Daily Readings - 16/08/2026

^56:1 Thus says Yahweh: Have a care for justice, act with integrity, for soon my salvation will come and my integrity be manifest.

^56:6 Foreigners who have attached themselves to Yahweh to serve him and to love his name and be his servants – all who observe the sabbath, not profaning it, and cling to my covenant –

^56:7 these I will bring to my holy mountain. I will make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their holocausts and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.

^66:1 Acclaim God, all the earth,

^66:2 play music to the glory of his name, glorify him with your praises,

^66:3 say to God, ‘What dread you inspire!’ Your achievements are the measure of your power. Your enemies cringe in your presence;

^66:4 all the earth bows down to you, playing music for you, playing in honour of your name. (pause)

^66:5 Come and see what marvels God has done, so much to be feared for his deeds among mankind:

^66:6 he turned the sea into dry land, they crossed the river on foot! So let us rejoice in him,

^66:7 who rules for ever by his power: his eyes keep watch on the nations, let no rebel raise his head! (pause)

^66:8 You nations, bless our God and make his praise resound,

^66:9 who brings our soul to life and keeps our feet from faltering.

^66:10 You tested us, God, you refined us like silver,

^66:11 you let us fall into the net, you laid heavy burdens on our backs,

^66:12 you let people drive over our heads; but now the ordeal by fire and water is over, and you allow us once more to draw breath.

^66:13 I bring holocausts to your house, I bring them to fulfil those vows

^66:14 that rose to my lips, those vows I spoke when in trouble.

^66:15 I offer you fat holocausts and the smoke of burning rams, I offer you bullocks and he-goats.

^66:16 Come and listen, all you who fear God, while I tell you what he has done for me:

^66:17 when I uttered my cry to him and high praise was on my tongue,

^66:18 had I been guilty in my heart, the Lord would never have heard me.

^66:19 But God not only heard me, he listened to my prayer.

^66:20 Blessed be God, who neither ignored my prayer nor deprived me of his love.

^11:13 Let me tell you pagans[*f] this: I have been sent to the pagans as their apostle, and I am proud of being sent,

^11:14 but the purpose of it is to make my own people envious of you, and in this way save some of them.

^11:15 Since their rejection meant the reconciliation of the world, do you know what their admission will mean? Nothing less than a resurrection from the dead!

^11:29 God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.

^11:30 Just as you changed from being disobedient to God, and now enjoy mercy because of their disobedience,

^11:31 so those who are disobedient now – and only because of the mercy shown to you – will also enjoy mercy eventually.

^11:32 God has imprisoned all men in their own disobedience only to show mercy to all mankind.

^15:21 Jesus left that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

^15:22 Then out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting, ‘Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.’

^15:23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples went and pleaded with him. ‘Give her what she wants,’ they said ‘because she is shouting after us.’

^15:24 He said in reply, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel’.

^15:25 But the woman had come up and was kneeling at his feet. ‘Lord,’ she said ‘help me.’

^15:26 He replied, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs’.

^15:27 She retorted, ‘Ah yes, sir; but even house-dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table’.

^15:28 Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, you have great faith. Let your wish be granted.’ And from that moment her daughter was well again.