19, Amshir 1742 (Thursday, 26 February 2026)

Thursday of the Second week of the Holy Lent

Matins

Prophecy

Deuteronomy 5:15-22

15And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.16`Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.17`You shall not murder.18`You shall not commit adultery.19`You shall not steal.20`You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.21`You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.'22These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

Prophecy

Isaiah 6:1-12

1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.2Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.3And one cried to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!4And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.5So I said: Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar.7And he touched my mouth with it, and said: Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.8Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us? Then I said, Here am I! Send me.9And He said, Go, and tell this people: `Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.'10Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.11Then I said, Lord, how long? And He answered: Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate,12The Lord has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.

Prophecy

Joshua 2:1 - 6:27

1Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, Go, view the land, especially Jericho. So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there.2And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country.3So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the country.4Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.5And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.6(But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.)7Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.8Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof,9and said to the men: I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.10For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.11And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.12Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's house, and give me a true token,13and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.14So the men answered her, Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the Lord has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.15Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall.16And she said to them, Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way.17So the men said to her: We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear,18unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father's household to your own home.19So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be guiltless. And whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him.20And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you made us swear.21Then she said, According to your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.22They departed and went to the mountain, and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them all along the way, but did not find them.23So the two men returned, descended from the mountain, and crossed over; and they came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that had befallen them.24And they said to Joshua, Truly the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us.1Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over.2So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp;3and they commanded the people, saying, When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it.4Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.5And Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.6Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people. So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.7And the Lord said to Joshua, This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.8You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, `When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.'9So Joshua said to the children of Israel, Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God.10And Joshua said, By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites:11Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan.12Now therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe.13And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.14So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,15and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest),16that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.17Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.1And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying:2Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe,3and command them, saying, `Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.'4Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe;5and Joshua said to them: Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel,6that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, `What do these stones mean to you?'7Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.8And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.9Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day.10So the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua; and the people hurried and crossed over.11Then it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over, that the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed over in the presence of the people.12And the men of Reuben, the men of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them.13About forty thousand prepared for war crossed over before the Lord for battle, to the plains of Jericho.14On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they had feared Moses, all the days of his life.15Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,16Command the priests who bear the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.17Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come up from the Jordan.18And it came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet touched the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks as before.19Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.20And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.21Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, `What are these stones?'22then you shall let your children know, saying, `Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land';23for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over,24that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.1So it was, when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had crossed over, that their heart melted; and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel.2At that time the Lord said to Joshua, Make flint knives for yourself, and circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time.3So Joshua made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.4And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: All the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way, after they had come out of Egypt.5For all the people who came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness, on the way as they came out of Egypt, had not been circumcised.6For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people who were men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord--to whom the Lord swore that He would not show them the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers that He would give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.7Then Joshua circumcised their sons whom He raised up in their place; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way.8So it was, when they had finished circumcising all the people, that they stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed.9Then the Lord said to Joshua, This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you. Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day.10Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho.11And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day.12Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.13And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, Are You for us or for our adversaries?14So He said, No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, What does my Lord say to His servant?15Then the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy. And Joshua did so.1Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.2And the Lord said to Joshua: See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.3You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days.4And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.5It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.6Then Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord.7And he said to the people, Proceed, and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of the Lord.8So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them.9The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets.10Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, `Shout!' Then you shall shout.11So he had the ark of the Lord circle the city, going around it once. Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.12And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.13Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets.14And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days.15But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times.16And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!17Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.18And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.19But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.20So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.21And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.22But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.23And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel.24But they burned the city and all that was in it with fire. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.25And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father's household, and all that she had. So she dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.26Then Joshua charged them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the Lord who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.27So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country.

Psalm

Psalms 28:9

9Save Your people, And bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also, And bear them up forever.

Gospel

Matthew 11:20-30

20Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:21Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.22But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.23And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.24But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.25At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.26Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.27All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.28Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Liturgy

Pauline

Romans 16:17-27

17Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.18For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.19For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.20And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.21Timothy, my fellow worker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my countrymen, greet you.22I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord.23Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus, a brother.24The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.25Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began26but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith--27to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.

Catholic

James 3:1-12

1My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.2For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.3Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.4Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.5Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.7For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.8But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.9With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.10Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.11Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?12Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

Acts

Acts 12:12-23

12So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.13And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer.14When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate.15But they said to her, You are beside yourself! Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, It is his angel.16Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.17But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren. And he departed and went to another place.18Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter.19But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.20Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king's personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king's country.21So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them.22And the people kept shouting, The voice of a god and not of a man!23Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.

Psalm

Psalms 48:10-11

10Your right hand is full of righteousness.11Let Mount Zion rejoice, Let the daughters of Judah be glad, Because of Your judgments.

Gospel

Matthew 19:16-30

16Now behold, one came and said to Him, Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?17So He said to him, Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.18He said to Him, Which ones? Jesus said, `You shall not murder,' `You shall not commit adultery,' `You shall not steal,' `You shall not bear false witness,'19`Honor your father and your mother,' and, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'20The young man said to Him, All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?21Jesus said to him, If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.22But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.23Then Jesus said to His disciples, Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.24And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.25When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, Who then can be saved?26But Jesus looked at them and said to them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.27Then Peter answered and said to Him, See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?28So Jesus said to them, Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.30But many who are first will be last, and the last first.