August 3, 2013
Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
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/
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+ Saints: St. Nicodemus
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=552
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Gospel: Matthew 14:1-12
1 At that time, Herod the tetrarch heard the report concerning Jesus,
2 and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptiser. He is risen from the dead. That is why these powers work in him."
3 For Herod had laid hold of John, and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.
4 For John said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."
5 When he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.
6 But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced amongst them and pleased Herod.
7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatever she should ask.
8 She, being prompted by her mother, said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptiser."
9 The king was grieved, but for the sake of his oaths, and of those who sat at the table with him, he commanded it to be given,
10 and he sent and beheaded John in the prison.
11 His head was brought on a platter, and given to the young lady: and she brought it to her mother.
12 His disciples came, and took the body, and buried it; and they went and told Jesus.
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Leviticus 25:1, 8-17
1 The LORD said to Moses in Mount Sinai,
8 "'You shall count off seven Sabbaths of years, seven times seven years; and there shall be to you the days of seven Sabbaths of years, even forty-nine years.
9 Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land.
10 You shall make the fiftieth year holy, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee to you; and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.
11 That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee to you. In it you shall not sow, neither reap that which grows of itself, nor gather from the undressed vines.
12 For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat of its increase out of the field.
13 "'In this Year of Jubilee each of you shall return to his property.
14 "'If you sell anything to your neighbour, or buy from your neighbour, you shall not wrong one another.
15 According to the number of years after the Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbour. According to the number of years of the crops he shall sell to you.
16 According to the length of the years you shall increase its price, and according to the shortness of the years you shall diminish its price; for he is selling the number of the crops to you.
17 You shall not wrong one another; but you shall fear your God: for I am the LORD your God.
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* 1 Kings 18:16b-40
16b and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"
18 He answered, "I have not troubled Israel; but you, and your father's house, in that you have forsaken the LORD's commandments, and you have followed the Baals.
19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to Mount Carmel, and four hundred and fifty of the prophets of Baal, and four hundred of the prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."
20 So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to Mount Carmel.
21 Elijah came near to all the people, and said, "How long will you waver between the two sides? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him."
The people didn't say a word.
22 Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left as a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23 Let them therefore give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bull, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under it.
24 You call on the name of your god, and I will call on the LORD's name. The God who answers by fire, let him be God."
All the people answered, "What you say is good."
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves, and dress it first; for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."
26 They took the bull which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, "Baal, hear us!" But there was no voice, and nobody answered. They lept about the altar which was made.
27 At noon, Elijah mocked them, and said, "Cry aloud; for he is a god. Either he is deep in thought, or he has gone somewhere, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he sleeps and must be awakened."
28 They cried aloud, and cut themselves in their way with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.
29 When midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the evening offering; but there was no voice, no answer, and nobody paid attention.
30 Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me!"; and all the people came near to him. He repaired the LORD's altar that had been thrown down.
31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the LORD's word came, saying, "Israel shall be your name."
32 With the stones he built an altar in the LORD's name. He made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two seahs*1 seah is about 7 litres or 1.9 gallons or 0.8 pecks of seed.
33 He put the wood in order, and cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, "Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering, and on the wood."
34 He said, "Do it a second time"; and they did it the second time. He said, "Do it a third time"; and they did it the third time.
35 The water ran around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
36 At the time of the evening offering, Elijah the prophet came near, and said, "LORD, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word.
37 Hear me, LORD, hear me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God, and that you have turned their heart back again."
38 Then the LORD's fire fell, and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces. They said, "The LORD, he is God! the LORD, he is God!"
40 Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Don't let one of them escape!"
They seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there.
*18:32: 1 seah is about 7 litres or 1.9 gallons or 0.8 pecks
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☆The New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE)
http://www.usccb.org/bible/books-of-the-bible/
☆Douay-Rheims Bible
http://www.drbo.org/
★Zondervan King James Audio Bible
http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/kjv/Matt.14
FREE King James Version Bible Download.
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