Wednesday, 28 August

1.   <> Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. 0.   2Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the LORD our God, Until He has mercy on us. 3.   Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt. 4.   Our soul is exceedingly filled With the scorn of those who are at ease, With the contempt of the proud.

1.   <> "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side," Let Israel now say–– 0.   2"If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, When men rose up against us, 3.   Then they would have swallowed us alive, When their wrath was kindled against us; 4.   Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, The stream would have gone over our soul; 5.   Then the swollen waters Would have gone over our soul." 6.   Blessed be the LORD, Who has not given us as prey to their teeth. 7.   Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped. 8.   Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.

1.   <> Those who trust in the LORD Are like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved, but abides forever. 0.   2As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the LORD surrounds His people From this time forth and forever. 3.   For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest On the land allotted to the righteous, Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity. 4.   Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, And to those who are upright in their hearts. 5.   As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways, The LORD shall lead them away With the workers of iniquity. Peace be upon Israel!

1.   Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." 2.   So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3.   Give us day by day our daily bread. 4.   And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one." 5.   And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6.   ‘for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7.   "and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8.   "I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. 9.   "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10.   "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11.   "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12.   "Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13.   "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" 14.   And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. 15.   But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." 16.   Others, testing Him , sought from Him a sign from heaven. 17.   But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. 18.   "If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. 19.   "And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20.   "But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21.   "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. 22.   "But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. 23.   "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. 24.   "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25.   "And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 26.   "Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first." 27.   And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!" 28.   But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"