February 9 (Exodus 24–25; Psalm 37:1–22; Mark 16)

A reading from the Book of Exodus. The book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, Behold, the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you and accordance with all these words. Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone like the very heaven for clearness, and he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel. They beheld God and ate and drank. The Lord said to Moses, Come up to me on the mountain and wait there that I may give you the tablets of stone with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction. So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God, and he said to the elders, Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and her are with you, whoever has a dispute, let him go to them. Then Moses went up on the mountain and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered at six days. And on the seventh day, he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain, and Moses was on the mountain 40 days and 49. The Lord said to Moses, Speak to the people of Israel that they take from me a contribution, from every man whose heart moves him, you shall receive the contribution from me. And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them. Gold silver and bronze, blue and purple, and scarlet yarns and fine-twined linen, gold hair, tan-ramp, skins, gold skins, a case of wood, oil for the lamp, spices for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense, onic stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece, and let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell in their midst, exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle and of all its furniture, so you shall make it. They shall make an ark of a case of wood, two qubits and a half shall be its length, a qubit and a half its breath, and a qubit and a half its height. You shall overlay it with pure gold inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its forefeet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. You shall make poles of a case of wood and overlay them with gold, and you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark, they shall not be taken from it, and you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you. You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two qubits and a half shall be its length, and a qubit and a half its breath. You shall make two cherubim of gold, of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat, make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end, of one piece with the mercy seat, shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their face is one to another. Toward the mercy seat, shall the face of the cherubim be, and you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel. You shall make a table of occasion wood, two qubits shall be its length, a qubit its breath, and a qubit and a half it's height. You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a molding of gold around it, and you shall make a rim around it a hand-breath wide, and a molding of gold around the rim, and you shall make four at four rings of gold, and fasten the rings to the four corners at its four legs, close to the frame the ring shall lie, as holders for the poles to carry the table. You shall make the poles of occasion wood and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried with ease, and you shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flaggains and bowls with which to pour drink offerings. You shall make them of pure gold, and you shall set the bread of the presents on the table before me regularly. You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand shall be made of hammered work, its base, its stem, its cups, its galaxies, and its flower shall be of one piece with it, and there shall be six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it, Three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calics and flower, on one branch and Three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calics and flower, on the other branch, so for the six branches going out of the lampstand, and on the lampstand itself, there shall be four cups made like almond blossoms with their galaxies and flowers, and a cal writing a one piece it under each pair of the six branches going out from the lampstand. Their galaxies and their branches shall be of one piece with it, the whole of it a single piece of hammered work of pure gold. You shall make seven lamps for it, and the lamp shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it. Its tongs and their trays shall be of pure gold, it shall be made with all these utensils out of a talent of pure gold, and see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain. A reading from the book of Psalms of David. Fret not yourself because of evil doers. Be not envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb, trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land of befriend faithfulness, delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noon day. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. Fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices, refrain from anger and forsake wrath. Fret not yourself, it tends only to evil, for the evil doer shall be cut off. But those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land, and just a little while the wicked will be no more, though you look carefully at his place. He will not be there, but the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant peace. The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright. Their sword shall enter their own heart and their bow shall be broken. Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked, for the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever. They are not put to shame in evil times. In the days of famine they have abundance, but the wicked will perish. The enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures. They vanish like smoke, they vanish away. The wicked borrows, but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives. For those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off. A reading of the gospel according to Mark. When the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salomey bought spices so that they might go and annoyed him, and very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb, and they were saying to one another, who were rolled away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb, and looking up they saw that the stone had been rolled back. It was very large, and entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed, and he said to them, do not be alarmed, you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here, see the place where they laid him, but go tell his disciples in Peter that he is going before you to Galilee, there you will see him just as he told you. And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling an astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him as they mourned and wept, but when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country, and they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves, as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation, whoever believes and his baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe. In my name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues, they will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them, they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God, and they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.