Saturday, February 5

7But though a righteous man may die before his time, He shall be at rest.

8For old age is not honored for its length of existence, Nor measured by its number of years;

9But discernment is gray hair for mankind, And a spotless life is the maturity of old age.

10There was once a man pleasing to God and loved by Him, And while living among sinners he was taken up.

11He was caught up lest evil change his understanding Or deceit deceive his soul.

12For envy arising from lack of judgment obscures what is good, And a whirling of desire undermines an innocent heart.

13He was made perfect, For in a short time he fulfilled long years,

14For his soul was pleasing to the Lord; Therefore, He took him early from the midst of evil. Yet peoples saw this but did not understand, Nor take such a thing to heart,

15That the Lord's grace and mercy are with His elect And that He watches over His holy ones.

9I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

10The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

11'I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

12But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.

13The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.

14I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.

15As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

16And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

11For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him.

12If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.

13He cannot deny Himself.

14Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.

15Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

16But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.

17And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort,

18who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.

19Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are His,' and, 'Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.'

17Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

18Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably.

19But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.

20Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

21make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

2saying: 'There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.

3Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'

4And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man,

5yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.' '

6Then the Lord said, 'Hear what the unjust judge said.

7And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?

8I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?'

17And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases,

18as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed.

19And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.

20'Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God.

21Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh.

22Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's sake.

23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.