Daily Lectionary Readings for August 29, 2025

Daily Lectionary Readings (Two-Year Cycle)

Daily Lectionary Readings for August 29, 2025 By Daily Lectionary Readings, Friday, August 29, 2025 12:00 AM Morning Psalm 88 1   O LORD, God of my salvation,      when, at night, I cry out in your presence, 2   let my prayer come before you;           incline your ear to my cry. 3   For my soul is full of troubles,           and my life draws near to Sheol. 4   I am counted among those who go down to the Pit;           I am like those who have no help, 5   like those forsaken among the dead,           like the slain that lie in the grave,      like those whom you remember no more,           for they are cut off from your hand. 6   You have put me in the depths of the Pit,           in the regions dark and deep. 7   Your wrath lies heavy upon me,           and you overwhelm me with all your waves.               Selah 8   You have caused my companions to shun me;           you have made me a thing of horror to them.      I am shut in so that I cannot escape; 9        my eye grows dim through sorrow.      Every day I call on you, O LORD;           I spread out my hands to you. 10  Do you work wonders for the dead?           Do the shades rise up to praise you?                                   Selah 11  Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,           or your faithfulness in Abaddon? 12  Are your wonders known in the darkness,           or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness? 13  But I, O LORD, cry out to you;           in the morning my prayer comes before you. 14  O LORD, why do you cast me off?           Why do you hide your face from me? 15  Wretched and close to death from my youth up,           I suffer your terrors; I am desperate. 16  Your wrath has swept over me;           your dread assaults destroy me. 17  They surround me like a flood all day long;           from all sides they close in on me. 18  You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me;           my companions are in darkness. Morning Psalm 148 1   Praise the Lord!      Praise the Lord from the heavens;           praise him in the heights! 2   Praise him, all his angels;           praise him, all his host! 3   Praise him, sun and moon;           praise him, all you shining stars! 4   Praise him, you highest heavens,           and you waters above the heavens! 5   Let them praise the name of the Lord,           for he commanded and they were created. 6   He established them forever and ever;           he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. 7   Praise the Lord from the earth,           you sea monsters and all deeps, 8   fire and hail, snow and frost,           stormy wind fulfilling his command! 9   Mountains and all hills,           fruit trees and all cedars! 10  Wild animals and all cattle,           creeping things and flying birds! 11  Kings of the earth and all peoples,           princes and all rulers of the earth! 12  Young men and women alike,           old and young together! 13  Let them praise the name of the Lord,           for his name alone is exalted;           his glory is above earth and heaven. 14  He has raised up a horn for his people,           praise for all his faithful,           for the people of Israel who are close to him.      Praise the Lord! First Reading 1 Kings 5:1-6:1, 6:7 5:1Now King Hiram of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father; for Hiram had always been a friend to David. 2Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, 3“You know that my father David could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet. 4But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune. 5So I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD said to my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, shall build the house for my name.’ 6Therefore command that cedars from the Lebanon be cut for me. My servants will join your servants, and I will give you whatever wages you set for your servants; for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.” 7When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly, and said, “Blessed be the LORD today, who has given to David a wise son to be over this great people.” 8Hiram sent word to Solomon, “I have heard the message that you have sent to me; I will fulfill all your needs in the matter of cedar and cypress timber. 9My servants shall bring it down to the sea from the Lebanon; I will make it into rafts to go by sea to the place you indicate. I will have them broken up there for you to take away. And you shall meet my needs by providing food for my household.” 10So Hiram supplied Solomon’s every need for timber of cedar and cypress. 11Solomon in turn gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty cors of fine oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year. 12So the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and the two of them made a treaty. 13King Solomon conscripted forced labor out of all Israel; the levy numbered thirty thousand men. 14He sent them to the Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts; they would be a month in the Lebanon and two months at home; Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. 15Solomon also had seventy thousand laborers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hill country, 16besides Solomon’s three thousand three hundred supervisors who were over the work, having charge of the people who did the work. 17At the king’s command, they quarried out great, costly stones in order to lay the foundation of the house with dressed stones. 18So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Giblites did the stonecutting and prepared the timber and the stone to build the house. 6:1In the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the LORD. 7The house was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron was heard in the temple while it was being built. Second Reading Acts 28:1-16 1After we had reached safety, we then learned that the island was called Malta. 2The natives showed us unusual kindness. Since it had begun to rain and was cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed all of us around it. 3Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire, when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man must be a murderer; though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.” 5He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6They were expecting him to swell up or drop dead, but after they had waited a long time and saw that nothing unusual had happened to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god. 7Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8It so happened that the father of Publius lay sick in bed with fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and cured him by praying and putting his hands on him. 9After this happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. 10They bestowed many honors on us, and when we were about to sail, they put on board all the provisions we needed. 11Three months later we set sail on a ship that had wintered at the island, an Alexandrian ship with the Twin Brothers as its figurehead. 12We put in at Syracuse and stayed there for three days; 13then we weighed anchor and came to Rhegium. After one day there a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14There we found believers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15The believers from there, when they heard of us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. 16When we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him. Gospel Reading Mark 14:27-42 27And Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters; for it is written,      ‘I will strike the shepherd,           and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29Peter said to him, “Even though all become deserters, I will not.” 30Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31But he said vehemently, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And all of them said the same. 32They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. 34And said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” 35And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.” 37He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? 38Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him. 41He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.” Evening Psalm 6 1   O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger,           or discipline me in your wrath. 2   Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing;           O LORD, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror. 3   My soul also is struck with terror,           while you, O LORD — how long? 4   Turn, O LORD, save my life;           deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love. 5   For in death there is no remembrance of you;           in Sheol who can give you praise? 6   I am weary with my moaning;           every night I flood my bed with tears;           I drench my couch with my weeping. 7   My eyes waste away because of grief;           they grow weak because of all my foes. 8   Depart from me, all you workers of evil,           for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. 9   The LORD has heard my supplication;           the LORD accepts my prayer. 10  All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror;           they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame. Evening Psalm 20 1   The LORD answer you in the day of trouble!           The name of the God of Jacob protect you! 2   May he send you help from the sanctuary,           and give you support from Zion. 3   May he remember all your offerings,           and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices.                    Selah 4   May he grant your heart’s desire           and fulfill all your plans. 5   May we shout for joy over your victory,           and in the name of our God set up our banners.      May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. 6   Now I know that the LORD will help his anointed;           he will answer him from his holy heaven           with mighty victories by his right hand. 7   Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,           but our pride is in the name of the LORD our God. 8   They will collapse and fall,           but we shall rise and stand upright. 9   Give victory to the king, O LORD;           answer us when we call. Read more »

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Scared Altars and Holy Offerings - Sacrifices of Praise (Hebrews 13:9-21)

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: Scared Altars and Holy Offerings - Sacrifices of P...: During the summer months, we're exploring worship, sacrifice, and offerings. On Sundays, at 9:00 a.m. we’ll be looking at the following ...

Bible Readings for August 29, 2025

Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today our passages are Job 31:1–33:33; 2 Corinthians 3:1-18; Psalm 43:1-5; and Proverbs 22:8-9.  The readings are the Contemporary English Version. 

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Job 31-33:33 (Contemporary English Version)

Job 31

Job Continues

I Promised Myself

 ¹I promised myself    never to stare with desire
   at a young woman.
    ²God All-Powerful punishes
   men who do that.
    ³In fact, God sends disaster
   on all who sin,
    ⁴and he keeps a close watch
   on everything I do.
    ⁵I am not dishonest or deceitful,
    ⁶and I beg God to prove
   my innocence.
    ⁷If I have disobeyed him
   or even wanted to,
    ⁸then others can eat my harvest
   and uproot my crops.
    ⁹If I have desired someone's wife
   and chased after her,
    ¹⁰then let some stranger
   steal my wife from me.
    ¹¹If I took someone's wife,
   it would be a horrible crime,
    ¹²sending me to destruction
   and my crops to the flames. ^[a] ¹³When my servants
   complained against me,
   I was fair to them.
    ¹⁴Otherwise, what answer
   would I give to God
   when he judges me?
    ¹⁵After all, God is the one
   who gave life to each of us
   before we were born.     

I Have Never Cheated Anyone

 ¹⁶I have never cheated widows    or others in need,
    ¹⁷and I have always shared
   my food with orphans.
    ¹⁸Since the time I was young,
   I have cared for orphans
   and helped widows. ^[b] ¹⁹I provided clothes for the poor,
    ²⁰and I was praised
   for supplying woolen garments
   to keep them warm.
    ²¹If I have ever raised my arm
   to threaten an orphan
   when the power was mine,
    ²²I hope that arm will fall
   from its socket.
    ²³I could not have been abusive;
   I was terrified at the thought
   that God might punish me.
    ²⁴I have never trusted
   the power of wealth,
    ²⁵or taken pride in owning
   many possessions.
    ²⁶I have never openly or secretly
    ²⁷worshiped the sun or moon.
    ²⁸Such horrible sins
   would have deserved
   punishment from God.
    ²⁹I have never laughed
   when my enemies
   were struck by disaster.
    ³⁰Neither have I sinned
   by asking God
   to send down on them
   the curse of death.
    ³¹No one ever went hungry ^[c] at my house,
    ³²and travelers
   were always welcome.
    ³³Many have attempted to hide
   their sins from others--
   but I refused.
    ³⁴And the fear of public disgrace
   never forced me
   to keep silent
   about what I had done.     

Why Doesn't God Listen?

 ³⁵Why doesn't God All-Powerful    listen and answer?
   If God has something against me,
   let him speak up
   or put it in writing!
    ³⁶Then I would wear his charges
   on my clothes and forehead.
    ³⁷And with my head held high,
   I would tell him everything
   I have ever done.
    ³⁸I have never mistreated
   the land I farmed
   and made it mourn. ^[d] ³⁹Nor have I cheated
   my workers
   and caused them pain. ^[e] ⁴⁰If I had, I would pray
   for weeds instead of wheat
   to grow in my fields.
   After saying these things,
   Job was silent.
    

Job 32

Elihu Is Upset with Job's Friends

 ¹Finally, these three men stopped arguing with Job, because he refused to admit that he was guilty.     ²Elihu from Buz ^[f] was there, and he had become upset with Job for blaming God instead of himself. ³He was also angry with Job's three friends for not being able to prove that Job was wrong. ⁴Elihu was younger than these three, and he let them speak first. ⁵But he became irritated when they could not answer Job, ⁶and he said to them: I am much younger than you,
   so I have shown respect
   by keeping silent.
    ⁷I once believed age
   was the source of wisdom;
    ⁸now I truly realize
   wisdom comes from God.
    ⁹Age is no guarantee of wisdom
   and understanding.
    ¹⁰That's why I ask you
   to listen to me.     

I Eagerly Listened

 ¹¹I eagerly listened    to each of your arguments,
    ¹²but not one of you proved
   Job to be wrong.
    ¹³You shouldn't say,
   "We know what's right!
   Let God punish him."
    ¹⁴Job hasn't spoken against me,
   and so I won't answer him
   with your arguments.
    ¹⁵All of you are shocked;
   you don't know what to say.
    ¹⁶But am I to remain silent,
   just because you
   have stopped speaking?
    ¹⁷No! I will give my opinion,
    ¹⁸because I have so much to say,
   that I can't keep quiet.
    ¹⁹I am like a swollen wineskin,
   and I will burst ^[g] ²⁰if I don't speak.
    ²¹I don't know how to be unfair
   or to flatter anyone--
    ²²if I did, my Creator
   would quickly destroy me!
    

Job 33

Elihu Speaks

Job, Listen to Me!

 ¹Job, listen to me!    Pay close attention.
    ²Everything I will say
    ³is true and sincere,
    ⁴just as surely as the Spirit
   of God All-Powerful ^[h] gave me the breath of life.
    ⁵Now line up your arguments
   and prepare to face me.
    ⁶We each were made from clay,
   and God has no favorites,
    ⁷so don't be afraid of me
   or what I might do.     

I Have Heard You Argue

 ⁸I have heard you argue     ⁹that you are innocent,
   guilty of nothing.
    ¹⁰You claim that God
   has made you his enemy,
    ¹¹that he has bound your feet
   and blocked your path.
    ¹²But, Job, you're wrong--
   God is greater
   than any human.
    ¹³So why do you challenge God
   to answer you? ^[i] ¹⁴God speaks in different ways,
   and we don't always
   recognize his voice.
    ¹⁵Sometimes in the night,
   he uses terrifying dreams
    ¹⁶to give us warnings.
    ¹⁷God does this to make us turn
   from sin and pride
    ¹⁸and to protect us
   from being swept away
   to the world of the dead.
    ¹⁹Sometimes we are punished
   with a serious illness
   and aching joints.
    ²⁰Merely the thought
   of our favorite food
   makes our stomachs sick,
    ²¹and we become so skinny
   that our bones stick out.
    ²²We feel death and the grave
   taking us in their grip.
    ²³One of a thousand angels
   then comes to our rescue
   by saying we are innocent.
    ²⁴The angel shows kindness,
   commanding death to release us,
   because the price was paid.
    ²⁵Our health is restored,
   we feel young again,
    ²⁶and we ask God to accept us.
   Then we joyfully worship God,
   and we are rewarded
   because we are innocent.
    ²⁷When that happens,
   we tell everyone,
   "I sinned and did wrong,
   but God forgave me
    ²⁸and rescued me from death!
   Now I will see the light."
    ²⁹God gives each of us
   chance after chance
    ³⁰to be saved from death
   and brought into the light
   that gives life.
    ³¹So, Job, pay attention
   and don't interrupt,
    ³²though I would gladly listen
   to anything you say
   that proves you are right.
    ³³Otherwise, listen in silence
   to my wisdom.
    

Footnotes:

1. Job 31:12 flames: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 12.
2. Job 31:18 widows: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 18.
3. Job 31:31 ever went hungry: Or "was ever sexually abused" (see Genesis 19.1-11; Judges 19.22-30). In ancient Israel, the lives of one's guests were sacred and had to be protected at any cost.
4. Job 31:38 mourn: In biblical times there were strict regulations for proper use of the land, and land that was abused was said to "mourn" and become no longer productive.
5. Job 31:39 pain: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 39.
6. Job 32:2 Elihu from Buz: The Hebrew text has "Elihu son of Barachel from Buz of the family of Ram." Buz may have been somewhere in the territory of Edom; in Jeremiah 25.23 it is mentioned along with Dedan and Tema (see 6.19).
7. Job 32:19 swollen wineskin. . . burst: While the juice from grapes was becoming wine, it would swell and stretch the skins in which it had been stored; sometimes the swelling would burst the wineskins.
8. Job 33:4 the Spirit of God All-Powerful: Or "God All-Powerful."
9. Job 33:13 answer you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 13.

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2 Corinthians 3:1-18 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Corinthians 3

God's New Agreement

 ¹Are we once again bragging about ourselves? Do we need letters to you or from you to tell others about us? Some people do need letters that tell about them. ²But you are our letter, and you are in our ^[a] hearts for everyone to read and understand. ³You are like a letter written by Christ and delivered by us. But you are not written with pen and ink or on tablets made of stone. You are written in our hearts by the Spirit of the living God. ⁴We are sure about all this. Christ makes us sure in the very presence of God. ⁵We don't have the right to claim that we have done anything on our own. God gives us what it takes to do all that we do. ⁶He makes us worthy to be the servants of his new agreement that comes from the Holy Spirit and not from a written Law. After all, the Law brings death, but the Spirit brings life.     ⁷The Law of Moses brought only the promise of death, even though it was carved on stones and given in a wonderful way. Still the Law made Moses' face shine so brightly that the people of Israel could not look at it, even though it was a fading glory. ⁸So won't the agreement that the Spirit brings to us be even more wonderful? ⁹If something that brings the death sentence is glorious, won't something that makes us acceptable to God be even more glorious? ¹⁰In fact, the new agreement is so wonderful that the Law is no longer glorious at all. ¹¹The Law was given with a glory that faded away. But the glory of the new agreement is much greater, because it will never fade away.
    ¹²This wonderful hope makes us feel like speaking freely. ¹³We are not like Moses. His face was shining, but he covered it to keep the people of Israel from seeing the brightness fade away. ¹⁴The people were stubborn, and something still keeps them from seeing the truth when the Law is read. Only Christ can take away the covering that keeps them from seeing.
    ¹⁵When the Law of Moses is read, they have their minds covered over ¹⁶with a covering that is removed only for those who turn to the Lord. ¹⁷The Lord and the Spirit are one and the same, and the Lord's Spirit sets us free. ¹⁸So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord's Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord.
    

Footnotes:

1. 2 Corinthians 3:2 our: Some manuscripts have "your."

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Psalm 43:1-5 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 43

A Prayer in Times of Trouble

 ¹Show that I am right, God!    Defend me against everyone
   who doesn't know you;
   rescue me from each
   of those deceitful liars.
    ²I run to you
   for protection.
   Why have you turned me away?
   Why must enemies mistreat me
   and make me sad?
    ³Send your light and your truth
   to guide me.
   Let them lead me to your house
   on your sacred mountain.
    ⁴Then I will worship
   at your altar
   because you
   make me joyful.
   You are my God,
   and I will praise you.
   Yes, I will praise you
   as I play my harp.
    ⁵Why am I discouraged?
   Why am I restless?
   I trust you!
   And I will praise you again
   because you help me,
   and you are my God.

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Proverbs 22:8-9 (Contemporary English Version)

⁸Troublemakers get in trouble,
   and their terrible anger
   will get them nowhere.
    ⁹The LORD blesses everyone
   who freely gives food
   to the poor.

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Thought for the Day

 

“Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman.” (Galatians 3:28 - Contemporary English Version) In the world, we separate people into groups so that we can feel justified in rewarding those whom we like and excluding those whom we don't. But these distinctions don't exist in Christ Jesus. He recognizes our equality within our diversity. 

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Quote for the Day

American retired police officer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Washington's 8th congressional district from 2005 to 2019, Dave Reichert wrote, "Gang violence in America is not a sudden problem. It has been a part of urban life for years, offering an aggressive definition and identity to those seeking a place to belong in the chaos of large metropolitan areas."

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A Joke for Today

Larry's barn burned down and his wife, Susan, called the insurance company.

Susan told the insurance company, "We had that barn insured for fifty thousand and I want my money."

The agent replied, "Whoa there, just a minute, Susan. Insurance doesn't work quite like that. We will ascertain the value of what was insured and provide you with a new one of comparable worth."

There was a long pause before Susan replied, "Then I'd like to cancel the policy on my husband."

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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 children be protected from those who are not seeking their best interest.