Daily Readings for Thursday after Trinity III
The Season is TRINITY
The liturgical color of the day is GREEN
The Collect for the Day
Third Sunday after Trinity
O LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom thou hast given an hearty desire to pray, may, by thy mighty aid, be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Psalter
Morning Prayer
Psalm 94 Deus ultionum.
1 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth, * thou God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself.
2 Arise, thou Judge of the world, * and reward the proud after their deserving.
3 LORD, how long shall the ungodly, * how long shall the ungodly triumph?
4 How long shall all wicked doers speak so disdainfully, * and make such proud boasting?
5 They smite down thy people, O LORD, * and trouble thine heritage.
6 They murder the widow and the stranger, * and put the fatherless to death.
7 And yet they say, Tush, the LORD shall not see, * neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.
8 Take heed, ye unwise among the people: * O ye fools, when will ye understand?
9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? * or he that made the eye, shall he not see?
10 Or he that instructeth the heathen, * it is he that teacheth man knowledge; shall not he punish?
11 The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, * that they are but vain.
12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, * and teachest him in thy law;
13 That thou mayest give him patience in time of adversity, * until the pit be digged up for the ungodly.
14 For the LORD will not fail his people; * neither will he forsake his inheritance;
15 Until righteousness turn again unto judgment: * all such as are true in heart shall follow it.
16 Who will rise up with me against the wicked? * or who will take my part against the evil doers?
17 If the LORD had not helped me, * it had not failed, but my soul had been put to silence.
18 But when I said, My foot hath slipt; * thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.
19 In the multitude of the sorrows that I had in my heart, * thy comforts have refreshed my soul.
20 Wilt thou have any thing to do with the throne of wickedness, * which imagineth mischief as a law?
21 They gather them together against the soul of the righteous, * and condemn the innocent blood.
22 But the LORD is my refuge, * and my God is the strength of my confidence.
23 He shall recompense them their wickedness, and destroy them in their own malice; * yea, the LORD our God shall destroy them.
The First Lesson
Judges 7:1-8
1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
2 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
4 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.
5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.
6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
7 And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.
8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
Second Lesson:
Luke 7:18-35
18 And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things.
19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
20 When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
21 And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.
22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.
23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
24 And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
25 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts.
26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.
27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.
31 And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?
32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.
33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.
34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!
35 But wisdom is justified of all her children.
Evening Prayer
The Psalter
Psalm 111 Confitebor tibi.
1 I WILL give thanks unto the LORD with my whole heart, * secretly among the faithful, and in the congregation.
2 The works of the LORD are great, * sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
3 His work is worthy to be praised and had in honour, * and his righteousness endureth for ever.
4 The merciful and gracious LORD hath so done his marvellous works, * that they ought to be had in remembrance.
5 He hath given meat unto them that fear him; * he shall ever be mindful of his covenant.
6 He hath showed his people the power of his works, * that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.
7 The works of his hands are verity and judgment; * all his commandments are true.
8 They stand fast for ever and ever, * and are done in truth and equity.
9 He sent redemption unto his people; * he hath commanded his covenant for ever; holy and reverend is his Name.
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; * a good understanding have all they that do thereafter; his praise endureth for ever.
Psalm 114 In exitu Israel.
1 WHEN Israel came out of Egypt, * and the house of Jacob from among the strange people,
2 Judah was his sanctuary, * and Israel his dominion.
3 The sea saw that, and fled; * Jordan was driven back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams, * and the little hills like young sheep.
5 What aileth thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? * and thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?
6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams? * and ye little hills, like young sheep?
7 Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord: * at the presence of the God of Jacob;
8 Who turned the hard rock into a standing water, ‘: and the flint-stone into a springing well.
The First Lesson
Nehemiah 9:32
32 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.
33 Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:
34 Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.
35 For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.
36 Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:
37 And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.
38 And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.
The Second Lesson
Acts 15:1-12
15 And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
3 And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.
4 And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
12 Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.