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Daily Office Lectionary: March 1, 2012

1 Lent

First Psalm: Psalm 50

Psalm 50 (Listen)

God Himself Is Judge

A Psalm of nAsaph.

50 oThe Mighty One, God the Lord,

speaks and summons the earth

pfrom the rising of the sun to its setting.

Out of Zion, qthe perfection of beauty,

rGod shines forth.

Our God comes; he sdoes not keep silence;1

before him is a devouring tfire,

around him a mighty tempest.

uHe calls to the heavens above

and to the earth, that he may judge his people:

“Gather to me my faithful ones,

who made va covenant with me by sacrifice!”

wThe heavens declare his righteousness,

for xGod himself is judge! Selah

y“Hear, O my people, and I will speak;

O Israel, I will testify against you.

zI am God, your God.

Not for your sacrifices ado I rebuke you;

your burnt offerings are continually before me.

I will not accept a bull from your house

or goats from your folds.

10 For every beast of the forest is mine,

the cattle on a thousand hills.

11 bI know all the birds of the hills,

and all that moves in the field is mine.

12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,

cfor the world and its fullness are mine.

13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats?

14 dOffer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,2

and eperform your vows to the Most High,

15 and fcall upon me in the day of trouble;

I will gdeliver you, and you shall hglorify me.”

16 But to the wicked God says:

“What right have you to recite my statutes

or take my covenant on your lips?

17 iFor you hate discipline,

jand you cast my words behind you.

18 If you see a thief, kyou are pleased with him,

land you keep company with adulterers.

19 “You give your mouth free rein for evil,

mand your tongue frames deceit.

20 You sit and speak against your brother;

you slander your own mother's son.

21 These things you have done, and I nhave been silent;

you thought that I3 was one like yourself.

But now I orebuke you and play the charge before you.

22 “Mark this, then, you who qforget God,

lest I tear you apart, and there be rnone to deliver!

23 The one who soffers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;

to one who torders his way rightly

I will show the usalvation of God!”

Footnotes

[1] 50:3 Or May our God come, and not keep silence
[2] 50:14 Or Make thanksgiving your sacrifice to God
[3] 50:21 Or that the I am

Second Psalm: Psalm 59; Psalm 60; Psalm 19; Psalm 46

Psalm 59 (Listen)

Deliver Me from My Enemies

To the choirmaster: according to xDo Not Destroy. A yMiktam1 of David, zwhen Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.

59 aDeliver me from my enemies, O my God;

bprotect me from those who crise up against me;

deliver me from dthose who work evil,

and save me from ebloodthirsty men.

For behold, they flie in wait for my life;

fierce men gstir up strife against me.

hFor no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,

for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.

iAwake, come to meet me, and see!

You, jLord God of hosts, are God of Israel.

Rouse yourself to punish all the nations;

spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah

Each evening they kcome back,

howling like dogs

and prowling about the city.

There they are, lbellowing with their mouths

with mswords in their lips—

for n“Who,” they think,2 “will hear us?”

But you, O Lord, olaugh at them;

you hold all the nations in derision.

O my Strength, I will watch for you,

for you, O God, are pmy fortress.

10 qMy God in his steadfast love3 rwill meet me;

God will let me slook in triumph on my enemies.

11 Kill them not, lest my people forget;

make them totter4 by your power and tbring them down,

O Lord, our ushield!

12 For vthe sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,

let them be trapped in their pride.

For the cursing and lies that they utter,

13 wconsume them in wrath;

consume them till they are no more,

that they may xknow that God rules over Jacob

to ythe ends of the earth. Selah

14 zEach evening they come back,

howling like dogs

and prowling about the city.

15 They awander about for food

and growl if they do not get their fill.

16 But I will sing of your strength;

I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.

For you have been to me ba fortress

and ca refuge in dthe day of my distress.

17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,

for you, O God, bare my fortress,

ethe God who shows me steadfast love.

Footnotes

[1] 59:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
[2] 59:7 Hebrew lacks they think
[3] 59:10 Or The God who shows me steadfast love
[4] 59:11 Or wander

Psalm 60 (Listen)

He Will Tread Down Our Foes

To the choirmaster: according to fShushan Eduth. A gMiktam1 of David; hfor instruction; when he istrove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

60 O God, jyou have rejected us, kbroken our defenses;

you have been angry; loh, restore us.

You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open;

mrepair its breaches, for it totters.

nYou have made your people see hard things;

oyou have given us pwine to drink that made us stagger.

You have set up qa banner for those who fear you,

that they may flee to it rfrom the bow.2 Selah

sThat your tbeloved ones may be delivered,

give salvation by your right hand and answer us!

God has spoken uin his holiness:3

“With exultation vI will divide up wShechem

and portion out the Vale of xSuccoth.

yGilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;

zEphraim is amy helmet;

Judah is my bscepter.

cMoab is my washbasin;

upon Edom I dcast my shoe;

over ePhilistia I shout in triumph.”4

Who will bring me to the fortified city?

fWho will lead me to Edom?

10 Have you not grejected us, O God?

You hdo not go forth, O God, with our armies.

11 Oh, grant us help against the foe,

for ivain is the salvation of man!

12 With God we shall jdo valiantly;

it is he who will ktread down our foes.

Footnotes

[1] 60:1 Probably musical or liturgical terms
[2] 60:4 Or that it may be displayed because of truth
[3] 60:6 Or sanctuary
[4] 60:8 Revocalization (compare Psalm 108:10); Masoretic Text over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph

Psalm 19 (Listen)

The Law of the Lord Is Perfect

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

19 iThe heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above1 proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours out speech,

and night to night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words,

whose voice is not heard.

jTheir kvoice2 goes out through all the earth,

and their words to the end of the world.

In them he has set a tent for lthe sun,

mwhich comes out like na bridegroom leaving his chamber,

and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.

Its rising is from the end of the heavens,

and its circuit to the end of them,

and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

oThe law of the Lord is perfect,3

previving the soul;

qthe testimony of the Lord is rsure,

smaking wise tthe simple;

uthe precepts of the Lord are right,

rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is vpure,

wenlightening the eyes;

the fear of the Lord is clean,

enduring forever;

the rules4 of the Lord are xtrue,

and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than ygold,

even much zfine gold;

asweeter also than honey

and drippings of bthe honeycomb.

11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

cin keeping them there is great reward.

12 dWho can discern his errors?

eDeclare me innocent from fhidden faults.

13 gKeep back your servant also from hpresumptuous sins;

let them not have idominion over me!

Then I shall be blameless,

and innocent of great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O Lord, my jrock and my kredeemer.

Footnotes

[1] 19:1 Hebrew the expanse; compare Genesis 1:6–8
[2] 19:4 Or Their measuring line
[3] 19:7 Or blameless
[4] 19:9 Or just decrees

Psalm 46 (Listen)

God Is Our Fortress

To the choirmaster. Of athe Sons of Korah. According to bAlamoth.1 A Song.

46 God is our crefuge and strength,

a very dpresent2 help in etrouble.

Therefore we will not fear fthough the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into gthe heart of the sea,

though hits waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

There is ia river whose streams make glad jthe city of God,

the holy khabitation of the Most High.

lGod is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;

God will help her when morning dawns.

mThe nations rage, the kingdoms totter;

he nutters his voice, the earth omelts.

pThe Lord of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

qCome, behold the works of the Lord,

how he has brought desolations on the earth.

rHe makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

he sbreaks the bow and shatters the spear;

the burns the chariots with fire.

10 u“Be still, and know that I am God.

vI will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!”

11 pThe Lord of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Footnotes

[1] 46:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
[2] 46:1 Or well proved

Old Testament: Genesis 39

Genesis 39 (Listen)

Joseph and Potiphar's Wife

39 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and lPotiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, mhad bought him from the nIshmaelites who had brought him down there. oThe Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord pcaused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph qfound favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house rand put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house sfor Joseph's sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.

Now Joseph was thandsome in form and appearance. And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master's wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and uhe has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and vsin against God?” 10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he wwould not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.

11 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, 12 xshe caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. 13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” 16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 17 and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. 18 But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”

19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. 20 And Joseph's master took him and yput him into the zprison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21 But athe Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love band gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison cput Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because dthe Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.

New Testament: 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:15

1 Corinthians 2:14-3:15 (Listen)

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are vfolly to him, and whe is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The xspiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 y“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But zwe have the mind of Christ.

Divisions in the Church

But I, brothers,1 could not address you as aspiritual people, but as bpeople of the flesh, as cinfants in Christ. dI fed you with milk, not solid food, for eyou were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is fjealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For gwhen one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” hare you not being merely human?

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? iServants through whom you believed, jas the Lord assigned to each. kI planted, lApollos watered, mbut God gave the growth. So nneither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each owill receive his wages according to his labor. For we are pGod's fellow workers. You are God's field, qGod's building.

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

Footnotes

[1] 3:1 Or brothers and sisters

Gospel: Mark 2:1-12

Mark 2:1-12 (Listen)

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

And when he returned to tCapernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. uAnd they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, vthey removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus wsaw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, xyour sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? yHe is blaspheming! zWho can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, aperceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that bthe Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and cglorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”