The Wartburg Project

Daily Lectionary

November 18, 2023

November 17, 2023 November 19, 2023

These daily readings from the EHV follow the one-year daily lectionary provided in Christian Worship: Hymnal, the Lutheran Service Book, and the Treasury of Daily Prayer. In this lectionary, two readings of 15-25 verses each are provided for each day. Under this plan, nearly all of the New Testament and approximately one-third of the Old Testament are read each year. These readings fit well within the daily offices of Matins, Vespers, or Compline as daily family devotions.

Jeremiah 37:1-21

King Zedekiah's Request to Jeremiah
371King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, made Zedekiah son of Josiah king in place of Coniah[] son of Jehoiakim. 2But neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land obeyed the word of the Lord that he spoke through the prophet Jeremiah.
3Nevertheless, King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelamiah with Zephaniah son of Ma'aseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah to ask, “Please pray to the Lord our God for us.”
4Jeremiah was still moving about freely among the people, for they had not yet put him into prison. 5Pharaoh's army had come out of Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
6Then the word of the Lord came to the prophet Jeremiah.
7The Lord, the God of Israel, says to tell this to the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me. Be warned. Pharaoh's army, which has come out to help you, will go back to Egypt, to their own land. 8Then the Chaldeans will return and attack this city. They will capture it and burn it down.
9The Lord says: “Do not deceive yourselves by saying, ‘The Chaldeans will surely leave us.’ They will not. 10For even if you would defeat the whole Chaldean army attacking you, and there were only wounded men left, who were confined to their tents, they would still get up and burn this city down.”
11When the Chaldean army had withdrawn from Jerusalem to face Pharaoh's army, 12Jeremiah left Jerusalem to go to the territory of Benjamin to claim his share of the property among the people there. 13But as he arrived at the Benjamin Gate, the sentry who was in charge there, named Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, seized Jeremiah the prophet. He said, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!”
14But Jeremiah said, “That is false! I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.”
But Irijah did not listen to him. He seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15Angry with Jeremiah, they beat him, and they imprisoned him in the house of Jonathan the scribe, because they were using that house as a prison.
16Jeremiah was kept in a vaulted cistern for a long time. 17Then King Zedekiah sent for him and had him brought out. The king asked him secretly in his house, “Is there any word from the Lord?”
Jeremiah answered, “There is. He said, ‘You will be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon.’”
18Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you, against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison? 19Where are your prophets now, who prophesied to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not attack you or this land?’ 20Now, my lord the king, please listen to me. Let my petition come before you: Please do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”
21Then Zedekiah the king ordered that Jeremiah be placed in the courtyard of the guard. Every day they gave him a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.

Matthew 27:33-56

33They came to a place called Golgotha, which means, “The place of the skull.” 34They offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35After they had crucified him, they divided his clothing among themselves by casting lots. 36Then they sat down and were keeping watch over him there. 37Above his head they posted the written charge against him: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
38At the same time two criminals were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39People who passed by kept insulting him, shaking their heads 40and saying, “You who were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
41In the same way the chief priests, experts in the law, and elders kept mocking him. They said, 42“He saved others, but he cannot save himself. If he's the King of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now, if he wants him, because he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44In the same way even the criminals who were crucified with him kept insulting him.
Jesus' Death
(Mark 15:33-41; Luke 23:44-49; John 19:28-37)
45From the sixth hour until the ninth hour,[] there was darkness over all the land. 46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”[]
47When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “This fellow is calling for Elijah.”
48Immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, and soaked it with sour wine. Then he put it on a stick and gave him a drink. 49The rest said, “Leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50After Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51Suddenly, the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and rocks were split. 52Tombs were opened, and many bodies of saints who had fallen asleep were raised to life. 53Those who came out of the tombs went into the holy city after Jesus' resurrection and appeared to many people. 54When the centurion and those who were guarding Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
55Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and who had served him were there, watching from a distance. 56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.