Old Testament Readings

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1. A Reading from the Book of Wisdom (Wisdom 3:1-9)
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 in the eyes of others, 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 God shall understand truth,
            And the faithful shall abide with him in love:
Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
            And God’s care is with his elect.
The Word of the Lord.

2. A Reading from the Book of Job (Job 19:1, 23-27)
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 Redeemer lives,
            And that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;
And I myself shall see him:
            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.

3. A Reading from the Book of Proverbs (Proverbs 31:10-31)
When one finds a worthy wife (and mother,)
            Her value is far beyond pearls.
Her husband, trusts his heart to her,
            She brings him good all the days of her life.
She reaches out her hands to the poor,
            And extends her arms to the needy.
She is clothed with strength and dignity,
            And she laughs at the days to come.
Her tongue is guided by kindness
She takes good care of her household, and her work is never done.
Her children rise up and praise her;
            Her husband, too, and he praises her:
“Many women have done superbly,
            But you are the best of them all.”
Charm is deceptive and beauty goes away
            The woman who honors the LORD is to be praised.
Give her the reward of her labors,
            And wherever people gather her deeds speak her praise.
The Word of the Lord.

4. A Reading from the Book of Wisdom (Wisdom 4:7-14)
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 his mind
            Or deceit beguile his soul;
Having become perfect in a short while,
            He reached the fullness of a long career;
            For his soul was pleasing to the Lord,
            Therefore God 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.

5. A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 25:6-9)
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

6. A Reading from the Book of Lamentations (Lamentations 3:17-26)
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.
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.

7. A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 49:8-15)
Thus says the Lord: In a time of favor I answer you,
            On the day of salvation I help you;
            And I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people,
To restore the land and allot the desolate heritages,
Saying to the prisoners: Come out!
To those in darkness: Show yourselves!
Along the ways they shall find pasture,
            On every bare height shall their pastures be.
They shall not hunger or thirst,
            Nor shall the scorching wind or the sun strike them;
For he who pities them leads them
            And guides them beside springs of water.
I will cut a road through all my mountains,
            And make my highways level.
See, some shall come from afar,
            Others from the north and the west…

Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth,
            Break forth into song, you mountains.
For the Lord comforts his people
            And shows mercy to his afflicted.

But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me;
           My Lord has forgotten me.”
Can a mother forget her infant,
            Be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget, I will never forget you.
See, upon the palms of my hands I have written your name.
The Word of the Lord.

8. A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Daniel (12:1-3)
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.

9. A Reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes (3:1-11)
There is an appointed time for everything,
            And a time for every thing under the heavens.
A time to be born, 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 losel
            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 advantage has the worker from his toil?
I have considered the task that God has appointed
            For the sons of men to be busied about.
He has made everything appropriate to its time,
            and has put the timeless into their hearts,
            without man’s ever discovering,
            from beginning to end, the work which God has done.
The Word of the Lord.