8.20.2012

Today's Bible story

August 20, 2012

We hope that today is a good day.

Today's Bible story based on the calendar of the Catholic Church.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/calendar.php

Most of these contents are things of The World English Bible.
http://ebible.org/web/

We hope that everyone in the peace of the Lord.

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+ Saints: St. Bernard de Clairvaux

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+ First Reading: Ezekiel 24:15-23

15 Also the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

16 Son of man, behold, I will take away from you the desire of your eyes with a stroke: yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, neither shall your tears run down.

17 Sigh, but not aloud, make no mourning for the dead; bind your headdress on you, and put your shoes on your feet, and don't cover your lips, and don't eat men's bread.

18 So I spoke to the people in the morning; and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

19 The people said to me, Won't you tell us what these things are to us, that you do so?

20 Then I said to them, The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

21 Speak to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pities; and your sons and your daughters whom you have left behind shall fall by the sword.

22 You shall do as I have done: you shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.

23 Your tires shall be on your heads, and your shoes on your feet: you shall not mourn nor weep; but you shall pine away in your iniquities, and moan one toward another.

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+ Psalm: Deuteronomy 32:18-21

18 Of the Rock who became your father, you are unmindful,
and have forgotten God who gave you birth.

19 Yahweh saw and abhorred,
because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.

20 He said, "I will hide my face from them.
I will see what their end shall be;
for they are a very perverse generation,
children in whom is no faithfulness.

21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God.
They have provoked me to anger with their vanities.
I will move them to jealousy with those who are not a people.
I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

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+ Gospel: Matthew 19:16-22

16 Behold, one came to him and said, "Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?"

17 He said to him, "Why do you call me good?‡No one is good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."

18 He said to him, "Which ones?"
Jesus said, "'You shall not murder.' 'You shall not commit adultery.' 'You shall not steal.' 'You shall not offer false testimony.'

19 'Honor your father and mother.'§And, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"**

20 The young man said to him, "All these things I have observed from my youth. What do I still lack?"

21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

22 But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions.

‡19:17: So MT and TR. NU reads "Why do you ask me about what is good?"

§19:19: Exodus 20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20

**19:19: Leviticus 19:18

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+ Today's Reading: Ecclesiastes 2:1-3、12-26

1 I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with mirth: therefore enjoy pleasure"; and behold, this also was vanity.

2 I said of laughter, "It is foolishness"; and of mirth, "What does it accomplish?"

3 I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding me with wisdom, and how to lay hold of folly, until I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven all the days of their lives.

12 I turned myself to consider wisdom, madness, and folly: for what can the king's successor do? Just that which has been done long ago.

13 Then I saw that wisdom excels folly, as far as light excels darkness.

14 The wise man's eyes are in his head, and the fool walks in darkness—and yet I perceived that one event happens to them all.

15 Then I said in my heart, "As it happens to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise?" Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

16 For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no memory for ever, since in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. Indeed, the wise man must die just like the fool!

17 So I hated life, because the work that is worked under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

18 I hated all my labor in which I labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.

19 Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

20 Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor in which I had labored under the sun.

21 For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

22 For what has a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun?

23 For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

24 There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

25 For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?

26 For to the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

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