Friday, March 26

1And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, there came up Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, against Jerusalem to war against it; but they could not conquer it.

2Then it was reported to the house of David, saying, 'Syria's forces made an agreement with Ephraim.' So his soul and the soul of his people was confounded, as a tree of the woods is shaken by the wind.

3Then the Lord said to Isaiah, 'Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller's Field,

4and say to him, 'Guard yourself and be silent; do not fear, neither let your soul be disheartened because of these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for when My fierce anger is over, again I shall heal.

5The son of Syria and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying,

6'Let us go up against Judah and talk with them, and let us turn them to our side, and let us make the son of Tabel king of it.'

7Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'This counsel shall not continue, nor shall it come to pass.

8But the head of Syria is Damascus; nevertheless, in sixty-five years the kingdom of Ephraim will cease being a people.

9Also the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son, and if you do not believe this, neither will you understand it.' ' '

10Moreover the Lord added this to Ahaz, saying,

11'Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.'

12But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask, nor will I tempt the Lord.'

13Then Isaiah said, 'Hear now, O house of David, is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary the Lord also?

14Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel.

32And Noah was five hundred years old, and he begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

1Now it came to pass that men began to exist in great numbers on the earth, and daughters were born to them.

2So when the sons of God saw the daughters of men were beautiful, they took wives for themselves of all they chose.

3Then the Lord God said, 'My Spirit shall not remain with these people forever, for they are flesh. So their days shall be one hundred and twenty years.'

4Now there were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men of old, men of renown.

5Then the Lord God saw man's wickedness, that it was great in the earth, and every intent of the thoughts within his heart was only evil continually.

6So God was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and He thought this over.

7Then God said, 'I will blot out man whom I created from the face of the earth, from man to cattle, and from the creeping things to the birds of heaven, for I am grieved I made them.'

8But Noah found grace in the presence of the Lord God.

20For he rejoices in every thing the Lord hates, And he shall be broken because of his soul's uncleanness:

21A haughty eye, an unrighteous tongue, Hands that shed righteous blood,

22A heart that devises evil thoughts, And feet that hasten to do evil;

23As a false witness he kindles injustice And causes quarrels between brethren.

24My son, guard the laws of your father, And do not depart from the rules of your mother.

25But fasten them to your soul continually And wear them as a collar upon your neck.

26When you walk about, bring along this commandment And let it be with you;

27And as you sleep, let it guard you, That when you arise, it may speak to you.

28For a commandment of law is a lamp and a light, And the way of life is reproof and instruction,

29That you may keep yourself from a married woman And from the slanderous tongue of a strange woman.

30Do not let the desire of beauty conquer you; Neither be caught by her eyes, Nor captivated by her eyelids;

31For the value of a prostitute is only one loaf, And such a woman hunts for the precious souls of men.

32Shall any one bind fire to his bosom And his garments not burn?

33Or will any one walk about on coals of fire And not burn his feet?

34Likewise is the one who goes in to a married woman; He shall not be guiltless, nor any who touch her.

35It is not surprising if any one who steals is caught, For he steals that he may fill his hungry soul;

36But if he is caught, he will repay sevenfold, And by giving all his goods, he shall deliver himself.

37But the adulterer through his lack of discernment Obtains the destruction of his soul;

38He bears both pain and dishonor, And his disgrace will not be wiped away forever.

39For the anger of her husband is full of jealousy; He will not spare in the day of judgment;

40He will not take any ransom in exchange for his hatred, Nor will he be reconciled by many gifts.

1My son, guard my words, And hide my commandments within yourself;

11For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

12saying: 'I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.'

13And again: 'I will put My trust in Him.' And again: 'Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.'

14Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

15and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

16For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.

17Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

18For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

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.'

26Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

27to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

28And having come in, the angel said to her, 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!'

29But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.

30Then the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

31And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.

32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

33And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.'

34Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?'

35And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

36Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.

37For with God nothing will be impossible.'

38Then Mary said, 'Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her.