Daily Readings - 07/12/2025

^11:1 A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse, a scion thrusts from his roots:

^11:2 on him the spirit of Yahweh rests, a spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of counsel and power, a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh. (The fear of Yahweh is his breath.)

^11:3 He does not judge by appearances, he gives no verdict on hearsay,

^11:4 but judges the wretched with integrity, and with equity gives a verdict for the poor of the land. His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless, his sentences bring death to the wicked.

^11:5 Integrity is the loincloth round his waist, faithfulness the belt about his hips.

^11:6 The wolf lives with the lamb, the panther lies down with the kid, calf and lion cub feed together with a little boy to lead them.

^11:7 The cow and the bear make friends, their young lie down together. The lion eats straw like the ox.

^11:8 The infant plays over the cobra’s hole; into the viper’s lair the young child puts his hand.

^11:9 They do no hurt, no harm, on all my holy mountain, for the country is filled with the knowledge of Yahweh as the waters swell the sea.

^11:10 That day, the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples. It will be sought out by the nations and its home will be glorious.

^71:1 In you, Yahweh, I take shelter; never let me be disgraced.

^71:2 In your righteousness rescue me, deliver me, turn your ear to me and save me!

^71:3 Be a sheltering rock for me, a walled fortress to save me! For you are my rock, my fortress.

^71:4 My God, rescue me from the hands of the wicked, from the clutches of rogue and tyrant!

^71:5 For you alone are my hope, Lord, Yahweh, I have trusted you since my youth,

^71:6 I have relied on you since I was born, you have been my portion from my mother’s womb, and the constant theme of my praise.

^71:7 To many I have seemed an enigma, but you are my firm refuge.

^71:8 My mouth is full of your praises, filled with your splendour all day long.

^71:9 Do not reject me now I am old, nor desert me now my strength is failing,

^71:10 for my enemies are uttering threats, spies hatching their conspiracy:

^71:11 ‘Hound him down now that God has deserted him, seize him, there is no one to rescue him!’

^71:12 God, do not stand aside, my God, come quickly and help me!

^71:13 Shame and ruin on those who attack me; may insult and disgrace cover those whose aim is to hurt me!

^71:14 I promise that, ever hopeful, I will praise you more and more,

^71:15 my lips shall proclaim your righteousness and power to save, all day long.

^71:16 I will come in the power of Yahweh to commemorate your righteousness, yours alone.

^71:17 God, you taught me when I was young, and I am still proclaiming your marvels.

^71:18 Now that I am old and grey, God, do not desert me; let me live to tell the rising generation about your strength and power,

^71:19 about your heavenly righteousness, God. You have done great things; who, God, is comparable to you?

^71:20 You have sent me misery and hardship, but you will give me life again, you will pull me up again from the depths of the earth,

^71:21 prolong my old age, and once more comfort me.

^71:22 I promise I will thank you on the lyre, my ever-faithful God, I will play the harp in your honour, Holy One of Israel.

^71:23 My lips shall sing for joy as I play to you, and this soul of mine which you have redeemed.

^71:24 And all day long, my tongue shall be talking of your righteousness. Shame and disgrace on those whose aim is to hurt me!

^15:4 And indeed everything that was written long ago in the scriptures was meant to teach us something about hope from the examples scripture gives of how people who did not give up were helped by God.

^15:5 And may he who helps us when we refuse to give up, help you all to be tolerant with each other, following the example of Christ Jesus,

^15:6 so that united in mind and voice you may give glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

^15:7 It can only be to God’s glory, then, for you to treat each other in the same friendly way as Christ treated you.

^15:8 The reason Christ became the servant of circumcised Jews was not only so that God could faithfully carry out the promises made to the patriarchs,

^15:9 it was also to get the pagans to give glory to God for his mercy, as scripture says in one place: For this I shall praise you among the pagans and sing to your name.[*b]

^3:1 In due course John the Baptist appeared; he preached in the wilderness of Judaea and this was his message:

^3:2 ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven[*a] is close at hand’.

^3:3 This was the man the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he said: A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.[*b]

^3:4 This man John wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

^3:5 Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole Jordan district made their way to him,

^3:6 and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins.

^3:7 But when he saw a number of Pharisees and Sadducees[*c] coming for baptism he said to them,

^3:8 ‘Brood of vipers, who warned you to fly from the retribution that is coming? But if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruit,

^3:9 and do not presume to tell yourselves, “We have Abraham for our father”, because, I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones.

^3:10 Even now the axe is laid to the roots of the trees, so that any tree which fails to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire.

^3:11 I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who follows me is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

^3:12 His winnowing-fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing-floor and gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’