Scriptures

Job answered and said:

Oh, would that my words were written down!

would that they were inscribed in a record:

That with an iron chisel and with lead

they were cut in the rock forever!

But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,

and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;

Whom I myself shall see:

my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him,

And from my flesh I shall see God;

my inmost being is consumed with longing.

The Word of the Lord.

The souls of the just are in the hand of God,

and no torment shall touch them.

They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;

and their passing away was thought an affliction

and their going forth from us, utter destruction.

But they are in peace.

For if before men, indeed, they be punished,

yet is their hope full of immortality;

Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,

because God tried them

and found them worthy of himself.

As gold in the furnace, he proved them,

and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.

In time of their visitation they shall shine,

and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;

They shall judge nations and rule over peoples,

and the Lord shall be their King forever.

Those who trust in him shall understand truth,

and the faithful shall abide with him in love:

Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,

and his care is with his elect.

The Word of the Lord.

The souls of the just are in the hand of God,

and no torment shall touch them.

They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;

and their passing away was thought an affliction

and their going forth from us, utter destruction.

But they are in peace.

For if before men, indeed, they be punished,

yet is their hope full of immortality;

Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,

because God tried them

and found them worthy of himself.

As gold in the furnace, he proved them,

and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.

Those who trust in him shall understand truth,

and the faithful shall abide with him in love:

Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,

and his care is with his elect.

The Word of the Lord.

Las almas de los justos están en las mano de Dios y no los

alcanzará ningún tormento. Los insensatos pensaban que los

justos habían muerto, que su salida de este mundo era una

desgracia y su salida de entre nosotros, una completa

destrucción. Pero los justos están en paz. La gente pensaba

que sus sufrimiento eran un castigo, pero ellos esperaban

confiadamente la inmortalidad. Después de breves

sufrimientos recibirán una abundante recompensa, pues Dios

los puso a prueba y los halló dignos de sí. Los probó como

oro en el crisol y los aceptó como un holocausto agradable.

Los que confían en él Señor comprenderán la verdad, y los

que son fieles a su amor permanecerán a su lada, porque Dios

ama a sus elegidos y cuida de ellos.

Palabra de Dios.

The just man, though he die early, shall be at rest.

For the age that is honorable comes not with the passing of time,

nor can it be measured in terms of years.

Rather, understanding is the hoary crown for men,

and an unsullied life, the attainment of old age.

He who pleased God was loved;

he who lived among sinners was transported -

Snatched away, lest wickedness pervert is mind

or deceit beguile his soul;

For the witchery of paltry things obscures what is right

and the whirl of desire transforms the innocent mind.

Having become perfect in a short while, he reached the fullness

of a long career;

For his soul was pleasing to the Lord,

therefore he sped him out of the midst of wickedness.

But the people saw and did not understand,

nor did they take this into account.

The Word of the Lord.

On this mountain the Lord of hosts

will provide for all peoples.

On this mountain he will destroy

the veil that veils all peoples,

The web that is woven over all nations;

he will destroy death forever.

The Lord God will wipe away

the tears from all faces;

The reproach of his people he will remove

from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken.

On that day it will be said:

“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!

This is the Lord for whom we looked;

let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”

The Word of the Lord.

My soul is deprived of peace,

     I have forgotten what happiness is;

I tell myself my future is lost,

     all that I hoped for from the LORD.

The thought of my homeless poverty

     is wormwood and gall;

Remembering it over and over

     leaves my soul downcast within me.

But I will call this to mind,

     as my reason to have hope:

The favors of the LORD are not exhausted,

     his mercies are not spent;

They are renewed each morning,

     so great is his faithfulness.

My portion is the LORD, says my soul;

     therefore will I hope in him.

Good is the LORD to one who waits for him,

     to the soul that seeks him;

It is good to hope in silence

     for the saving help of the Lord.

The Word of the Lord.

In those days, I, Daniel, mourned

     and heard this word of the Lord:

At that time there shall arise

     Michael, the great prince,

     guardian of your people;

It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress

     since nations began until that time.

At that time your people shall escape,

     everyone who is found written in the book.

Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake;

Some shall live forever,

     others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.

But the wise shall shine brightly

     like the splendor of the firmament,

And those who lead the many to justice

     shall be like the stars forever.

The Word of the Lord.

Judas (the ruler of Israel) then took up a collection among all his

soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he

sent to Jerusalem to provide for expiatory sacrifice.

In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, in as

much as he had the resurrection of the dead in view; for if he were

not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless

and foolish to pray for them in death. But if he did this with a

view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest

in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought.

Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed

from this sin.

The Word of the Lord.

There is an appointed time for everything,

and a time for every affair under the heavens.

A time to give birth, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to tear down, and a time to build.

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;

a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.

A time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away.

A time to rend, and a time to sew;

a time to be silent, and a time to speak.

A time to love, and a time to hate;

a time of war, and a time of peace.

What profit have workers from their toil?

I have seen the business that God has given

to mortals to be busied about.

God has made everything appropriate to its time,

but has put the timeless into their hearts so they cannot find out,

from beginning to end, the work which God has done.

The Word of the Lord.

Children, listen to me, your father;

act accordingly, that you may be safe.

For the Lord sets a father in honor over his children

and confirms a mother’s authority over her sons.

Those who honor their father atone for sins;

they store up riches who respect their mother.

Those who honor their father will have joy in their own children,

and when they pray they are heard.

Those who respect their father will live a long life;

those who obey the Lord honor their mother.

Those who fear the Lord honor their father,

and serve their parents as masters.

In word and deed honor your father,

that all blessings may come to you

A father’s blessing gives a person firm roots,

but a mother’s curse uproots the growing plant.

The Word of the Lord.

When one finds a faithful friend,

His value is far beyond gold.

He is clothed with strength and dignity,

and he laughs at the days to come.

A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter;

He who finds one finds a treasure.

A faithful friend is beyond price,

No sum can balance his worth.

Let your acquaintances be many,

but one in a thousand your faithful friend.

For he who loves his friends behaves accordingly,

and his friends will be like himself.

The Word of the Lord.

Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers in their generations.

But these were men of mercy, whose righteous deeds have not

been forgotten;

Their prosperity will remain with their descendants and their

inheritance to their children's children.

Their descendants stand by the covenants; their children also,

for their sake.

Their posterity will continue forever, and their glory will not be

blotted out.

Their bodies were buried in peace, and their name lives to all

generations.

Peoples will declare their wisdom, and the congregation proclaims

their praise.

The Word of the Lord.

The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord

and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.   He led me back and forth

among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that

were very dry.   He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said,

“Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the

word of the Lord!   This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make

breath enter you, and you will come to life.   I will attach tendons to you and make

flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will

come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise,

a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons

and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it,

‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and

breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me,

and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say,

‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy

and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to

open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of

Israel.   Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves

and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will

settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I

have done it, declares the Lord.’”

The Word of the Lord.

When one finds a worthy woman, her value is far beyond pearls,

Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize.

She brings him good not evil, all the days of her life.

She rises while it is still night and distributes food to her household

She picks out a field to purchase, out of her earnings she plants a

vineyard.

She is clothed with strength and dignity and she laughs at the days

to come.

Her children rise up and praise her.

Many are the women of proven worth but you have excelled them

all.

Give her a reward for her labors and let her works praise her at the

City gates.

The Word of the Lord.

Now therefore, Israel, hear the statutes and ordinances I am

teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and

take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your

ancestors, is giving you.

In your observance of the commandments of the Lord, your God,

which I am commanding you, you shall not add to what I

command you nor subtract from it.

Observe them carefully, for this is your wisdom and discernment in

the sight of the peoples, who will hear of all these statutes and say,

“This great nation is truly a wise and discerning people.”

For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the

Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him?

Or what great nation has statutes and ordinances that are as just as

this whole law which I am setting before you today?

The Word of the Lord.

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.

Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will

never be shaken. How long will you assault me? Would all of you

throw me down - this leaning wall, this tottering fence? Surely

they intend to topple me from my lofty place; they take delight in

lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse.

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he

is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be

shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God ; he is my

mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people;

pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Surely the

lowborn are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie. If weighed on

a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.

Peter proceeded to address the people in these words:

“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every

nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.

You know the word that he sent to the Israelites as he proclaimed

peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, what has happened

all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John

preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy

Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those

oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of

all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.

They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God

raised on the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all the

people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate

and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commissioned

us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed

by God as judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets

bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive

forgiveness of sins through his name.”

The Word of the Lord.

Peter proceeded to address the people in these words:

“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every

nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.

You know the word that he sent to the Israelites as he proclaimed

peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. He commissioned

us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed

by God as judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets

bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive

forgiveness of sins through his name.”

The Word of the Lord.

Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been

poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been

given to us. For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the

appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does

one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one

might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in

that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. How much

more then, since we are now justified by his blood, we will be

saved through him from the wrath. Indeed, if, while we were

enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,

how much more, once reconciled, will we be save by his life.

Not only that, but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus

Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The Word of the Lord.

If, by the transgression of one person, death came to reign

through that one, how much more will those who receive the

abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to

reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.

In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation

came upon all, so through one righteous act acquittal and

life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of one

person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience

of one of the many will be made righteous. The law entered

in so that transgression might increase but, where sin

increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin

reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification

for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Word of the Lord.

Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were

baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through

baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead

by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.

For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his,

we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that

our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might

be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.

For a dead person has been absolved from sin. If, then, we have

died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We

know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no

longer has power over him.

The Word of the Lord.

Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were

baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through

baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead

by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.

If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also

live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no

more; death no longer has power over him.

The Word of the Lord.

Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,

but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry,

“Abba, Father!”  The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit

that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs,

heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him

so that we may also be glorified with him.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing

compared with the glory to be revealed for us.  For creation awaits

with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for

creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but

because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself

would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the

glorious freedom of the children of God.  We know that all

creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only

that, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we

also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the

redemption of our bodies.

The Word of the Lord.

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his

own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give

us everything else along with him? Who will bring a charge

against God’s chosen ones? It is God who acquits us. Who will

condemn? It is Christ Jesus who died, rather, was raised, who also

is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.

What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or

distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the

sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly

through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death,

nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future

things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature

will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our

Lord.

The Word of the Lord.

None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.

For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die,

we die for the Lord;

so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.

For this is why Christ died and came to life,

that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God;

for it is written:

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me,

and every tongue shall give praise to God.”

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

The Word of the Lord.

Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who

have fallen asleep. For since death came through a human being,

the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. For

just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,

but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his

coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he

hands over the kingdom to his God and Father. For he must reign

until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to

be destroyed is death, for “he subjected everything under his feet.”

But when it says that everything has been subjected, it is clear that

it excludes the One who subjected everything to him. When

everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be

subjected to the One who subjected everything to him, so that God

may be all in all.

The Word of the Lord.

Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who

have fallen asleep. For since death came through a human being,

the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. For

just as in Adam all die; so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,

but each one in proper order: Christ the first fruits; then, at his

coming, those who belong to Christ.

The Word of the Lord.

Brothers and sisters:

Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all fall asleep, but we

will all be changed, in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the last

trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised

incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For that which is

corruptible must clothe itself with incorruptibility, and that which

is mortal must clothe itself with immortality. And when this which

is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility and this which is

mortal clothes itself with immortality, then the word that is written

shall come about:

     Death is swallowed up in victory.

     Where, O death, is your victory?

     Where, O death, is your sting?

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But

thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus

Christ.

The Word of the Lord.

We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also

with Jesus and place us with you in his presence. Everything

indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more

and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the

glory of God.

Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self

is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For

this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal

weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is

seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what

is unseen is eternal.

For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be

destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with

hands, eternal in heaven.

The Word of the Lord.

We know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed,

we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands,

eternal in heaven.

So we are always courageous, although we know that awhile we

are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk

by faith, not by sight. Yet we are courageous, and we would rather

leave the body and go home to the Lord. Therefore, we aspire to

please him, whether we are at home or away. For we must all

appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may

receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether

good or evil.

The Word of the Lord.

Brothers and sisters:

Our citizenship is in heaven,

     and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

He will change our lowly body

     to conform with his glorified Body

     by the power that enables him also

     to bring all things into subjection to himself.

The Word of the Lord.

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about

those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the

rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose,

so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have

fallen asleep. Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord,

that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,

will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord

himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel

and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the

dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left,

will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord

in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore,

console one another with these words.

The Word of the Lord.

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of

David: such is my gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the

point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not

chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those

who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in

Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory. This saying is

trustworthy:

If we have died with him

we shall also live with him;

if we persevere

we shall also reign with him.

But if we deny him

he will deny us.

If we are unfaithful

he remains faithful,

for he cannot deny himself.

The Word of the Lord.

As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the

time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight I have

finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is

reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the

righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but

also to all who have longed for his appearing.

The Word of the Lord.

See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be

called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the

world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved,

we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been

revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like

him, for we shall see him as he is.

The Word of the Lord.

We know that we have passed from death to life because we love

our brothers and sisters. Whoever does not love remains in death.

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that

no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. The way we came to

know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay

down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

The Word of the Lord.

I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this:

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” said the Spirit, “let them find rest from their labors,

for their works accompany them.”

The Word of the Lord.

I saw a large white throne and the one who was sitting on it. The

earth and the sky fled from his presence and there was no place for

them. I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the

throne, and scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened,

the book of life. The dead were judged according to their deeds,

by what was written in the scrolls. The sea gave up its dead; then

Death and Hades gave up their dead. All the dead were judged

according to their deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into

the pool of fire. (This pool of fire is the second death.) Anyone

whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown

into the pool of fire.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and

the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

The Word of the Lord.

I saw a new heaven and a new earth.  The former heaven and the

former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  I also saw

the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from

God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  I heard

a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is

with the human race.  He will dwell with them and they will be

his people and God himself will always be with them as their God.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no

more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has

passed away.” 

The one who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.

I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.  To the

thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water. The

victor will inherit these gifts, and I shall be his God and he will be

my son.”

The Word of the Lord.

And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no

thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what

ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more

than raiment. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap;

which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them:

how much more are ye better than the fowls? And which of you

with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be

not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the

rest? Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin

not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not

arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is

to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much

more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek not ye what

ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your

Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek

ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto

you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to

give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide

yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that

faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.