And men from the elders of Israel came to me, and they sat ?before me?. 2 And the word of Yahweh came to me, ?saying?, 3 “Son of man, these men took up their idols into their heart and ?they placed before themselves? a stumbling block of their guilt. ?Should I really let myself be consulted by them?? 4 Therefore speak with them, and you must say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Every person from the house of Israel who brings up his idols into his heart and ?places before himself? a stumbling block of his guilt and yet he comes to the prophet, I Yahweh, I will respond to him through this act with respect to the multitude of his idols, 5 so that I may take hold of the house of Israel by their heart, those who are estranged from me, all of them, through their idols.’ 6 Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh
+ DAILY PRAYER +
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you;
He will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 71:1-8
Psa 71:1 In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame!
Psa 71:2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me, and save me!
Psa 71:3 Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
Psa 71:4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
Psa 71:5 For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust,
O LORD, from my youth.
Psa 71:6 Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.
Psa 71:7 I have been as a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
Psa 71:8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all the day.
Reading for Monday August 3rd Ezekiel 14
Condemnation of Israel’s Idolatrous Elders
14 And men from the elders of Israel came to me, and they sat ?before me?. 2 And the word of Yahweh came to me, ?saying?, 3 “Son of man, these men took up their idols into their heart and ?they placed before themselves? a stumbling block of their guilt. ?Should I really let myself be consulted by them?? 4 Therefore speak with them, and you must say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Every person from the house of Israel who brings up his idols into his heart and ?places before himself? a stumbling block of his guilt and yet he comes to the prophet, I Yahweh, I will respond to him through this act with respect to the multitude of his idols, 5 so that I may take hold of the house of Israel by their heart, those who are estranged from me, all of them, through their idols.’ 6 Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Return, and turn away from your idols and from all of your detestable things! Turn away your faces!” ’ 7 For ?each person? from the house of Israel, and from the alien who dwells as an alien in Israel, who separates himself ?from following me? and brings up his idols into his heart and ?places before himself? a stumbling block of his guilt, and yet he comes to the prophet to consult him concerning me, I Yahweh will answer him myself. 8 And I will set my face against that person, and I will make him to be a sign and make him into the subject of proverbs; and I will cut him off from the midst of my people, and you will know I am Yahweh. 9 And the prophet, if he is deceived and he speaks a word, I Yahweh, I have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him, and I will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. 10 And they will bear their guilt, like the guilt of the inquirer so the guilt of the prophet will be, 11 so that the house of Israel will not go astray again ?from me?, and they will not make themselves unclean again with all of their transgressions, and they will be for me a people, and I will be for them as God,” ?declares? the Lord Yahweh.
Jerusalem will not be Spared
12 And the word of Yahweh came to me, ?saying?, 13 “Son of man, when a land sins against me by ?acting very unfaithfully?, then I will stretch out my hand against it, and I will break for it the ?supply of food?, and I will send against it famine, and I will cut it off, both human and animal. 14 And if even the three of these men were in the midst of it—Noah, Daniel, and Job—they, through their righteousness, would save only ?themselves?!” ?declares? the Lord Yahweh. 15 “If a fierce animal I should let cross through the land, and it should make it childless and it will be a desolation, so that there will not be one crossing over the land ?due to? the presence of the animal, 16 even if these three men were in the midst of it, ?as surely as I live?,” ?declares? the Lord Yahweh, “surely they will not save sons and daughters; ?they themselves alone?, they will be saved, but the land will be a desolation. 17 Or, if I bring a sword over that land, and I say, ‘Sword, let it cross over into the land!’ And I will cut off from it both human and animal. 18 And if these three men were in the midst of it, ?as surely as I live?,” ?declares? the Lord Yahweh, “they will not save sons and daughters, but ?they alone? will be saved. 19 And if I were to send a plague to that land, and I pour out my rage on it with blood to cut it off, both human and animal, 20 and if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the midst of her, ?as surely as I live?,” ?declares? the Lord Yahweh, “surely not a son, surely not a daughter will they save by their righteousness; they would save ?themselves?.” 21 For thus says the Lord Yahweh: “How much more when I send my four punishments—the evil sword, and famine, and a fierce animal, and a plague—to Jerusalem to cut it off, both human and animal! 22 But look! A remnant will be left over in it, sons and daughters ?who will be brought out?. Look! They are coming out to you, and you will see their way, and with their deeds you will be consoled with respect to the evil that I brought over Jerusalem, all of it that I brought over it. 23 And they will console you when you see their way and their deeds, and you will know that not for nothing I did all that I did in it,” ?declares? the Lord Yahweh.
Lord’s Prayer
Daily Prayer
Mighty God, Your crucified and buried Son did not remain in the tomb for long. Give us joy in the tasks set before us, that we might carry out faithful acts of service as did Joanna, Mary, and Salome, offering to You the sweet perfume of our grateful hearts, so that we, too, may see the glory of Your resurrection and proclaim the Good News with unrestrained eagerness and fervor worked in us through our Lord Jesus Christ, who rose and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Concluding Prayer
Heavenly Father, send Your Holy Spirit into our hearts to direct and rule us to do Your will, to comfort us in all our afflictions, to defend us from all error, and to lead us into all truth; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
