Friday of Epiphany 3

First Reading: Zech. 11:4-17

 4Thus says the LORD my God, "Pasture the flock doomed to ^(A)slaughter.

 5"Those who buy them slay them and go ^(B)unpunished, and each of those who sell them says, 'Blessed be the LORD, for ^(C)I have become rich!' And their ^(D)own shepherds have no pity on them.

 6"For I will ^(E)no longer have pity on the inhabitants of the land," declares the LORD; "but behold, I will ^(F)cause the men to fall, each into another's power and into the power of his king; and they will strike the land, and I will ^(G)not deliver them from their power."

 7So I ^(H)pastured the flock doomed to slaughter, hence the ^(I)afflicted of the flock And I took for myself two ^(J)staffs: the one I called ^(K)Favor and the other I called ^(L)Union; so I pastured the flock.

 8Then I annihilated the three shepherds in ^(M)one month, for my soul was impatient with them, and their soul also was weary of me.

 9Then I said, "I will not pasture you. What is to ^(N)die, let it die, and what is to be annihilated, let it be annihilated; and let those who are left eat one another's flesh."

 10I took my staff ^(O)Favor and cut it in pieces, to ^(P)break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples.

 11So it was broken on that day, and ^[a]thus the ^(Q)afflicted of the flock who were watching me realized that it was the word of the LORD.

 12I said to them, "If it is good in your sight, give me my ^(R)wages; but if not, never mind!" So they weighed out ^(S)thirty shekels of silver as my wages.

 13Then the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the ^(T)potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them." So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

 14Then I cut in pieces my second staff ^(U)Union, to ^(V)break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

 15The LORD said to me, "Take again for yourself the equipment of a ^(W)foolish shepherd.

 16"For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will ^(X)not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing, but will ^(Y)devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs.
    17"^(Z)Woe to the worthless shepherd
         Who leaves the flock!
         A ^(AA)sword will be on his arm
         And on his right eye!
         His ^(AB)arm will be totally withered
         And his right eye will be blind."

Footnotes:Zechariah 11:11 Another reading is the sheep dealers who
Cross references:Zechariah 11:4 : Ps 44:22; Zech 11:7 Zechariah 11:5 : Jer 50:7 Zechariah 11:5 : Hos 12:8; 1 Tim 6:9 Zechariah 11:5 : Ezek 34:2, 3 Zechariah 11:6 : Jer 13:14 Zechariah 11:6 : Is 9:19-21; Mic 7:2-6; Zech 14:13 Zechariah 11:6 : Ps 50:22; Mic 5:8 Zechariah 11:7 : Zech 11:4 Zechariah 11:7 : Jer 39:10; Zeph 3:12 Zechariah 11:7 : Ezek 37:16 Zechariah 11:7 : Ps 27:4; 90:17; Zech 11:10 Zechariah 11:7 : Ps 133:1; Ezek 37:16-23; Zech 11:14 Zechariah 11:8 : Hos 5:7 Zechariah 11:9 : Jer 15:2 Zechariah 11:10 : Zech 11:7 Zechariah 11:10 : Ps 89:39; Jer 14:21 Zechariah 11:11 : Zeph 3:12 Zechariah 11:12 : 1 Kin 5:6; Mal 3:5 Zechariah 11:12 : Gen 37:28; Ex 21:32; Matt 26:15; 27:9, 10 Zechariah 11:13 : Matt 27:3-10; Acts 1:18, 19 Zechariah 11:14 : Zech 11:7 Zechariah 11:14 : Is 9:21; Zech 11:6 Zechariah 11:15 : Is 6:10-12; Zech 11:17 Zechariah 11:16 : Jer 23:2 Zechariah 11:16 : Ezek 34:2-6 Zechariah 11:17 : Jer 23:1; Zech 10:2; 11:15 Zechariah 11:17 : Jer 50:35-37 Zechariah 11:17 : Ezek 30:21, 22

Second Reading: 2 Tim. 4:1-18

"Preach the Word"

 1^(A)I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to ^(B)judge the living and the dead, and by His ^(C)appearing and His kingdom:

 2preach ^(D)the word; be ready in season and out of season; ^(E)reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great ^(F)patience and instruction.

 3For ^(G)the time will come when they will not endure ^(H)sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,

 4and ^(I)will turn away their ears from the truth and ^(J)will turn aside to myths.

 5But you, ^(K)be sober in all things, ^(L)endure hardship, do the work of an ^(M)evangelist, fulfill your ^(N)ministry.

 6For I am already being ^(O)poured out as a drink offering, and the time of ^(P)my departure has come.

 7^(Q)I have fought the good fight, I have finished ^(R)the course, I have kept ^(S)the faith;

 8in the future there ^(T)is laid up for me ^(U)the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on ^(V)that day; and not only to me, but also to ^(W)all who have loved His ^(X)appearing.

Personal Concerns

 9^(Y)Make every effort to come to me soon;

 10for ^(Z)Demas, having loved ^(AA)this present world, has deserted me and gone to ^(AB)Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to ^(AC)Galatia, ^(AD)Titus to Dalmatia.

 11^(AE)Only ^(AF)Luke is with me Pick up ^(AG)Mark and bring him with you, ^(AH)for he is useful to me for service.

 12But ^(AI)Tychicus I have sent to ^(AJ)Ephesus.

 13When you come bring the cloak which I left at ^(AK)Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments.

 14^(AL)Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; ^(AM)the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.

 15Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching.

 16At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; ^(AN)may it not be counted against them.

 17But the Lord stood with me and ^(AO)strengthened me, so that through me ^(AP)the proclamation might be ^(AQ)fully accomplished, and that all ^(AR)the Gentiles might hear; and I was ^(AS)rescued out of ^(AT)the lion's mouth.

 18The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will ^(AU)bring me safely to His ^(AV)heavenly kingdom; ^(AW)to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Cross references:2 Timothy 4:1 : 1 Tim 5:21; 2 Tim 2:14 2 Timothy 4:1 : Acts 10:42 2 Timothy 4:1 : 2 Thess 2:8; 2 Tim 1:10; 4:8 2 Timothy 4:2 : Gal 6:6; Col 4:3; 1 Thess 1:6 2 Timothy 4:2 : 1 Tim 5:20; Titus 1:13; 2:15 2 Timothy 4:2 : 2 Tim 3:10 2 Timothy 4:3 : 2 Tim 3:1 2 Timothy 4:3 : 1 Tim 1:10; 2 Tim 1:13 2 Timothy 4:4 : 2 Thess 2:11; Titus 1:14 2 Timothy 4:4 : 1 Tim 1:4 2 Timothy 4:5 : 1 Pet 1:13 2 Timothy 4:5 : 2 Tim 1:8 2 Timothy 4:5 : Acts 21:8 2 Timothy 4:5 : Eph 4:12; Col 4:17 2 Timothy 4:6 : Phil 2:17 2 Timothy 4:6 : Phil 1:23; 2 Pet 1:14 2 Timothy 4:7 : 1 Cor 9:25; Phil 1:30; 1 Tim 1:18; 6:12 2 Timothy 4:7 : Acts 20:24; 1 Cor 9:24 2 Timothy 4:7 : 2 Tim 3:10 2 Timothy 4:8 : Col 1:5; 1 Pet 1:4 2 Timothy 4:8 : 1 Cor 9:25; 2 Tim 2:5; James 1:12 2 Timothy 4:8 : 2 Tim 1:12 2 Timothy 4:8 : Phil 3:11 2 Timothy 4:8 : 2 Tim 4:1 2 Timothy 4:9 : 2 Tim 1:4; 4:21; Titus 3:12 2 Timothy 4:10 : Col 4:14 2 Timothy 4:10 : 1 Tim 6:17 2 Timothy 4:10 : Acts 17:1 2 Timothy 4:10 : Acts 16:6 2 Timothy 4:10 : 2 Cor 2:13; 8:23; Gal 2:3; Titus 1:4 2 Timothy 4:11 : 2 Tim 1:15 2 Timothy 4:11 : Col 4:14; Philem 24 2 Timothy 4:11 : Acts 12:12, 25; 15:37-39; Col 4:10 2 Timothy 4:11 : 2 Tim 2:21 2 Timothy 4:12 : Acts 20:4; Eph 6:21, 22; Col 4:7 2 Timothy 4:12 : Acts 18:19 2 Timothy 4:13 : Acts 16:8 2 Timothy 4:14 : Acts 19:33; 1 Tim 1:20 2 Timothy 4:14 : Ps 62:12; Rom 2:6; 12:19 2 Timothy 4:16 : Acts 7:60; 1 Cor 13:5 2 Timothy 4:17 : 1 Tim 1:12; 2 Tim 2:1 2 Timothy 4:17 : Titus 1:3 2 Timothy 4:17 : 2 Tim 4:5 2 Timothy 4:17 : Acts 9:15; Phil 1:12-ff 2 Timothy 4:17 : Rom 15:31; 2 Tim 3:11 2 Timothy 4:17 : 1 Sam 17:37; Ps 22:21 2 Timothy 4:18 : 1 Cor 1:21 2 Timothy 4:18 : 1 Cor 15:50; 2 Tim 4:1; Heb 11:16; 12:22 2 Timothy 4:18 : Rom 11:36; 2 Pet 3:18

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