AME Zion Universal Reading November 6th 2022

Sunday School Zoom Link

First Portion

Genesis Chapter 12

1And the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you.2And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will aggrandize your name, and [you shall] be a blessing.3And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you."4And Abram went, as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him, and Abram was seventy five years old when he left Haran.5And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had acquired, and the souls they had acquired in Haran, and they went to go to the land of Canaan, and they came to the land of Canaan.6And Abram passed through the land, until the place of Shechem, until the plain of Moreh, and the Canaanites were then in the land.7And the Lord appeared to Abram, and He said, "To your seed I will give this land," and there he built an altar to the Lord, Who had appeared to him.8And he moved from there to the mountain, east of Beth el, and he pitched his tent; Beth el was to the west and Ai was to the east, and there he built an altar to the Lord, and he called in the name of the Lord.9And Abram traveled, continually traveling southward.10And there was a famine in the land, and Abram descended to Egypt to sojourn there because the famine was severe in the land.11Now it came to pass when he drew near to come to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Behold now I know that you are a woman of fair appearance.12And it will come to pass when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife,' and they will slay me and let you live.13Please say [that] you are my sister, in order that it go well with me because of you, and that my soul may live because of you."

Ephesians 1:1–14 (NLT): Greetings from Paul

This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.

I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.

2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Spiritual Blessings

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Second Portion

Genesis Chapter 12

14And it came to pass when Abram came to Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very pretty.15And Pharaoh's princes saw her, and they praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken to the house of Pharaoh.16And he benefited Abram for her sake, and he had flocks and cattle and he donkeys and men servants and maid servants, and she donkeys and camels.17And the Lord plagued Pharaoh [with] great plagues as well as his household, on account of Sarai, Abram's wife.18And Pharaoh summoned Abram, and he said, "What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?19Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to myself for a wife? And now, here is your wife; take [her] and go."20And Pharaoh commanded men on his behalf, and they escorted him and his wife and all that was his.

Genesis Chapter 13

1And Abram came up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that was his, and Lot with him, to the south.2And Abram was very heavy with cattle, with silver, and with gold.3And he went on his journeys, from the south and until Beth el, until the place where his tent had been previously, between Beth el and between Ai.4To the place of the altar that he had made at first, and Abram called there in the name of the Lord.

Monday

Acts 19:1–12 (NLT): Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers. 2 “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them.

“No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 “Then what baptism did you experience?” he asked.

And they replied, “The baptism of John.”

4 Paul said, “John’s baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus.”

5 As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

Paul Ministers in Ephesus

8 Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God. 9 But some became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the Way. So Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for the next two years, so that people throughout the province of Asia—both Jews and Greeks—heard the word of the Lord.

11 God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. 12 When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.

Third Portion

Genesis Chapter 13

5And also Lot, who went with Abram, had flocks and cattle and tents.6And the land did not bear them to dwell together, for their possessions were many, and they could not dwell together.7And there was a quarrel between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and between the herdsmen of Lot's cattle, and the Canaanites and the Perizzites were then dwelling in the land.8And Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no quarrel between me and between you and between my herdsmen and between your herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.9Is not all the land before you? Please part from me; if [you go] left, I will go right, and if [you go] right, I will go left."10And Lot raised his eyes, and he saw the entire plain of the Jordan, that it was entirely watered; before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as you come to Zoar.11And Lot chose for himself the entire plain of the Jordan, and Lot traveled from the east, and they parted from one another.12Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and he pitched his tents until Sodom.13And the people of Sodom were very evil and sinful against the Lord.14And the Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Please raise your eyes and see, from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward.15For all the land that you see I will give to you and to your seed to eternity.16And I will make your seed like the dust of the earth, so that if a man will be able to count the dust of the earth, so will your seed be counted.17Rise, walk in the land, to its length and to its breadth, for I will give it to you."18And Abram pitched his tents, and he came, and he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

Tuesday

Acts 19:13–20 (NLT):

13 A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. 15 But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered.

17 The story of what happened spread quickly all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike. A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored. 18 Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. 19 A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars. 20 So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.

Fourth Portion

Genesis Chapter 14

1Now it came to pass in the days of Amraphel the king of Shinar, Arioch the king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and Tidal the king of Goyim.2That they waged war with Bera the king of Sodom and with Birsha the king of Gomorrah, Shineab the king of Admah, and Shemeber the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.3All these joined in the valley of Siddim, which is the Dead Sea.4For twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and for thirteen years they rebelled.5And in the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer came, and the kings who were with him, and they smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim.6And the Horites in their mountain Seir, until the plain of Paran, which is alongside the desert.7And they returned and came to Ein Mishpat, which is Kadesh, and they smote the entire field of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.8And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar, came forth, and they engaged them in battle in the valley of Siddim.9With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam and Tidal the king of Goyim and Amraphel the king of Shinar and Arioch the king of Ellasar, four kings against the five.10Now the valley of Siddim was [composed of] many clay pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and they fell there, and the survivors fled to a mountain.11And they took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food, and they departed.12And they took Lot and his possessions, the son of Abram's brother, and they departed, and he was living in Sodom.13And the fugitive came and he told Abram the Hebrew, and he was living in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshkol and the brother of Aner, who were Abram's confederates.14And Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, and he armed his trained men, those born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and he pursued [them] until Dan.15And he divided himself against them at night, he and his servants, and smote them, and pursued them until Hobah, which is to the left of Damascus.16And he restored all the possessions, and also Lot his brother and his possessions he restored, and also the women and the people.17And the king of Sodom came out toward him, after his return from smiting Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, to the valley of Shaveh, which is the valley of the king.18And Malchizedek the king of Salem brought out bread and wine, and he was a priest to the Most High God.19And he blessed him, and he said, "Blessed be Abram to the Most High God, Who possesses heaven and earth.20And blessed be the Most High God, Who has delivered your adversaries into your hand," and he gave him a tithe from all.

Wednesday

Psalm 27:title–14 (NLT): A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—

so why should I be afraid?

The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,

so why should I tremble?

2 When evil people come to devour me,

when my enemies and foes attack me,

they will stumble and fall.

3 Though a mighty army surrounds me,

my heart will not be afraid.

Even if I am attacked,

I will remain confident.

4 The one thing I ask of the Lord—

the thing I seek most—

is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

delighting in the Lord’s perfections

and meditating in his Temple.

5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come;

he will hide me in his sanctuary.

He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

6 Then I will hold my head high

above my enemies who surround me.

At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,

singing and praising the Lord with music.

7 Hear me as I pray, O Lord.

Be merciful and answer me!

8 My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”

And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”

9 Do not turn your back on me.

Do not reject your servant in anger.

You have always been my helper.

Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me,

O God of my salvation!

10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,

the Lord will hold me close.

11 Teach me how to live, O Lord.

Lead me along the right path,

for my enemies are waiting for me.

12 Do not let me fall into their hands.

For they accuse me of things I’ve never done;

with every breath they threaten me with violence.

13 Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness

while I am here in the land of the living.

14 Wait patiently for the Lord.

Be brave and courageous.

Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Fifth Portion

Genesis Chapter 14

21And the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the souls, and the possessions take for yourself."22And Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I raise my hand to the Lord, the Most High God, Who possesses heaven and earth.23Neither from a thread to a shoe strap, nor will I take from whatever is yours, that you should not say, 'I have made Abram wealthy.'24Exclusive of what the lads ate, and the share of the men who went with me; Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre they shall take their share."Genesis Chapter 151After these incidents, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Fear not, Abram; I am your Shield; your reward is exceedingly great."2And Abram said, "O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am going childless, and the steward of my household is Eliezer of Damascus?"3And Abram said, "Behold, You have given me no seed, and behold, one of my household will inherit me."4And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This one will not inherit you, but the one who will spring from your innards-he will inherit you."5And He took him outside, and He said, "Please look heavenward and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So will be your seed."6And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him as righteousness.

Thursday

Esther 4:1–17 (NLT): Mordecai Requests Esther’s Help

When Mordecai learned about all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on burlap and ashes, and went out into the city, crying with a loud and bitter wail. 2 He went as far as the gate of the palace, for no one was allowed to enter the palace gate while wearing clothes of mourning. 3 And as news of the king’s decree reached all the provinces, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and wailed, and many people lay in burlap and ashes.

4 When Queen Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was deeply distressed. She sent clothing to him to replace the burlap, but he refused it. 5 Then Esther sent for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been appointed as her attendant. She ordered him to go to Mordecai and find out what was troubling him and why he was in mourning. 6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the square in front of the palace gate.

7 Mordecai told him the whole story, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree issued in Susa that called for the death of all Jews. He asked Hathach to show it to Esther and explain the situation to her. He also asked Hathach to direct her to go to the king to beg for mercy and plead for her people. 9 So Hathach returned to Esther with Mordecai’s message.

10 Then Esther told Hathach to go back and relay this message to Mordecai: 11 “All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.” 12 So Hathach gave Esther’s message to Mordecai.

13 Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. 14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” 17 So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

Sixth Portion

Genesis Chapter 15

7And He said to him, "I am the Lord, Who brought you forth from Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it."8And he said, "O Lord God, how will I know that I will inherit it?"9And He said to him, "Take for Me three heifers and three goats and three rams, and a turtle dove and a young bird."10And he took for Him all these, and he divided them in the middle, and he placed each part opposite its mate, but he did not divide the birds.11And the birds of prey descended upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.12Now the sun was ready to set, and a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and behold, a fright, a great darkness was falling upon him.13And He said to Abram, "You shall surely know that your seed will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they will enslave them and oppress them, for four hundred years.14And also the nation that they will serve will I judge, and afterwards they will go forth with great possessions.15But you will come to your forefathers in peace; you will be buried in a good old age.16And the fourth generation will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites will not be complete until then."17Now it came to pass that the sun had set, and it was dark, and behold, a smoking furnace and a fire brand, which passed between these parts.18On that day, the Lord formed a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt until the great river, the Euphrates river.19The Kenites, the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,20And the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim,21And the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites."

Genesis Chapter 16

1Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not borne to him, and she had an Egyptian handmaid named Hagar.2And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing; please come to my handmaid; perhaps I will be built up from her." And Abram hearkened to Sarai's voice.3So Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, at the end of ten years of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan, and she gave her to Abram her husband for a wife.4And he came to Hagar, and she conceived, and she saw that she was pregnant, and her mistress became unimportant in her eyes.5And Sarai said to Abram, "May my injustice be upon you! I gave my handmaid into your bosom, and she saw that she had become pregnant, and I became unimportant in her eyes. May the Lord judge between me and you!"6And Abram said to Sarai, "Here is your handmaid in your hand; do to her that which is proper in your eyes." And Sarai afflicted her, and she fled from before her.7And an angel of the Lord found her by a water fountain in the desert, by the fountain on the road to Shur.8And he said, "Hagar, Sarai's servant, where are you coming from, and where are you going to?" And she said, "From before Sarai my mistress, I am fleeing."9And the angel of the Lord said to her, "Return to your mistress, and allow yourself to be afflicted under her hands."10And the angel of the Lord said to her, "I will greatly multiply your seed, and it will not be counted for abundance."11And the angel of the Lord said to her, "Behold, you will conceive and bear a son, and you shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard your affliction.12And he will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be upon all, and everyone's hand upon him, and before all his brothers he will dwell."13And she called the name of the Lord, Who had spoken to her, "You are the God of seeing," because she said, "Have I seen [him] here also after I have seen?"14Therefore the well was called Be'er Lachai Ro'i; behold it is between Kadesh and between Bered.15And Hagar bore a son to Abram, and Abram named his son, whom Hagar had borne, Ishmael.16And Abram was eighty-six years old, when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Genesis Chapter 17

1And Abram was ninety-nine years old, and God appeared to Abram, and He said to him, "I am the Almighty God; walk before Me and be perfect.2And I will place My covenant between Me and between you, and I will multiply you very greatly."3And Abram fell upon his face, and God spoke with him, saying,4"As for Me, behold My covenant is with you, and you shall become the father of a multitude of nations.5And your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.6And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings will emerge from you.

Friday

Deuteronomy 7:1–11 (NLT): The Privilege of Holiness

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are greater and more numerous than you. 2 When the Lord your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. 3 You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, 4 for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you must do. You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols. 6 For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.

7 “The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! 8 Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the Lord rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. 9 Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. 10 But he does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him. 11 Therefore, you must obey all these commands, decrees, and regulations I am giving you today.

Seventh Portion

Genesis Chapter 17

7And I will establish My covenant between Me and between you and between your seed after you throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant, to be to you for a God and to your seed after you.8And I will give you and your seed after you the land of your sojournings, the entire land of Canaan for an everlasting possession, and I will be to them for a God."9And God said to Abraham, "And you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations.10This is My covenant, which you shall observe between Me and between you and between your seed after you, that every male among you be circumcised.11And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be as the sign of a covenant between Me and between you.12And at the age of eight days, every male shall be circumcised to you throughout your generations, one that is born in the house, or one that is purchased with money, from any foreigner, who is not of your seed.13Those born in the house and those purchased for money shall be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant.14And an uncircumcised male, who will not circumcise the flesh of his foreskin-that soul will be cut off from its people; he has broken My covenant."15And God said to Abraham, "Your wife Sarai-you shall not call her name Sarai, for Sarah is her name.16And I will bless her, and I will give you a son from her, and I will bless her, and she will become [a mother of] nations; kings of nations will be from her. "17And Abraham fell on his face and rejoiced, and he said to himself, "Will [a child] be born to one who is a hundred years old, and will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?"18And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael will live before You!"19And God said, "Indeed, your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac, and I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.20And regarding Ishmael, I have heard you; behold I have blessed him, and I will make him fruitful, and I will multiply him exceedingly; he will beget twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.21But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year."22And He finished speaking with him, and God went up from above Abraham.23And Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house and all those purchased with his money, every male of the people of Abraham's household, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, as God had spoken with him.24And Abraham was ninety-nine years old, when he was circumcised of the flesh of his foreskin.25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised of the flesh of his foreskin.26On that very day, Abraham was circumcised, and [so was] Ishmael his son.27And all the people of his household, those born in his house and those bought with money from foreigners, were circumcised with him.

Saturday

John 14:1–14 (NLT): Jesus, the Way to the Father

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

Maftir Portion

Genesis Chapter 17

24And Abraham was ninety-nine years old, when he was circumcised of the flesh of his foreskin.25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised of the flesh of his foreskin.26On that very day, Abraham was circumcised, and [so was] Ishmael his son.27And all the people of his household, those born in his house and those bought with money from foreigners, were circumcised with him.

Haftarah

Isaiah Chapter 40

27Why should you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way has been hidden from the Lord, and from my God, my judgment passes"?28Do you not know-if you have not heard-an everlasting God is the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth; He neither tires nor wearies; there is no fathoming His understanding.29Who gives the tired strength, and to him who has no strength, He increases strength.30Now youths shall become tired and weary, and young men shall stumble.31But those who put their hope in the Lord shall renew [their] vigor, they shall raise wings as eagles; they shall run and not weary, they shall walk and not tire.

Isaiah Chapter 41

1Be silent to Me, you islands, and kingdoms shall renew [their] strength; they shall approach, then they shall speak, together to judgment let us draw near.2Who aroused from the East, [the one] whom righteousness accompanied? He placed nations before him and over kings He gave him dominion; He made his sword like dust, his bow like wind-blown stubble.3He pursued them and passed on safely, on a path upon which he had not come with his feet.4Who worked and did, Who calls the generations from the beginning; I, the Lord, am first, and with the last ones I am He.5The islands shall see and fear; the ends of the earth shall quake; they have approached and come.6Each one shall aid his fellow, and to his brother he shall say, "Strengthen yourself."7And the craftsman strengthened the smith, the one who smooths with the hammer [strengthened] the one who wields the sledge hammer; he says of the cement, "It is good," and he strengthened it with nails that it should not move.8But you, Israel My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, who loved Me,9Whom I grasped from the ends of the earth, and from its nobles I called you, and I said to you, "You are My servant"; I chose you and I did not despise you.10Do not fear for I am with you; be not discouraged for I am your God: I encouraged you, I also helped you, I also supported you with My righteous hand.11Behold all those incensed against you shall be ashamed and confounded; those who quarreled with you shall be as nought and be lost.12You may seek them but not find them, those who quarrel with you; those who war with you shall be as nought and as nothing.13For I, the Lord your God, grasp your right hand; Who says to you, "Fear not, I help you."14Fear not, O worm of Jacob, the number of Israel; "I have helped you," says the Lord, and your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.15Behold I have made you a new grooved threshing-sledge, with sharp points; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them fine, and you shall make hills like chaff.16You shall winnow them, and a wind shall carry them off, and a tempest shall scatter them, and you shall rejoice with the Lord, with the Holy One of Israel shall you praise yourself.

AME Zion Universal Reading October 30th 2022

Sunday School Zoom Link

First Portion

Genesis Chapter 6

9These are the generations of Noah, Noah was a righteous man he was perfect in his generations; Noah walked with God.10And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.11Now the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth became full of robbery.12And God saw the earth, and behold it had become corrupted, for all flesh had corrupted its way on the earth.13And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth has become full of robbery because of them, and behold I am destroying them from the earth.14Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with compartments, and you shall caulk it both inside and outside with pitch.15And this [is the size] you shall make it: three hundred cubits the length of the ark, fifty cubits its breadth, and thirty cubits its height.16You shall make a skylight for the ark, and to a cubit you shall finish it to the top, and the entrance of the ark you shall place in its side; you shall make it with bottom [compartments], second story [compartments], and third story [compartments].17And I, behold I am bringing the flood, water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which there is the spirit of life, from beneath the heavens; all that is upon the earth will perish.18And I will set up My covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you and your sons, and your wife and your sons' wives with you.19And of all living things of all flesh, two of each you shall bring into the ark to preserve alive with you; they shall be male and female.20Of the fowl after its kind and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing upon the ground after its kind; two of each shall come to you to preserve alive.21And you, take for yourself of every food that is eaten and gather it in to you, and it shall be for you and for them to eat."22And Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.

1 Samuel 16:1–13 (NLT): Samuel Anoints David as King

Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.”

2 But Samuel asked, “How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

“Take a heifer with you,” the Lord replied, “and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me.”

4 So Samuel did as the Lord instructed. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town came trembling to meet him. “What’s wrong?” they asked. “Do you come in peace?”

5 “Yes,” Samuel replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice, too.

6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!”

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

8 Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “This is not the one the Lord has chosen.” 9 Next Jesse summoned Shimea, but Samuel said, “Neither is this the one the Lord has chosen.” 10 In the same way all seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11 Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.”

“Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”

12 So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes.

And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.”

13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

Second Portion

Genesis Chapter 7

1And the Lord said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, for it is you that I have seen as a righteous man before Me in this generation.2Of all the clean animals you shall take for yourself seven pairs, a male and its mate, and of the animals that are not clean, two, a male and its mate.3Also, of the fowl of the heavens, seven pairs, male and female, to keep seed alive on the face of the earth.4For in another seven days, I will make it rain upon the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will blot out all beings that I have made, off the face of the earth."5And Noah did, according to all that the Lord had commanded him.6And Noah was six hundred years old, and the flood came about, water upon the earth.7And Noah went in and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him into the ark because of the flood waters.8Of the clean beasts and of the beasts that are not clean, and of the fowl, and all that creeps upon the earth.9Two by two they came to Noah to the ark, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.10And it came to pass after the seven days, that the flood waters were upon the earth.11In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on this day, all the springs of the great deep were split, and the windows of the heavens opened up.12And the rain was upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.13On this very day, Noah came, and Shem and Ham and Japheth, Noah's sons, and Noah's wife and his sons' three wives with them, into the ark.14They, and every beast after its kind, and every domestic animal after its kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every fowl after its kind, every bird of every wing.15And they came to Noah to the ark, two by two of all flesh in which there is the spirit of life.16And those who came male and female of all flesh came, as God had commanded him, and the Lord shut him in.

Monday

1 Samuel 15:1–11 (NLT): Saul Defeats the Amalekites

One day Samuel said to Saul, “It was the Lord who told me to anoint you as king of his people, Israel. Now listen to this message from the Lord! 2 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt. 3 Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation—men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys.”

4 So Saul mobilized his army at Telaim. There were 200,000 soldiers from Israel and 10,000 men from Judah. 5 Then Saul and his army went to a town of the Amalekites and lay in wait in the valley. 6 Saul sent this warning to the Kenites: “Move away from where the Amalekites live, or you will die with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites packed up and left.

7 Then Saul slaughtered the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. 8 He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else. 9 Saul and his men spared Agag’s life and kept the best of the sheep and goats, the cattle, the fat calves, and the lambs—everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality.

The Lord Rejects Saul

10 Then the Lord said to Samuel, 11 “I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command.” Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the Lord all night.

Third Portion

Genesis Chapter 7

17Now the Flood was forty days upon the earth, and the waters increased, and they lifted the ark, and it rose off the earth.18And the waters became powerful, and they increased very much upon the earth, and the ark moved upon the waters.19And the waters became exceedingly powerful upon the earth, and all the lofty mountains that were under the heavens were covered up.20Fifteen cubits above did the waters prevail, and the mountains were covered up.21And all flesh perished that moved upon the earth, among the fowl, and among the cattle, and among the beasts, and among all creeping creatures that creep upon the earth and all mankind.22Everything that had the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils, of all that were on the dry land, died.23And it [the Flood] blotted out all beings that were upon the face of the earth, from man to animal to creeping thing and to the fowl of the heavens, and they were blotted out from the earth, and only Noah and those with him in the ark survived.24And the water prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.

Genesis Chapter 8

1And God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark, and God caused a spirit to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.2And the springs of the deep were closed, and the windows of the heavens, and the rain from the heavens was withheld.3And the waters receded off the earth more and more, and the water diminished at the end of a hundred and fifty days.4And the ark came to rest in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.5And the waters constantly diminished until the tenth month; in the tenth [month], on the first of the month, the mountain peaks appeared.6And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made.7And he sent forth the raven, and it went out, back and forth until the waters dried up off the earth.8And he sent forth the dove from with him, to see whether the waters had abated from upon the surface of the earth.9But the dove found no resting place for the sole of its foot; so it returned to him to the ark because there was water upon the entire surface of the earth; so he stretched forth his hand and took it, and he brought it to him to the ark.10And he waited again another seven days, and he again sent forth the dove from the ark.11And the dove returned to him at eventide, and behold it had plucked an olive leaf in its mouth; so Noah knew that the water had abated from upon the earth.12And he again waited another seven days, and he sent forth the dove, and it no longer continued to return to him.13And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first [month], on the first of the month, that the waters dried up from upon the earth, and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and he saw, and behold, the surface of the ground had dried up.14And in the second month, on the twenty seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

Tuesday

Romans 11:13–24 (NLT):

13 I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, 14 for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. 15 For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead! 16 And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.

17 But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. 18 But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.

19 “Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.” 20 Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. 21 For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either.

22 Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. 23 And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. 24 You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.

Fourth Portion

Genesis Chapter 8

15And God spoke to Noah saying:16"Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons, and your sons' wives with you.17Every living thing that is with you of all flesh, of fowl, and of animals and of all the creeping things that creep on the earth, bring out with you, and they shall swarm upon the earth, and they shall be fruitful and multiply upon the earth."18So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him.19Every beast, every creeping thing, and all fowl, everything that moves upon the earth, according to their families they went forth from the ark.20And Noah built an altar to the Lord, and he took of all the clean animals and of all the clean fowl and brought up burnt offerings on the altar.21And the Lord smelled the pleasant aroma, and the Lord said to Himself, "I will no longer curse the earth because of man, for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth, and I will no longer smite all living things as I have done.22So long as the earth exists, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

Genesis Chapter 9

1And God blessed Noah and his sons, and He said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.2And your fear and your dread shall be upon all the beasts of the earth and upon all the fowl of the heaven; upon everything that creeps upon the ground and upon all the fish of the sea, [for] they have been given into your hand[s].3Every moving thing that lives shall be yours to eat; like the green vegetation, I have given you everything.4But, flesh with its soul, its blood, you shall not eat.5But your blood, of your souls, I will demand [an account]; from the hand of every beast I will demand it, and from the hand of man, from the hand of each man, his brother, I will demand the soul of man.6Whoever sheds the blood of man through man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God He made man.7And you, be fruitful and multiply; swarm upon the earth and multiply thereon."

Wednesday

Psalm 2:1–12 (NLT):

1 Why are the nations so angry?

Why do they waste their time with futile plans?

2 The kings of the earth prepare for battle;

the rulers plot together

against the Lord

and against his anointed one.

3 “Let us break their chains,” they cry,

“and free ourselves from slavery to God.”

4 But the one who rules in heaven laughs.

The Lord scoffs at them.

5 Then in anger he rebukes them,

terrifying them with his fierce fury.

6 For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne

in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.”

7 The king proclaims the Lord’s decree:

“The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son.

Today I have become your Father.

8 Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,

the whole earth as your possession.

9 You will break them with an iron rod

and smash them like clay pots.’ ”

10 Now then, you kings, act wisely!

Be warned, you rulers of the earth!

11 Serve the Lord with reverent fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

12 Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry,

and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities—

for his anger flares up in an instant.

But what joy for all who take refuge in him!

Fifth Portion

Genesis Chapter 9

8And God said to Noah and to his sons with him, saying:9"And I, behold I am setting up My covenant with you and with your seed after you.10And with every living creature that is with you, among the fowl, among the cattle, and among all the beasts of the earth with you, of all those who came out of the ark, of all the living creatures of the earth.11And I will establish My covenant with you, and never again will all flesh be cut off by the flood waters, and there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth."12And God said: "This is the sign of the covenant, which I am placing between Me and between you, and between every living soul that is with you, for everlasting generations.13My rainbow I have placed in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Myself and the earth.14And it shall come to pass, when I cause clouds to come upon the earth, that the rainbow will appear in the cloud.15And I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and between you and between every living creature among all flesh, and the water will no longer become a flood to destroy all flesh.16And the rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will see it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and between every living creature among all flesh, which is on the earth."17And God said to Noah: "This is the sign of the covenant that I have set up, between Myself and between all flesh that is on the earth."

Thursday

Acts 13:21–31 (NLT):

21 Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. 22 But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’

23 “And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Savior of Israel! 24 Before he came, John the Baptist preached that all the people of Israel needed to repent of their sins and turn to God and be baptized. 25 As John was finishing his ministry he asked, ‘Do you think I am the Messiah? No, I am not! But he is coming soon—and I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the sandals on his feet.’

26 “Brothers—you sons of Abraham, and also you God-fearing Gentiles—this message of salvation has been sent to us! 27 The people in Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus as the one the prophets had spoken about. Instead, they condemned him, and in doing this they fulfilled the prophets’ words that are read every Sabbath. 28 They found no legal reason to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway.

29 “When they had done all that the prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead! 31 And over a period of many days he appeared to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people of Israel.

Sixth Portion

Genesis Chapter 9

18And the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and Ham he was the father of Canaan.19These three were the sons of Noah, and from these, the entire earth spread out.20And Noah began to be a master of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.21And he drank of the wine and became drunk, and he uncovered himself within his tent.22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness, and he told his two brothers outside.23And Shem and Japheth took the garment, and they placed [it] on both of their shoulders, and they walked backwards, and they covered their father's nakedness, and their faces were turned backwards, so that they did not see their father's nakedness.24And Noah awoke from his wine, and he knew what his small son had done to him.25And he said, "Cursed be Canaan; he shall be a slave among slaves to his brethren."26And he said, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be a slave to them.27May God expand Japheth, and may He dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be a slave to them."28And Noah lived after the Flood, three hundred and fifty years.29And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

Genesis Chapter 10

1And these are the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and sons were born to them after the Flood.2The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal, and Meshech and Tiras.3And the sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah.4And the sons of Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.5From these, the islands of the nations separated in their lands, each one to his language, according to their families, in their nations.6And the sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan.7And the sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabta and Raamah and Sabtecha, and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.8And Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty man in the land.9He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord."10And the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.11From that land emerged Asshur, and he built Nineveh and Rehoboth ir and Calah.12And Resen, between Nineveh and between Calah; that is the great city.13And Mizraim begot the Ludim and the Anamim and the Lehabim and the Naphtuhim,14And the Pathrusim and the Casluhim, from whom the Philistines emerged, and the Caphtorim.15And Canaan begot Zidon his firstborn and Heth.16And the Jebusites and the Amorites and the Girgashites.17And the Hivvites and the Arkites and the Sinites.18And the Arvadites and the Zemarites and the Hamathites, and afterwards the families of the Canaanites were scattered.19And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you come to Gerar, until Gaza, as you come to Sodom and Gomorrah, and Admah and Zeboiim, until Lesha.20These are the sons of Ham according to their families, and their tongues, in their lands, in their nations.21And to Shem were also born [children; he was] the father of all the people of the other side [of the river], the brother of Japheth the elder.22The sons of Shem were Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram.23And the sons of Aram were Uz and Hul and Gether and Mash.24And Arpachshad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber.25And to Eber were born two sons: one was named Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided, and the name of his brother was Joktan.26And Joktan begot Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah.27And Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah.28And Obal and Abimael and Sheba.29And Ophir and Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.30And their settlement was from Mesha, as you come to Sephar, the mountain of the east.31These are the sons of Shem according to their families, according to their tongues, in their lands, according to their nations.32These are the families of the sons of Noah according to their generations, in their nations, and from these, the nations were separated on the earth after the Flood.

Friday

Revelation 22:12–17 (NLT):

12 “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. 15 Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.

16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.”

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.

Seventh Portion

Genesis Chapter 11

1Now the entire earth was of one language and uniform words.2And it came to pass when they traveled from the east, that they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.3And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and fire them thoroughly"; so the bricks were to them for stones, and the clay was to them for mortar.4And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered upon the face of the entire earth."5And the Lord descended to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built.6And the Lord said, "Lo! [they are] one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they have commenced to do. Now, will it not be withheld from them, all that they have planned to do?7Come, let us descend and confuse their language, so that one will not understand the language of his companion."8And the Lord scattered them from there upon the face of the entire earth, and they ceased building the city.9Therefore, He named it Babel, for there the Lord confused the language of the entire earth, and from there the Lord scattered them upon the face of the entire earth.10These are the generations of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and he begot Arpachshad, two years after the Flood.11And Shem lived after he had begotten Arpachshad five hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters.12And Arpachshad lived thirty five years, and he begot Shelah.13And Arpachshad lived after he had begotten Shelah four hundred and three years, and he begot sons and daughters.14And Shelah lived thirty years, and he begot Eber.15And Shelah lived after he had begotten Eber, four hundred and three years, and he begot sons and daughters.16And Eber lived thirty four years, and he begot Peleg.17And Eber lived after he had begotten Peleg, four hundred and thirty years, and he begot sons and daughters.18And Peleg lived thirty years, and he begot Reu.19And Peleg lived after he had begotten Reu, two hundred and nine years, and he begot sons and daughters.20And Reu lived thirty two years, and he begot Serug.21And Reu lived after he had begotten Serug two hundred and seven years, and he begot sons and daughters.22And Serug lived thirty years, and he begot Nahor.23And Serug lived after he had begotten Nahor, two hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters.24And Nahor lived twenty nine years, and he begot Terah.25And Nahor lived after he had begotten Terah one hundred and nineteen years, and he begot sons and daughters.26And Terah lived seventy years, and he begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.27And these are the generations of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran begot Lot.28And Haran died during the lifetime of Terah his father in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees.29And Abram and Nahor took themselves wives; the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah.30And Sarai was barren; she had no child.31And Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter in law, the wife of Abram his son, and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land of Canaan, and they came as far as Haran and settled there.32And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.

Saturday

Psalm 89:20–37 (NLT):

20 I have found my servant David.

I have anointed him with my holy oil.

21 I will steady him with my hand;

with my powerful arm I will make him strong.

22 His enemies will not defeat him,

nor will the wicked overpower him.

23 I will beat down his adversaries before him

and destroy those who hate him.

24 My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him,

and by my authority he will grow in power.

25 I will extend his rule over the sea,

his dominion over the rivers.

26 And he will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,

my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’

27 I will make him my firstborn son,

the mightiest king on earth.

28 I will love him and be kind to him forever;

my covenant with him will never end.

29 I will preserve an heir for him;

his throne will be as endless as the days of heaven.

30 But if his descendants forsake my instructions

and fail to obey my regulations,

31 if they do not obey my decrees

and fail to keep my commands,

32 then I will punish their sin with the rod,

and their disobedience with beating.

33 But I will never stop loving him

nor fail to keep my promise to him.

34 No, I will not break my covenant;

I will not take back a single word I said.

35 I have sworn an oath to David,

and in my holiness I cannot lie:

36 His dynasty will go on forever;

his kingdom will endure as the sun.

37 It will be as eternal as the moon,

my faithful witness in the sky!”

Maftir Portion

Genesis Chapter 11

29And Abram and Nahor took themselves wives; the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah.30And Sarai was barren; she had no child.31And Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter in law, the wife of Abram his son, and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land of Canaan, and they came as far as Haran and settled there.32And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.

Haftarah

Isaiah Chapter 54

1"Sing you barren woman who has not borne; burst out into song and jubilate, you who have not experienced birth pangs, for the children of the desolate one are more than the children of the married woman," says the Lord.2Widen the place of your tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations, do not spare; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.3For right and left shall you prevail, and your seed shall inherit nations and repeople desolate cities.4Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed, and be not embarrassed for you shall not be put to shame, for the shame of your youth you shall forget, and the disgrace of your widowhood you shall no longer remember.5For your Master is your Maker, the Lord of Hosts is His name, and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, shall be called the God of all the earth.6For, like a wife who is deserted and distressed in spirit has the Lord called you, and a wife of one's youth who was rejected, said your God.7"For a small moment have I forsaken you, and with great mercy will I gather you.8With a little wrath did I hide My countenance for a moment from you, and with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on you," said your Redeemer, the Lord.9"For this is to Me [as] the waters of Noah, as I swore that the waters of Noah shall never again pass over the earth, so have I sworn neither to be wroth with you nor to rebuke you.10For the mountains shall depart and the hills totter, but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of My peace totter," says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.

AME Zion Universal Reading October 23rd 2022

Sunday School Zoom Link

First Portion

Genesis Chapter 1

1In the beginning of God's creation of the heavens and the earth.2Now the earth was astonishingly empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water.3And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.4And God saw the light that it was good, and God separated between the light and between the darkness.5And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night, and it was evening and it was morning, one day.6And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the water, and let it be a separation between water and water."7And God made the expanse and it separated between the water that was below the expanse and the water that was above the expanse, and it was so.8And God called the expanse Heaven, and it was evening, and it was morning, a second day.9And God said, "Let the water that is beneath the heavens gather into one place, and let the dry land appear," and it was so.10And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas, and God saw that it was good.11And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, seed yielding herbs and fruit trees producing fruit according to its kind in which its seed is found, on the earth," and it was so.12And the earth gave forth vegetation, seed yielding herbs according to its kind, and trees producing fruit, in which its seed is found, according to its kind, and God saw that it was good.13And it was evening, and it was morning, a third day.14And God said, "Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens, to separate between the day and between the night, and they shall be for signs and for appointed seasons and for days and years.15And they shall be for luminaries in the expanse of the heavens to shed light upon the earth." And it was so.16And God made the two great luminaries: the great luminary to rule the day and the lesser luminary to rule the night, and the stars.17And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to shed light upon the earth.18And to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate between the light and between the darkness, and God saw that it was good.19And it was evening, and it was morning, a fourth day.20And God said, "Let the waters swarm a swarming of living creatures, and let fowl fly over the earth, across the expanse of the heavens."21And God created the great sea monsters, and every living creature that crawls, with which the waters swarmed, according to their kind, and every winged fowl, according to its kind, and God saw that it was good.22And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let the fowl multiply upon the earth."23And it was evening, and it was morning, a fifth day.24And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind, cattle and creeping things and the beasts of the earth according to their kind," and it was so.25And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kind and the cattle according to their kind, and all the creeping things of the ground according to their kind, and God saw that it was good.26And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and they shall rule over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the heaven and over the animals and over all the earth and over all the creeping things that creep upon the earth."27And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.28And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the sky and over all the beasts that tread upon the earth. "29And God said, "Behold, I have given you every seed bearing herb, which is upon the surface of the entire earth, and every tree that has seed bearing fruit; it will be yours for food.30And to all the beasts of the earth and to all the fowl of the heavens, and to everything that moves upon the earth, in which there is a living spirit, every green herb to eat," and it was so.31And God saw all that He had made, and behold it was very good, and it was evening and it was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis Chapter 2

1Now the heavens and the earth were completed and all their host.2And God completed on the seventh day His work that He did, and He abstained on the seventh day from all His work that He did.3And God blessed the seventh day and He hallowed it, for thereon He abstained from all His work that God created to do.

1 Samuel 8:1–9 (NLT): Israel Requests a King

As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. 2 Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. 3 But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.

4 Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. 5 “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”

6 Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. 7 “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. 8 Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. 9 Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.”

1 Samuel 10:17–24 (NLT): Saul Is Acclaimed King

17 Later Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet before the Lord at Mizpah. 18 And he said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has declared: I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were oppressing you. 19 But though I have rescued you from your misery and distress, you have rejected your God today and have said, ‘No, we want a king instead!’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by tribes and clans.”

20 So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. 21 Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the Lord, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! 22 So they asked the Lord, “Where is he?”

And the Lord replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.” 23 So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else.

24 Then Samuel said to all the people, “This is the man the Lord has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is like him!”

And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

Second Portion

Genesis Chapter 2

4These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, on the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.5Now no tree of the field was yet on the earth, neither did any herb of the field yet grow, because the Lord God had not brought rain upon the earth, and there was no man to work the soil.6And a mist ascended from the earth and watered the entire surface of the ground.7And the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and He breathed into his nostrils the soul of life, and man became a living soul.8And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden from the east, and He placed there the man whom He had formed.9And the Lord God caused to sprout from the ground every tree pleasant to see and good to eat, and the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil.10And a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it separated and became four heads.11The name of one is Pishon; that is the one that encompasses all the land of Havilah, where there is gold.12And the gold of that land is good; there is the crystal and the onyx stone.13And the name of the second river is Gihon; that is the one that encompasses all the land of Cush.14And the name of the third river is Tigris; that is the one that flows to the east of Assyria, and the fourth river that is the Euphrates.15Now the Lord God took the man, and He placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to guard it.16And the Lord God commanded man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat.17But of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it, for on the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die."18And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man is alone; I shall make him a helpmate opposite him."19And the Lord God formed from the earth every beast of the field and every fowl of the heavens, and He brought [it] to man to see what he would call it, and whatever the man called each living thing, that was its name.

Monday

Acts 4:23–31 (NLT): The Believers Pray for Courage

23 As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. 24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—25 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,

‘Why were the nations so angry?

Why did they waste their time with futile plans?

26 The kings of the earth prepared for battle;

the rulers gathered together

against the Lord

and against his Messiah.’

27 “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. 28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. 29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

Third Portion

Genesis Chapter 2

20And man named all the cattle and the fowl of the heavens and all the beasts of the field, but for man, he did not find a helpmate opposite him.21And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon man, and he slept, and He took one of his sides, and He closed the flesh in its place.22And the Lord God built the side that He had taken from man into a woman, and He brought her to man.23And man said, "This time, it is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This one shall be called ishah (woman) because this one was taken from ish (man)."24Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.25Now they were both naked, the man and his wife, but they were not ashamed.

Genesis Chapter 3

1Now the serpent was cunning, more than all the beasts of the field that the Lord God had made, and it said to the woman, "Did God indeed say, 'You shall not eat of any of the trees of the garden?'"2And the woman said to the serpent, "Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat.3But of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, God said, "You shall not eat of it, and you shall not touch it, lest you die.'"4And the serpent said to the woman, "You will surely not die.5For God knows that on the day that you eat thereof, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like angels, knowing good and evil."6And the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise; so she took of its fruit, and she ate, and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.7And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves and made themselves girdles.8And they heard the voice of the Lord God going in the garden to the direction of the sun, and the man and his wife hid from before the Lord God in the midst of the trees of the garden.9And the Lord God called to man, and He said to him, "Where are you?"10And he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I am naked; so I hid."11And He said, "Who told you that you are naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"12And the man said, "The woman whom You gave [to be] with me she gave me of the tree; so I ate."13And the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent enticed me, and I ate."14And the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed be you more than all the cattle and more than all the beasts of the field; you shall walk on your belly, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.15And I shall place hatred between you and between the woman, and between your seed and between her seed. He will crush your head, and you will bite his heel."16To the woman He said, "I shall surely increase your sorrow and your pregnancy; in pain you shall bear children. And to your husband will be your desire, and he will rule over you."17And to man He said, "Because you listened to your wife, and you ate from the tree from which I commanded you saying, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed be the ground for your sake; with toil shall you eat of it all the days of your life.18And it will cause thorns and thistles to grow for you, and you shall eat the herbs of the field.19With the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground, for you were taken therefrom, for dust you are, and to dust you will return."20And the man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all life.21And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife shirts of skin, and He dressed them.

Tuesday

1 Samuel 8:1–9 (NLT): Israel Requests a King

As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. 2 Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. 3 But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.

4 Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. 5 “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”

6 Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. 7 “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. 8 Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. 9 Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.”

Fourth Portion

Genesis Chapter 3

22Now the Lord God said, "Behold man has become like one of us, having the ability of knowing good and evil, and now, lest he stretch forth his hand and take also from the Tree of Life and eat and live forever."23And the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden, to till the soil, whence he had been taken.24And He drove the man out, and He stationed from the east of the Garden of Eden the cherubim and the blade of the revolving sword, to guard the way to the Tree of Life.

Genesis Chapter 4

1Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, and she said, "I have acquired a man with the Lord."2And she continued to bear his brother Abel, and Abel was a shepherd of flocks, and Cain was a tiller of the soil.3Now it came to pass at the end of days, that Cain brought of the fruit of the soil an offering to the Lord.4And Abel he too brought of the firstborn of his flocks and of their fattest, and the Lord turned to Abel and to his offering.5But to Cain and to his offering He did not turn, and it annoyed Cain exceedingly, and his countenance fell.6And the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you annoyed, and why has your countenance fallen?7Is it not so that if you improve, it will be forgiven you? If you do not improve, however, at the entrance, sin is lying, and to you is its longing, but you can rule over it."8And Cain spoke to Abel his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him.9And the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"10And He said, "What have you done? Hark! Your brother's blood cries out to Me from the earth.11And now, you are cursed even more than the ground, which opened its mouth to take your brother's blood from your hand.12When you till the soil, it will not continue to give its strength to you; you shall be a wanderer and an exile in the land."13And Cain said to the Lord, "Is my iniquity too great to bear?14Behold You have driven me today off the face of the earth, and I shall be hidden from before You, and I will be a wanderer and an exile in the land, and it will be that whoever finds me will kill me."15And the Lord said to him, "Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be wrought upon him sevenfold," and the Lord placed a mark on Cain that no one who find him slay him.16And Cain went forth from before the Lord, and he dwelt in the land of the wanderers, to the east of Eden.17And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch, and he was building a city, and he called the city after the name of his son, Enoch.18And Irad was born to Enoch, and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehijael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lemech.

Wednesday

Revelation 11:15–19 (NLT): The Seventh Trumpet Brings the Third Terror

15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven:

“The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,

and he will reign forever and ever.”

16 The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him. 17 And they said,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty,

the one who is and who always was,

for now you have assumed your great power

and have begun to reign.

18 The nations were filled with wrath,

but now the time of your wrath has come.

It is time to judge the dead

and reward your servants the prophets,

as well as your holy people,

and all who fear your name,

from the least to the greatest.

It is time to destroy

all who have caused destruction on the earth.”

19 Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and a terrible hailstorm.

Revelation 15:1–4 (NLT): The Song of Moses and of the Lamb

Then I saw in heaven another marvelous event of great significance. Seven angels were holding the seven last plagues, which would bring God’s wrath to completion. 2 I saw before me what seemed to be a glass sea mixed with fire. And on it stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name. They were all holding harps that God had given them. 3 And they were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:

“Great and marvelous are your works,

O Lord God, the Almighty.

Just and true are your ways,

O King of the nations.

4 Who will not fear you, Lord,

and glorify your name?

For you alone are holy.

All nations will come and worship before you,

for your righteous deeds have been revealed.”

Fifth Portion

Genesis Chapter 4

19And Lemech took himself two wives; one was named Adah, and the other was named Zillah.20Now Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle.21And his brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who grasp a lyre and a flute.22And Zillah she too bore Tubal-cain, who sharpened all tools that cut copper and iron, and Tubal-cain's sister was Na'amah.

Thursday

Psalm 93:1–5 (NLT):

1 The Lord is king! He is robed in majesty.

Indeed, the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength.

The world stands firm

and cannot be shaken.

2 Your throne, O Lord, has stood from time immemorial.

You yourself are from the everlasting past.

3 The floods have risen up, O Lord.

The floods have roared like thunder;

the floods have lifted their pounding waves.

4 But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,

mightier than the breakers on the shore—

the Lord above is mightier than these!

5 Your royal laws cannot be changed.

Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever.

Sixth Portion

Genesis Chapter 4

23Now Lemech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, hearken to my voice; wives of Lemech, incline your ears to my words, for I have slain a man by wounding (him) and a child by bruising (him).24If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then for Lemech it shall be seventy seven fold."25And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son, and she named him Seth, for God has given me other seed, instead of Abel, for Cain slew him.26And to Seth also to him a son was born, and he named him Enosh; then it became common to call by the name of the Lord.

Genesis Chapter 5

1This is the narrative of the generations of man; on the day that God created man, in the likeness of God He created him.2Male and female He created them, and He blessed them, and He named them man (Adam) on the day they were created.3And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and he begot in his likeness after his image, and he named him Seth.4And the days of Adam after he begot Seth were eight hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters.5And all the days of Adam that he lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.6And Seth lived one hundred and five years, and he begot Enosh.7And Seth lived after he had begotten Enosh eight hundred and seven years, and he begot sons and daughters.8And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.9And Enosh lived ninety years, and he begot Kenan.10And Enosh lived after he had begotten Kenan eight hundred and fifteen years, and he begot sons and daughters.11And all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.12And Kenan lived seventy years, and he begot Mahalalel.13And Kenan lived after he had begotten Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years, and he begot sons and daughters.14And all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.15And Mahalalel lived sixty five years, and he begot Jared.16And Mahalalel lived after he had begotten Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and he begot sons and daughters.17And all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety five years, and he died.18And Jared lived a hundred and sixty two years, and he begot Enoch.19And Jared lived after he had begotten Enoch eight hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters.20And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty two years, and he died.21And Enoch lived sixty five years, and he begot Methuselah.22And Enoch walked with God after he had begotten Methuselah, three hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters.23And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty five years.24And Enoch walked with God, and he was no longer, for God had taken him.

Friday

1 Samuel 9:3–17 (NLT):

3 One day Kish’s donkeys strayed away, and he told Saul, “Take a servant with you, and go look for the donkeys.” 4 So Saul took one of the servants and traveled through the hill country of Ephraim, the land of Shalishah, the Shaalim area, and the entire land of Benjamin, but they couldn’t find the donkeys anywhere.

5 Finally, they entered the region of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant, “Let’s go home. By now my father will be more worried about us than about the donkeys!”

6 But the servant said, “I’ve just thought of something! There is a man of God who lives here in this town. He is held in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true. Let’s go find him. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.”

7 “But we don’t have anything to offer him,” Saul replied. “Even our food is gone, and we don’t have a thing to give him.”

8 “Well,” the servant said, “I have one small silver piece. We can at least offer it to the man of God and see what happens!” 9 (In those days if people wanted a message from God, they would say, “Let’s go and ask the seer,” for prophets used to be called seers.)

10 “All right,” Saul agreed, “let’s try it!” So they started into the town where the man of God lived.

11 As they were climbing the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water. So Saul and his servant asked, “Is the seer here today?”

12 “Yes,” they replied. “Stay right on this road. He is at the town gates. He has just arrived to take part in a public sacrifice up at the place of worship. 13 Hurry and catch him before he goes up there to eat. The guests won’t begin eating until he arrives to bless the food.”

14 So they entered the town, and as they passed through the gates, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the place of worship.

15 Now the Lord had told Samuel the previous day, 16 “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him to be the leader of my people, Israel. He will rescue them from the Philistines, for I have looked down on my people in mercy and have heard their cry.”

17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said, “That’s the man I told you about! He will rule my people.”

Seventh Portion

Genesis Chapter 5

25And Methuselah lived a hundred and eighty seven years, and he begot Lamech.26And Methuselah lived after he had begotten Lamech, seven hundred and eighty two years, and he begot sons and daughters.27And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty nine years, and he died.28And Lamech lived a hundred and eighty two years, and he begot a son.29And he named him Noah, saying, "This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands from the ground, which the Lord has cursed."30And Lamech lived after he had begotten Noah, five hundred and ninety five years, and he begot sons and daughters.31And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy seven years, and he died.32And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis Chapter 6

1And it came to pass when man commenced to multiply upon the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them.2That the sons of the nobles saw the daughters of man when they were beautifying themselves, and they took for themselves wives from whomever they chose.3And the Lord said, "Let My spirit not quarrel forever concerning man, because he is also flesh, and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years."4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of the nobles would come to the daughters of man, and they would bear for them; they are the mighty men, who were of old, the men of renown.5And the Lord saw that the evil of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of his heart was only evil all the time.6And the Lord regretted that He had made man upon the earth, and He became grieved in His heart.7And the Lord said, "I will blot out man, whom I created, from upon the face of the earth, from man to cattle to creeping thing, to the fowl of the heavens, for I regret that I made them."8But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Saturday

1 Samuel 9:27–10:8 (NLT):

27 When they reached the edge of town, Samuel told Saul to send his servant on ahead. After the servant was gone, Samuel said, “Stay here, for I have received a special message for you from God.”

Chapter 10 Samuel Anoints Saul as King

Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul’s head. He kissed Saul and said, “I am doing this because the Lord has appointed you to be the ruler over Israel, his special possession. 2 When you leave me today, you will see two men beside Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah, on the border of Benjamin. They will tell you that the donkeys have been found and that your father has stopped worrying about them and is now worried about you. He is asking, ‘Have you seen my son?’

3 “When you get to the oak of Tabor, you will see three men coming toward you who are on their way to worship God at Bethel. One will be bringing three young goats, another will have three loaves of bread, and the third will be carrying a wineskin full of wine. 4 They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves, which you are to accept.

5 “When you arrive at Gibeah of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is located, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They will be playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying. 6 At that time the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. 7 After these signs take place, do what must be done, for God is with you. 8 Then go down to Gilgal ahead of me. I will join you there to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. You must wait for seven days until I arrive and give you further instructions.”

Maftir Portion

Genesis Chapter 6

5And the Lord saw that the evil of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of his heart was only evil all the time.6And the Lord regretted that He had made man upon the earth, and He became grieved in His heart.7And the Lord said, "I will blot out man, whom I created, from upon the face of the earth, from man to cattle to creeping thing, to the fowl of the heavens, for I regret that I made them."8But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Haftarah

Isaiah Chapter 42

5So said God the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the One Who stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and what springs forth from it, Who gave a soul to the people upon it and a spirit to those who walk thereon.6I am the Lord; I called you with righteousness and I will strengthen your hand; and I formed you, and I made you for a people's covenant, for a light to nations.7To open blind eyes, to bring prisoners out of a dungeon, those who sit in darkness out of a prison.8I am the Lord, that is My Name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to the graven images.9The former things, behold they have come to pass, and the new things I tell; before they sprout I will let you hear.10Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise from the end of the earth, those who go down to the sea and those therein, the islands and their inhabitants.11The desert and its cities shall raise [their voice]; Kedar shall be inhabited with villages; the rock dwellers shall exult, from the mountain peaks they shall shout.12They shall give glory to the Lord, and they shall recite His praise on the islands.13The Lord shall go out like a hero; like a warrior shall He arouse zeal; He shall shout, He shall even cry, He shall overpower His foes.14I was silent from time immemorial; I am still, I restrain Myself. Like a travailing woman will I cry; I will be terrified and destroy them together.15I will destroy mountains and hills, and all their grass I will dry out, and I will make rivers into islands and I will dry up the pools.16And I will lead the blind on a road they did not know; in paths they did not know I will lead them; I will make darkness into light before them, and crooked paths into straight ones. These things, I will do them and I will not forsake them.17They shall turn back greatly ashamed, those who trust in the graven image, who say to the molten idols, "You are our gods."18You deaf ones, listen, and you blind ones, look to see.19Who is blind but My servant, and deaf as My messenger whom I will send? He who was blind is as the one who received his payment, and he who was blind is as the servant of the Lord.20There is much to see but you do not observe, to open the ears but no one listens.21The Lord desires [this] for His righteousness' sake; He magnifies the Torah and strengthens it.