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Today's Readings
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Wednesday, 27th March 2024 --- 18 Baramhat 1740
Matins
Exodus 4 : 19 - end Exodus 6 : 1 - 13 Joel 2 : 21 - 26 Isaiah 9 : 9 - end Isaiah 10 : 1 - 4 Job 12 : 1 - end Job 13 : 1 - end Job 14 : 1 - 21
Exodus 4 : 19 - end
Chapter 4
| 19 | Now the LORD said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead."
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| 20 | Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
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| 21 | And the LORD said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.
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| 22 | Then you shall say to Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD: "Israel is My son, My firstborn.
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| 23 | So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.'
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| 24 | And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him.
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| 25 | Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses' feet, and said, "Surely you are a husband of blood to me!"
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| 26 | So He let him go. Then she said, "You are a husband of blood!"--because of the circumcision.
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| 27 | And the LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him.
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| 28 | So Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.
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| 29 | Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.
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| 30 | And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people.
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| 31 | So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.
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Joel 2 : 21 - 26
Chapter 2
| 21 | Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done marvelous things!
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| 22 | Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.
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| 23 | Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you--The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month.
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| 24 | The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.
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| 25 | "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.
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| 26 | You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame.
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Isaiah 9 : 9 - end
Chapter 9
| 9 | All the people will know--Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria--Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
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| 10 | "The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with hewn stones; The sycamores are cut down, But we will replace them with cedars."
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| 11 | Therefore the LORD shall set up The adversaries of Rezin against him, And spur his enemies on,
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| 12 | The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.
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| 13 | For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, Nor do they seek the LORD of hosts.
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| 14 | Therefore the LORD will cut off head and tail from Israel, Palm branch and bulrush in one day.
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| 15 | The elder and honorable, he is the head; The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
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| 16 | For the leaders of this people cause them to err, And those who are led by them are destroyed.
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| 17 | Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men, Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows; For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, And every mouth speaks folly. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.
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| 18 | For wickedness burns as the fire; It shall devour the briers and thorns, And kindle in the thickets of the forest; They shall mount up like rising smoke.
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| 19 | Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts The land is burned up, And the people shall be as fuel for the fire; No man shall spare his brother.
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| 20 | And he shall snatch on the right hand And be hungry; He shall devour on the left hand And not be satisfied; Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.
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| 21 | Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; Together they shall be against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.
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Job 12 : 1 - end
Chapter 12
| 1 | Then Job answered and said:
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| 2 | "No doubt you are the people, And wisdom will die with you!
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| 3 | But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Indeed, who does not know such things as these?
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| 4 | "I am one mocked by his friends, Who called on God, and He answered him, The just and blameless who is ridiculed.
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| 5 | A lamp is despised in the thought of one who is at ease; It is made ready for those whose feet slip.
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| 6 | The tents of robbers prosper, And those who provoke God are secure--In what God provides by His hand.
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| 7 | "But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
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| 8 | Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain to you.
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| 9 | Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this,
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| 10 | In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?
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| 11 | Does not the ear test words And the mouth taste its food?
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| 12 | Wisdom is with aged men, And with length of days, understanding.
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| 13 | "With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding.
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| 14 | If He breaks a thing down, it cannot be rebuilt; If He imprisons a man, there can be no release.
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| 15 | If He withholds the waters, they dry up; If He sends them out, they overwhelm the earth.
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| 16 | With Him are strength and prudence. The deceived and the deceiver are His.
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| 17 | He leads counselors away plundered, And makes fools of the judges.
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| 18 | He loosens the bonds of kings, And binds their waist with a belt.
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| 19 | He leads princes away plundered, And overthrows the mighty.
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| 20 | He deprives the trusted ones of speech, And takes away the discernment of the elders.
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| 21 | He pours contempt on princes, And disarms the mighty.
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| 22 | He uncovers deep things out of darkness, And brings the shadow of death to light.
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| 23 | He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them.
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| 24 | He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, And makes them wander in a pathless wilderness.
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| 25 | They grope in the dark without light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.
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Job 13 : 1 - end
Chapter 13
| 1 | "Behold, my eye has seen all this, My ear has heard and understood it.
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| 2 | What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you.
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| 3 | But I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to reason with God.
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| 4 | But you forgers of lies, You are all worthless physicians.
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| 5 | Oh, that you would be silent, And it would be your wisdom!
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| 6 | Now hear my reasoning, And heed the pleadings of my lips.
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| 7 | Will you speak wickedly for God, And talk deceitfully for Him?
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| 8 | Will you show partiality for Him? Will you contend for God?
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| 9 | Will it be well when He searches you out? Or can you mock Him as one mocks a man?
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| 10 | He will surely rebuke you If you secretly show partiality.
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| 11 | Will not His excellence make you afraid, And the dread of Him fall upon you?
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| 12 | Your platitudes are proverbs of ashes, Your defenses are defenses of clay.
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| 13 | "Hold your peace with me, and let me speak, Then let come on me what may!
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| 14 | Why do I take my flesh in my teeth, And put my life in my hands?
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| 15 | Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.
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| 16 | He also shall be my salvation, For a hypocrite could not come before Him.
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| 17 | Listen carefully to my speech, And to my declaration with your ears.
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| 18 | See now, I have prepared my case, I know that I shall be vindicated.
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| 19 | Who is he who will contend with me? If now I hold my tongue, I perish.
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| 20 | "Only two things do not do to me, Then I will not hide myself from You:
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| 21 | Withdraw Your hand far from me, And let not the dread of You make me afraid.
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| 22 | Then call, and I will answer; Or let me speak, then You respond to me.
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| 23 | How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin.
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| 24 | Why do You hide Your face, And regard me as Your enemy?
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| 25 | Will You frighten a leaf driven to and fro? And will You pursue dry stubble?
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| 26 | For You write bitter things against me, And make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.
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| 27 | You put my feet in the stocks, And watch closely all my paths. You set a limit for the soles of my feet.
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| 28 | "Man decays like a rotten thing, Like a garment that is moth-eaten.
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Job 14 : 1 - 21
Chapter 14
| 1 | "Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble.
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| 2 | He comes forth like a flower and fades away; He flees like a shadow and does not continue.
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| 3 | And do You open Your eyes on such a one, And bring me to judgment with Yourself?
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| 4 | Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one!
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| 5 | Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.
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| 6 | Look away from him that he may rest, Till like a hired man he finishes his day.
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| 7 | "For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And that its tender shoots will not cease.
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| 8 | Though its root may grow old in the earth, And its stump may die in the ground,
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| 9 | Yet at the scent of water it will bud And bring forth branches like a plant.
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| 10 | But man dies and is laid away; Indeed he breathes his last And where is he?
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| 11 | As water disappears from the sea, And a river becomes parched and dries up,
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| 12 | So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, They will not awake Nor be roused from their sleep.
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| 13 | "Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
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| 14 | If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes.
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| 15 | You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall desire the work of Your hands.
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| 16 | For now You number my steps, But do not watch over my sin.
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| 17 | My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And You cover my iniquity.
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| 18 | "But as a mountain falls and crumbles away, And as a rock is moved from its place;
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| 19 | As water wears away stones, And as torrents wash away the soil of the earth; So You destroy the hope of man.
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| 20 | You prevail forever against him, and he passes on; You change his countenance and send him away.
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| 21 | His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; They are brought low, and he does not perceive it.
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Acknowledgement
Opening page