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Daily Readings
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Saturday, 14th January 2017 --- 6 Tubah 1733
Readings for Circumcision of our Lord
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 116 : 16 - 19
Chapter 116
| 16 | O LORD, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have loosed my bonds.
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| 17 | I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the LORD.
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| 18 | I will pay my vows to the LORD Now in the presence of all His people,
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| 19 | In the courts of the LORD's house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
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Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.
Vespers Gospel
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint Luke the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Luke 2 : 15 - 20
Chapter 2
| 15 | So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us."
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| 16 | And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
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| 17 | Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
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| 18 | And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
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| 19 | But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
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| 20 | Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
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And Glory be to God forever.
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Matins
Matins Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 66 : 13 - 15
Chapter 66
| 13 | I will go into Your house with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows,
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| 14 | Which my lips have uttered And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
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| 15 | I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals, With the sweet aroma of rams; I will offer bulls with goats.Selah
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Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.
Matins Gospel
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint Luke the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Luke 2 : 40 - 52
Chapter 2
| 40 | And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
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| 41 | His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
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| 42 | And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.
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| 43 | When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it;
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| 44 | but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
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| 45 | So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.
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| 46 | Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
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| 47 | And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.
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| 48 | So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously."
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| 49 | And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?"
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| 50 | But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.
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| 51 | Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.
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| 52 | And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
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And Glory be to God forever.
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Liturgy Gospel
Paulines Epistle
Paul, the servant of our Lord Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, appointed to the Gospel of God.
A reading from the Epistle of our teacher Paul to the Philippians .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
Philippians 3 : 1 - 12
Chapter 3
| 1 | Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.
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| 2 | Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!
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| 3 | For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,
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| 4 | though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
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| 5 | circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
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| 6 | concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
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| 7 | But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
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| 8 | Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
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| 9 | and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
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| 10 | that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
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| 11 | if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
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| 12 | Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
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The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.
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Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle 2 of St. Peter .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
2 Peter 1 : 12 - 21
Chapter 1
| 12 | For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.
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| 13 | Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you,
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| 14 | knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.
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| 15 | Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.
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| 16 | For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
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| 17 | For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
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| 18 | And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
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| 19 | And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
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| 20 | knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
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| 21 | for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
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Do not love the world or the things in the world.
The world passes away, and its desires; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Amen.
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Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of our fathers the apostles, may their blessings be with us.
Acts 15 : 13 - 21
Chapter 15
| 13 | And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men and brethren, listen to me:
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| 14 | Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.
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| 15 | And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:
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| 16 | 'After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up;
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| 17 | So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD. Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.'
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| 18 | "Known to God from eternity are all His works.
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| 19 | Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God,
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| 20 | but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.
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| 21 | For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath."
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The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.
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Synaxarium
Day 6 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Tubah, 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 Sixth Day of the Blessed Month of Tubah
Commemoration of the Circumcision of
the Lord Christ
On this day, the church
celebrates the commemoration of the circumcision of the Lord Christ, to
Whom is the glory. God had ordained the law of circumcision as a sign that
His people would become a particular people over all others. This was that
every male of the seed of Abraham be circumcised on the eighth day of his
birth. God put every soul that did not obey this law under judgement. As
our Lord Jesus was born from the posterity of Abraham, according to the
flesh, He willed to be circumcised on the eighth day, to fulfill the law
of Moses and to relieve us from the heavy burden of this commandment, as
St. Paul says, "Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the
circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the
fathers."
(Romans 15:8) He also gave us the sign of the new covenant through
baptism, as St. Paul says, "In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision
made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by
the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in Baptism in which you also
were raised with Him, through faith in the working of God, Who raised Him
from the dead. 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." (Colossians 2:11-13) Therefore, He demands from us to
keep the spiritual circumcision, that is to say the circumcision of the
heart, so that we may live for Him in righteousness and in holiness, for
He says, "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the
Kingdom of God." (John 3:5)
Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
Ascension of Elijah the Prophet
Also, on this day was the
departure of the prophet Elijah (Elias), the Tishbite, to heaven, alive.
This prophet lived during the time of King Ahab. His heart was filled with
sorrow, for he saw the king had turned from the worship of the God of Israel
to the worship of idols. He followed Queen Jezebel, who helped the priests
of Baalzebub. The worship of idols spread out in his days. Therefore, Elijah
stood before the king and said, "As the Lord God of Israel lives, before
Whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my
word."
(I Kings 17: 1) Immediately the brooks dried up, for there had been
no rain in the land, and the grass dried up and the drought set in the
whole land. God however did not forsake his zealous servant. He commanded
him to go to the brook of Cherith, and the ravens came to him everyday
and brought him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening.
The Lord ordered the water
of the river to dry, but He did not forsake the prophet Elijah. God commanded
him to go to Zarephath, which belonged to Sidon, where he found a widow
gathering sticks and he asked her for bread to eat. She said to him, "As
the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in
a bin and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks,
that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat
it and die." Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said,
but make me a small cake from it first and bring it to me; and afterward
make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel,
'The bin of flour shall not be used up; nor shall the jar of oil run dry,
until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.'" So she went away and
did according to the words of Elijah, and she, the prophet, and her household
ate for many days.
Elijah stayed with the widow
until the drought had ended. She had a son who was sick, and his sickness
progressed until he died. The prophet saw the grief of the woman. He took
her son from her and carried him to the upper room where he was staying
and laid him on his own bed. Then he cried out to the Lord and he stretched
himself out on the child three times. The Lord heard the voice of Elijah
and the soul of the child came back to him, and he was revived. Elijah
took the
child and brought him down and gave him to his mother alive.
(I Kings 17:17-23) When Jezebel knew that Elijah executed all the priests of Baal
by the sword, she threatened to kill him. When he saw that, he arose and
ran for his life. He went to Mount Horeb where he hid himself. The Lord
talked to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" So he said, "I have been
very zealous for the Lord God of Hosts; for the children of Israel have
forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets
with the sword. I alone am left, and they seek to take my life." The Lord
said to him, "... Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose
knees have not bowed to Baal... "
(I Kings 19:10-18)
When Ahab died and King
Ahaziah reigned, he did evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the
way of his father Ahab. Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room
in Samaria and was injured. He sent messengers to inquire from Baalzebub,
the god of Ekron, whether he would recover from his injury. Elijah, the
Prophet, met with his messengers and he told them to go and tell the King,
"Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire
of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron? Now therefore, thus says the Lord! You
shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall
surely die." When they said this to the King, the King knew that it was
Elijah the prophet. The King sent to him a captain of fifty, and the prophet
was sitting on the top of the hill. He said to Elijah, "Man of God, the
King has said, 'Come down.'" So, Elijah answered and said to the captain,
"If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume
you and your fifty men." And the fire came down from heaven and consumed
them. Then the King sent another captain of fifty and said to him what
the first captain said. And the fire came down from heaven and consumed
them. The third captain came to Elijah and fell on his knees before him
and pleaded with him. Elijah arose and went down with him to the King whom
he rebuked. The King died in his bed. (2 Kings 1:1-18)
After that, Elijah went
to the Jordan River and he took with him Elisha, his disciple. He struck
the water with his mantle, and the river was divided and the two of them
crossed over on dry ground. While they were talking to each other, suddenly
a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, separated the two of them,
and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. (2 Kings 2:1-12)
May His prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of Marcianus, the Eighth Pope
of Alexandria
Also on this day in 154
A.D., St. Marcianus, 8th Pope of Alexandria, departed. He was born in Alexandria.
When Pope Omanius departed, the fathers of the church gathered with the
people of Alexandria and discussed whom they should choose for the vacant
throne. By consensus, they chose Marcianus for his intellect and righteousness.
He sat on the throne of St. Mark for 9 years, 2 months and 26 days. He
was always teaching his flock and protecting the church from all the foreign
teachings. When he completed his well pleasing course to God, he departed
in peace.
May His prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of St.Basil the Great, Bishop
of Caesarea
Today also of the year 379
A.D., the great St. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea, departed. His father's name
was "Isosorus" (Isidore), who was a priest and a holy man. He begot five
children: St. Basil of Caesarea, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Kisarion (Cherion),
St. Peter of Sebastia, and St.Machrina. They all lived in holiness all
their lives. He was instructed in the art of rhetoric, at the hands of
the philosopher Libianius of Antioch, and he worked as an advocate. In
358 A.D., he abandoned the world and all its vain glories. He travelled
through the wilderness of Egypt, where he witnessed the ascetics and was
influenced by them. Upon his return, he withdrew to a wild and beautiful
spot in Pontus and devoted himself to prayer and study. When the news of
his holiness spread around, many came to him and they took him as a guide
to lead them in the way of perfection. In 362 A.D., he was promoted to
the priesthood. He continued to teach the believers, to defend the faith,
and to save those who had been lost.
In 370 A.D., he was ordained
Bishop of Caesarea, Cappadocia. For his boldness in truth and for his rebuke
of the emperors who conducted themselves against the doctrine and those
who behaved immorally. Emperor Valens wanted to exile St. Basil, but he
declined because of the death of his son. Another time, when the Emperor
wanted to sign an order for his exile, the pen broke in his hand, he took
another pen and that also broke, and the same thing happened to a third
pen. Valens tore the paper and left the saint to shepherd his flock
and manage his church in peace. St. Basil was filled with the Holy Spirit,
and wrote the liturgy that is named after him. God wrought by his hands
many signs and miracles. Among them, some heretics gained control over
one of the churches and decided to close it unless someone opened it by
his prayers. By the prayers of this saint, the church was opened and the
believers gained access to it once again. Another sign: Abba Ephraim saw
a pillar of light between earth and heaven and heard a voice saying, "This
is Basil." St. Ephraim came to the city of Caesarea and witnessed the virtues
of St.Basil. St. Basil ordained him a deacon.
Among his miracles was that
a woman wrote all her sins on paper and gave it to St. Basil. He prayed
for her and her sins were forgiven, except one sin. He told her to go to
Abba Ephraim to pray for her. When she went to Abba Ephraim, he sent her
back to St. Basil saying, "Hurry, go back to meet him before his death."
When she came back, she found that he had passed away. She wept and she
put the paper that she had written on his body and the written sins were
blotted out. Also among his miracles was a Jewish physician, who was known
for his professional accuracy and who told the saint that he would die
after three days. The saint prayed to God, Who prolonged his life, and
he did not die on the day that the physician expected him to die. The physician
believed and was baptized with all his household. Another example is that
of a young man who wrote a covenant with the devil to deny his Christianity
and his baptism. Through the prayer of the Saint, the young man was saved
from the servitude of the devil. This saint had many virtues and performed
many miracles besides the above mentioned ones. He wrote many articles,
homilies, and discourses. He put down canons which the believers follow
till now. He also wrote commentaries on some of the Books of the Old and
New Testaments.
May His prayers be with us, and Glory be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.
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Divine Psalm
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint John the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet, and the Good King.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 50 : 14,23
Chapter 50
| 14 | Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High.
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| 23 | Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God."
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Hallelujah.
Divine Gospel
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.
Luke 2 : 21 - 39
Chapter 2
| 21 | And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
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| 22 | Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
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| 23 | (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD"),
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| 24 | and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
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| 25 | And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
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| 26 | And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
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| 27 | So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,
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| 28 | he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
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| 29 | "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;
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| 30 | For my eyes have seen Your salvation
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| 31 | Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
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| 32 | A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."
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| 33 | And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.
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| 34 | Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against
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| 35 | (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
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| 36 | Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;
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| 37 | and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
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| 38 | And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
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| 39 | So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
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And Glory be to God forever.
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Acknowledgement
Opening page