Open Word

Semicontinuous (Track 1)

FIRST READING

Job 20:1-29

Verse 1. Then Zophar the Naamathite replied: Verse 2. “So my anxious thoughts compel me to answer, because of the turmoil within me. Verse 3. I have heard a rebuke that insults me, and my understanding prompts a reply. Verse 4. Do you not know that from antiquity, since man was placed on the earth, Verse 5. the triumph of the wicked has been brief and the joy of the godless momentary? Verse 6. Though his arrogance reaches the heavens, and his head touches the clouds, Verse 7. he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where is he?’ Verse 8. He will fly away like a dream, never to be found; he will be chased away like a vision in the night. Verse 9. The eye that saw him will see him no more, and his place will no longer behold him. Verse 10. His sons will seek the favor of the poor, for his own hands must return his wealth. Verse 11. The youthful vigor that fills his bones will lie down with him in the dust. Verse 12. Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he conceals it under his tongue, Verse 13. though he cannot bear to let it go and keeps it in his mouth, Verse 14. yet in his stomach his food sours into the venom of cobras within him. Verse 15. He swallows wealth but vomits it out; God will force it from his stomach. Verse 16. He will suck the poison of cobras; the fangs of a viper will kill him. Verse 17. He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream. Verse 18. He must return the fruit of his labor without consuming it; he cannot enjoy the profits of his trading. Verse 19. For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; he has seized houses he did not build. Verse 20. Because his appetite is never satisfied, he cannot escape with his treasure. Verse 21. Nothing is left for him to consume; thus his prosperity will not endure. Verse 22. In the midst of his plenty, he will be distressed; the full force of misery will come upon him. Verse 23. When he has filled his stomach, God will vent His fury upon him, raining it down on him as he eats. Verse 24. Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce him. Verse 25. It is drawn out of his back, the gleaming point from his liver. Terrors come over him. Verse 26. Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. A fire unfanned will consume him and devour what is left in his tent. Verse 27. The heavens will expose his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him. Verse 28. The possessions of his house will be removed, flowing away on the day of God’s wrath. Verse 29. This is the wicked man’s portion from God, the inheritance God has appointed him.”

PSALM

Psalm 22:1-15

For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning?

I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest.

Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them.

They cried out to You and were set free; they trusted in You and were not disappointed.

But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.

All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads:

“He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him.”

Yet You brought me forth from the womb; You made me secure at my mother’s breast.

From birth I was cast upon You; from my mother’s womb You have been my God.

Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.

Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

They open their jaws against me like lions that roar and maul.

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed. My heart is like wax; it melts away within me.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay me in the dust of death.

Complementary (Track 2)

FIRST READING

Amos 3:13-4:5

Text not available in the Berean Standard Bible.

PSALM

Psalm 90:12-17

So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.

Return, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on Your servants.

Satisfy us in the morning with Your loving devotion, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen evil.

May Your work be shown to Your servants, and Your splendor to their children.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish for us the work of our hands— yes, establish the work of our hands!

SECOND READING

Matthew 15:1-9

Verse 1. Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, Verse 2. “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.” Verse 3. Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? Verse 4. For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ Verse 5. But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ Verse 6. he need not honor his father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. Verse 7. You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: Verse 8. ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Verse 9. They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’ ”