Reading 1, Amos 2:6-10, 13-16 6 Yahweh says this: For the three crimes, the four crimes of Israel, I have made my decree and will not relent: because they have sold the upright for silver and the poor for a pair of sandals, 7 because they have crushed the heads of the weak into the dust and thrust the rights of the oppressed to one side, father and son sleeping with the same girl and thus profaning my holy name, 8 lying down beside every altar on clothes acquired as pledges, and drinking the ...

Reading 1, First Kings 19:16-21 16 You must anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel-Meholah, as prophet to succeed you. 17 Anyone who escapes the sword of Hazael will be put to death by Jehu; and anyone who escapes the sword of Jehu will be put to death by Elisha. 18 But I shall spare seven thousand in Israel; all the knees that have not bent before Baal, all the mouths that have not kissed him.' 19 Leaving there, he came on Elisha son of ...

Reading 1, Lamentations 2:2, 10-14, 18-19 2 The Lord pitilessly engulfed all the homes of Jacob; in his fury he tore down the fortresses of the daughter of Judah; he threw to the ground, he desecrated the kingdom and its princes. 10 Mute, they sit on the ground, the elders of the daughter of Zion; they have put dust on their heads and wrapped themselves in sackcloth. The young girls of Jerusalem bow their heads to the ground. 11 My eyes are worn out with weeping, my inmost being is in ...

Reading 1, Ezekiel 34:11-16 11 "For the Lord Yahweh says this: Look, I myself shall take care of my flock and look after it. 12 As a shepherd looks after his flock when he is with his scattered sheep, so shall I look after my sheep. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered on the day of clouds and darkness. 13 I shall bring them back from the peoples where they are; I shall gather them back from the countries and bring them back to their own land. I shall pasture them on the ...

Reading 1, Second Kings 24:8-17 8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 He did what is displeasing to Yahweh, just as his father had done. 10 At that time the troops of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon advanced on the city and his generals laid siege to it. 12 Jehoiachin ...

Reading 1, Second Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-3 8 The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, 'I have found the Book of the Law in the Temple of Yahweh.' And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it. 9 Shaphan the secretary went to the king, reporting furthermore to him as follows, 'Your servants have melted down the silver which was in the Temple and have handed it over to the masters of works attached to the Temple of Yahweh.' 10 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, 'The ...

Reading 1, Second Kings 19:9-11, 14-21, 31-35, 36 9 on hearing that Tirhakah king of Cush was on his way to attack him. 10 Sennacherib again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 'Tell Hezekiah king of Judah this, "Do not let your God on whom you are relying deceive you with the promise: Jerusalem will not fall into the king of Assyria's clutches. 11 You have learnt by now what the kings of Assyria have done to all the other countries, devoting them to destruction. Are you likely to be ...

Reading 1, Second Kings 17:5-8, 13-15, 18 5 The king of Assyria invaded the whole country and, coming to Samaria, laid siege to it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah on the Habor, a river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 7 This happened because the Israelites had sinned against Yahweh their God who had brought them out of Egypt, out of the grip of Pharaoh king of Egypt. ...

Reading 1, Genesis 14:18-20 18 Melchizedek king of Salem brought bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High. 19 He pronounced this blessing: Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High for putting your enemies into your clutches. 20 And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 110:1, 2, 3, 4 1 [Of David Psalm] Yahweh declared to my Lord, 'Take your seat at my right hand, till I have made your enemies your ...

Reading 1, Second Chronicles 24:17-25 17 After Jehoiada's death the officials of Judah came to pay court to the king, and the king listened to their advice, 18 and they abandoned the Temple of Yahweh, God of their ancestors, for the worship of sacred poles and idols. Judah and Jerusalem incurred wrath because of this guilt of theirs. 19 He sent their prophets to lead them back to Yahweh; these put the case against them, but they would not listen. 20 The spirit of God then invested Zechariah ...

Reading 1, Second Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20 1 When Athaliah mother of Ahaziah learned that her son was dead, she promptly murdered all those of royal stock. 2 But Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, surreptitiously rescued Jehoash son of Ahaziah from among the princes who were to be murdered, and put him with his nurse in the sleeping quarters; in this way she hid him from Athaliah, and he was not killed. 3 He stayed, hidden with her in the Temple of Yahweh for six years, ...

Reading 1, Sirach 48:1-14 1 Then the prophet Elijah arose like a fire, his word flaring like a torch. 2 It was he who brought famine on them and decimated them in his zeal. 3 By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens, three times also he brought down fire. 4 How glorious you were in your miracles, Elijah! Has anyone reason to boast as you have? - 5 rousing a corpse from death, from Sheol, by the word of the Most High; 6 dragging kings down to destruction, and high dignitaries from ...

Reading 1, Second Kings 2:1, 6-14 1 This is what happened when Yahweh took Elijah up to heaven in the whirlwind: Elijah and Elisha set out from Gilgal, 6 Elijah said, 'Elisha, you stay here, Yahweh is only sending me to the Jordan.' But he replied, 'As Yahweh lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you!' And they went on together. 7 Fifty of the brotherhood of prophets followed them, halting some distance away as the two of them stood beside the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, ...

Reading 1, First Kings 21:17-29 17 Then the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, 18 'Up! Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, in Samaria. You will find him in Naboth's vineyard; he has gone down to take possession of it. 19 You are to say this to him, "Yahweh says this: You have committed murder and now you usurp as well. For this -- and Yahweh says this -- in the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth, the dogs will lick your blood too." ' 20 Ahab said to Elijah, 'So you ...

Reading 1, First Kings 21:1-16 1 This is what happened next: Naboth of Jezreel had a vineyard close by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria, 2 and Ahab said to Naboth, 'Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden, since it adjoins my palace; I will give you a better vineyard for it or, if you prefer, I will give you its value in money.' 3 Naboth, however, said to Ahab, 'Yahweh forbid that I should give you my ancestral heritage!' 4 Ahab went home gloomy and out of temper at the words of ...

Reading 1, Proverbs 8:22-31 22 'Yahweh created me, first-fruits of his fashioning, before the oldest of his works. 23 From everlasting, I was firmly set, from the beginning, before the earth came into being. 24 The deep was not, when I was born, nor were the springs with their abounding waters. 25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I came to birth; 26 before he had made the earth, the countryside, and the first elements of the world. 27 When he fixed the heavens firm, I ...

Reading 1, Acts 11:21-26; 13:1-3 21 The Lord helped them, and a great number believed and were converted to the Lord. 22 The news of them came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas out to Antioch. 23 There he was glad to see for himself that God had given grace, and he urged them all to remain faithful to the Lord with heartfelt devotion; 24 for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. And a large number of people were won over to the Lord. 25 ...

Reading 1, First Kings 19:9, 11-16 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night there. Then the word of Yahweh came to him saying, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?' 11 Then he was told, 'Go out and stand on the mountain before Yahweh.' For at that moment Yahweh was going by. A mighty hurricane split the mountains and shattered the rocks before Yahweh. But Yahweh was not in the hurricane. And after the hurricane, an earthquake. But Yahweh was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the ...

Reading 1, First Kings 18:41-46 41 Elijah said to Ahab, 'Go back now, eat and drink; for I hear the approaching sound of rain.' 42 While Ahab went back to eat and drink, Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel and bowed down to the ground, putting his face between his knees. 43 'Now go up', he told his servant, 'and look out to sea.' He went up and looked. 'There is nothing at all,' he said. Seven times Elijah told him to go back. 44 The seventh time, the servant said, 'Now there is a cloud, ...

Reading 1, First Kings 18:20-39 20 Ahab called all Israel together and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah stepped out in front of all the people. 'How long', he said, 'do you mean to hobble first on one leg then on the other? If Yahweh is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him.' But the people had nothing to say. 22 Elijah then said to them, 'I, I alone, am left as a prophet of Yahweh, while the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty. 23 Let two bulls be given us; let them ...