Daily Readings - 04/09/2026

^4:1 People must think of us as Christ’s servants, stewards entrusted with the mysteries of God.

^4:2 What is expected of stewards is that each one should be found worthy of his trust.

^4:3 Not that it makes the slightest difference to me whether you, or indeed any human tribunal, find me worthy or not. I will not even pass judgement on myself.

^4:4 True, my conscience does not reproach me at all, but that does not prove that I am acquitted: the Lord alone is my judge.

^4:5 There must be no passing of premature judgement. Leave that until the Lord comes; he will light up all that is hidden in the dark and reveal the secret intentions of men’s hearts. Then will be the time for each one to have whatever praise he deserves, from God.

^37:1 Do not worry about the wicked, do not envy those who do wrong.

^37:2 Quick as the grass they wither, fading like the green in the field.

^37:3 Trust in Yahweh and do what is good, make your home in the land and live in peace;

^37:4 make Yahweh your only joy and he will give you what your heart desires.

^37:5 Commit your fate to Yahweh, trust in him and he will act:

^37:6 making your Virtue clear as the light, your integrity as bright as noon.

^37:7 Be quiet before Yahweh, and wait patiently for him, not worrying about men who make their fortunes, about men who scheme

^37:8 Enough of anger, leave rage aside, do not worry, nothing but evil can come of it:

^37:9 for the wicked will be expelled, while those who hope in Yahweh shall have the land for their own.

^37:10 A little longer, and the wicked will be no more, search his place well, he will not be there;

^37:11 but the humble shall have the land for their own to enjoy untroubled peace.

^37:12 The wicked man plots against the virtuous, and grinds his teeth at him;

^37:13 but the Lord only laughs at the man, knowing his end is in sight.

^37:15 their swords will only pierce their own hearts and their bows will be smashed.

^37:16 The little the virtuous possesses outweighs all the wealth of the wicked,

^37:17 since the arms of the wicked are doomed to break, and Yahweh will uphold the virtuous.

^37:18 Yahweh takes care of good men’s lives, and their heritage will last for ever;

^37:19 they will not be at a loss when bad times come, in time of famine they will have more than they need.

^37:20 As for the wicked-they will perish, these enemies of Yahweh; they will vanish like the beauty of the meadows, they will vanish in smoke.

^37:21 The wicked man borrows without meaning to repay, but a virtuous man is generous and open-handed;

^37:22 those he blesses will have the land for their own, those he curses will be expelled.

^37:23 Yahweh guides a man’s steps, they are sure, and he takes pleasure in his progress;

^37:24 he may fall, but never fatally, since Yahweh supports him by the hand.

^37:25 Now I am old, but ever since my youth I never saw a virtuous man deserted, or his descendants forced to beg their bread;

^37:26 he is always compassionate, always lending: his children will be blessed.

^37:27 Never yield to evil, practise good and you will have an everlasting home,

^37:28 for Yahweh loves what is right, and never deserts the devout.

^37:29 the virtuous will have the land for their own, and make it their home for ever.

^37:30 The mouth of the virtuous man murmurs wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is right;

^37:31 with the Law of God in his heart his steps can never falter.

^37:32 The wicked man spies on the virtuous, seeking to kill him;

^37:33 Yahweh will never leave him in those clutches, or let him be condemned under trial.

^37:35 I have seen the wicked in his triumph towering like a cedar of Lebanon,

^37:36 but when next I passed, he was not there, I looked for him and he was nowhere to be found.

^37:37 Observe the innocent man, consider the upright: for the man of peace there are descendants,

^37:38 but sinners shall be destroyed altogether, the descendants of the wicked shall be wiped out.

^37:39 The salvation of the virtuous comes from Yahweh, he is their shelter when trouble comes;

^5:33 They then said to him, ‘John’s disciples are always fasting and saying prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees too, but yours go on eating and drinking’.

^5:34 Jesus replied, ‘Surely you cannot make the bridegroom’s attendants fast while the bridegroom is still with them?

^5:35 But the time will come, the time for the bridegroom to be taken away from them; that will be the time when they will fast.’

^5:36 He also told them this parable, ‘No one tears a piece from a new cloak to put it on an old cloak; if he does, not only will he have torn the new one, but the piece taken from the new will not match the old.

^5:37 ‘And nobody puts new wine into old skins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and then run out, and the skins will be lost.

^5:38 No; new wine must be put into fresh skins.

^5:39 And nobody who has been drinking old wine wants new. “The old is good” he says.’