Thursday in Epiphany

FIRST READING

Judges 2:6-15

Verse 6. After Joshua had dismissed the people, the Israelites went out to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance. Verse 7. And the people served the LORD throughout the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him, who had seen all the great works that the LORD had done for Israel. Verse 8. And Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110. Verse 9. They buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath-heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. Verse 10. After that whole generation had also been gathered to their fathers, another generation rose up who did not know the LORD or the works that He had done for Israel. Verse 11. And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals. Verse 12. Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger, Verse 13. for they forsook Him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. Verse 14. Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. Verse 15. Wherever Israel marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them to bring calamity, just as He had sworn to them. So they were greatly distressed.

PSALM

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar.

You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways.

Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O LORD.

You hem me in behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well.

My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God, how vast is their sum!

If I were to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; and when I awake, I am still with You.

SECOND READING

2 Corinthians 10:1-11

Verse 1. Now by the mildness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you — I, Paul, who am humble when face to face with you, but bold when away. Verse 2. I beg you that when I come I may not need to be as bold as I expect toward those who presume that we live according to the flesh. Verse 3. For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. Verse 4. The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the flesh. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. Verse 5. We demolish arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Verse 6. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete. Verse 7. You are looking at outward appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should remind himself that we belong to Christ just as much as he does. Verse 8. For even if I boast somewhat excessively about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed. Verse 9. I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you by my letters. Verse 10. For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is unimpressive, and his speaking is of no account.” Verse 11. Such people should consider that what we are in our letters when absent, we will be in our actions when present.