Daily Readings - 28/06/2026

^4:8 One day as Elisha was on his way to Shunem, a woman of rank who lived there pressed him to stay and eat there. After this he always broke his journey for a meal when he passed that way.

^4:9 She said to her husband, ‘Look, I am sure the man who is constantly passing our way must be a holy man of God.

^4:10 Let us build him a small room on the roof, and put him a bed in it, and a table and chair and lamp; whenever he comes to us he can rest there.’

^4:11 One day when he came, he retired to the upper room and lay down.

^4:14 ‘What can be done for her then?’ he asked. Gehazi answered, ‘Well, she has no son and her husband is old’.

^4:15 Elisha said, ‘Call her’. The servant called her and she stood at the door.

^4:16 ‘This time next year,’ he said ‘you will hold a son in your arms.’ But she said, ‘No, my lord, do not deceive your servant’.

^89:1 I will celebrate your love for ever, Yahweh, age after age my words shall proclaim your faithfulness;

^89:2 for I claim that love is built to last for ever and your faithfulness founded firmly in the heavens.

^89:3 ‘I have made a covenant with my Chosen, I have given my servant David my sworn word:

^89:4 I have founded your dynasty to last for ever, I have built you a throne to outlast all time.’ (pause)

^89:5 Yahweh, the assembly of holy ones in heaven applaud the marvel of your faithfulness.

^89:6 Who in the skies can compare with Yahweh? Which of the heaven-born can rival him?

^89:7 God, dreaded in the assembly of holy ones, great and terrible to all around him,

^89:8 Yahweh, God of Sabaoth, who is like you?-mighty Yahweh, clothed in your faithfulness!

^89:9 You control the pride of the ocean, when its waves ride high, you calm them;

^89:10 you split Rahab[*a] in two like a carcase and scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

^89:11 The heavens are yours and the earth is yours, you founded the world and all it holds,

^89:12 you created north and south; Tabor and Hermon hail your name with joy.

^89:13 Yours was the arm, and yours the prowess, mighty and exalted your right hand;

^89:14 Righteousness and Justice support your throne, Love and Faithfulness are your attendants.

^89:15 Happy the people who learn to acclaim you! Yahweh, they will live in the light of your favour;

^89:16 they will rejoice in your name all day and exult in your righteousness.

^89:17 You are their glory and their strength, you, by your kindness, raise our fortunes,

^89:18 since both our shield and our king belong to Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel.

^89:19 Once you spoke in vision and said to your friends,[*b] I have conferred the crown on a hero, and promoted one chosen from my people.

^89:20 I have selected my servant David and anointed him with my holy oil;

^89:21 my hand will be constantly with him, he will be able to rely on my arm.

^89:22 ‘No enemy will be able to outwit him, no wicked man to worst him,

^89:23 I myself will crush his opponents, I will strike dead all who hate him.

^89:24 ‘With my faithfulness and love, his fortunes shall rise in my name.

^89:25 I will give him control of the sea, complete control of the rivers.

^89:26 ‘He will invoke me, “My father, my God and rock of my safety”,

^89:27 and I shall make him my first-born, the Most High for kings on earth.

^89:28 ‘I will keep my love for him always, my covenant with him shall stand,

^89:29 I have founded his dynasty to last for ever, his throne to be as lasting as the heavens.

^89:30 ‘Should his descendants desert my Law and disregard my rulings,

^89:31 should they violate my statutes and not keep my commandments,

^89:32 ‘I will punish their sins with the rod and their crimes with the whip,

^89:33 but never withdraw my love from him or fail in my faithfulness.

^89:34 ‘I will not break my covenant, I will not revoke my given word;

^89:35 I have sworn on my holiness, once for all, and cannot turn liar to David.

^89:36 ‘His dynasty shall last for ever, I see his throne like the sun,

^89:37 enduring for ever like the moon, that faithful witness in the sky.’ (pause)

^89:38 And yet you have rejected, disowned and raged at your anointed;

^89:39 you have repudiated the covenant with your servant and flung his crown dishonoured to the ground.

^89:40 You have pierced all his defences, and laid his forts in ruins;

^89:41 anyone may go and loot him, his neighbours treat him with scorn.

^89:42 You have let his opponents get the upper hand, and made all his enemies happy,

^89:43 you have snapped his sword on a rock and failed to support him in battle.

^89:44 You have stripped him of his glorious sceptre, and toppled his throne to the ground,

^89:45 you have aged him before his time and covered him in shame. (pause)

^89:46 Yahweh, how much longer will you hide? For ever? How much longer must your anger smoulder like a fire?

^89:47 Remember me, the short time I have left and the void to which you destine mankind.

^89:48 What man can cling to life and not see death? Who can evade the clutches of Sheol?

^89:49 Lord, where are those earlier signs of your love? You swore your oath to David on your faithfulness!

^89:50 Lord, do not forget how your servant was insulted, (pause) how I take these pagans’ taunts to heart,

^89:51 insults, Yahweh, that your enemies have offered, insults to your anointed wherever he goes. Blessed be Yahweh for ever. Amen. Amen![*c]

^6:3 You have been taught that when we were baptised in Christ Jesus we were baptised in his death;

^6:4 in other words, when we were baptised we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life.

^6:8 But we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with him:

^6:9 Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no power over him any more.

^6:10 When he died, he died, once for all, to sin, so his life now is life with God;

^6:11 and in that way, you too must consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.

^10:37 ‘Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me.

^10:38 Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me.

^10:39 Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.

^10:40 Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and those who welcome me welcome the one who sent me.

^10:41 Anyone who welcomes a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and anyone who welcomes a holy man will have a holy man’s reward.

^10:42 ‘If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.’

^12:1 It was about this time that King Herod started persecuting certain members of the Church.

^12:2 He beheaded James the brother of John,

^12:3 and when he saw that this pleased the Jews he decided to arrest Peter as well.

^12:4 This was during the days of Unleavened Bread, and he put Peter in prison, assigning four squads of four soldiers each to guard him in turns. Herod meant to try Peter in public after the end of Passover week.

^12:5 All the time Peter was under guard the Church prayed to God for him unremittingly.

^12:6 On the night before Herod was to try him, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with double chains, while guards kept watch at the main entrance to the prison.

^12:7 Then suddenly the angel of the Lord stood there, and the cell was filled with light. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him. ‘Get up!’ he said ‘Hurry!’ – and the chains fell from his hands.

^12:8 The angel then said, ‘Put on your belt and sandals’. After he had done this, the angel next said, ‘Wrap your cloak round you and follow me’.

^12:9 Peter followed him, but had no idea that what the angel did was all happening in reality; he thought he was seeing a vision.

^12:10 They passed through two guard posts one after the other, and reached the iron gate leading to the city. This opened of its own accord; they went through it and had walked the whole length of one street when suddenly the angel left him.

^12:11 It was only then that Peter came to himself. ‘Now I know it is all true’ he said. The Lord really did send his angel and has saved me from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were so certain would happen to me.’

^34:1 I will bless Yahweh at all times, his praise shall be on my lips continually;

^34:2 my soul glories in Yahweh, let the humble hear and rejoice.

^34:3 Proclaim with me the greatness of Yahweh, together let us extol his name.

^34:4 I seek Yahweh, and he answers me and frees me from all my fears.

^34:5 Every face turned to him grows brighter and is never ashamed.

^34:6 A cry goes up from the poor man, and Yahweh hears, and helps him in all his troubles.

^34:7 The angel of Yahweh pitches camp round those who fear him; and he keeps them safe.

^34:8 How good Yahweh is – only taste and see! Happy the man who takes shelter in him.

^34:9 Fear Yahweh, you his holy ones: those who fear him want for nothing.

^34:10 The young lion may go empty and hungry, but those who seek Yahweh lack nothing good.

^34:11 Come, my sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.

^34:12 Which of you wants to live to the full, who loves long life and enjoyment of prosperity?

^34:13 Malice must be banished from your tongue, deceitful conversation from your lips;

^34:14 never yield to evil, practise good, seek peace, pursue it.

^34:16 The face of Yahweh frowns on evil men, to wipe their memory from the earth;

^34:15 the eyes of Yahweh are turned towards the virtuous, his ears to their cry.

^34:17 They cry for help and Yahweh hears and rescues them from all their troubles;

^34:18 Yahweh is near to the broken-hearted, he helps those whose spirit is crushed.

^34:19 Hardships in plenty beset the virtuous man, but Yahweh rescues him from them all;

^34:20 taking care of every bone, Yahweh will not let one be broken.

^34:21 Evil will bring death to the wicked, those who hate the virtuous will have to pay;

^34:22 while Yahweh himself ransoms the souls of his servants, and those who take shelter in him have nothing to pay.

^16:13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’

^16:14 And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets’.

^16:15 ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’

^16:16 Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God’.

^16:17 Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.

^16:18 So I now say to you: You are Peter[*b] and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld[*c] can never hold out against it.

^16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.'[*d]