Open Word

Semicontinuous (Track 1)

FIRST READING

Habakkuk 2:12-20

Verse 12. Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by iniquity! Verse 13. Is it not indeed from the LORD of Hosts that the labor of the people only feeds the fire, and the nations weary themselves in vain? Verse 14. For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Verse 15. Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin until they are drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness! Verse 16. You will be filled with shame instead of glory. You too must drink and expose your uncircumcision! The cup in the LORD’s right hand will come around to you, and utter disgrace will cover your glory. Verse 17. For your violence against Lebanon will overwhelm you, and the destruction of animals will terrify you, because of your bloodshed against men and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers. Verse 18. What use is an idol, that a craftsman should carve it — or an image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Verse 19. Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Can it give guidance? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all.” Verse 20. But the LORD is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.

PSALM

Psalm 142

A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer. I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy.

I pour out my complaint before Him; I reveal my trouble to Him.

Although my spirit grows faint within me, You know my way. Along the path I travel they have hidden a snare for me.

Look to my right and see; no one attends to me. There is no refuge for me; no one cares for my soul.

I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

Listen to my cry, for I am brought quite low. Rescue me from my pursuers, for they are too strong for me.

Free my soul from prison, that I may praise Your name. The righteous will gather around me because of Your goodness to me.

Complementary (Track 2)

FIRST READING

Nehemiah 13:1-3, 23-31

Verse 1. At that time the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people, and in it they found the passage stating that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, Verse 2. because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing). Verse 3. As soon as the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all of foreign descent. Verse 23. In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. Verse 24. Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of the other peoples, but could not speak the language of Judah. Verse 25. I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves! Verse 26. Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all Israel— yet foreign women drew him into sin. Verse 27. Must we now hear that you too are doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?” Verse 28. Even one of the sons of Jehoiada son of Eliashib the high priest had become a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I drove him away from me. Verse 29. Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites. Verse 30. Thus I purified the priests and Levites from everything foreign, and I assigned specific duties to each of the priests and Levites. Verse 31. I also arranged for contributions of wood at the appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, with favor.

PSALM

Psalm 50

A Psalm of Asaph. The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from where the sun rises to where it sets.

From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.

Our God approaches and will not be silent! Consuming fire precedes Him, and a tempest rages around Him.

He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that He may judge His people:

“Gather to Me My saints, who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”

And the heavens proclaim His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge.

“Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God.

I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices, and your burnt offerings are ever before Me.

I have no need for a bull from your stall or goats from your pens,

for every beast of the forest is Mine — the cattle on a thousand hills.

I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are Mine.

If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof.

Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

Sacrifice a thank offering to God, and fulfill your vows to the Most High.

Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”

To the wicked, however, God says, “What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips?

For you hate My instruction and cast My words behind you.

When you see a thief, you befriend him, and throw in your lot with adulterers.

You unleash your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit.

You sit and malign your brother; you slander your own mother’s son.

You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But now I rebuke you and accuse you to your face.

Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:

He who sacrifices a thank offering honors Me, and to him who rightly orders his way, I will show the salvation of God.”

SECOND READING

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

Verse 9. I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. Verse 10. I was not including the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. Verse 11. But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. Verse 12. What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? Verse 13. God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”