Bible Reading

May 1

Genesis 3: 1-24

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, "Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?"

The woman answered the serpent: "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;

it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'"

But the serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die!

No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad."

The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

When they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

The LORD God then called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?"

He answered, "I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself."

Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!"

The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me - she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it."

The LORD God then asked the woman, "Why did you do such a thing?" The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it."

Then the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you shall be banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; On your belly shall you crawl, and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel."

To the woman he said: "I will intensify the pangs of your childbearing; in pain shall you bring forth children. Yet your urge shall be for your husband, and he shall be your master."

To the man he said: "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat, "Cursed be the ground because of you! In toil shall you eat its yield all the days of your life.

Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you, as you eat of the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your face shall you get bread to eat, Until you return to the ground, from which you were taken; For you are dirt, and to dirt you shall return."

The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living.

For the man and his wife the LORD God made leather garments, with which he clothed them.

Then the LORD God said: "See! The man has become like one of us, knowing what is good and what is bad! Therefore, he must not be allowed to put out his hand to take fruit from the tree of life also, and thus eat of it and live forever."

The LORD God therefore banished him from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he had been taken.

When he expelled the man, he settled him east of the garden of Eden; and he stationed the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.

MAY 2

Isaiah 7: 10 ~ 25

In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah, went up to attack Jerusalem, but they were not able to conquer it.

When word came to the house of David that Aram was encamped in Ephraim, the heart of the king and heart of the people trembled, as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.

Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller's field,

and say to him: Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear; let not your courage fail before these two stumps of smoldering brands (the blazing anger of Rezin and the Arameans, and of the son of Remaliah),

because of the mischief that Aram (Ephraim and the son of Remaliah) plots against you, saying,

"Let us go up and tear Judah asunder, make it our own by force, and appoint the son of Tabeel king there."

Thus says the LORD: This shall not stand, it shall not be!

Damascus is the capital of Aram, and Rezin the head of Damascus; Samaria is the capital of Ephraim, and Remaliah's son the head of Samaria.

But within sixty years and five, Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation. Unless your faith is firm you shall not be firm!

Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz:

Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!

But Ahaz answered, "I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"

Then he said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God?

Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

He shall be living on curds and honey by the time he learns to reject the bad and choose the good.

For before the child learns to reject the bad and choose the good, the land of those two kings whom you dread shall be deserted.

The LORD shall bring upon you and your people and your father's house days worse than any since Ephraim seceded from Judah. (This means the king of Assyria.)

On that day The LORD shall whistle for the fly that is in the farthest streams of Egypt, and for the bee in the land of Assyria.

All of them shall come and settle in the steep ravines and in the rocky clefts, on all thornbushes and in all pastures.

On that day the LORD shall shave with the razor hired from across the River (with the king of Assyria) the head, and the hair between the legs. It shall also shave off the beard.

On that day a man shall keep a heifer or a couple of sheep,

and from their abundant yield of milk he shall live on curds; curds and honey shall be the food of all who remain in the land.

On that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand pieces of silver, shall be turned to briers and thorns.

Men shall go there with bow and arrows; for all the country shall be briers and thorns.

For fear of briers and thorns you shall not go upon any mountainside which used to be hoed with the mattock; they shall be grazing land for cattle and shall be trampled upon by sheep.

MAY 3

Micah 5: 1 ~ 14

But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; Whose origin is from of old, from ancient times.

(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, And the rest of his brethren shall return to the children of Israel.)

He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD, his God; And they shall remain, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth;

he shall be peace. If Assyria invades our country and treads upon our land, We shall raise against it seven shepherds, eight men of royal rank;

And they shall tend the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with the drawn sword; And we shall be delivered from Assyria, if it invades our land and treads upon our borders.

The remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples, Like dew coming from the LORD, like raindrops on the grass, Which wait for no man, nor tarry for the sons of men.

And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, Like a lion among beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep; When it passes through, it tramples and tears, and there is none to deliver.

Your hand shall be lifted above your foes, and all your enemies shall be destroyed.

On that day, says the LORD, I will destroy the horses from your midst and ruin your chariots;

I will demolish the cities of your land and tear down all your fortresses.

I will abolish the means of divination from your use, and there shall no longer be soothsayers among you.

I will abolish your carved images and the sacred pillars from your midst; And you shall no longer adore the works of your hands.

I will tear out the sacred poles from your midst, and destroy your cities.

I will wreak vengeance in anger and wrath upon the nations that have not hearkened.

MAY 4

Micah 4: 6 ~ 8

In days to come the mount of the LORD'S house Shall be established higher than the mountains; it shall rise high above the hills, And peoples shall stream to it:

Many nations shall come, and say, "Come, let us climb the mount of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, that we may walk in his paths." For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between many peoples and impose terms on strong and distant nations; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.

Every man shall sit under his own vine or under his own fig tree, undisturbed; for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.

For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, But we will walk in the name of the LORD, our God, forever and ever.

On that day, says the LORD, I will gather the lame, And I will assemble the outcasts, and those whom I have afflicted.

I will make of the lame a remnant, and of those driven far off a strong nation; And the LORD shall be king over them on Mount Zion, from now on forever.

And you, O Magdal-eder, hillock of daughter Zion! Unto you shall it come: the former dominion shall be restored, the kingdom of daughter Jerusalem.

Now why do you cry out so? Are you without a king? Or has your counselor perished, That you are seized with pains like a woman in travail?

Writhe in pain, grow faint, O daughter Zion, like a woman in travail; For now shall you go forth from the city and dwell in the fields; To Babylon shall you go, there shall you be rescued. There shall the LORD redeem you from the hand of your enemies.

How many nations are gathered against you! They say, "Let her be profaned, let our eyes see Zion's downfall!"

But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, nor understand his counsel, When he has gathered them like sheaves on the threshing floor.

Arise and thresh, O daughter Zion; your horn I will make iron And your hoofs bronze, that you may crush many peoples; You shall devote their spoils to the LORD, and their riches to the Lord of the whole earth.

Now fence yourself in, Bat-gader! "They have laid siege against us!" With the rod they strike on the cheek the ruler of Israel.

MAY 5

Zephaniah 3: 14 ~ 17

Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted, to the tyrannical city!

She hears no voice, accepts no correction; In the LORD she has not trusted, to her God she has not drawn near.

Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; Her judges are wolves of the night that have had no bones to gnaw by morning.

Her prophets are insolent, treacherous men; Her priests profane what is holy, and do violence to the law.

The LORD within her is just, who does no wrong; Morning after morning he renders judgment unfailingly, at dawn.

I have destroyed nations, their battlements are laid waste; I have made their streets deserted, with no one passing through; Their cities are devastated, with no man dwelling in them.

I said, "Surely now you will fear me, you will accept correction"; She should not fail to see all I have visited upon her. Yet all the more eagerly have they done all their corrupt deeds.

Therefore, wait for me, says the LORD, against the day when I arise as accuser; For it is my decision to gather together the nations, to assemble the kingdoms, In order to pour out upon them my wrath, all my blazing anger; For in the fire of my jealousy shall all the earth be consumed.

For then I will change and purify the lips of the peoples, That they all may call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one accord;

From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia and as far as the recesses of the North, they shall bring me offerings.

On that day You need not be ashamed of all your deeds, your rebellious actions against me; For then will I remove from your midst the proud braggarts, And you shall no longer exalt yourself on my holy mountain.

But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD;

the remnant of Israel. They shall do no wrong and speak no lies; Nor shall there be found in their mouths a deceitful tongue; They shall pasture and couch their flocks with none to disturb them.

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!

The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear.

On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!

The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, He will sing joyfully because of you,

as one sings at festivals. I will remove disaster from among you, so that none may recount your disgrace.

Yes, at that time I will deal with all who oppress you; I will save the lame, and assemble the outcasts; I will give them praise and renown in all the earth, when I bring about their restoration.

At that time I will bring you home, and at that time I will gather you; For I will give you renown and praise, among all the peoples of the earth, When I bring about your restoration before your very eyes, says the LORD.

MAY 6

Jeremiah 31: 21 ~ 22

At that time, says the LORD, I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel, and they shall be my people.

Thus says the LORD: The people that escaped the sword have found favor in the desert. As Israel comes forward to be given his rest,

the LORD appears to him from afar: With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you.

Again I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin Israel; Carrying your festive tambourines, you shall go forth dancing with the merrymakers.

Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; those who plant them shall enjoy the fruits.

Yes, a day will come when the watchmen will call out on Mount Ephraim: "Rise up, let us go to Zion, to the LORD, our God."

For thus says the LORD: Shout with joy for Jacob, exult at the head of the nations; proclaim your praise and say: The LORD has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel.

Behold, I will bring them back from the land of the north; I will gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and the lame in their midst, The mothers and those with child; they shall return as an immense throng.

They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them; I will lead them to brooks of water, on a level road, so that none shall stumble. For I am a father to Israel, Ephraim is my first-born.

Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, proclaim it on distant coasts, and say: He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together, he guards them as a shepherd his flock.

The LORD shall ransom Jacob, he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.

Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion, they shall come streaming to the LORD'S blessings: The grain, the wine, and the oil, the sheep and the oxen; They themselves shall be like watered gardens, never again shall they languish.

Then the virgins shall make merry and dance, and young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.

I will lavish choice portions upon the priests, and my people shall be filled with my blessings, says the LORD.

Thus says the LORD: In Ramah is heard the sound of moaning, of bitter weeping! Rachel mourns her children, she refuses to be consoled because her children are no more.

Thus says the LORD: Cease your cries of mourning, wipe the tears from your eyes. The sorrow you have shown shall have its reward, says the LORD, they shall return from the enemy's land.

There is hope for your future, says the LORD; your sons shall return to their own borders.

I hear, I hear Ephraim pleading: You chastised me, and I am chastened; I was an untamed calf. If you allow me, I will return, for you are the LORD, my God.

I turn in repentance; I have come to myself, I strike my breast; I blush with shame, I bear the disgrace of my youth.

Is Ephraim not my favored son, the child in whom I delight? Often as I threaten him, I still remember him with favor; My heart stirs for him, I must show him mercy, says the LORD.

Set up road markers, put up guideposts; Turn your attention to the highway, the road by which you went. Turn back, O virgin Israel, turn back to these your cities.

How long will you continue to stray, rebellious daughter? The LORD has created a new thing upon the earth: the woman must encompass the man with devotion.

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: When I change their lot in the land of Judah and her cities, they shall again repeat this greeting: "May the LORD bless you, holy mountain, abode of justice!"

Judah and all her cities, the farmers and those who lead the flock, shall dwell there together.

For I will refresh the weary soul; every soul that languishes I will replenish.

Upon this I awoke and opened my eyes; but my sleep was sweet to me.

The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will seed the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast.

As I once watched over them to uproot and pull down, to destroy, to ruin, and to harm, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD.

In those days they shall no longer say, "The fathers ate unripe grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge,"

but through his own fault only shall anyone die: the teeth of him who eats the unripe grapes shall be set on edge.

The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they broke my covenant and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD.

But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD. I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

No longer will they have need to teach their friends and kinsmen how to know the LORD. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.

Thus says the LORD, He who gives the sun to light the day, moon and stars to light the night; Who stirs up the sea till its waves roar, whose name is LORD of hosts:

If ever these natural laws give way in spite of me, says the LORD, Then shall the race of Israel cease as a nation before me forever.

Thus says the LORD: If the heavens on high can be measured, or the foundations below the earth be sounded, Then will I cast off the whole race of Israel because of all they have done, says the LORD.

The days are coming, says the LORD, when the city shall be rebuilt as the LORD'S, from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.

The measuring line shall be stretched from there straight to the hill Gareb and then turn to Goah.

The whole valley of corpses and ashes, all the slopes toward the Kidron Valley, as far as the corner of the Horse Gate at the east, shall be holy to the LORD. Never again shall the city be rooted up or thrown down.

MAY 8

Ezekiel 44: 1 ~ 2

Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, facing the east; but it was closed.

He said to me: This gate is to remain closed; it is not to be opened for anyone to enter by it; since the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it, it shall remain closed.

¹ Only the prince may sit down in it to eat his meal in the presence of the LORD. He must enter by way of the vestibule of the gate, and leave by the same way.

Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the facade of the temple, and when I looked I saw the glory of the LORD filling the LORD'S temple, and I fell prone.

Then he said to me: Son of man, pay strict attention, look carefully, and listen intently to all that I will tell you about the statutes and laws of the LORD'S temple; be attentive in regard to those who are to be admitted to the temple and all those who are to be excluded from the sanctuary.

Say to that rebellious house, the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD: Enough of all these abominations of yours, O house of Israel!

² You have admitted foreigners, uncircumcised both in heart and flesh, to my sanctuary to profane it when you offered me food, fat, and blood; thus you have broken my covenant by all your abominations.

Instead of caring for the service of my temple, you have appointed such as these to serve me in my sanctuary in your stead.

Thus says the Lord GOD: No foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and in flesh, shall ever enter my sanctuary; none of the foreigners who live among the Israelites.

³ But as for the Levites who departed from me when Israel strayed from me to pursue their idols, they shall bear the consequences of their sin.

They shall serve in my sanctuary as gatekeepers and temple servants; they shall slaughter the holocausts and the sacrifices for the people, and they shall stand before the people to minister for them.

Because they used to minister for them before their idols, and became an occasion of sin to the house of Israel, therefore I have sworn an oath against them, says the Lord GOD: they shall bear the consequences of their sin.

They shall no longer draw near me to serve as my priests, nor shall they touch any of my sacred things, or the most sacred things. Thus they shall bear their disgrace because of all their abominable deeds.

But I will set them to the service of the temple, for all its work and for everything that is to be done in it.

As for the levitical priests, however, the Zadokites who cared for my sanctuary when the Israelites strayed from me, they shall draw near me to minister to me, and they shall stand before me to offer me fat and blood, says the Lord GOD.

It is they who shall enter my sanctuary, they who shall approach my table to minister to me, and they who shall carry out my service.

Whenever they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall wear linen garments; they shall not put on anything woolen when they minister at the gates of the inner court or within the temple.

They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen drawers on their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causes sweat.

⁴ When they are to go out to the people in the outer court, they shall take off the garments in which they ministered and leave them in the chambers of the sanctuary, putting on other garments; thus they will not transmit holiness to the people with their garments.

They shall not shave their heads nor let their hair hang loose, but they shall keep their hair carefully trimmed.

No priest shall drink wine when he is to enter the inner court.

They shall not take for their wives either widows or divorced women, but only virgins of the race of Israel; however, they may marry women who are the widows of priests.

They shall teach my people to distinguish between the sacred and the profane, and make known to them the difference between the clean and the unclean.

In capital cases they shall stand as judges, judging them according to my decrees. They shall observe my laws and statutes on all my festivals, and keep my sabbaths holy.

They shall not make themselves unclean by coming near any dead person, unless it be their father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or maiden sister; for these they may make themselves unclean.

After a priest has been cleansed, he must wait an additional seven days,

and on the day he enters the inner court to minister in the sanctuary, he shall present his sin offering, says the Lord GOD.

They shall have no inheritance, for I am their inheritance; you shall give them no property in Israel, for I am their property.

⁵ They shall eat the cereal offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering; whatever is under the ban in Israel shall be theirs.

All the choicest first fruits of every kind, and all the best of your offerings of every kind, shall belong to the priests; likewise the best of your dough you shall give to the priests to bring a blessing down upon your house.

The priests shall not eat anything, whether flesh or fowl, that has died of itself or has been killed by wild beasts.

MAY 9 (2 Readings)

Song of Songs 2: 14

I am a flower of Sharon,

a lily of the valley.

As a lily among thorns,

so is my beloved among women.

As an apple tree among the trees of the woods,

so is my lover among men.

I delight to rest in his shadow,

and his fruit is sweet to my mouth.

He brings me into the banquet hall

and his emblem over me is love.

Strengthen me with raisin cakes,

refresh me with apples,

for I am faint with love.

His left hand is under my head

and his right arm embraces me.

I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem,

by the gazelles and hinds of the field,

Do not arouse, do not stir up love

before its own time.

Hark! my lover-here he comes

springing across the mountains,

leaping across the hills.

My lover is like a gazelle

or a young stag.

Here he stands behind our wall,

gazing through the windows,

peering through the lattices.

My lover speaks; he says to me,

"Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,

and come!

"For see, the winter is past,

the rains are over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth,

the time of pruning the vines has come,

and the song of the dove is heard in our land.

The fig tree puts forth its figs,

and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.

Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,

and come!

"O my dove in the clefts of the rock,

in the secret recesses of the cliff,

Let me see you,

let me hear your voice,

For your voice is sweet,

and you are lovely."

Catch us the foxes, the little foxes

that damage the vineyards; for our vineyards are in bloom!

My lover belongs to me and I to him;

he browses among the lilies.

Until the day breathes cool and the shadows lengthen,

roam, my lover,

Like a gazelle or a young stag

upon the mountains of Bether.

Song of Songs 4: 7~8

Ah, you are beautiful, my beloved,

ah, you are beautiful!

Your eyes are doves

behind your veil.

Your hair is like a flock of goats

streaming down the mountains of Gilead.

Your teeth are like a flock of ewes to be shorn,

which come up from the washing,

All of them big with twins,

none of them thin and barren.

Your lips are like a scarlet strand;

your mouth is lovely.

Your cheek is like a half-pomegranate

behind your veil.

Your neck is like David's tower

girt with battlements;

A thousand bucklers hang upon it,

all the shields of valiant men.

Your breasts are like twin fawns,

the young of a gazelle

that browse among the lilies.

Until the day breathes cool and the shadows lengthen,

I will go to the mountain of myrrh,

to the hill of incense.

You are all-beautiful, my beloved,

and there is no blemish in you.

Come from Lebanon, my bride,

come from Lebanon, come!

Descend from the top of Amana,

from the top of Senir and Hermon,

From the haunts of lions,

from the leopards' mountains.

You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride;

you have ravished my heart with one glance of your eyes,

with one bead of your necklace.

How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride,

how much more delightful is your love than wine,

and the fragrance of your ointments than all spices!

Your lips drip honey, my bride,

sweetmeats and milk are under your tongue;

And the fragrance of your garments

is the fragrance of Lebanon.

You are an enclosed garden, my sister, my bride,

an enclosed garden, a fountain sealed.

You are a park that puts forth pomegranates,

with all choice fruits;

Nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,

with all kinds of incense;

Myrrh and aloes,

with all the finest spices.

You are a garden fountain, a well of water

flowing fresh from Lebanon.

Arise, north wind! Come, south wind!

blow upon my garden

that its perfumes may spread abroad.

Let my lover come to his garden

and eat its choice fruits.

MAY 10

Psalm 45: 9~17

For the leader; according to "Lilies." A maskil of the Korahites. A love song.

My heart is stirred by a noble theme, as I sing my ode to the king. My tongue is the pen of a nimble scribe.

You are the most handsome of men; fair speech has graced your lips, for God has blessed you forever.

Gird your sword upon your hip, mighty warrior! In splendor and majesty ride on triumphant!

In the cause of truth and justice may your right hand show you wondrous deeds.

Your arrows are sharp; peoples will cower at your feet; the king's enemies will lose heart.

Your throne, O god, stands forever; your royal scepter is a scepter for justice.

You love justice and hate wrongdoing; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellow kings.

With myrrh, aloes, and cassia your robes are fragrant. From ivory-paneled palaces stringed instruments bring you joy.

Daughters of kings are your lovely wives; a princess arrayed in Ophir's gold comes to stand at your right hand.

Listen, my daughter, and understand; pay me careful heed. Forget your people and your father's house,

that the king might desire your beauty. He is your lord;

honor him, daughter of Tyre. Then the richest of the people will seek your favor with gifts.

All glorious is the king's daughter as she enters, her raiment threaded with gold;

In embroidered apparel she is led to the king. The maids of her train are presented to the king.

They are led in with glad and joyous acclaim; they enter the palace of the king.

The throne of your fathers your sons will have; you shall make them princes through all the land.

I will make your name renowned through all generations; thus nations shall praise you forever.

MAY 11

Psalms 87: 1~ 7

A psalm of the Korahites. A song. The LORD loves the city founded on holy mountains,

Loves the gates of Zion more than any dwelling in Jacob.

Glorious things are said of you, O city of God! Selah

From Babylon and Egypt I count those who acknowledge the LORD. Philistia, Ethiopia, Tyre, of them it can be said: "This one was born there."

But of Zion it must be said: "They all were born here." The Most High confirms this;

the Lord notes in the register of the peoples: "This one was born here." Selah

So all sing in their festive dance: "Within you is my true home."

MAY 12

Proverbs 8: 28 ~ 36

¹ Does not Wisdom call, and Understanding raise her voice?

On the top of the heights along the road, at the crossroads she takes her stand;

By the gates at the approaches of the city, in the entryways she cries aloud:

"To you, O men, I call; my appeal is to the children of men.

² You simple ones, gain resource, you fools, gain sense.

"Give heed! for noble things I speak; honesty opens my lips.

³ Yes, the truth my mouth recounts, but the wickedness my lips abhor.

Sincere are all the words of my mouth, no one of them is wily or crooked;

All of them are plain to the man of intelligence, and right to those who attain knowledge.

Receive my instruction in preference to silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold.

(For Wisdom is better than corals, and no choice possessions can compare with her.)

"I, Wisdom, dwell with experience, and judicious knowledge I attain.

(The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;) Pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth I hate.

⁴ Mine are counsel and advice; Mine is strength; I am understanding.

By me kings reign, and lawgivers establish justice;

By me princes govern, and nobles; all the rulers of earth.

"Those who love me I also love, and those who seek me find me.

With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.

My fruit is better than gold, yes, than pure gold, and my revenue than choice silver.

On the way of duty I walk, along the paths of justice,

Granting wealth to those who love me, and filling their treasuries.

⁵ "The LORD begot me, the first-born of his ways, the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago;

⁶ From of old I was poured forth, at the first, before the earth.

⁷ When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no fountains or springs of water;

Before the mountains were settled into place, before the hills, I was brought forth;

While as yet the earth and the fields were not made, nor the first clods of the world.

"When he established the heavens I was there, when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep;

When he made firm the skies above, when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth;

When he set for the sea its limit, so that the waters should not transgress his command;

Then was I beside him as his craftsman, and I was his delight day by day, Playing before him all the while,

playing on the surface of his earth; and I found delight in the sons of men.

"So now, O children, listen to me;

instruction and wisdom do not reject! Happy the man who obeys me, and happy those who keep my ways,

Happy the man watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts;

For he who finds me finds life, and wins favor from the LORD;

But he who misses me harms himself; all who hate me love death."

MAY 13

Isaiah 60: 1~5

Rise up in splendor! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; But upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory.

Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance.

Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: Your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.

Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, For the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.

Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; All from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered for you, the rams of Nebaioth shall be your sacrifices; They will be acceptable offerings on my altar, and I will enhance the splendor of my house.

What are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their cotes?

All the vessels of the sea are assembled, with the ships of Tarshish in the lead, To bring your children from afar with their silver and gold, In the name of the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you.

Foreigners shall rebuild your walls, and their kings shall be your attendants; Though I struck you in my wrath, yet in my good will I have shown you mercy.

Your gates shall stand open constantly; day and night they shall not be closed But shall admit to you the wealth of nations, and their kings, in the vanguard.

For the people or kingdom shall perish that does not serve you; those nations shall be utterly destroyed.

The glory of Lebanon shall come to you: the cypress, the plane and the pine, To bring beauty to my sanctuary, and glory to the place where I set my feet.

The children of your oppressors shall come, bowing low before you; All those who despised you shall fall prostrate at your feet. They shall call you "City of the LORD," "Zion of the Holy One of Israel."

Once you were forsaken, hated and unvisited, Now I will make you the pride of the ages, a joy to generation after generation.

You shall suck the milk of nations, and be nursed at royal breasts; You shall know that I, the LORD, am your savior, your redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

In place of bronze I will bring gold, instead of iron, silver; In place of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron; I will appoint peace your governor, and justice your ruler.

No longer shall violence be heard of in your land, or plunder and ruin within your boundaries. You shall call your walls "Salvation" and your gates "Praise."

No longer shall the sun be your light by day, Nor the brightness of the moon shine upon you at night; The LORD shall be your light forever, your God shall be your glory.

No longer shall your sun go down, or your moon withdraw, For the LORD will be your light forever, and the days of your mourning shall be at an end.

Your people shall all be just, they shall always possess the land, They, the bud of my planting, my handiwork to show my glory.

The smallest shall become a thousand, the youngest, a mighty nation; I, the LORD, will swiftly accomplish these things when their time comes.

MAY 14

Isaiah 66: 10~14

Thus says the LORD: The heavens are my throne, the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for me; what is to be my resting place?

My hand made all these things when all of them came to be, says the LORD. This is the one whom I approve: the lowly and afflicted man who trembles at my word.

Merely slaughtering an ox is like slaying a man; sacrificing a lamb, like breaking a dog's neck; Bringing a cereal offering, like offering swine's blood; burning incense, like paying homage to an idol. Since these have chosen their own ways and taken pleasure in their own abominations,

¹ I in turn will choose ruthless treatment for them and bring upon them what they fear. Because, when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened; Because they did what was evil in my sight, and chose what gave me displeasure,

Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at his word: Your brethren who, because of my name, hate and reject you, say, "Let the LORD show his glory that we may see your joy"; but they shall be put to shame.

A sound of roaring from the city, a sound from the temple, The sound of the LORD repaying his enemies their deserts!

² Before she comes to labor, she gives birth; Before the pains come upon her, she safely delivers a male child.

Who ever heard of such a thing, or saw the like? Can a country be brought forth in one day, or a nation be born in a single moment? Yet Zion is scarcely in labor when she gives birth to her children.

Shall I bring a mother to the point of birth, and yet not let her child be born? says the LORD; Or shall I who allow her to conceive, yet close her womb? says your God.

Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her, all you who love her; Exult, exult with her, all you who were mourning over her!

Oh, that you may suck fully of the milk of her comfort, That you may nurse with delight at her abundant breasts!

For thus says the LORD: Lo, I will spread prosperity over her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent. As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms, and fondled in her lap;

As a mother comforts her son, so will I comfort you; in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort.

When you see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bodies flourish like the grass; The LORD'S power shall be known to his servants, but to his enemies, his wrath.

Lo, the LORD shall come in fire, his chariots like the whirlwind, To wreak his wrath with burning heat and his punishment with fiery flames.

For the LORD shall judge all mankind by fire and sword. and many shall be slain by the LORD.

They who sanctify and purify themselves to go to the groves, as followers of one who stands within, they who eat swine's flesh, loathsome things and mice, shall all perish with their deeds and their thoughts, says the LORD.

³ I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory.

I will set a sign among them; from them I will send fugitives to the nations: to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory; and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations.

They shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their offering to the house of the LORD in clean vessels.

Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.

As the new heavens and the new earth which I will make Shall endure before me, says the LORD, so shall your race and your name endure.

From one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, All mankind shall come to worship before me, says the LORD.

⁴ They shall go out and see the corpses of the men who rebelled against me; Their worm shall not die, nor their fire be extinguished; and they shall be abhorrent to all mankind.

MAY 15

Judith 13: 18 ~ 20

When it grew late, his servants quickly withdrew. Bagoas closed the tent from the outside and excluded the attendants from their master's presence. They went off to their beds, for they were all tired from the prolonged banquet.

Judith was left alone in the tent with Holofernes, who lay prostrate on his bed, for he was sodden with wine.

She had ordered her maid to stand outside the bedroom and wait, as on the other days, for her to come out; she said she would be going out for her prayer. To Bagoas she had said this also.

When all had departed, and no one, small or great, was left in the bedroom, Judith stood by Holofernes' bed and said within herself: "O Lord, God of all might, in this hour look graciously on my undertaking for the exaltation of Jerusalem;

now is the time for aiding your heritage and for carrying out my design to shatter the enemies who have risen against us."

She went to the bedpost near the head of Holofernes, and taking his sword from it,

drew close to the bed, grasped the hair of his head, and said, "Strengthen me this day, O God of Israel!"

Then with all her might she struck him twice in the neck and cut off his head.

She rolled his body off the bed and took the canopy from its supports. Soon afterward, she came out and handed over the head of Holofernes to her maid,

who put it into her food pouch; and the two went off together as they were accustomed to do for prayer. They passed through the camp, and skirting the ravine, reached Bethulia on the mountain. As they approached its gates,

Judith shouted to the guards from a distance: "Open! Open the gate! God, our God, is with us. Once more he has made manifest his strength in Israel and his power against our enemies; he has done it this very day."

When the citizens heard her voice, they quickly descended to their city gate and summoned the city elders.

All the people, from the least to the greatest, hurriedly assembled, for her return seemed unbelievable. They opened the gate and welcomed the two women. They made a fire for light; and when they gathered around the two,

Judith urged them with a loud voice: "Praise God, praise him! Praise God, who has not withdrawn his mercy from the house of Israel, but has shattered our enemies by my hand this very night."

Then she took the head out of the pouch, showed it to them, and said: "Here is the head of Holofernes, general in charge of the Assyrian army, and here is the canopy under which he lay in his drunkenness. The Lord struck him down by the hand of a woman.

As the Lord lives, who has protected me in the path I have followed, I swear that it was my face that seduced Holofernes to his ruin, and that he did not sin with me to my defilement or disgrace."

All the people were greatly astonished. They bowed down and worshiped God, saying with one accord, "Blessed are you, our God, who today have brought to nought the enemies of your people."

Then Uzziah said to her: "Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God, above all the women on earth; and blessed be the Lord God, the creator of heaven and earth, who guided your blow at the head of the chief of our enemies.

Your deed of hope will never be forgotten by those who tell of the might of God.

May God make this redound to your everlasting honor, rewarding you with blessings, because you risked your life when your people were being oppressed, and you averted our disaster, walking uprightly before our God." And all the people answered, "Amen! Amen!"

MAY 16

Luke 1 : 26 ~ 38

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us,

just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,

I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus,

so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.

In the days of Herod, King of Judea, ³ there was a priest named Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah; his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

Both were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.

But they had no child, ⁴ because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years.

Once when he was serving as priest in his division's turn before God,

according to the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.

Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the incense offering,

the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense.

Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.

But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, ⁵ Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.

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

for he will be great in the sight of (the) Lord. He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. ⁶ He will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother's womb,

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

He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah ⁷ to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord."

Then Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."

And the angel said to him in reply, "I am Gabriel, ⁸ who stand before God. I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news.

But now you will be speechless and unable to talk ⁹ until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time."

Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary.

But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He was gesturing to them but remained mute.

Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home.

After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she went into seclusion for five months, saying,

"So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others."

¹⁰ In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you."

But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

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

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.

He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, ¹¹ and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,

and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" ¹²

And the angel said to her in reply, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived ¹³ a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;

for nothing will be impossible for God."

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah,

where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit,

cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord ¹⁴ should come to me?

For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.

Blessed are you who believed ¹⁵ that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

And Mary said: ¹⁶ "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.

The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.

He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.

He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.

The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy,

according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

¹⁷ When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son.

Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her.

¹⁸ When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,

but his mother said in reply, "No. He will be called John."

But they answered her, "There is no one among your relatives who has this name."

So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.

He asked for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name," and all were amazed.

Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.

Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea.

All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, "What, then, will this child be?" For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.

Then Zechariah his father, filled with the holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:

¹⁹ "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.

²⁰ He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant,

even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old:

salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,

to show mercy to our fathers and to be mindful of his holy covenant

and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father, and to grant us that,

rescued from the hand of enemies, without fear we might worship him

in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord ²¹ to prepare his ways,

to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,

because of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on high ²² will visit us

to shine on those who sit in darkness and death's shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace."

The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

MAY 17

Luke 1 : 39 ~ 45