March 16, 2025
7 “So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 8 If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 9 But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.
Why Will You Die, Israel?
10 “And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ 11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
12 “And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness[a] when he sins. 13 Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die. 14 Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, 15 if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 16 None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.
17 “Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just,’ when it is their own way that is not just. 18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it. 19 And when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by this. 20 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 33:12 Hebrew by it
Second Lesson
Warning Against Idolatry
10 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,[a] that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown[b] in the wilderness.
6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ[c] to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 10:1 Or brothers and sisters
- 1 Corinthians 10:5 Or were laid low
- 1 Corinthians 10:9 Some manuscripts the Lord
Gospel
Repent or Perish
13 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”
Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service. English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible. ESV® Text Edition: 2018. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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Weekly Bible Readings
March 2025
March 2
The Transfiguration of Our Lord
First Lesson: Deut. 34:1–12
Psalm 99
Second Lesson: Heb. 3:1–6
Gospel: Luke 9:28–36
LENT
March 5
Ash Wednesday
First Lesson: Joel 2:12–19
Psalm 51:1–13 (14–19)
Second Lesson: 2 Cor. 5:20b–6:10
Gospel: Matt. 6:(1–6) 16–21
March 9
First S. in Lent
First Lesson: Deut. 26:1–11
Psalm 91:1–13
Second Lesson: Rom. 10:8b–13
Gospel: Luke 4:1–13
March 16
Second S. in Lent
First Lesson: Jer. 26:8–15
Psalm 4
Second Lesson: Phil. 3:17–4:1
Gospel: Luke 13:31–35
March 23
Third S. in Lent
First Lesson: Ezek. 33:7–20
Psalm 85
Second Lesson: 1 Cor. 10:1–13
Gospel: Luke 13:1–9
March 30
Fourth S. in Lent
First Lesson: Isaiah 12:1–6
Psalm 32
Second Lesson: 2 Cor. 5:16–21
Gospel: Luke 15:1–3, 11–32
April 6
Fifth S. in Lent
First Lesson: Isaiah 43:16–21
Psalm 126
Second Lesson: Phil. 3:(4b–7) 8–14
Gospel: Luke 20:9–20
HOLY WEEK
April 13
Palm Sunday (Palmarum)
First Lesson: Deut. 32:36–39
Psalm 118:19–29 or Psalm 31:9–16
Second Lesson: Phil. 2:5–11
John 12:12–19 (Procession)
Gospel: Luke 22:1–23:56 or Luke 23:1–56 or John 12:20–43
April 17
Holy (Maundy) Thursday
First Lesson: Jer. 31:31–34 or Ex. 12:1–14
Psalm 116:12–19
Second Lesson: Heb. 10:15–25 or 1 Cor. 11:23–32
Gospel: Luke 22:7–20 or John 13:1–17, 31b–35
April 18
Good Friday
First Lesson: Isaiah 52:13–53:12
Psalm 22 or Psalm 31
Second Lesson: Heb. 4:14–16; 5:7–9
Gospel: John 18:1–19:42 or John 19:17–30
EASTER
April 20
The Resurrection of Our Lord (Sunrise)
First Lesson: Job 19:23–27
Psalm 118:15–29
Second Lesson: 1 Cor. 15:51–57
Gospel: John 20:1–18
The Resurrection of Our Lord
First Lesson: Isaiah 65:17–25
Psalm 16
Second Lesson: 1 Cor. 15:19–26
Gospel: Luke 24:1–12
April 27
Second S. of Easter
First Lesson: Acts 5:12–20 (21–32)
Psalm 148
Second Lesson: Rev. 1:4–18
Gospel: John 20:19–31