Today's Readings and Stuff -- Sunday, 02 September 2018

A blessed Sunday to all.  A relatively nice day here, no rain (or snow, yet), skies relatively clear.  Next door niece & family off to "camp", a place in the state park Across The Line that niece's husband's family has, with some campers set up there more or less permanently.  He's less than 90 days into his new job, so he is off work from last Tuesday afternoon through  (I believe) this Tuesday or Wednesday.  Off work and no pay (there not long enough).  But they get to spend the couple days together with the kids and each other, and his (rather overbearing) family nowhere around, I believe.  Their son is now walking pretty well (and exploring his world) so it should be a good time. We expect them back tomorrow afternoon some time, and then the Great-Niece will start back to kindergarten the following morning. 
So Wife gets a break from "watching" the little ones.  During the summer, she'd have both, meaning Yours Truly often was "volunteered" to help.  With the girl at kindergarten all day, and with the Niece working only part-time, and promised no start times before 09:00 and off no later than 3:00 p.m., Wife should only be dealing with the Great-Nephew, and then only a couple days a week.  Time enough to fill him with some good things, but not enough (hopefully) to exhaust Wife.  We hope.

Today, our "day" is down to 13 hours 4 minutes, and losing another 2 minutes 38 seconds by tomorrow.  The 12 hour day of the Equinox is only 3 weeks distant, and we've already made it to meteoroligical Autumn, or so I am told.


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Isaiah 5

1Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:a very…: Heb. the horn of the son of oil

2And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.fenced: or, made a wall aboutmade: Heb. hewed

3And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.

4What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

5And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:trodden…: Heb. for a treading

6And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

7For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.his…: Heb. plant of his pleasuresoppression: Heb. a scab

8Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!they: Heb. ye

9In mine ears said the Lord of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.In…: or, This is in mine ears, saith the Lord, etc.Of a…: Heb. If not, etc.

10Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.

11Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!inflame: of, pursue

12And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.

13Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.honourable…: Heb. glory are men of famine

14Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

15And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:

16But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.God…: or, the holy God: Heb. the God the holy

17Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.

18Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:

19That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!

20Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!call…: Heb. say concerning evil, It is good, etc.

21Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!in their own sight: Heb. before their face

22Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

23Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

24Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.fire: Heb. tongue of fire

25Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.torn: or, as dung

26And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:

27None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:

28Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:

29Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.

30And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

Isaiah 6

1In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.his…: or, the skirts thereof

2Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

3And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.one…: Heb. this cried to thisthe whole…: Heb. his glory is the fulness of the whole earth

4And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.door: Heb. thresholds

5Then said I, 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 mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.undone: Heb. cut off

6Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:having…: Heb. and in his hand a live coal

7And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.laid…: Heb. caused it to touch

8Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.Here…: Heb. behold me

9And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.indeed, but understand: or, without ceasing, etc.: Heb. in hearing, etc.

10Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

11Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,utterly…: Heb. desolate with desolation

12And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

13But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.