Isaiah 20
1 In the year Tartan came to Azotus, when he was sent by Sargon the king of the Assyrians, and he fought Ashdod and took it,†
2 then the Lord spoke to Isaiah, saying, “Go and remove the sackcloth from your loins, and take your sandals off your feet.” Thus he did so, walking naked and barefoot.†
3 Then the Lord said, “Just as My servant Isaiah walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and a wonder against the Egyptians and Ethiopians,
4 so shall the king of the Assyrians lead the captivity of Egypt and the Ethiopians, young men and old, naked and barefoot, exposing the shame of Egypt.
5 The Egyptians being defeated shall be ashamed before the Ethiopians, in whom they trusted, for they were their glory.
6 Those also who dwell in this island shall say, ‘Behold, we hoped to flee for help to those who were unable to save themselves from the king of the Assyrians. How then shall we be saved?’ ”
Isaiah 21
1 The vision of the desert: As though a whirlwind should pass through the desert, coming from a desert, from a fearful land,
2 so a fearful and harsh vision was declared to me. He who is treacherous deals treacherously; the lawless one deals lawlessly. The Elamites and the ambassador of the Persians come against me. Now I will groan and comfort myself.
3 Therefore my loins are filled with feebleness, and agony seizes me as a woman giving birth. I did wrong, so I cannot hear; I am so troubled, I cannot see.
4 My heart is led astray, and lawlessness permeates me. My soul is occupied with fear.
5 Prepare the table, eat and drink. Arise, you princes, and prepare your shields.
6 For thus the Lord said to me: “Go, set a watchman for yourself and declare whatever you see.”†
7 So I saw two mounted horsemen, a rider on a donkey, and a rider on a camel. Listen with much attention,
8 and call Uriah to the lookout-place of the Lord. Then he said, “I stood continually during the day, and in the camp throughout the night.
9 Behold, he is coming, a rider on a chariot.” Then he answered and said, “Babylon is fallen, and all her statues and those made by hand are crushed to the ground.”†
10 Listen, you who remain and are suffering pain, hear what things I heard from the Lord of hosts, which the God of Israel declared to us.
11 The vision of Edom: He calls to me from Seir, “Guard the battlements.
12 I guard in the morning and at night. If you will inquire, inquire, and dwell with me.”
13 In the forest on the road of Dedan you will lodge.
14 Bring water to meet him who is thirsty, you inhabitants of the land of Teman; meet those who are fleeing with bread,
15 because of the multitude who are fleeing and the multitude who are wandering, and because of the multitude of swords and bent bows, and the multitude of those fallen in war.
16 For thus the Lord said to me: “Within a year, according to the year of a hired servant, all the glory of the sons of Kedar shall fail.
17 The remainder of the archers and the mighty men of the sons of Kedar shall be few, for the Lord God of Israel has spoken.”
Psalms 72
1 A psalm for Asaph. †How good God is to Israel, To the upright in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet were almost shaken; My steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was jealous of the lawless When I beheld the peace of sinners.
4 For there is no upward gaze at their death Nor steadfastness in their chastening.
5 They are not in difficulties as other men, And they shall not be chastened with other men.
6 For this reason arrogance mastered them; They clothed themselves with their wrongdoing and ungodliness;
7 Their wrongdoing shall go forth as from fatness; They passed through to their heart’s intent.
8 They thought and spoke in evil; They spoke in wrongdoing to the height.
9 They set their mouth against heaven, And their tongue passed through the earth.
10 For this reason my people shall return here; Days of fullness shall be found in them.
11 They said, “How does God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are sinners, and they prosper; They possess wealth in this age.
13 And I said, “Surely in vain have I kept my heart righteous, And washed my hands with the innocent.”
14 For all day long I was scourged, And my reproof persisted through the night.
Proverbs of Solomon 15
Righteous Responses
1 Wrath destroys even men of discernment; But a humble answer turns away anger, And a grievous word stirs up wrath.†
2 The tongue of the wise understands good things, But the mouth of those without discernment proclaims evil things.
3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place; They keep watch over both the evil and the good.†
4 The healing of the tongue is a tree of life, And the one who guards it will be filled with the Spirit.†
5 A son without discernment treats the instruction of his father with contempt, But the one who guards his commandments is more astute.
2 Corinthians 13
Resolution: A Coming Visit
1 This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”
2 I have told you before, and foretell as if I were present the second time, and now being absent I write to those who have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare—
3 since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you.
4 For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.
5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.†
6 But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.
7 Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though we may seem disqualified.
8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. And this also we pray, that you may be made complete.
10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction.
Greetings and Benediction
11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.†
13 All the saints greet you.
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.†
Self-Examination
A Self-Examination based on the 10 Commandments
A Self-Examination based on the 10 Commandments and the Beatitudes
Hello,. Thank you for this daily reading. I enjoy it and it is helpful. I can’t find the links mentioned in today’s readings for September 22, 2031 regarding the self examination and Way of the Pilgrim links. Where do I find them? I thought I followed instructions and could not locate them. Than you for your help. Adrienne
It is there now, at the end of the scripture text. I pray you find it helpful.