Coptic for GOD

Readings for Fourth Sunday of Abib

Vespers

Vespers Psalm

From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.

Psalms 59 : 10 - 17

Chapter 59

10	My God of mercy shall come to meet me; God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.

11	Do not slay them, lest my people forget; Scatter them by Your power, And bring them down, O Lord our shield.

12	For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, Let them even be taken in their pride, And for the cursing and lying which they speak.

13	Consume them in wrath, consume them, That they may not be; And let them know that God rules in Jacob To the ends of the earth.Selah

14	And at evening they return, They growl like a dog, And go all around the city.

15	They wander up and down for food, And howl if they are not satisfied.

16	But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble.

17	To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; For God is my defense, My God of mercy.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.

Vespers Gospel

Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint Luke the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.

Luke 7 : 1 - 10

Chapter 7

1	Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.

2	And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.

3	So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.

4	And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving,

5	"for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue."

6	Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.

7	Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.

8	For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, "Go,' and he goes; and to another, "Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, "Do this,' and he does it."

9	When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"

10	And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.

And Glory be to God forever.

Matins

Matins Psalm

From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.

Psalms 88 : 12 - 13

Chapter 88

12	Shall Your wonders be known in the dark? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13	But to You I have cried out, O LORD, And in the morning my prayer comes before You.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.

Matins Gospel

Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint John the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.

John 20 : 1 - 18

Chapter 20

1	Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

2	Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him."

3	Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb.

4	So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first.

5	And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in.

6	Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there,

7	and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.

8	Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.

9	For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.

10	Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.

11	But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.

12	And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

13	Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him."

14	Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.

15	Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away."

16	Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher).

17	Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God."'

18	Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.

And Glory be to God forever.

Liturgy Gospel

Paulines Epistle

Paul, the servant of our Lord Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, appointed to the Gospel of God.
A reading from the Epistle of our teacher Paul to the Philippians .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.

Philippians 1 : 27 - 2 : 11

Chapter 1

27	Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,

28	and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

29	For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

30	having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

Chapter 2

1	Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,

2	fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

3	Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

4	Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

5	Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

6	who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

7	but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

8	And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

9	Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,

10	that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

11	and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.

Catholic Epistle

A Reading from Epistle 1 of St. Peter .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.

1 Peter 1 : 25 - 2 : 10

Chapter 1

25	But the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

Chapter 2

1	Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,

2	as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

3	if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

4	Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,

5	you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

6	Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."

7	Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,"

8	and "A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

9	But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

10	who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Do not love the world or the things in the world.
The world passes away, and its desires; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Amen.

Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of our fathers the apostles, may their blessings be with us.

Acts 19 : 11 - 22

Chapter 19

11	Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul,

12	so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.

13	Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches."

14	Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.

15	And the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?"

16	Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

17	This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

18	And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds.

19	Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.

20	So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

21	When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome."

22	So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a time.

The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.

Divine Psalm

Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint John the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet, and the Good King.
May his blessings be with us all.

Psalms 40 : 5,16

Chapter 40

5	Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered.

16	Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, "The LORD be magnified!"

Hallelujah.

Divine Gospel

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.

John 11 : 1 - 45

Chapter 11

1	Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

2	It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

3	Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."

4	When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."

5	Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

6	So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.

7	Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."

8	The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"

9	Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

10	But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."

11	These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."

12	Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."

13	However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.

14	Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.

15	And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him."

16	Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

17	So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.

18	Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.

19	And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

20	Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.

21	Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

22	But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."

23	Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

24	Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

25	Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

26	And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

27	She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

28	And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."

29	As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.

30	Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.

31	Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."

32	Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."

33	Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.

34	And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."

35	Jesus wept.

36	Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"

37	And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"

38	Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.

39	Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."

40	Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

41	Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.

42	And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."

43	Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"

44	And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

45	Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.

And Glory be to God forever.