Wednesday in Epiphany

1Verse 1. Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come: 2Verse 2. Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel. 8Verse 8. Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you. 9Verse 9. Judah is a young lion— my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? 10Verse 10. The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his. 11Verse 11. He ties his donkey to the vine, his colt to the choicest branch. He washes his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. 12Verse 12. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk. 13Verse 13. Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore and become a harbor for ships; his border shall extend to Sidon. 21Verse 21. Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns. 22Verse 22. Joseph is a fruitful vine— a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall. 23Verse 23. The archers attacked him with bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility. 24Verse 24. Yet he steadied his bow, and his strong arms were tempered by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 25Verse 25. by the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you, with blessings of the heavens above, with blessings of the depths below, with blessings of the breasts and womb. 26Verse 26. The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers.

67Verse 67. Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68Verse 68. “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people. 69Verse 69. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, 70Verse 70. as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past, 71Verse 71. salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, 72Verse 72. to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, 73Verse 73. the oath He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 74Verse 74. deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear, 75Verse 75. in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives. 76Verse 76. And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, 77Verse 77. to give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78Verse 78. because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high, 79Verse 79. to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”