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.

²	And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

³	Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

⁴	saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." And they said, "What is that to us? You see to it!"

⁵	Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.

⁶	But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood."

⁷	And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.

⁸	Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

⁹	Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced,

¹⁰	and gave them for the potter's field, as the LORD directed me."

¹¹	Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?" Jesus said to him, "It is as you say."

¹²	And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.

¹³	Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?"

¹⁴	But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

Mark 15 : 1 - 5

Chapter 15

¹	Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate.

²	Then Pilate asked Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" He answered and said to him, "It is as you say."

³	And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing.

⁴	Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!"

⁵	But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.

Luke 22 : 66 - 23 : 12

Chapter 22

⁶⁶	As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying,

⁶⁷	"If You are the Christ, tell us." But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will by no means believe.

⁶⁸	And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go.

⁶⁹	Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."

⁷⁰	Then they all said, "Are You then the Son of God?" So He said to them, "You rightly say that I am."

⁷¹	And they said, "What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth."

Chapter 23

¹	Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate.

²	And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King."

³	Then Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?" He answered him and said, "It is as you say."

⁴	So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no fault in this Man."

⁵	But they were the more fierce, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place."

⁶	When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean.

⁷	And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

⁸	Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.

⁹	Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing.

¹⁰	And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him.

¹¹	Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.

¹²	That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.

John 18 : 28 - 40

Chapter 18

²⁸	Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.

²⁹	Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"

³⁰	They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you."

³¹	Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law." Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,"

³²	that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.

³³	Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"

³⁴	Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?"

³⁵	Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?"

³⁶	Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."

³⁷	Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

³⁸	Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all.

³⁹	"But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"

⁴⁰	Then they all cried again, saying, "Not this Man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a robber.

Third Hour

Genesis 48 : 1 - 19

Chapter 48

¹	Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, "Indeed your father is sick"; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

²	And Jacob was told, "Look, your son Joseph is coming to you"; and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed.

³	Then Jacob said to Joseph: "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me,

⁴	and said to me, "Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.'

⁵	And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

⁶	Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.

⁷	But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)."

⁸	Then Israel saw Joseph's sons, and said, "Who are these?"

⁹	Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place." And he said, "Please bring them to me, and I will bless them."

¹⁰	Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them.

¹¹	And Israel said to Joseph, "I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!"

¹²	So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth.

¹³	And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him.

¹⁴	Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

¹⁵	And he blessed Joseph, and said: "God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,

¹⁶	The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth."

¹⁷	Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.

¹⁸	And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head."

¹⁹	But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations."

Isaiah 50 : 4 - 9

Chapter 50

⁴	"The Lord GOD has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned.

⁵	The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away.

⁶	I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.

⁷	"For the Lord GOD will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.

⁸	He is near who justifies Me; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand together. Who is My adversary? Let him come near Me.

⁹	Surely the Lord GOD will help Me; Who is he who will condemn Me? Indeed they will all grow old like a garment; The moth will eat them up.

Isaiah 3 : 9 - 15

Chapter 3

⁹	The look on their countenance witnesses against them, And they declare their sin as Sodom; They do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves.

¹⁰	"Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

¹¹	Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him.

¹²	As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths."

¹³	The LORD stands up to plead, And stands to judge the people.

¹⁴	The LORD will enter into judgment With the elders of His people And His princes: "For you have eaten up the vineyard; The plunder of the poor is in your houses.

¹⁵	What do you mean by crushing My people And grinding the faces of the poor?" Says the Lord GOD of hosts.

Isaiah 63 : 1 - 7

Chapter 63

¹	Who is this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength?--"I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."

²	Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?

³	"I have trodden the winepress alone, And from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, And trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, And I have stained all My robes.

⁴	For the day of vengeance is in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come.

⁵	I looked, but there was no one to help, And I wondered That there was no one to uphold; Therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me; And My own fury, it sustained Me.

⁶	I have trodden down the peoples in My anger, Made them drunk in My fury, And brought down their strength to the earth."

⁷	I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD And the praises of the LORD, According to all that the LORD has bestowed on us, And the great goodness toward the house of Israel, Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies, According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.

Amos 9 : 5,6,8,10

Chapter 9

⁵	The Lord GOD of hosts, He who touches the earth and it melts, And all who dwell there mourn; All of it shall swell like the River, And subside like the River of Egypt.

⁶	He who builds His layers in the sky, And has founded His strata in the earth; Who calls for the waters of the sea, And pours them out on the face of the earth--The LORD is His name.

⁸	"Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, And I will destroy it from the face of the earth; Yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob," Says the LORD.

¹⁰	All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, Who say, "The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.'

Job 29 : 21 - 30 : 10

Chapter 29

²¹	"Men listened to me and waited, And kept silence for my counsel.

²²	After my words they did not speak again, And my speech settled on them as dew.

²³	They waited for me as for the rain, And they opened their mouth wide as for the spring rain.

²⁴	If I mocked at them, they did not believe it, And the light of my countenance they did not cast down.

²⁵	I chose the way for them, and sat as chief; So I dwelt as a king in the army, As one who comforts mourners.

Chapter 30

¹	"But now they mock at me, men younger than I, Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.

²	Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me? Their vigor has perished.

³	They are gaunt from want and famine, Fleeing late to the wilderness, desolate and waste,

⁴	Who pluck mallow by the bushes, And broom tree roots for their food.

⁵	They were driven out from among men, They shouted at them as at a thief.

⁶	They had to live in the clefts of the valleys, In caves of the earth and the rocks.

⁷	Among the bushes they brayed, Under the nettles they nestled.

⁸	They were sons of fools, Yes, sons of vile men; They were scourged from the land.

⁹	"And now I am their taunting song; Yes, I am their byword.

¹⁰	They abhor me, they keep far from me; They do not hesitate to spit in my face.

Colossians 2 : 13 - 15

Chapter 2

¹³	And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,

¹⁴	having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

¹⁵	Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Psalms 38 : 17

Chapter 38

¹⁷	For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me.

Psalms 22 : 16

Chapter 22

¹⁶	For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;

Matthew 27 : 15 - 26

Chapter 27

¹⁵	Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished.

¹⁶	And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.

¹⁷	Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"

¹⁸	For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.

¹⁹	While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him."

²⁰	But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.

²¹	The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They said, "Barabbas!"

²²	Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!"

²³	Then the governor said, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they cried out all the more, saying, "Let Him be crucified!"

²⁴	When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it."

²⁵	And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children."

²⁶	Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.

Mark 15 : 6 - 25

Chapter 15

⁶	Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested.

⁷	And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion.

⁸	Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them.

⁹	But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"

¹⁰	For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.

¹¹	But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.

¹²	Pilate answered and said to them again, "What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?"

¹³	So they cried out again, "Crucify Him!"

¹⁴	Then Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they cried out all the more, "Crucify Him!"

¹⁵	So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.

¹⁶	Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison.

¹⁷	And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head,

¹⁸	and began to salute Him, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

¹⁹	Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him.

²⁰	And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.

²¹	Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.

²²	And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.

²³	Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.

²⁴	And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.

²⁵	Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.

Luke 23 : 13 - 25

Chapter 23

¹³	Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people,

¹⁴	said to them, "You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him;

¹⁵	no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.

¹⁶	I will therefore chastise Him and release Him"

¹⁷	(for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).

¹⁸	And they all cried out at once, saying, "Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas"--

¹⁹	who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.

²⁰	Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them.

²¹	But they shouted, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!"

²²	Then he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go."

²³	But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.

²⁴	So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.

²⁵	And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

John 19 : 1 - 12

Chapter 19

¹	So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him.

²	And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe.

³	Then they said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck Him with their hands.

⁴	Pilate then went out again, and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him."

⁵	Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, "Behold the Man!"

⁶	Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him."

⁷	The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God."

⁸	Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid,

⁹	and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer.

¹⁰	Then Pilate said to Him, "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?"

¹¹	Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin."

¹²	From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar."

Sixth Hour

Numbers 21 : 1 - 9

Chapter 21

¹	The king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South, heard that Israel was coming on the road to Atharim. Then he fought against Israel and took some of them prisoners.

²	So Israel made a vow to the LORD, and said, "If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities."

³	And the LORD listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of that place was called Hormah.

⁴	Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way.

⁵	And the people spoke against God and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread."

⁶	So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.

⁷	Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

⁸	Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live."

⁹	So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

Isaiah 53 : 7 - 12

Chapter 53

⁷	He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

⁸	He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

⁹	And they made His grave with the wicked--But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

¹⁰	Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.

¹¹	He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.

¹²	Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 12 : 2 - 13 : 10

Chapter 12

²	Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; "For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation."'

³	Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation.

⁴	And in that day you will say: "Praise the LORD, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples, Make mention that His name is exalted.

⁵	Sing to the LORD, For He has done excellent things; This is known in all the earth.

⁶	Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!"

Chapter 13

¹	The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

²	"Lift up a banner on the high mountain, Raise your voice to them; Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles.

³	I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have also called My mighty ones for My anger--Those who rejoice in My exaltation."

⁴	The noise of a multitude in the mountains, Like that of many people! A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together! The LORD of hosts musters The army for battle.

⁵	They come from a far country, From the end of heaven--The LORD and His weapons of indignation, To destroy the whole land.

⁶	Wail, for the day of the LORD is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

⁷	Therefore all hands will be limp, Every man's heart will melt,

⁸	And they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them; They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; They will be amazed at one another; Their faces will be like flames.

⁹	Behold, the day of the LORD comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it.

¹⁰	For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine.

Amos 8 : 9 - 12

Chapter 8

⁹	"And it shall come to pass in that day," says the Lord GOD, "That I will make the sun go down at noon, And I will darken the earth in broad daylight;

¹⁰	I will turn your feasts into mourning, And all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist, And baldness on every head; I will make it like mourning for an only son, And its end like a bitter day.

¹¹	"Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD.

¹²	They shall wander from sea to sea, And from north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, But shall not find it.

Galatians 6 : 14 - 18

Chapter 6

¹⁴	But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

¹⁵	For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.

¹⁶	And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

¹⁷	From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

¹⁸	Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Psalms 38 : 21,22

Chapter 38

²¹	Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me!

²²	Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

Psalms 22 : 16,17,18,7,8

Chapter 22

¹⁶	For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;

¹⁷	I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me.

¹⁸	They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.

⁷	All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

⁸	"He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!"

Matthew 27 : 27 - 45

Chapter 27

²⁷	Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.

²⁸	And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.

²⁹	When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

³⁰	Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.

³¹	And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.

³²	Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross.

³³	And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull,

³⁴	they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.

³⁵	Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: "They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots."

³⁶	Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.

³⁷	And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

³⁸	Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.

³⁹	And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads

⁴⁰	and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

⁴¹	Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said,

⁴²	"He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.

⁴³	He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, "I am the Son of God."'

⁴⁴	Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.

⁴⁵	Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.

Mark 15 : 26 - 33

Chapter 15

²⁶	And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

²⁷	With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left.

²⁸	So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with the transgressors."

²⁹	And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days,

³⁰	save Yourself, and come down from the cross!"

³¹	Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.

³²	Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

³³	Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

Luke 23 : 26 - 44

Chapter 23

²⁶	Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.

²⁷	And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.

²⁸	But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

²⁹	For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, "Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!'

³⁰	Then they will begin "to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!"'

³¹	For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"

³²	There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.

³³	And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.

³⁴	Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots.

³⁵	And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."

³⁶	The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine,

³⁷	and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."

³⁸	And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

³⁹	Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."

⁴⁰	But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?

⁴¹	And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."

⁴²	Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."

⁴³	And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

⁴⁴	Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.

John 19 : 13 - 27

Chapter 19

¹³	When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.

¹⁴	Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold your King!"

¹⁵	But they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!"

¹⁶	Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away.

¹⁷	And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,

¹⁸	where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.

¹⁹	Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

²⁰	Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

²¹	Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, "The King of the Jews,' but, "He said, "I am the King of the Jews.'

²²	Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

²³	Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece.

²⁴	They said therefore among themselves, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be," that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: "They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots." Therefore the soldiers did these things.

²⁵	Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

²⁶	When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!"

²⁷	Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

Ninth Hour

Jeremiah 11 : 18 - 12 : 13

Chapter 11

¹⁸	Now the LORD gave me knowledge of it, and I know it; for You showed me their doings.

¹⁹	But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not know that they had devised schemes against me, saying, "Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more."

²⁰	But, O LORD of hosts, You who judge righteously, Testing the mind and the heart, Let me see Your vengeance on them, For to You I have revealed my cause.

²¹	"Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the men of Anathoth who seek your life, saying, "Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD, lest you die by our hand'--

²²	therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: "Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine;

²³	and there shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring catastrophe on the men of Anathoth, even the year of their punishment."'

Chapter 12

¹	Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?

²	You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth But far from their mind.

³	But You, O LORD, know me; You have seen me, And You have tested my heart toward You. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, And prepare them for the day of slaughter.

⁴	How long will the land mourn, And the herbs of every field wither? The beasts and birds are consumed, For the wickedness of those who dwell there, Because they said, "He will not see our final end."

⁵	"If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?

⁶	For even your brothers, the house of your father, Even they have dealt treacherously with you; Yes, they have called a multitude after you. Do not believe them, Even though they speak smooth words to you.

⁷	"I have forsaken My house, I have left My heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies.

⁸	My heritage is to Me like a lion in the forest; It cries out against Me; Therefore I have hated it.

⁹	My heritage is to Me like a speckled vulture; The vultures all around are against her. Come, assemble all the beasts of the field, Bring them to devour!

¹⁰	"Many rulers have destroyed My vineyard, They have trodden My portion underfoot; They have made My pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.

¹¹	They have made it desolate; Desolate, it mourns to Me; The whole land is made desolate, Because no one takes it to heart.

¹²	The plunderers have come On all the desolate heights in the wilderness, For the sword of the LORD shall devour From one end of the land to the other end of the land; No flesh shall have peace.

¹³	They have sown wheat but reaped thorns; They have put themselves to pain but do not profit. But be ashamed of your harvest Because of the fierce anger of the LORD."

Zechariah 14 : 5 - 11

Chapter 14

⁵	Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, And all the saints with You.

⁶	It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish.

⁷	It shall be one day Which is known to the LORD--Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be light.

⁸	And in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur.

⁹	And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be--"The LORD is one," And His name one.

¹⁰	All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin's Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses.

¹¹	The people shall dwell in it; And no longer shall there be utter destruction, But Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

Joel 2 : 1 - 3

Chapter 2

¹	Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand:

²	A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations.

³	A fire devours before them, And behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing shall escape them.

Joel 2 : 10 - 11

Chapter 2

¹⁰	The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness.

¹¹	The LORD gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?

Philippians 2 : 4 - 11

Chapter 2

⁴	Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

⁵	Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

⁶	who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

⁷	but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

⁸	And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

⁹	Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,

¹⁰	that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

¹¹	and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Psalms 69 : 1,21

Chapter 69

¹	Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.

²¹	They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

Matthew 27 : 46 - 50

Chapter 27

⁴⁶	And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

⁴⁷	Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, "This Man is calling for Elijah!"

⁴⁸	Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.

⁴⁹	The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him."

⁵⁰	And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

Mark 15 : 34 - 37

Chapter 15

³⁴	And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

³⁵	Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, "Look, He is calling for Elijah!"

³⁶	Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down."

³⁷	And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.

Luke 23 : 45 - 46

Chapter 23

⁴⁵	Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.

⁴⁶	And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, "into Your hands I commit My spirit."' Having said this, He breathed His last.

John 19 : 28 - 30

Chapter 19

²⁸	After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!"

²⁹	Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.

³⁰	So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Eleventh Hour

Exodus 12 : 1 - 14

Chapter 12

¹	Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,

²	"This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.

³	Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: "On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.

⁴	And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb.

⁵	Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.

⁶	Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.

⁷	And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.

⁸	Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

⁹	Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire--its head with its legs and its entrails.

¹⁰	You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.

¹¹	And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover.

¹²	"For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.

¹³	Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

¹⁴	"So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.

Leviticus 23 : 5 - 12

Chapter 23

⁵	On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD's Passover.

⁶	And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread.

⁷	On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.

⁸	But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it."'

⁹	And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹⁰	"Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: "When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.

¹¹	He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

¹²	And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the LORD.

Galatians 3 : 1 - 6

Chapter 3

¹	O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?

²	This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

³	Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

⁴	Have you suffered so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain?

⁵	Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?--

⁶	just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."

Psalms 143 : 6,7

Chapter 143

⁶	I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.Selah

⁷	Answer me speedily, O LORD; My spirit fails! Do not hide Your face from me, Lest I be like those who go down into the pit.

Psalms 31 : 5

Chapter 31

⁵	Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

Matthew 27 : 51 - 56

Chapter 27

⁵¹	Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,

⁵²	and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;

⁵³	and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

⁵⁴	So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

⁵⁵	And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar,

⁵⁶	among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

Mark 15 : 38 - 41

Chapter 15

³⁸	Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

³⁹	So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, "Truly this Man was the Son of God!"

⁴⁰	There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome,

⁴¹	who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

Luke 23 : 47 - 49

Chapter 23

⁴⁷	So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"

⁴⁸	And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.

⁴⁹	But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

John 19 : 31 - 37

Chapter 19

³¹	Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

³²	Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.

³³	But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.

³⁴	But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

³⁵	And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.

³⁶	For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken."

³⁷	And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced."

Twelveth Hour

Lamentations 3 : 1 - 66

Chapter 3

¹	I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.

²	He has led me and made me walk In darkness and not in light.

³	Surely He has turned His hand against me Time and time again throughout the day.

⁴	He has aged my flesh and my skin, And broken my bones.

⁵	He has besieged me And surrounded me with bitterness and woe.

⁶	He has set me in dark places Like the dead of long ago.

⁷	He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out; He has made my chain heavy.

⁸	Even when I cry and shout, He shuts out my prayer.

⁹	He has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked.

¹⁰	He has been to me a bear lying in wait, Like a lion in ambush.

¹¹	He has turned aside my ways and torn me in pieces; He has made me desolate.

¹²	He has bent His bow And set me up as a target for the arrow.

¹³	He has caused the arrows of His quiver To pierce my loins.

¹⁴	I have become the ridicule of all my people--Their taunting song all the day.

¹⁵	He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drink wormwood.

¹⁶	He has also broken my teeth with gravel, And covered me with ashes.

¹⁷	You have moved my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity.

¹⁸	And I said, "My strength and my hope Have perished from the LORD."

¹⁹	Remember my affliction and roaming, The wormwood and the gall.

²⁰	My soul still remembers And sinks within me.

²¹	This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.

²²	Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.

²³	They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

²⁴	"The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!"

²⁵	The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.

²⁶	It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD.

²⁷	It is good for a man to bear The yoke in his youth.

²⁸	Let him sit alone and keep silent, Because God has laid it on him;

²⁹	Let him put his mouth in the dust--There may yet be hope.

³⁰	Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, And be full of reproach.

³¹	For the Lord will not cast off forever.

³²	Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion According to the multitude of His mercies.

³³	For He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men.

³⁴	To crush under one's feet All the prisoners of the earth,

³⁵	To turn aside the justice due a man Before the face of the Most High,

³⁶	Or subvert a man in his cause--The Lord does not approve.

³⁷	Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, When the Lord has not commanded it?

³⁸	Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That woe and well-being proceed?

³⁹	Why should a living man complain, A man for the punishment of his sins?

⁴⁰	Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the LORD;

⁴¹	Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven.

⁴²	We have transgressed and rebelled; You have not pardoned.

⁴³	You have covered Yourself with anger And pursued us; You have slain and not pitied.

⁴⁴	You have covered Yourself with a cloud, That prayer should not pass through.

⁴⁵	You have made us an offscouring and refuse In the midst of the peoples.

⁴⁶	All our enemies Have opened their mouths against us.

⁴⁷	Fear and a snare have come upon us, Desolation and destruction.

⁴⁸	My eyes overflow with rivers of water For the destruction of the daughter of my people.

⁴⁹	My eyes flow and do not cease, Without interruption,

⁵⁰	Till the LORD from heaven Looks down and sees.

⁵¹	My eyes bring suffering to my soul Because of all the daughters of my city.

⁵²	My enemies without cause Hunted me down like a bird.

⁵³	They silenced my life in the pit And threw stones at me.

⁵⁴	The waters flowed over my head; I said, "I am cut off!"

⁵⁵	I called on Your name, O LORD, From the lowest pit.

⁵⁶	You have heard my voice: "Do not hide Your ear From my sighing, from my cry for help."

⁵⁷	You drew near on the day I called on You, And said, "Do not fear!"

⁵⁸	O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul; You have redeemed my life.

⁵⁹	O LORD, You have seen how I am wronged; Judge my case.

⁶⁰	You have seen all their vengeance, All their schemes against me.

⁶¹	You have heard their reproach, O LORD, All their schemes against me,

⁶²	The lips of my enemies And their whispering against me all the day.

⁶³	Look at their sitting down and their rising up; I am their taunting song.

⁶⁴	Repay them, O LORD, According to the work of their hands.

⁶⁵	Give them a veiled heart; Your curse be upon them!

⁶⁶	In Your anger, Pursue and destroy them From under the heavens of the LORD.

Jonah 1 : 10 - 2 : 7

Chapter 1

¹⁰	Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, "Why have you done this?" For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

¹¹	Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?"--for the sea was growing more tempestuous.

¹²	And he said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me."

¹³	Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them.

¹⁴	Therefore they cried out to the LORD and said, "We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You."

¹⁵	So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

¹⁶	Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows.

¹⁷	Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Chapter 2

¹	Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish's belly.

²	And he said: "I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, And He answered me. "Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice.

³	For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.

⁴	Then I said, "I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.'

⁵	The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head.

⁶	I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD, my God.

⁷	"When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple.

Psalms 88 : 6

Chapter 88

⁶	You have laid me in the lowest pit, In darkness, in the depths.

Psalms 23 : 4

Chapter 23

⁴	Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalms 45 : 6,8

Chapter 45

⁶	Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

⁸	All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad.

Matthew 27 : 57 - 61

Chapter 27

⁵⁷	Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.

⁵⁸	This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.

⁵⁹	When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,

⁶⁰	and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.

⁶¹	And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

Mark 15 : 42 - 16 : 1

Chapter 15

⁴²	Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,

⁴³	Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

⁴⁴	Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time.

⁴⁵	So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.

⁴⁶	Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.

⁴⁷	And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.

Chapter 16

¹	Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.

Luke 23 : 50 - 56

Chapter 23

⁵⁰	Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.

⁵¹	He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.

⁵²	This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

⁵³	Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.

⁵⁴	That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.

⁵⁵	And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.

⁵⁶	Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

John 19 : 38 - 41

Chapter 19

³⁸	After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.

³⁹	And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.

⁴⁰	Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.

⁴¹	Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.

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Not to be read in the Church during this time of the year.

Synaxarium

Day 5 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Baramoudah, may God make it always received, year after year, with reassurance and tranquility, while our sins after forgiven by the tender mercies of our God my fathers and brothers.
Amen.

The Fifth Day of the Blessed Month of Baramoudah

Commemoration of the Great Prophet Ezekiel, the son of Buzi

icon

On this day the great prophet Ezekiel the son of Buzi departed. This righteous man was a priest, and Nebuchadnezzar exiled him with king Jehoiachin to Babylon. There in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar, the spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he prophesied about wondrous things for twenty two years. He spoke concerning the birth of the Lord Christ by the Lady the Virgin St. Mary and how after she had borne Him, she would remain a virgin: "Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it was shut. And the LORD said to me, "This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the LORD God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut" (Ezekiel 44:1-2). He prophesied concerning the baptism that sanctify the soul of the man and his body, soften his stony heart, and make him a son of God by the descent of the Holy Spirit upon him. He admonished the priests for their forsaken the teaching of the people, warning them that God will ask for their souls from them if they neglect teaching them. He prophesied concerning the common resurrection and the rising of the bodies with their souls, and about their rewards for whatever they deserve. He said many useful sayings which are of benefit to those who read them, and God manifested through him many signs and great wonders. When the children of Israel worshipped idols in Babylon, he rebuked them and their leaders rose up and killed him. They buried him in the tomb of Shem and Arphaxad.

May His prayers be with us. Amen.

Martyrdom of St.Hepatius, Bishop of Gangra

On this day also St. Hepatius, Bishop of Gangra, in the province of Paphlognia (Pavlagonia), was martyred. He was in the early part of the fourth century, and he attended the first Universal Council at Nicea, year 325 A.D. He was one of the great fathers that defended the Divinity of the Word of God and His equality with His Father in essence, and refuted the error of the heresies of Arius, Appolonius, Novatius and others. God had honored him with the gift of performing wonders, and was called the wonder worker. One of his wonders, during the days of Emperor Constans the son of Constantine the great: A beast entered the royal barns. The Emperor sent to the Saint asking him to go to the barns and kill that beast. The holy shepherd went there and after he prayed, he asked the servants to collect firewood in the yard of the city and put it on fire and they did. The Saint took his staff and put it in the beast's mouth and led it to the fire and it was burnt. As a commemoration of this miracle the Emperor ordered to hang the saint's picture over the doors of the barns. On his way back, from Nicea after attending the first Universal Council, to Gangra, a group of heretics were waiting for him by the road, attacked him, stoned him and he was martyred (On the 31st. day of March) then threw his body in a hay barn. When the people of the city of Gangra knew of the departure of their good shepherd, they went in hast to the place where he was martyred and took the holy remains with great honor and buried him in the city.

May his blessings be with us and glory be to God forever. Amen.

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