Morning Prayer

A Reading from the Wisdom of Ben Sira.

1 Let us now sing the praises of famous men,    our ancestors in their generations. 2 The Lord apportioned to them great glory,    his majesty from the beginning. 3 There were those who ruled in their kingdoms,    and made a name for themselves by their valour; those who gave counsel because they were intelligent;    those who spoke in prophetic oracles; 4 those who led the people by their counsels    and by their knowledge of the people’s lore;    they were wise in their words of instruction; 5 those who composed musical tunes,    or put verses in writing; 6 rich men endowed with resources,    living peacefully in their homes— 7 all these were honoured in their generations,    and were the pride of their times. 8 Some of them have left behind a name,    so that others declare their praise. 9 But of others there is no memory;    they have perished as though they had never existed; they have become as though they had never been born,    they and their children after them. 10 But these also were godly men,    whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten; 11 their wealth will remain with their descendants,    and their inheritance with their children’s children. 12 Their descendants stand by the covenants;    their children also, for their sake. 13 Their offspring will continue for ever,    and their glory will never be blotted out. 14 Their bodies are buried in peace,    but their name lives on generation after generation. 15 The assembly declares their wisdom, and the congregation proclaims their praise.

A Reading from the Book of Revelation.

12 The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up in order to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw three foul spirits like frogs coming from the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet. 14 These are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. 15 (“See, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and is clothed, not going about naked and exposed to shame.”) 16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Harmagedon. 17 The seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a violent earthquake, such as had not occurred since people were upon the earth, so violent was that earthquake. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. God remembered great Babylon and gave her the wine-cup of the fury of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found; 21 and huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, dropped from heaven on people, until they cursed God for the plague of the hail, so fearful was that plague.