Jeremiah 10

Translation: ESV

10 Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the Lord:


“Learn not the way of the nations,
nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens
because the nations are dismayed at them,
3 for the customs of the peoples are vanity.
A tree from the forest is cut down
and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.
4 They decorate it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so that it cannot move.
5 Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field,
and they cannot speak;
they have to be carried,
for they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
for they cannot do evil,
neither is it in them to do good.”

Patreon image donor: Craig Lehrmann
Date: November 22 2021

6 There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might.

7 Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?
For this is your due;
for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms
there is none like you.

8 They are both stupid and foolish;
the instruction of idols is but wood!
9 Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish,
and gold from Uphaz.
They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith;
their clothing is violet and purple;
they are all the work of skilled men.
10 But the Lord is the true God;
he is the living God and the everlasting King.
At his wrath the earth quakes,
and the nations cannot endure his indignation.


11 Thus shall you say to them: “The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”


12 It is he who made the earth by his power,
who established the world by his wisdom,
and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
13 When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
14 Every man is stupid and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
for his images are false,
and there is no breath in them.
15 They are worthless, a work of delusion;
at the time of their punishment they shall perish.
16 Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob,
for he is the one who formed all things,
and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
the Lord of hosts is his name.


17 Gather up your bundle from the ground,
O you who dwell under siege!
18 For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land
at this time,
and I will bring distress on them,
that they may feel it.”


19 Woe is me because of my hurt!
My wound is grievous.
But I said, “Truly this is an affliction,
and I must bear it.”
20 My tent is destroyed,
and all my cords are broken;
my children have gone from me,
and they are not;
there is no one to spread my tent again
and to set up my curtains.
21 For the shepherds are stupid
and do not inquire of the Lord;
therefore they have not prospered,
and all their flock is scattered.


22 A voice, a rumor! Behold, it comes!—
a great commotion out of the north country
to make the cities of Judah a desolation,
a lair of jackals.


23 I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself,
that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.
24 Correct me, O Lord, but in justice;
not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.


25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that know you not,
and on the peoples that call not on your name,
for they have devoured Jacob;
they have devoured him and consumed him,
and have laid waste his habitation.

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Isaiah 61

Translation: ESV

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
4 They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.


5 Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;
foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
6 but you shall be called the priests of the Lord;
they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;
you shall eat the wealth of the nations,
and in their glory you shall boast.
7 Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;
instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
they shall have everlasting joy.


8 For I the Lord love justice;
I hate robbery and wrong;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their offspring shall be known among the nations,
and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge them,
that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.


10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Patreon image donor: Charlie Stayton
Date: 20 November 2021

11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
     and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
     so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
     to sprout up before all the nations.

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Matthew 12

 Translation: ESV

12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

God's Chosen Servant

15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,

    my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.

I will put my Spirit upon him,

    and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud,

    nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;

20 a bruised reed he will not break,

    and a smoldering wick he will not quench,

until he brings justice to victory;

21     and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.

Patreon image donor: Charlie Greska
Date: October 21 2021

36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Return of an Unclean Spirit

43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

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Job 28

Translation: ESV

1 “Surely there is a mine for silver,

    and a place for gold that they refine.

2 Iron is taken out of the earth,

    and copper is smelted from the ore.

3 Man puts an end to darkness

    and searches out to the farthest limit

    the ore in gloom and deep darkness.

4 He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;

    they are forgotten by travelers;

    they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.

5 As for the earth, out of it comes bread,

    but underneath it is turned up as by fire.

6 Its stones are the place of sapphires,

    and it has dust of gold.

7 “That path no bird of prey knows,

    and the falcon's eye has not seen it.

8 The proud beasts have not trodden it;

    the lion has not passed over it.

9 “Man puts his hand to the flinty rock

    and overturns mountains by the roots.

10 He cuts out channels in the rocks,

    and his eye sees every precious thing.

11 He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,

    and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

12 “But where shall wisdom be found?

    And where is the place of understanding?

13 Man does not know its worth,

    and it is not found in the land of the living.

14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’

    and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

SubscribeStar image donor: Angela and Michael Lovless
Date: October 1 2021
Inktober prompt: Crystal

15 It cannot be bought for gold,

     and silver cannot be weighed as its price.

16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,

     in precious onyx or sapphire.

17 Gold and glass cannot equal it,

     nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

18 No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;

     the price of wisdom is above pearls.

19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,

     nor can it be valued in pure gold.

20 “From where, then, does wisdom come?

    And where is the place of understanding?

21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living

    and concealed from the birds of the air.

22 Abaddon and Death say,

    ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’

23 “God understands the way to it,

    and he knows its place.

24 For he looks to the ends of the earth

    and sees everything under the heavens.

25 When he gave to the wind its weight

    and apportioned the waters by measure,

26 when he made a decree for the rain

    and a way for the lightning of the thunder,

27 then he saw it and declared it;

    he established it, and searched it out.

28 And he said to man,

‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,

    and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

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Psalm 144 (MT: 145)

 Translation: ESV

A Song of Praise. Of David.

Patreon image donor: Angela and Michael Loveless
Date: September 25 2021

1 I will extol you, my God and King,
   and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
   and praise your name forever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.

4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.


8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.


10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.


[The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.]
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.


21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

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Proverbs 25

Translation: ESV

1 These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.

2 It is the glory of God to conceal things,

    but the glory of kings is to search things out.

3 As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,

    so the heart of kings is unsearchable.

4 Take away the dross from the silver,

    and the smith has material for a vessel;

5 take away the wicked from the presence of the king,

    and his throne will be established in righteousness.

6 Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence

    or stand in the place of the great,

7 for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”

    than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

What your eyes have seen

8     do not hastily bring into court,

for what will you do in the end,

    when your neighbor puts you to shame?

9 Argue your case with your neighbor himself,

    and do not reveal another's secret,

10 lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,

    and your ill repute have no end.

Patreon image donor: Angela and Michael Loveless
Date: September 21 2021

11 A word fitly spoken

     is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

12 Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold

    is a wise reprover to a listening ear.

13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest

    is a faithful messenger to those who send him;

    he refreshes the soul of his masters.

14 Like clouds and wind without rain

    is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.

15 With patience a ruler may be persuaded,

    and a soft tongue will break a bone.

16 If you have found honey, eat only enough for you,

    lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.

17 Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house,

    lest he have his fill of you and hate you.

18 A man who bears false witness against his neighbor

    is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.

19 Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble

    is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.

20 Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart

    is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,

    and like vinegar on soda.

21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,

    and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,

22 for you will heap burning coals on his head,

    and the Lord will reward you.

23 The north wind brings forth rain,

    and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

24 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop

    than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.

25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul,

    so is good news from a far country.

26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain

    is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

27 It is not good to eat much honey,

    nor is it glorious to seek one's own glory.

28 A man without self-control

    is like a city broken into and left without walls.

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Job 34

 Translation: ESV

1 Then Elihu answered and said:

2 “Hear my words, you wise men,

and give ear to me, you who know;

3 for the ear tests words

as the palate tastes food.

4 Let us choose what is right;

let us know among ourselves what is good.

5 For Job has said, ‘I am in the right,

and God has taken away my right;

6 in spite of my right I am counted a liar;

my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’

7 What man is like Job,

who drinks up scoffing like water,

8 who travels in company with evildoers

and walks with wicked men?

9 For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing

that he should take delight in God.’

10 “Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding:

far be it from God that he should do wickedness,

and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.

11 For according to the work of a man he will repay him,

and according to his ways he will make it befall him.

12 Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,

and the Almighty will not pervert justice.

13 Who gave him charge over the earth,

and who laid on him the whole world?

14 If he should set his heart to it

and gather to himself his spirit and his breath,

15 all flesh would perish together,

and man would return to dust.

16 “If you have understanding, hear this;

listen to what I say.

17 Shall one who hates justice govern?

Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,

18 who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’

and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’

19 who shows no partiality to princes,

nor regards the rich more than the poor,

for they are all the work of his hands?

20 In a moment they die;

at midnight the people are shaken and pass away,

and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.

Patreon image donor: Antonio Cabrera González
Date: September 20 2021

21 “For his eyes are on the ways of a man,

and he sees all his steps.

22 There is no gloom or deep darkness

where evildoers may hide themselves.

23 For God has no need to consider a man further,

that he should go before God in judgment.

24 He shatters the mighty without investigation

and sets others in their place.

25 Thus, knowing their works,

he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.

26 He strikes them for their wickedness

in a place for all to see,

27 because they turned aside from following him

and had no regard for any of his ways,

28 so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him,

and he heard the cry of the afflicted—

29 When he is quiet, who can condemn?

When he hides his face, who can behold him,

whether it be a nation or a man?—

30 that a godless man should not reign,

that he should not ensnare the people.

31 “For has anyone said to God,

‘I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more;

32 teach me what I do not see;

if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?

33 Will he then make repayment to suit you,

because you reject it?

For you must choose, and not I;

therefore declare what you know.

34 Men of understanding will say to me,

and the wise man who hears me will say:

35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge;

his words are without insight.’

36 Would that Job were tried to the end,

because he answers like wicked men.

37 For he adds rebellion to his sin;

he claps his hands among us

and multiplies his words against God.”

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Psalm 80 (MT: Psalm 81)

Translation: DRA

Patreon image donor: Orthodox Pilgrim

1 Unto the end, for the winepresses, a psalm for Asaph himself.

2 Rejoice to God our helper: sing aloud to the God of Jacob.

3 Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel: the pleasant psaltery with the harp.

4 Blow up the trumpet on the new moon, on the noted day of your solemnity.

5 For it is a commandment in Israel, and a judgment to the God of Jacob.

6 He ordained it for a testimony in Joseph, when he came out of the land of Egypt: he heard a tongue which he knew not.

7 He removed his back from the burdens: his hands had served in baskets.

8 Thou calledst upon me in affliction, and I delivered thee: I heard thee in the secret place of tempest: I proved thee at the waters of contradiction.

9 Hear, O my people, and I will testify to thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken to me,

10 There shall be no new god in thee: neither shalt thou adore a strange god.

11 For I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

12 But my people heard not my voice: and Israel hearkened not to me.

13 So I let them go according to the desires of their heart: they shall walk in their own inventions.

14 If my people had heard me: if Israel had walked in my ways:

15 I should soon have humbled their enemies, and laid my hand on them that troubled them.

16 The enemies of the Lord have lied to him: and their time shall be for ever.

17 And he fed them with the fat of wheat, and filled them with honey out of the rock.

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Titus 3

Translation: ESV

1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

Patreon image donor: Patrick Lee
Date: August 8 2021

4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,

5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. 9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

Final Instructions and Greetings

12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. 14 And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.

15 All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith.

Grace be with you all.

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Epistle to Titus

Chapters
1
2
3

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1 Corinthians 3

 Translation: ESV

1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.

10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Patreon image donor: Orthodox Pilgrim
Date: July 23 2021
Pictured: Transfiguration of St. Seraphim of Sarov

16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?

17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

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2 Ezra 11

Translation: KJV

Patreon image donor: Tim Andrew
Work by: Ilija Knežević
Date: July 10 2021

1 Then saw I a dream, and, behold, there came up from the sea an eagle, which had twelve feathered wings, and three heads.

2 And I saw, and, behold, she spread her wings over all the earth, and all the winds of the air blew on her, and were gathered together.

3And I beheld, and out of her feathers there grew other contrary feathers; and they became little feathers and small.

4But her heads were at rest: the head in the midst was greater than the other, yet rested it with the residue.

5Moreover I beheld, and, lo, the eagle flew with her feathers, and reigned upon earth, and over them that dwelt therein.

6And I saw that all things under heaven were subject unto her, and no man spake against her, no, not one creature upon earth.

7And I beheld, and, lo, the eagle rose upon her talons, and spake to her feathers, saying,

8Watch not all at once: sleep every one in his own place, and watch by course:

9But let the heads be preserved for the last.

10And I beheld, and, lo, the voice went not out of her heads, but from the midst of her body.

11And I numbered her contrary feathers, and, behold, there were eight of them.

12And I looked, and, behold, on the right side there arose one feather, and reigned over all the earth;

13And so it was, that when it reigned, the end of it came, and the place thereof appeared no more: so the next following stood up. and reigned, and had a great time;

14And it happened, that when it reigned, the end of it came also, like as the first, so that it appeared no more.

15Then came there a voice unto it, and said,

16Hear thou that hast borne rule over the earth so long: this I say unto thee, before thou beginnest to appear no more,

17There shall none after thee attain unto thy time, neither unto the half thereof.

18Then arose the third, and reigned as the other before, and appeared no more also.

19So went it with all the residue one after another, as that every one reigned, and then appeared no more.

20Then I beheld, and, lo, in process of time the feathers that followed stood up upon the right side, that they might rule also; and some of them ruled, but within a while they appeared no more:

21For some of them were set up, but ruled not.

22After this I looked, and, behold, the twelve feathers appeared no more, nor the two little feathers:

23And there was no more upon the eagle's body, but three heads that rested, and six little wings.

24Then saw I also that two little feathers divided themselves from the six, and remained under the head that was upon the right side: for the four continued in their place.

25And I beheld, and, lo, the feathers that were under the wing thought to set up themselves and to have the rule.

26And I beheld, and, lo, there was one set up, but shortly it appeared no more.

27And the second was sooner away than the first.

28And I beheld, and, lo, the two that remained thought also in themselves to reign:

29And when they so thought, behold, there awaked one of the heads that were at rest, namely, it that was in the midst; for that was greater than the two other heads.

30And then I saw that the two other heads were joined with it.

31And, behold, the head was turned with them that were with it, and did eat up the two feathers under the wing that would have reigned.

32But this head put the whole earth in fear, and bare rule in it over all those that dwelt upon the earth with much oppression; and it had the governance of the world more than all the wings that had been.

33And after this I beheld, and, lo, the head that was in the midst suddenly appeared no more, like as the wings.

34But there remained the two heads, which also in like sort ruled upon the earth, and over those that dwelt therein.

35And I beheld, and, lo, the head upon the right side devoured it that was upon the left side.

36Then I head a voice, which said unto me, Look before thee, and consider the thing that thou seest.

37And I beheld, and lo, as it were a roaring lion chased out of the wood: and I saw that he sent out a man's voice unto the eagle, and said,

38Hear thou, I will talk with thee, and the Highest shall say unto thee,

39Art not thou it that remainest of the four beasts, whom I made to reign in my world, that the end of their times might come through them?

40And the fourth came, and overcame all the beasts that were past, and had power over the world with great fearfulness, and over the whole compass of the earth with much wicked oppression; and so long time dwelt he upon the earth with deceit.

41For the earth hast thou not judged with truth.

42For thou hast afflicted the meek, thou hast hurt the peaceable, thou hast loved liars, and destroyed the dwellings of them that brought forth fruit, and hast cast down the walls of such as did thee no harm.

43Therefore is thy wrongful dealing come up unto the Highest, and thy pride unto the Mighty.

44The Highest also hath looked upon the proud times, and, behold, they are ended, and his abominations are fulfilled.

45And therefore appear no more, thou eagle, nor thy horrible wings, nor thy wicked feathers nor thy malicious heads, nor thy hurtful claws, nor all thy vain body:

46That all the earth may be refreshed, and may return, being delivered from thy violence, and that she may hope for the judgment and mercy of him that made her.

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Mark 3

 Translation: ESV

A Man with a Withered Hand

3 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

A Great Crowd Follows Jesus

7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 

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11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”

12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.

The Twelve Apostles

13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons. 16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.

28 “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

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Job 8

 Translation: ESV

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

2 “How long will you say these things,

    and the words of your mouth be a great wind?

3 Does God pervert justice?

    Or does the Almighty pervert the right?

4 If your children have sinned against him,

    he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.

5 If you will seek God

    and plead with the Almighty for mercy,

6 if you are pure and upright,

    surely then he will rouse himself for you

    and restore your rightful habitation.

7 And though your beginning was small,

    your latter days will be very great.

8 “For inquire, please, of bygone ages,

    and consider what the fathers have searched out.

9 For we are but of yesterday and know nothing,

    for our days on earth are a shadow.

10 Will they not teach you and tell you

    and utter words out of their understanding?

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11 “Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh?

Can reeds flourish where there is no water?

12 While yet in flower and not cut down,

    they wither before any other plant.

13 Such are the paths of all who forget God;

    the hope of the godless shall perish.

14 His confidence is severed,

    and his trust is a spider's web.

15 He leans against his house, but it does not stand;

    he lays hold of it, but it does not endure.

16 He is a lush plant before the sun,

    and his shoots spread over his garden.

17 His roots entwine the stone heap;

    he looks upon a house of stones.

18 If he is destroyed from his place,

    then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have never seen you.’

19 Behold, this is the joy of his way,

    and out of the soil others will spring.

20 “Behold, God will not reject a blameless man,

    nor take the hand of evildoers.

21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter,

    and your lips with shouting.

22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,

    and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”

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Ecclesiastes 1

Translation: DRA

Patreon image donor: Fr. Dimitri Cozby
April 13 2023

1 The words of Ecclesiastes, the son of David, king of Jerusalem.

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Date: April 22 2021
Inktober prompt: Fancy

2 Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes vanity of vanities, and all is vanity.

3 What hath a man more of all his labour, that he taketh under the sun?

4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth standeth for ever.

5 The sun riseth, and goeth down, and returneth to his place: and there rising again,

6 Maketh his round by the south, and turneth again to the north: the spirit goeth forward surveying all places round about, and returneth to his circuits.

7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea doth not overflow: unto the place from whence the rivers come, they return, to flow again.

8 All things are hard: man cannot explain them by word. The eye is not filled with seeing, neither is the ear filled with hearing.

9 What is it that hath been? the same thing that shall be. What is it that hath been done? the same that shall be done.

10 Nothing under the sun is new, neither is any man able to say: Behold this is new: for it hath already gone before in the ages that were before us.

11 There is no remembrance of former things: nor indeed of those things which hereafter are to come, shall there be any remembrance with them that shall be in the latter end.

12 I Ecclesiastes was king over Israel in Jerusalem,

13 And I proposed in my mind to seek and search out wisely concerning all things that are done under the sun. This painful occupation hath God given to the children of men, to be exercised therein.

14 I have seen all things that are done under the sun, and behold all is vanity, and vexation of spirit.

15 The perverse are hard to be corrected, and the number of fools is infinite.

16 I have spoken in my heart, saying: Behold I am become great, and have gone beyond all in wisdom, that were before me in Jerusalem: and my mind hath contemplated many things wisely, and I have learned.

17 And I have given my heart to know prudence, and learning, and errors, and folly: and I have perceived that in these also there was labour, and vexation of spirit,

18 Because In much wisdom there is much indignation: and he that addeth knowledge, addeth also labour.

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2 Corinthians 7

Translation: DRA

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Date: April 16
Pictured: St. Paisios of the Holy Mountain

1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting sanctification in the fear of God.

2 Receive us. We have injured no man, we have corrupted no man, we have overreached no man.

3 I speak not this to your condemnation. For we have said before, that you are in our hearts, to die together, and to live together.

4 Great is my confidence for you, great is my glorying for you. I am filled with comfort: I exceedingly abound with joy in all our tribulation.

5 For also when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we suffered all tribulation; combats without, fears within.

6 But God, who comforteth the humble, comforted us by the coming of Titus.

7 And not by his coming only, but also by the consolation, wherewith he was comforted in you, relating to us your desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced the more.

8 For although I made you sorrowful by my epistle, I do not repent; and if I did repent, seeing that the same epistle (although but for a time) did make you sorrowful;

9 Now I am glad: not because you were made sorrowful; but because you were made sorrowful unto penance. For you were made sorrowful according to God, that you might suffer damage by us in nothing.

10 For the sorrow that is according to God worketh penance, steadfast unto salvation; but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

11 For behold this selfsame thing, that you were made sorrowful according to God, how great carefulness it worketh in you; yea defence, yea indignation, yea fear, yea desire, yea zeal, yea revenge: in all things you have shewed yourselves to be undefiled in the matter.

12 Wherefore although I wrote to you, it was not for his sake that I did the wrong, nor for him that suffered it; but to manifest our carefulness that we have for you

13 Before God: therefore we were comforted. But in our consolation, we did the more abundantly rejoice for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.

14 And if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I have not been put to shame; but as we have spoken all things to you in truth, so also our boasting that was made to Titus is found a truth.

15 And his bowels are more abundantly towards you; remembering the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you have received him.

16 I rejoice that in all things I have confidence in you.

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2 Maccabees 1

Translation: DRA

Patreon image donor: C. E.
Date: April 2 2021

1 To the brethren the Jews that are throughout Egypt, the brethren, the Jews that are in Jerusalem, and in the land of Judea, send health, and good peace.

2 May God be gracious to you, and remember his covenant that he made with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, his faithful servants:

3 And give you all a heart to worship him, and to do his will with a great heart, and a willing mind.

4 May he open your heart in his law, and in his commandments, and send you peace.

5 May he hear your prayers, and be reconciled unto you, and never forsake you in the evil time.

6 And now here we are praying for you.

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7 When Demetrius reigned, in the year one hundred and sixty-nine, we Jews wrote to you, in the trouble, and violence, that came upon us in those years, after Jason withdrew himself from the holy land, and from the kingdom.

8 They burnt the gate, and shed innocent blood:

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then we prayed to the Lord, and were heard, and we offered sacrifices, and fine flour, and lighted the lamps, and set forth the loaves.

9 And now celebrate ye the days of Scenopegia in the month of Casleu.

10 In the year one hundred and eighty-eight, the people that is at Jerusalem, and in Judea, and the senate, and Judas, to Aristobolus, the preceptor of king Ptolemee, who is of the stock of the anointed priests, and to the Jews that are in Egypt, health and welfare.

11 Having been delivered by God out of great dangers, we give him great thanks, forasmuch as we have been in war with such a king.

12 For he made numbers of men swarm out of Persia that have fought against us, and the holy city.

13 For when the leader himself was in Persia, and with him a very great army, he fell in the temple of Nanea, being deceived by the counsel of the priests of Nanea.

14 For Antiochus, with his friends, came to the place as though he would marry her, and that he might receive great sums of money under the title of a dowry.

15 And when the priests of Nanea had set it forth, and he with a small company had entered into the compass of the temple, they shut the temple,

16 When Antiochus was come in: and opening a secret entrance of the temple, they cast stones and slew the leader, and them that were with him, and hewed them in pieces, and cutting off their heads they threw them forth.

17 Blessed be God in all things, who hath delivered up the wicked.

18 Therefore whereas we purpose to keep the purification of the temple on the five and twentieth day of the month of Casleu, we thought it necessary to signify it to you: that you also may keep the day of Scenopegia, and the day of the fire, that was given when Nehemias offered sacrifice, after the temple and the altar was built.

19 For when our fathers were led into Persia, the priests that then were worshippers of God took privately the fire from the altar, and hid it in a valley where there was a deep pit without water, and there they kept it safe, so that the place was unknown to all men.

20 But when many years had passed, and it pleased God that Nehemias should be sent by the king of Persia, he sent some of the posterity of those priests that had hid it, to seek for the fire: and as they told us, they found no fire, but thick water.

21 Then he bade them draw it up, and bring it to him: and the priest Nehemias commanded the sacrifices that were laid on, to be sprinkled with the same water, both the wood, and the things that were laid upon it.

22 And when this was done, and the time came that the sun shone out, which before was in a cloud, there was a great fire kindled, so that all wondered.

23 And all the priests made prayer, while the sacrifice was consuming, Jonathan beginning, and the rest answering.

24 And the prayer of Nehemias was after this manner: O Lord God, Creator of all things, dreadful and strong, just and merciful, who alone art the good king,

25 Who alone art gracious, who alone art just, and almighty, and eternal, who deliverest Israel from all evil, who didst choose the fathers and didst sanctify them:

26 Receive the sacrifice for all thy people Israel, and preserve thy own portion, and sanctify it.

27 Gather together our scattered people, deliver them that are slaves to the Gentiles, and look upon them that are despised and abhorred: that the Gentiles may know that thou art our God.

28 Punish them that oppress us, and that treat us injuriously with pride.

29 Establish thy people in thy holy place, as Moses hath spoken.

30 And the priests sung hymns till the sacrifice was consumed.

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31 And when the sacrifice was consumed, Nehemias commanded the water that was left to be poured out upon the great stones.

32 Which being done, there was kindled a flame from them: but it was consumed by the light that shined from the altar.

33 And when this matter became public, it was told to the king of Persia, that in the place where the priests that were led away, had hid the fire, there appeared water, with which Nehemias and they that were with him had purified the sacrifices.

34 And the king considering, and diligently examining the matter, made a temple for it, that he might prove what had happened.

35 And when he had proved it, he gave the priests many goods, and divers presents, and he took and distributed them to them with his own hand.

36 And Nehemias called this place Nephthar, which is interpreted purification. But many call it Nephi.

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