Daily Reading for Monday, June 28th, 2021

Reading 1, Genesis 18:16-33

¹⁶ From there the men set out and arrived within sight of Sodom, with Abraham accompanying them to speed them on their way.

¹⁷ Now Yahweh had wondered, 'Shall I conceal from Abraham what I am going to do,

¹⁸ as Abraham will become a great and powerful nation and all nations on earth will bless themselves by him?

¹⁹ For I have singled him out to command his sons and his family after him to keep the way of Yahweh by doing what is upright and just, so that Yahweh can carry out for Abraham what he has promised him.'

²⁰ Then Yahweh said, 'The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin is so grave,

²¹ that I shall go down and see whether or not their actions are at all as the outcry reaching me would suggest. Then I shall know.'

²² While the men left there and went to Sodom, Yahweh remained in Abraham's presence.

²³ Abraham stepped forward and said, 'Will you really destroy the upright with the guilty?

²⁴ Suppose there are fifty upright people in the city. Will you really destroy it? Will you not spare the place for the sake of the fifty upright in it?

²⁵ Do not think of doing such a thing: to put the upright to death with the guilty, so that upright and guilty fare alike! Is the judge of the whole world not to act justly?'

²⁶ Yahweh replied, 'If I find fifty upright people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place because of them.'

²⁷ Abraham spoke up and said, 'It is presumptuous of me to speak to the Lord, I who am dust and ashes:

²⁸ Suppose the fifty upright were five short? Would you destroy the whole city because of five?' 'No,' he replied, 'I shall not destroy it if I find forty-five there.'

²⁹ Abraham persisted and said, 'Suppose there are forty to be found there?' 'I shall not do it,' he replied, 'for the sake of the forty.'

³⁰ Abraham said, 'I hope the Lord will not be angry if I go on: Suppose there are only thirty to be found there?' 'I shall not do it,' he replied, 'if I find thirty there.'

³¹ He said, 'It is presumptuous of me to speak to the Lord: Suppose there are only twenty there?' 'I shall not destroy it,' he replied, 'for the sake of the twenty.'

³² He said, 'I trust my Lord will not be angry if I speak once more: perhaps there will only be ten.' 'I shall not destroy it,' he replied, 'for the sake of the ten.'

³³ When he had finished talking to Abraham Yahweh went away, and Abraham returned home.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 8-9, 10-11

¹ [Of David] Bless Yahweh, my soul, from the depths of my being, his holy name;

² bless Yahweh, my soul, never forget all his acts of kindness.

³ He forgives all your offences, cures all your diseases,

⁴ he redeems your life from the abyss, crowns you with faithful love and tenderness;

⁸ Yahweh is tenderness and pity, slow to anger and rich in faithful love;

⁹ his indignation does not last for ever, nor his resentment remain for all time;

¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve, nor repay us as befits our offences.

¹¹ As the height of heaven above earth, so strong is his faithful love for those who fear him.

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