Daily Readings - 23/06/2026

^19:9 since he had received this news about Tirhakah[*a] king of Cush, ‘He has set out to fight you’.

^19:10 ‘Tell this to Hezekiah king of Judah, “Do not let your God on whom you are relying deceive you, when he says: Jerusalem shall not fall into the power of the king of Assyria.

^19:11 You have learnt by now what the kings of Assyria have done to every country, putting them all under the ban. Are you likely to be spared?

^19:14 Hezekiah took the letter from the hands of the messenger and read it; he then went up to the Temple of Yahweh and spread it out before Yahweh.

^19:15 Hezekiah said this prayer in the presence of Yahweh, ‘Yahweh Sabaoth, God of Israel, enthroned on the cherubs, you alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth, you have made heaven and earth.

^19:16 ‘Give ear, Yahweh, and listen. Open your eyes, Yahweh, and see. Hear the words of Sennacherib who has sent to insult the living God.

^19:17 ‘It is true, Yahweh, that the kings of Assyria have exterminated all the nations,

^19:18 they have thrown their gods on the fire, for these were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, and hence they have destroyed them.

^19:19 But now, Yahweh our God, save us from his hand, I pray you, and let all the kingdoms of the earth know that you alone are God, Yahweh.’

^19:20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah. ‘Yahweh, the God of Israel’ he said ‘says this, “I have heard the prayer you have addressed to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria”.

^19:21 Here is the oracle that Yahweh has pronounced against him: “She despises you, she scorns you, the virgin, daughter of Zion; she tosses her head behind you, the daughter of Jerusalem.

^19:31 for a remnant shall go out from Jerusalem, and survivors from Mount Zion. The jealous love of Yahweh Sabaoth shall accomplish this.”

^19:32 ‘This, then, is what Yahweh says about the king of Assyria: “He will not enter this city, he will let fly no arrow against it, confront it with no shield, throw up no earthwork against it.

^19:33 By the road that he came on he will return; he shall not enter this city. It is Yahweh who speaks.

^19:34 I will protect this city and save it for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”‘

^19:35 That same night the angel of Yahweh went out and struck down a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. In the early morning when it was time to get up, there they lay, so many corpses.

^19:36 Sennacherib struck camp and left; he returned home and stayed in Nineveh.

^48:1 Yahweh is great and supremely to be praised in the city of our God, the holy mountain,

^48:2 beautiful where it rises, joy of the whole world; Mount of Zion, deep heart of the North, city of the Great King;

^48:3 here among her palaces, God proved to be her fortress.

^48:4 There was a rallying, once, of kings, advancing together along a common front;

^48:5 they looked, they were amazed, they panicked, they ran!

^48:6 There they shuddered and writhed like women in labour,

^48:7 it was the east wind, that wrecker of ships of Tarshish![*a]

^48:8 What we had heard we saw for ourselves in the city of our God, the city of Yahweh Sabaoth, God-protected for ever. (Pause)

^48:9 God, in your Temple we reflect on your love:

^48:10 God, your praise, like your name, reaches to the ends of the world. Your right hand holds the victory;

^48:11 Mount Zion rejoices, the daughters of Judah exult to have your rulings.

^48:12 Go through Zion, walk round her, counting her towers,

^48:13 admiring her walls, reviewing her palaces; then tell the next generation

^48:14 that God is here, our God and leader, for ever and ever.

^7:6 ‘Do not give dogs what is holy;[*a] and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs, or they may trample them and then turn on you and tear you to pieces.

^7:12 ‘So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.

^7:13 ‘Enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to perdition is wide and spacious, and many take it;

^7:14 but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

^1:4 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me, saying,

^1:5 ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you; I have appointed you as prophet to the nations’.

^1:6 I said, ‘Ah, Lord Yahweh; look, I do not know how to speak: I am a child!’

^1:7 But Yahweh replied, ‘Do not say, “I am a child”. Go now to those to whom I send you and say whatever I command you.

^1:8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to protect you – it is Yahweh who speaks!’

^1:9 Then Yahweh put out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me: ‘There! I am putting my words into your mouth.

^1:10 Look, today I am setting you over nations and over kingdoms, to tear up and to knock down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.’

^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!

^1:5 In the days of King Herod of Judaea there lived a priest called Zechariah who belonged to the Abijah section of the priesthood, and he had a wife, Elizabeth by name, who was a descendant of Aaron.

^1:6 Both were worthy in the sight of God, and scrupulously observed all the commandments and observances of the Lord.

^1:7 But they were childless: Elizabeth was barren and they were both getting on in years.

^1:8 Now it was the turn of Zechariah’s section[*a] to serve, and he was exercising his priestly office before God

^1:9 when it fell to him by lot, as the ritual custom was, to enter the Lord’s sanctuary and burn incense there.[*b]

^1:10 And at the hour of incense the whole congregation was outside, praying.

^1:11 Then there appeared to him the angel of the Lord, standing on the right of the altar of incense.

^1:12 The sight disturbed Zechariah and he was overcome with fear.

^1:13 But the angel said to him, ‘Zechariah, do not be afraid, your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth is to bear you a son and you must name him John.

^1:14 He will be your joy and delight and many will rejoice at his birth,

^1:15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord; he must drink no wine, no strong drink.[*d] Even from his mother’s womb he will be filled with the Holy Spirit,

^1:16 and he will bring back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.

^1:17 With the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before him to turn the hearts of fathers towards their children[*e] and the disobedient back to the wisdom that the virtuous have, preparing for the Lord a people fit for him.