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Today's Readings
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Tuesday, 17th March 2020 --- 8 Baramhat 1736
Matins
Genesis 28 : 10 - 22 Isaiah 25 : 1 - end Isaiah - 26 : 1 - 8 Job 18 : 1 - 21 Sirach 8 : 1 - end Sirach 10 : 1 - end
Genesis 28 : 10 - 22
Chapter 28
| 10 | Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran.
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| 11 | So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.
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| 12 | Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
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| 13 | And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.
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| 14 | Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
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| 15 | Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you."
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| 16 | Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it."
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| 17 | And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!"
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| 18 | Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.
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| 19 | And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.
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| 20 | Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on,
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| 21 | so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God.
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| 22 | And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You."
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Isaiah 25 : 1 - end
Chapter 25
| 1 | O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
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| 2 | For You have made a city a ruin, A fortified city a ruin, A palace of foreigners to be a city no more; It will never be rebuilt.
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| 3 | Therefore the strong people will glorify You; The city of the terrible nations will fear You.
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| 4 | For You have been a strength to the poor, A strength to the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, A shade from the heat; For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
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| 5 | You will reduce the noise of aliens, As heat in a dry place; As heat in the shadow of a cloud, The song of the terrible ones will be diminished.
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| 6 | And in this mountain The LORD of hosts will make for all people A feast of choice pieces, A feast of wines on the lees, Of fat things full of marrow, Of well-refined wines on the lees.
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| 7 | And He will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations.
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| 8 | He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.
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| 9 | And it will be said in that day: "Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."
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| 10 | For on this mountain the hand of the LORD will rest, And Moab shall be trampled down under Him, As straw is trampled down for the refuse heap.
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| 11 | And He will spread out His hands in their midst As a swimmer reaches out to swim, And He will bring down their pride Together with the trickery of their hands.
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| 12 | The fortress of the high fort of your walls He will bring down, lay low, And bring to the ground, down to the dust.
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Isaiah - 26 : 1 - 8
Job 18 : 1 - 21
Chapter 18
| 1 | Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
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| 2 | "How long till you put an end to words? Gain understanding, and afterward we will speak.
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| 3 | Why are we counted as beasts, And regarded as stupid in your sight?
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| 4 | You who tear yourself in anger, Shall the earth be forsaken for you? Or shall the rock be removed from its place?
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| 5 | "The light of the wicked indeed goes out, And the flame of his fire does not shine.
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| 6 | The light is dark in his tent, And his lamp beside him is put out.
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| 7 | The steps of his strength are shortened, And his own counsel casts him down.
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| 8 | For he is cast into a net by his own feet, And he walks into a snare.
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| 9 | The net takes him by the heel, And a snare lays hold of him.
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| 10 | A noose is hidden for him on the ground, And a trap for him in the road.
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| 11 | Terrors frighten him on every side, And drive him to his feet.
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| 12 | His strength is starved, And destruction is ready at his side.
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| 13 | It devours patches of his skin; The firstborn of death devours his limbs.
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| 14 | He is uprooted from the shelter of his tent, And they parade him before the king of terrors.
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| 15 | They dwell in his tent who are none of his; Brimstone is scattered on his dwelling.
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| 16 | His roots are dried out below, And his branch withers above.
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| 17 | The memory of him perishes from the earth, And he has no name among the renowned.
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| 18 | He is driven from light into darkness, And chased out of the world.
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| 19 | He has neither son nor posterity among his people, Nor any remaining in his dwellings.
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| 20 | Those in the west are astonished at his day, As those in the east are frightened.
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| 21 | Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, And this is the place of him who does not know God."
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Sirach 8 : 1 - end
Chapter 8
| 1 | Strive not with a powerful man, lest thou fall into his hands.
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| 2 | Contend not with a rich man, lest he bring an action against thee.
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| 3 | For gold and silver hath destroyed many, and hath reached even to the heart of kings, and perverted them.
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| 4 | Strive not with a man that is full of tongue, and heap not wood upon his fire.
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| 5 | Communicate not with an ignorant man, lest he speak ill of thy family.
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| 6 | Despise not a man that turneth away from sin, nor reproach him therewith: remember that we are all worthy of reproof.
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| 7 | Despise not a man in his old age; for we also shall become old.
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| 8 | Rejoice not at the death of thy enemy; knowing that we all die, and are not willing that others should rejoice at our death.
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| 9 | Despise not the discourse of them that are ancient and wise, but acquaint thyself with their proverbs.
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| 10 | For of them thou shalt learn wisdom, and instruction of understanding, and to serve great men without blame.
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| 11 | Let not the discourse of the ancients escape thee, for they have learned of their fathers:
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| 12 | For of them thou shalt learn understanding, and to give an answer in time of need.
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| 13 | Kindle not the coals of sinners by rebuking them, lest thou be burnt with the flame of the fire of their sins.
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| 14 | Stand not against the face of an injurious person, lest he sit as a spy to entrap thee in thy words.
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| 15 | Lend not to a man that is mightier than thyself: and if thou lendest, count it as lost.
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| 16 | Be not surety above thy power: and if thou be surety, think as if thou wert to pay it.
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| 17 | Judge not against a judge: for he judgeth according to that which is just.
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| 18 | Go not on the way with a bold man, lest he burden thee with his evils: for he goeth according to his own will, and thou shalt perish together with his folly.
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| 19 | Quarrel not with a passionate man, and go not into the desert with a bold man: for blood is as nothing in his sight, and where there is no help he will overthrow thee.
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| 20 | Advise not with fools, for they cannot love but such things as please them.
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| 21 | Before a stranger do no matter of counsel: for thou knowest not what he will bring forth.
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| 22 | Open not thy heart to every man: lest he repay thee with an evil turn, and speak reproachfully to thee.
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Sirach 10 : 1 - end
Chapter 10
| 1 | There is not a more wicked thing than to love money: for such a one setteth even his own soul to sale: because while he liveth he hath cast away his bowels.
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| 2 | All power is of short life. A long sickness is troublesome to the physician.
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| 3 | The physician cutteth off it short sickness: so also a king is to day, and to morrow he shall die.
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| 4 | For when a man shall die, he shall inherit serpents, end beasts, and worms.
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| 5 | The beginning of the pride of man, is to fall off from God:
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| 6 | Because his heart is departed from him that made him: for pride is the beginning of all sin: be that holdeth it, shall be filled with maledictions, and it shall ruin him in the end.
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| 7 | Therefore hath the Lord disgraced the assemblies of the wicked, and hath utterly destroyed them.
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| 8 | God hath overturned the thrones of proud princes, and hath set up the meek in their stead.
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| 9 | God hath made the roots of proud nations to wither, and hath planted the humble of these nations.
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| 10 | The Lord hath overthrown the lands of the Gentiles, and hath destroyed them even to the foundation.
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| 11 | He hath made some of them to wither away, and hath destroyed them, and hath made the memory of them to cease from the earth.
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| 12 | God hath abolished the memory of the proud, and hath preserved the memory of them that are humble in mind.
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| 13 | Pride was not made for men: nor wrath for the race of women.
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| 14 | That seed of men shall be honoured, which feareth God: but that seed shall be dishonoured, which transgresseth the commandments of the Lord.
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| 15 | In the midst of brethren their chief is honourable: so shall they that fear the Lord, be in his eyes.
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| 16 | The fear of God is the glory of the rich, and of the honourable, and of the poor:
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| 17 | Despise not a just man that is poor, and do not magnify a sinful man that is rich.
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| 18 | The great man, and the judge, and the mighty is in honour: and there is none greater than he that feareth God.
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| 19 | They that are free shall serve a servant that is wise: and a man that is prudent and well instructed will not murmur when he is reproved; and he that is ignorant, shall not be honoured.
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| 20 | Extol not thyself in doing thy work, and linger not in the time of distress:
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| 21 | Better is he that laboureth, and aboundeth in all things, than he that boasteth himself and wanteth bread.
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| 22 | My son, keep thy soul in meekness, and give it honour according to its desert.
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| 23 | Who will justify him that sinneth against his own soul? and who will honour him that dishonoureth his own soul?
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| 24 | The poor man is glorified by his discipline and fear: and there is a man that is honoured for his wealth.
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| 25 | But he that is glorified in poverty, how much more in wealth? and he that is glorified in wealth, let him fear poverty.
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Acknowledgement
Opening page