John 21.15-25
(Matins Gospel)
15So when they had eaten their breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
16He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
17He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you have affection for me?” Peter was grieved because he asked him the third time, “Do you have affection for me?” He said to him, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I have affection for you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
18Most certainly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted to. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you don’t want to go.”
19Now he said this, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. When he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”
20Then Peter, turning around, saw a disciple following. This was the disciple whom Jesus loved, the one who had also leaned on Jesus’ chest at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”
21Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”
22Jesus said to him, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.”
23This saying therefore went out among the brothers that this disciple wouldn’t die. Yet Jesus didn’t say to him that he wouldn’t die, but, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you?”
24This is the disciple who testifies about these things, and wrote these things. We know that his witness is true.
25There are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they would all be written, I suppose that even the world itself wouldn’t have room for the books that would be written.
Isaiah 66.10-24
(6th Hour)
10Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and all youpl that love her hold in her a general assembly: rejoice greatly with her, all that now mourn over her:
11that youpl may suck, and be satisfied with the breast of her consolation; that youpl may milk out, and delight yourselves with the influx of her glory.
12For thus says the Lord, Behold, I turn toward them as a river of peace, and as a torrent bringing upon them in a flood the glory of the Gentiles: their children shall be borne upon the shoulders, and comforted on the knees.
13As if his mother should comfort one, so will I also comfort you; and youpl shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
14And youpl shall see, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall thrive like grass: and the hand of the Lord shall be known to them that fear him, and he shall threaten the disobedient.
15For, behold, the Lord will come as fire, and his chariots as a storm, to render his vengeance with wrath, and his rebuke with a flame of fire.
16For with the fire of the Lord all the earth shall be judged, and all flesh with his sword: many shall be slain by the Lord.
17They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves in the gardens, and eat swine's flesh in the porches, and the abominations, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, says the Lord.
18And I know their works and their imagination. I am going to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
19And I will leave a sign upon them, and I will send forth them that have escaped of them to the nations, to Tharsis, and Phud, and Lud, and Mosoch, and to Thobel, and to Greece, and to the isles afar off, to those who have not heard my name, nor seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.
20And they shall bring your brethren out of all nations for a gift to the Lord with horses, and chariots, in litters drawn by mules with awnings, to the holy city Jerusalem, said the Lord, as though the children of Israel should bring their sacrifices to me with psalms into the house of the Lord.
21And I will take of them priests and Levites, says the Lord.
22For as the new heaven and the new earth, which I make, remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your seed and your name continue.
23And it shall come to pass from month to month, and from sabbath to sabbath, that all flesh shall come to worship before me in Jerusalem, says the Lord.
24And they shall go forth, and see the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched; and they shall be a spectacle to all flesh.
Genesis 49.33-50.26
(Vespers)
33And Jacob ceased giving charges to his sons; and having lifted up his feet on the bed, he died, and was gathered to his people.
1And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept on him, and kissed him.
2And Joseph commanded his servants the embalmers to embalm his father; and the embalmers embalmed Israel.
3And they fulfilled forty days for him, for so are the days of embalming numbered; and Egypt mourned for him seventy days.
4And when the days of mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the princes of Pharao, saying, If I have found favor in your sight, speak concerning me in the ears of Pharao, saying,
5My father adjured me, saying, In the sepulchre which I dug for myself in the land of Chanaan, there you shall bury me; now then I will go up and bury my father, and return again.
6And Pharao said to Joseph, Go up, bury your father, as he constrained you to swear.
7So Joseph went up to bury his father; and all the servants of Pharao went up with him, and the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt.
8And all the household of Joseph, and his brethren, and all the house of his father, and his kindred; and they left behind the sheep and the oxen in the land of Gesem.
9And there went up with him also chariots and horsemen; and there was a very great company.
10And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan; and they bewailed him with a great and very sore lamentation; and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
11And the inhabitants of the land of Chanaan saw the mourning at the floor of Atad, and said, This is a great mourning to the Egyptians; therefore he called its name, The mourning of Egypt, which is beyond Jordan.
12And thus his sons did to him.
13So his sons carried him up into the land of Chanaan, and buried him in the double cave, which cave Abraam bought for possession of a burying place, of Ephrom the Chettite, before Mambre.
14And Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brethren, and those that had gone up with him to bury his father.
15And when the brethren of Joseph saw that their father was dead, they said, Let us take heed, lest at any time Joseph remember evil against us, and recompense to us all the evils which we have done against him.
16And they came to Joseph, and said, Your father adjured us before his death, saying,
17Thus say youpl to Joseph, Forgive them their injustice and their sin, forasmuch as they have done you evil; and now pardon the injustice of the servants of the God of your father. And Joseph wept while they spoke to him.
18And they came to him and said, We, these persons, are your servants.
19And Joseph said to them, Fear not, for I am God's.
20Youpl took counsel against me for evil, but God took counsel for me for good, that the matter might be as it is today, and much people might be fed.
21And he said to them, Fear not, I will maintain you, and your families: and he comforted them, and spoke kindly to them.
22And Joseph lived in Egypt, he and his brethren, and all the family of his father; and Joseph lived one hundred and ten years.
23And Joseph saw the children of Ephraim to the third generation; and the sons of Machir the son of Manasse were borne on the sides of Joseph.
24And Joseph spoke to his brethren, saying, I die, and God will surely visit you, and will bring you out of this land to the land concerning which God swore to our fathers, Abraam, Isaac, and Jacob.
25And Joseph adjured the sons of Israel, saying, At the visitation with which God shall visit you, then youpl shall carry up my bones hence with you.
26And Joseph died, aged one hundred and ten years; and they prepared his corpse, and put him in a coffin in Egypt.
Proverbs 31.8-31
(Vespers)
8Open your mouth with the word of God, and judge all fairly.
9Open your mouth and judge justly, and plead the cause of the poor and weak.
10Who shall find a virtuous woman? for such a one is more valuable than precious stones.
11The heart of her husband trusts in her: such a one shall stand in no need of fine spoils.
12For she employs all her living for her husband's good.
13Gathering wool and flax, she makes it serviceable with her hands.
14She is like a ship trading from a distance: so she procures her livelihood.
15And she rises by night, and gives food to her household, and appointed tasks to her maidens.
16She views a farm, and buys it: and with the fruit of her hands she plants a possession.
17She strongly girds her loins, and strengthens her arms for work.
18And she finds by experience that working is good; and her candle goes not out all night.
19She reaches forth her arms to needful works, and applies her hands to the spindle.
20And she opens her hands to the needy, and reaches out fruit to the poor.
21Her husband is not anxious about those at home when he tarries anywhere abroad: for all her household are clothed.
22She makes for her husband clothes of double texture, and garments for herself of fine linen and scarlet.
23And her husband becomes a distinguished person in the gates, when he sits in council with the old inhabitants of the land.
24She makes fine linens, and sells girdles to the Chananites: she opens her mouth heedfully and with propriety, and controls her tongue.
25She puts on strength and honor; and rejoices in the last days.
26But she opens her mouth wisely, and according to law.
27The ways of her household are careful, and she eats not the bread of idleness.
28And her kindness to them sets up her children for them, and they grow rich, and her husband praises her.
29Many daughters have obtained wealth, many have wrought valiantly; but you have exceeded, you have surpassed all.
30Charms are false, and woman's beauty is vain: for it is a wise woman that is blessed, and let her praise the fear the Lord.
31Give her of the fruit of her lips; and let her husband be praised in the gates.
Acts 12.1-11
(Epistle, St James)
1Now about that time, King Herod stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly.
2He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.
3When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This was during the days of unleavened bread.
4When he had arrested him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.
5Peter therefore was kept in the prison, but constant prayer was made by the assembly to God for him.
6The same night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. Guards in front of the door kept the prison.
7And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Stand up quickly!” His chains fell off his hands.
8The angel said to him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” He did so. He said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.”
9And he went out and followed him. He didn’t know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he saw a vision.
10When they were past the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
11When Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I truly know that the Lord has sent out his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from everything the Jewish people were expecting.”
Luke 5.1-11
(Gospel, St James)
1Now while the multitude pressed on him and heard the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.
2He saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.
3He entered into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
5Simon answered him, “Master, we worked all night and caught nothing; but at your word I will let down the net.”
6When they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net was breaking.
7They beckoned to their partners in the other boat, that they should come and help them. They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.
8But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.”
9For he was amazed, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had caught;
10and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will be catching people alive.”
11When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything, and followed him.