Wednesday, June 24

2God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,

3'LORD, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life'?

4But what does the divine response say to him? 'I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.'

5Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

6And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

7What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

8Just as it is written: 'God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.'

9And David says: 'Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them.

10Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, And bow down their back always.'

11I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.

12Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

11And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

12The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

13Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.

14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

14:1Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.

2For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

3Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.

4Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

20Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:

21'Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

22But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.

23And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

24But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.'

25At that time Jesus answered and said, 'I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.

26Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.

1Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us,

2just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us,

3it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus,

4that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

5There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

6And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

7But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.

8So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division,

9according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

10And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.

11Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

12And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

13But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

14And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

15For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.

16And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

17He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.'

18And Zacharias said to the angel, 'How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.'

19And the angel answered and said to him, 'I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.

20But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.'

21And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple.

22But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.

23So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.

24Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,

25'Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.'

57Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son.

58When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.

59So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias.

60His mother answered and said, 'No; he shall be called John.'

61But they said to her, 'There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.'

62So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.

63And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, 'His name is John.' So they all marveled.

64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God.

65Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea.

66And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, 'What kind of child will this be?' And the hand of the Lord was with him.

67Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

68'Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,

76'And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

80So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

24Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,

25'Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.'

57Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son.

58When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.

59So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias.

60His mother answered and said, 'No; he shall be called John.'

61But they said to her, 'There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.'

62So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.

63And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, 'His name is John.' So they all marveled.

64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God.

65Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea.

66And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, 'What kind of child will this be?' And the hand of the Lord was with him.

67Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

68'Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,

76'And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

80So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

15Then God said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.

16And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; and I will bless him, and he shall become nations; and kings of peoples shall be from him.'

17Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his mind, 'Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old, and shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?'

19Then God said, 'No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

18:11Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, 'I have not yet had a child until now, and my lord is old also?'

13Then the Lord said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh within herself, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?'

14Is anything impossible with God? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.'

21:1Now the Lord visited Sarah as He said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken.

2For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in old age, at the set time, of which God had spoken to him.

3So Abraham called the name of his son born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac.

4Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God commanded him.

5Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

6And Sarah said, 'God has made me laugh; all who hear will laugh with me.'

7She also said, 'Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne a child in my old age.'

8So the child grew and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the same day Isaac was weaned.

2Now there was a certain man from Zorah, from the tribe of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and could not give birth.

3And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, 'Indeed now, you are barren and have not given birth, but you shall conceive a son.

4Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean.

5For behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.'

6So the woman went in and told her husband, saying, 'A Man of God came to me, and His appearance was like the appearance of an Angel of God, very frightening. But I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name.

7And He said to me, 'Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. Now drink no wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, for the child shall be holy to God from the womb to the day of his death.' '

8Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, 'Lord Adonai, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.'

13So the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, 'The woman will guard herself from everything I have told her.

14She may not eat anything that comes from the vine of wine, and let her not drink wine or similar strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I commanded her, let her observe.'

17Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, 'What is Your name, so when Your words come to pass we may honor You?'

18And the Angel of the Lord said to him, 'Why do you ask My name, is it extraordinary?'

21When the Angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, Manoah knew this to be the Angel of the Lord.