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Daily Readings For February 23

Please note that two distinct lectionaries are provided on this page: the two-year Daily Lectionary from the Book of Common Worship and the three-year Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) for Sundays and festivals; be sure you select the appropriate one.

Daily Readings Sunday/Festival Readings

Daily Readings for Friday, February 23, 2024


Morning Psalm 22

1   My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
          Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
2   O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
          and by night, but find no rest.


3   Yet you are holy,
          enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4   In you our ancestors trusted;
          they trusted, and you delivered them.
5   To you they cried, and were saved;
          in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.


6   But I am a worm, and not human;
          scorned by others, and despised by the people.
7   All who see me mock at me;
          they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;
8   “Commit your cause to the LORD; let him deliver —
          let him rescue the one in whom he delights!”


9   Yet it was you who took me from the womb;
          you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.
10  On you I was cast from my birth,
          and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
11  Do not be far from me,
          for trouble is near
          and there is no one to help.


12  Many bulls encircle me,
          strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13  they open wide their mouths at me,
          like a ravening and roaring lion.


14  I am poured out like water,
          and all my bones are out of joint;
     my heart is like wax;
          it is melted within my breast;
15  my mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
          and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
          you lay me in the dust of death.

16  For dogs are all around me;
          a company of evildoers encircles me.
     My hands and feet have shriveled;
17  I can count all my bones.
     They stare and gloat over me;
18  they divide my clothes among themselves,
          and for my clothing they cast lots.


19  But you, O LORD, do not be far away!
          O my help, come quickly to my aid!
20  Deliver my soul from the sword,
          life from the power of the dog!
21       Save me from the mouth of the lion!


     From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me.
22  I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;
          in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23  You who fear the LORD, praise him!
          All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
          stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24  For he did not despise or abhor
          the affliction of the afflicted;
     he did not hide his face from me,
          but heard when I cried to him.


25  From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
          my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26  The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
          those who seek him shall praise the LORD.
          May your hearts live forever!


27  All the ends of the earth shall remember
          and turn to the LORD;
     and all the families of the nations
          shall worship before him.
28  For dominion belongs to the LORD,
          and he rules over the nations.


29  To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
          before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
          and I shall live for him.
30  Posterity will serve him;
          future generations will be told about the Lord,
31  and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
          saying that he has done it.

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 Genesis 40:1-23

1Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord the king of Egypt. 2Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. 4The captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he waited on them; and they continued for some time in custody. 5One night they both dreamed - the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison - each his own dream, and each dream with its own meaning. 6When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. 7So he asked Pharaoh's officers, who were with him in custody in his master's house, "Why are your faces downcast today?" 8They said to him, "We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them." And Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me."

9So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, "In my dream there was a vine before me, 10and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms came out and the clusters ripened into grapes. 11Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand." 12Then Joseph said to him, "This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days; 13within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you shall place Pharaoh's cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. 14But remember me when it is well with you; please do me the kindness to make mention of me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this place. 15For in fact I was stolen out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon."

16When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, "I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, 17and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head." 18And Joseph answered, "This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; 19within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head - from you! - and hang you on a pole; and the birds will eat the flesh from you."

20On the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all his servants, and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21He restored the chief cupbearer to his cupbearing, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand; 22but the chief baker he hanged, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Second Reading 1 Corinthians 3:16-23

16Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

18Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness," 20and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." 21So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future - all belong to you, 23and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

Gospel Reading Mark 2:13-22

13Jesus went out again beside the sea; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them. 14As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him.

15And as he sat at dinner in Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples - for there were many who followed him. 16When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 17When Jesus heard this, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners."

18Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" 19Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.

21"No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins."

Evening Psalm 105

1   O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name,
          make known his deeds among the peoples.
2   Sing to him, sing praises to him;
          tell of all his wonderful works.
3   Glory in his holy name;
          let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4   Seek the LORD and his strength;
          seek his presence continually.
5   Remember the wonderful works he has done,
          his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,
6   O offspring of his servant Abraham,
          children of Jacob, his chosen ones.


7   He is the LORD our God;
          his judgments are in all the earth.
8   He is mindful of his covenant forever,
          of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9   the covenant that he made with Abraham,
          his sworn promise to Isaac,
10  which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
          to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11  saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
          as your portion for an inheritance.”


12  When they were few in number,
          of little account, and strangers in it,
13  wandering from nation to nation,
          from one kingdom to another people,
14  he allowed no one to oppress them;
          he rebuked kings on their account,
15  saying, “Do not touch my anointed ones;
          do my prophets no harm.”

16  When he summoned famine against the land,
          and broke every staff of bread,
17  he had sent a man ahead of them,
          Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18  His feet were hurt with fetters,
          his neck was put in a collar of iron;
19  until what he had said came to pass,
          the word of the LORD kept testing him.
20  The king sent and released him;
          the ruler of the peoples set him free.
21  He made him lord of his house,
          and ruler of all his possessions,
22  to instruct his officials at his pleasure,
          and to teach his elders wisdom.


23  Then Israel came to Egypt;
          Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
24  And the LORD made his people very fruitful,
          and made them stronger than their foes,
25  whose hearts he then turned to hate his people,
          to deal craftily with his servants.


26  He sent his servant Moses,
          and Aaron whom he had chosen.
27  They performed his signs among them,
          and miracles in the land of Ham.
28  He sent darkness, and made the land dark;
          they rebelled against his words.

29  He turned their waters into blood,
          and caused their fish to die.
30  Their land swarmed with frogs,
          even in the chambers of their kings.
31  He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
          and gnats throughout their country.
32  He gave them hail for rain,
          and lightning that flashed through their land.
33  He struck their vines and fig trees,
          and shattered the trees of their country.
34  He spoke, and the locusts came,
          and young locusts without number;
35  they devoured all the vegetation in their land,
          and ate up the fruit of their ground.
36  He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
          the first issue of all their strength.


37  Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold,
          and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.
38  Egypt was glad when they departed,
          for dread of them had fallen upon it.
39  He spread a cloud for a covering,
          and fire to give light by night.

40  They asked, and he brought quails,
          and gave them food from heaven in abundance.
41  He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
          it flowed through the desert like a river.
42  For he remembered his holy promise,
          and Abraham, his servant.


43  So he brought his people out with joy,
          his chosen ones with singing.
44  He gave them the lands of the nations,
          and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples,
45  that they might keep his statutes
          and observe his laws.
     Praise the LORD!

Evening Psalm 130

1   Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.
2       Lord, hear my voice!
     Let your ears be attentive
          to the voice of my supplications!


3   If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
          Lord, who could stand?
4   But there is forgiveness with you,
          so that you may be revered.


5   I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
          and in his word I hope;
6   my soul waits for the Lord
          more than those who watch for the morning,
          more than those who watch for the morning.


7   O Israel, hope in the LORD!
          For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
          and with him is great power to redeem.
8   It is he who will redeem Israel
          from all its iniquities.