Lectionary Readings for Friday, September 2nd, 2022
Book of Jehovih’s Kingdom on Earth Chapter 24
1. THESE are the records of the C’chiefs of the Faithists kingdoms:
2. Jehovih separated the people, the Uzians on one hand, and the Faithists on the other.
3. And He said unto the Uzians: Because I called, and ye came not;
4. Because ye said: Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, and ye put not forth a hand in My behalf;
5. Because ye saw the multitude going after intoxicating drink and smoke and opium;
6. Because ye rose not up, saying: Stay thy hand, satan!
7. But shirked, granting licenses unto these sins;
8. And ye have become a polluted people;
9. Given to drunkenness and to smoking and to all manner of dissipation;
10. Each one casting the blame on others, and hiding himself in self-righteousness;
11. Thus opening the doors of your houses of debauchery as a temptation to the young:
12. Behold, I am risen in judgment against you.
13. My holy angels I shall withdraw from your cities.
14. And from your places of worship;
15. And from your government, and your law-makers and rulers;
16. For they have profaned Me.
17. Making laws and granting licenses to carry on evils, knowingly and willfully, for policy’s sake;
18. Hoping for personal favor and gain.
19. For they knew that what was not good for one person, was not good for a nation;
20. And that, whatever sin indulged in, would, soon or late, bring its own punishment.
21. And they said: We derive a large revenue from the duties and licenses for these iniquities!
22. Thus hoping to justify themselves by compounding themselves.
23. And I said unto them: A revenue thus received shall be expended in prisons and alms-houses, and shall not be sufficient.
24. Because ye granted licenses, and polluted the people, behold, the pollution shall more than balance the revenue.
25. The criminals and paupers shall be a greater burden than though ye received no revenue.
26. Behold, I showed unto you that, as an individual could not sin against Me without, soon or late, becoming answerable unto Me, I showed ye also that the same responsibility and result would befall a nation or a people in like manner.
27. For which reasons, and because of your evasions of My commandments, I called unto My God and Lords and My holy angels, saying: Waste not your time and labor more with the Uzians.
28. Nor answer ye their prayers when they call on My name;
29. And, though their chief rulers and law-makers be in the throes of death, and they call, saying: O Jehovih, heal Thou our Chief Magistrate!
30. Yet, ye shall not go unto them, nor do them service more.
31. For they have become a conceited people, saying: There is no God, and Jehovih is void as the wind.
32. Behold, ye shall let them go their way; their cities shall become full of crime, for angels of darkness shall come amongst them, and no city shall be safe from theft, murder and arson.
33. And vagabonds shall travel in the country places, stealing and robbing and murdering.
34. And their great men shall take bribes, and their judges shall connive with sin; and the innocent shall be confined to mad-houses.
35. And justice shall depart away from them.
36. The employee shall pilfer and steal from his employer; and the employer shall hire others to look after those in his employ.
37. But all things shall fail them.
38. For I will make them understand, I am the First Principle in all things;
39. And that I am Justice;
40. And that I am Purity;
41. And that whoso raiseth a hand against justice, purity, virtue, wisdom and truth, also raiseth his hand against Me.
42. I made the way of life like going up a mountain; whoso turneth aside or goeth downward, shall ultimately repent of his course, and he shall retrace his steps.
43. To a nation and a people, and to a government of a people, I am the same.
44. Righteousness shall be first and foremost of all things.
45. Their governors and law-makers shall be made to know this.
46. When they were a monarchy, I held the king responsible.
47. But when I gave unto the multitude to govern themselves, behold, I gave also responsibility unto them.
48. And they sought not to make laws for righteous government unto the whole, but sought to favor certain cliques of iniquities, and to make laws to protect them in evil manufacturies, and for traffic in tobacco and opium and alcohol.
49. And no man more sought to be a governor or law-maker for the good of the people, or to serve Me;
50. But he sought office for profit’s sake and vainglory.
51. Now, therefore, My holy angels went away from them, and no more answered their prayers.
52. And the righteous of the first days departed away from them.
53. And they became a nation of money-getters and servants of mammon.
54. And I blessed not their marriages nor their households.
55. And their sons and daughters respected not their fathers and mothers; for, as the fathers and mothers respected not Me, so came disrespect and misery upon them.
56. And their sons and daughters became profligates and idlers, growing up for no good under the sun, depending on their wits to work out a life of sin and luxury.
57. And whoso married, peace came not to them; but contention and jealousy and bitterness of heart.
58. And their offspring fell in the grades, becoming outcasts and paupers and criminals.
59. And husbands and wives cried out for divorcement on all hands.
60. And the law-makers granted them and favored them; but, lo and behold, the evil multiplied on the earth.
61. In pity I cried out unto them, saying: Ye may make laws forever, but My kingdom cometh not by the road of man’s laws. Except ye turn about, and begin anew, there is no help for you under the sun.
62. But they would not hear Me.
63. Then I sent My angels unto them, teaching them the same things that were taught of old, amongst which were: As ye bind yourselves on earth, even so shall ye be bound in heaven; as ye live on earth, serving self only, even so, in a selfish heaven, shall ye enter My es worlds.
64. But they denied My angels, and abused My seers and prophets.
65. In their own self-esteem, sat they themselves up to judge Me, saying: There is no All Person; there is nothing, save certain natural and divine laws, and they are dumb, like the wind; they see not, nor do they hear.
66. Then I called out over the earth, saying: The time of My kingdom is come. Now is the time of My reign amongst mortals.
67. And those that had faith came; and, behold, they have built unto Me.
68. I have a new people on the earth.
69. Again I called to My God and to his angel hosts, saying: Behold, I have separated the wheat from the chaff; I have divided the sheep from the goats.
70. Go ye unto those that serve Me in the practice of My kingdom, for they shall become the chief people in all the world.
71. They shall rejoice and prosper in all things; they shall sing songs of gladness.
72. Their sons and daughters shall be an honor unto them and a glory in My household.
73. Because they seek to serve Me by practicing good works with all their wisdom and strength.