Daily Lectionary Readings for October 17, 2026

Daily Lectionary Readings (Two-Year Cycle)

Lectionary Readings for Saturday, October 17, 2026

Morning Psalm 56 1   Be gracious to me, O God, for people trample on me;           all day long foes oppress me; 2   my enemies trample on me all day long,           for many fight against me.      O Most High, 3 when I am afraid,           I put my trust in you. 4   In God, whose word I praise,           in God I trust; I am not afraid;           what can flesh do to me? 5   All day long they seek to injure my cause;           all their thoughts are against me for evil. 6   They stir up strife, they lurk,           they watch my steps.      As they hoped to have my life, 7        so repay them for their crime;           in wrath cast down the peoples, O God! 8   You have kept count of my tossings;           put my tears in your bottle.           Are they not in your record? 9   Then my enemies will retreat           in the day when I call.           This I know, that God is for me. 10  In God, whose word I praise,           in the LORD, whose word I praise, 11  in God I trust; I am not afraid.           What can a mere mortal do to me? 12  My vows to you I must perform, O God;           I will render thank offerings to you. 13  For you have delivered my soul from death,           and my feet from falling,      so that I may walk before God           in the light of life Morning Psalm 149 1   Praise the Lord!      Sing to the Lord a new song,           his praise in the assembly of the faithful. 2   Let Israel be glad in its Maker;           let the children of Zion rejoice in their King. 3   Let them praise his name with dancing,           making melody to him with tambourine and lyre. 4   For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;           he adorns the humble with victory. 5   Let the faithful exult in glory;           let them sing for joy on their couches. 6   Let the high praises of God be in their throats           and two-edged swords in their hands, 7   to execute vengeance on the nations           and punishment on the peoples, 8   to bind their kings with fetters           and their nobles with chains of iron, 9   to execute on them the judgment decreed.           This is glory for all his faithful ones.      Praise the Lord! First Reading Hosea 14:1-9 1Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. 2Take words with you and return to the LORD; say to him, "Take away all guilt; accept that which is good, and we will offer the fruit of our lips. 3Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses; we will say no more, 'Our God,' to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy." 4I will heal their disloyalty; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. 5I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily, he shall strike root like the forests of Lebanon. 6His shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive tree, and his fragrance like that of Lebanon. 7They shall again live beneath my shadow, they shall flourish as a garden; they shall blossom like the vine, their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon. 8O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; your faithfulness comes from me. 9Those who are wise understand these things; those who are discerning know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them. Second Reading Acts 28:17-31 17Three days later he called together the local leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, "Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, yet I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18When they had examined me, the Romans wanted to release me, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to the emperor - even though I had no charge to bring against my nation. 20For this reason therefore I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is for the sake of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain." 21They replied, "We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken anything evil about you. 22But we would like to hear from you what you think, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against." 23After they had set a day to meet with him, they came to him at his lodgings in great numbers. From morning until evening he explained the matter to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. 24Some were convinced by what he had said, while others refused to believe. 25So they disagreed with each other; and as they were leaving, Paul made one further statement: "The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah, 26'Go to this people and say, You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. 27For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn - and I would heal them.' 28Let it be known to you then that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen." 29, 30He lived there two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, 31proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. Gospel Reading Luke 9:37-50 37On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38Just then a man from the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. 39Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. 40I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." 41Jesus answered, "You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." 42While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43And all were astounded at the greatness of God. While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing, he said to his disciples, 44"Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands." 45But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying. 46An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. 47But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, 48and said to them, "Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest." 49John answered, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us." 50But Jesus said to him, "Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you." Evening Psalm 118 1   O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;           his steadfast love endures forever! 2   Let Israel say,           “His steadfast love endures forever.” 3   Let the house of Aaron say,           “His steadfast love endures forever.” 4   Let those who fear the LORD say,           “His steadfast love endures forever.” 5   Out of my distress I called on the LORD;           the LORD answered me and set me in a broad place. 6   With the LORD on my side I do not fear.           What can mortals do to me? 7   The LORD is on my side to help me;           I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. 8   It is better to take refuge in the LORD           than to put confidence in mortals. 9   It is better to take refuge in the LORD           than to put confidence in princes. 10  All nations surrounded me;           in the name of the LORD I cut them off! 11  They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;           in the name of the LORD I cut them off! 12  They surrounded me like bees;           they blazed like a fire of thorns;           in the name of the LORD I cut them off! 13  I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,           but the LORD helped me. 14  The LORD is my strength and my might;           he has become my salvation. 15  There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:      “The right hand of the LORD does valiantly; 16       the right hand of the LORD is exalted;           the right hand of the LORD does valiantly.” 17  I shall not die, but I shall live,           and recount the deeds of the LORD. 18  The LORD has punished me severely,           but he did not give me over to death. 19  Open to me the gates of righteousness,           that I may enter through them           and give thanks to the LORD. 20  This is the gate of the LORD;           the righteous shall enter through it. 21  I thank you that you have answered me           and have become my salvation. 22  The stone that the builders rejected           has become the chief cornerstone. 23  This is the LORD’s doing;           it is marvelous in our eyes. 24  This is the day that the LORD has made;           let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25  Save us, we beseech you, O LORD!           O LORD, we beseech you, give us success! 26  Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD.           We bless you from the house of the LORD. 27  The LORD is God,           and he has given us light.      Bind the festal procession with branches,           up to the horns of the altar. 28  You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;           you are my God, I will extol you. 29  O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,           for his steadfast love endures forever. Evening Psalm 111 1   Praise the LORD!      I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart,           in the company of the upright, in the congregation. 2   Great are the works of the LORD,           studied by all who delight in them. 3   Full of honor and majesty is his work,           and his righteousness endures forever. 4   He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds;           the LORD is gracious and merciful. 5   He provides food for those who fear him;           he is ever mindful of his covenant. 6   He has shown his people the power of his works,           in giving them the heritage of the nations. 7   The works of his hands are faithful and just;           all his precepts are trustworthy. 8   They are established forever and ever,           to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. 9   He sent redemption to his people;           he has commanded his covenant forever.           Holy and awesome is his name. 10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;           all those who practice it have a good understanding.           His praise endures forever.

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Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202

Bible Readings for October 17, 2026

 

Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today, our passages are Jeremiah 30:1–31:26; 1 Timothy 2:1-15; Psalm 87:1-7; and Proverbs 25:18-19. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

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Jeremiah 30-31:26 (The Message)

Jeremiah 30

Don't Despair, Israel

 ^1-2 This is the Message Jeremiah received from God: "God's Message, the God of Israel: 'Write everything I tell you in a book. ³"'Look. The time is coming when I will turn everything around for my people, both Israel and Judah. I, God, say so. I'll bring them back to the land I gave their ancestors, and they'll take up ownership again.'"  ⁴This is the way God put it to Israel and Judah:

 ^5-7"God's Message:
   "'Cries of panic are being heard.
   The peace has been shattered.
Ask around! Look around!
   Can men bear babies?
So why do I see all these he-men
   holding their bellies like women in labor,
Faces contorted,
   pale as death?
The blackest of days,
   no day like it ever!
A time of deep trouble for Jacob—
   but he'll come out of it alive.
 ^8-9"'And then I'll enter the darkness.
   I'll break the yoke from their necks,
Cut them loose from the harness.
   No more slave labor to foreigners!
They'll serve their God
   and the David-King I'll establish for them.
 ^10-11"'So fear no more, Jacob, dear servant.
   Don't despair, Israel.
Look up! I'll save you out of faraway places,
   I'll bring your children back from exile.
Jacob will come back and find life good,
   safe and secure.
I'll be with you. I'll save you.
   I'll finish off all the godless nations
Among which I've scattered you,
   but I won't finish you off.
I'll punish you, but fairly.
   I won't send you off with just a slap on the wrist.'
 ^12-15"This is God's Message:
   "'You're a burned-out case,
   as good as dead.
Everyone has given up on you.
   You're hopeless.
All your fair-weather friends have skipped town
   without giving you a second thought.
But I delivered the knockout blow,
   a punishment you will never forget,
Because of the enormity of your guilt,
   the endless list of your sins.
So why all this self-pity, licking your wounds?
   You deserve all this, and more.
Because of the enormity of your guilt,
   the endless list of your sins,
I've done all this to you.
 ^16-17"'Everyone who hurt you will be hurt;
   your enemies will end up as slaves.
Your plunderers will be plundered;
   your looters will become loot.
As for you, I'll come with healing,
   curing the incurable,
Because they all gave up on you
   and dismissed you as hopeless—
   that good-for-nothing Zion.'
 ^18-21"Again, God's Message:
   "'I'll turn things around for Jacob.
   I'll compassionately come in and rebuild homes.
The town will be rebuilt on its old foundations;
   the mansions will be splendid again.
Thanksgivings will pour out of the windows;
   laughter will spill through the doors.
Things will get better and better.
   Depression days are over.
They'll thrive, they'll flourish.
   The days of contempt will be over.
They'll look forward to having children again,
   to being a community in which I take pride.
I'll punish anyone who hurts them,
   and their prince will come from their own ranks.
One of their own people shall be their leader.
   Their ruler will come from their own ranks.
I'll grant him free and easy access to me.
   Would anyone dare to do that on his own,
   to enter my presence uninvited?' God's Decree.
 ²²"'And that's it: You'll be my very own people,
   I'll be your very own God.'"
 ^23-24Look out! God's hurricane is let loose,
   his hurricane blast,
Spinning the heads of the wicked like dust devils!
   God's raging anger won't let up
Until he's made a clean sweep
   completing the job he began.
When the job's done
   you'll see it's been well done. 

Jeremiah 31

 ¹ "And when that happens"—God's Decree— "it will be plain as the sun at high noon:
I'll be the God of every man, woman, and child in Israel
   and they shall be my very own people."  ^2-6This is the way God put it:
   "They found grace out in the desert,
   these people who survived the killing.
Israel, out looking for a place to rest,
   met God out looking for them!"
God told them, "I've never quit loving you and never will.
   Expect love, love, and more love!
And so now I'll start over with you and build you up again,
   dear virgin Israel.
You'll resume your singing,
   grabbing tambourines and joining the dance.
You'll go back to your old work of planting vineyards
   on the Samaritan hillsides,
And sit back and enjoy the fruit—
   oh, how you'll enjoy those harvests!
The time's coming when watchmen will call out
   from the hilltops of Ephraim:
'On your feet! Let's go to Zion,
   go to meet our God!'"
 ⁷Oh yes, God says so:
   "Shout for joy at the top of your lungs for Jacob!
   Announce the good news to the number-one nation!
Raise cheers! Sing praises. Say,
   'God has saved his people,
   saved the core of Israel.'
 ⁸"Watch what comes next: "I'll bring my people back
   from the north country
And gather them up from the ends of the earth,
   gather those who've gone blind
And those who are lame and limping,
   gather pregnant women,
Even the mothers whose birth pangs have started,
   bring them all back, a huge crowd!
 ⁹"Watch them come! They'll come weeping for joy
   as I take their hands and lead them,
Lead them to fresh flowing brooks,
   lead them along smooth, uncluttered paths.
Yes, it's because I'm Israel's Father
   and Ephraim's my firstborn son!
 ^10-14"Hear this, nations! God's Message!
   Broadcast this all over the world!
Tell them, 'The One who scattered Israel
   will gather them together again.
From now on he'll keep a careful eye on them,
   like a shepherd with his flock.'
I, God, will pay a stiff ransom price for Jacob;
   I'll free him from the grip of the Babylonian bully.
The people will climb up Zion's slopes shouting with joy,
   their faces beaming because of God's bounty—
Grain and wine and oil,
   flocks of sheep, herds of cattle.
Their lives will be like a well-watered garden,
   never again left to dry up.
Young women will dance and be happy,
   young men and old men will join in.
I'll convert their weeping into laughter,
   lavishing comfort, invading their grief with joy.
I'll make sure that their priests get three square meals a day
   and that my people have more than enough.'" God's Decree.
 ^15-17Again, God's Message:
   "Listen to this! Laments coming out of Ramah,
   wild and bitter weeping.
It's Rachel weeping for her children,
   Rachel refusing all solace.
Her children are gone,
   gone—long gone into exile."
But God says, "Stop your incessant weeping,
   hold back your tears.
Collect wages from your grief work." God's Decree.
   "They'll be coming back home!
There's hope for your children." God's Decree.
 ^18-19"I've heard the contrition of Ephraim.
   Yes, I've heard it clearly, saying,
'You trained me well.
   You broke me, a wild yearling horse, to the saddle.
Now put me, trained and obedient, to use.
   You are my God.
After those years of running loose, I repented.
   After you trained me to obedience,
I was ashamed of my past, my wild, unruly past.
   Humiliated, I beat on my chest.
Will I ever live this down?'
 ²⁰"Oh! Ephraim is my dear, dear son,
   my child in whom I take pleasure!
Every time I mention his name,
   my heart bursts with longing for him!
Everything in me cries out for him.
   Softly and tenderly I wait for him." God's Decree.
 ^21-22"Set up signposts to mark your trip home.
   Get a good map.
Study the road conditions.
   The road out is the road back.
Come back, dear virgin Israel,
   come back to your hometowns.
How long will you flit here and there, indecisive?
   How long before you make up your fickle mind?
God will create a new thing in this land:
   A transformed woman will embrace the transforming God!"
 ^23-24A Message from Israel's God-of-the-Angel-Armies: "When I've turned everything around and brought my people back, the old expressions will be heard on the streets: 'God bless you!'...'O True Home!'...'O Holy Mountain!' All Judah's people, whether in town or country, will get along just fine with each other.
 ²⁵I'll refresh tired bodies;
   I'll restore tired souls.
 ²⁶Just then I woke up and looked around—what a pleasant and satisfying sleep!

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1 Timothy 2:1-15 (The Message)

1 Timothy 2

Simple Faith and Plain Truth

 ^1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.  ^4-7He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we've learned: that there's one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.
 ^8-10Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray—not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God. And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it.
 ^11-15I don't let women take over and tell the men what to do. They should study to be quiet and obedient along with everyone else. Adam was made first, then Eve; woman was deceived first—our pioneer in sin!—with Adam right on her heels. On the other hand, her childbearing brought about salvation, reversing Eve. But this salvation only comes to those who continue in faith, love, and holiness, gathering it all into maturity. You can depend on this.

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Psalm 87:1-7 (The Message)

Psalm 87

A Korah Psalm

 ^1-3 He founded Zion on the Holy Mountain— and oh, how God loves his home!
   Loves it far better than all
      the homes of Jacob put together!
   God's hometown—oh!
      everyone there is talking about you!

 ⁴ I name them off, those among whom I'm famous:
      Egypt and Babylon,
      also Philistia,
      even Tyre, along with Cush.
   Word's getting around; they point them out:
      "This one was born again here!"

 ⁵ The word's getting out on Zion:
      "Men and women, right and left,
      get born again in her!"

 ⁶ God registers their names in his book:
      "This one, this one, and this one—
      born again, right here."

 ⁷ Singers and dancers give credit to Zion:
      "All my springs are in you!"

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Proverbs 25:18-19 (The Message)

 ¹⁸ Anyone who tells lies against the neighbors
   in court or on the street is a loose cannon.

 ¹⁹ Trusting a double-crosser when you're in trouble
   is like biting down on an abscessed tooth.

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Thought for the Day

“Our LORD, you are the friend of your worshipers, and you make an agreement with all of us. I always look to you, because you rescue me from every trap.” (Psalm 25:14-15 - Contemporary English Version) Worship offers us the opportunity to connect with God. Through the prayers we pray, the songs we sing, the praise we offer, and the Word we apply, we focus on the one who leads us and the journey that lies ahead. 

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Quote for the Day

American actress, Julie Adams wrote, "No matter what you do, you can act your heart out, but people will always say, 'Oh, Julie Adams - 'Creature from the Black Lagoon.'"

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Joke for Today

A man suffered a heart attack and had by-pass surgery. He awakened to find himself in the care of nuns at a Catholic hospital.

As he was recovering, a nun asked him how he was going to pay the bill. 

He replied in a raspy voice, "No health insurance."

The nun asked if he has money in the bank.

He replied "No money in the bank."

The nun asked " Do you have a relative who could help you?"

He said "Just a spinster sister who is a nun."

The nun, slightly perturbed, said "Nuns are not spinsters! Nuns are married to God."

The patient replied, "Then send the bill to my brother-in-law!"

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A Prayer Request

As Christians, we can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Below is the need that we're laying before God today.

That we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ by renewing our commitment to life.