a thread opens
And its streams shall be turned into pitch, and its dust into brimstone, and its land shall become burning pitch.
The Vigil
Today’s scroll, one verse at a time — each linked to the last by the cross-references rather than by any model of you. The same vigil for everyone, and a different one tomorrow.
And that its whole land is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor bears, nor any grass grows in it, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:
from Isaiah 34:9
For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good comes; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
from Deuteronomy 29:23 · a strong link
Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness.
from Jeremiah 17:6
Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance; he will render to her a recompense.
from Jeremiah 48:6
Shout against her around: she has given her hand: her foundations have fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the LORD: take vengeance upon her; as she has done, do to her.
from Jeremiah 51:6 · a strong link
a thread opens
As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
from I Corinthians 8:4
And in the midst of the seven lampstands one like to the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and belted about the paps with a golden belt.
from I Timothy 2:5
And one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spoke, and said to him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength.
from Revelation of John 1:13 · a strong link
And it happened, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, look, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.
from Daniel 10:16 · a strong link
a thread opens
By this we perceive the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
from I John 3:16 · a strong link
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which sees the Son, and believes on him, may have eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
from John 3:16 · a strong link
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
from John 6:40
a thread opens
But the anointing which you have received of him remains in you, and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall remain in him.
For the truth’s sake, which dwells in us, and shall be with us for ever.
from I John 2:27
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
from II John 1:2
For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
from I John 1:8
And if any man think that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.
from Galatians 6:3
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
from I Corinthians 8:2
Holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, so that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to refute the opponents.
from I Timothy 6:3
a thread opens
And God has set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, varieties of tongues.
Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine.
from I Corinthians 12:28
Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and honor such people:
from I Timothy 5:17 · a strong link
That you receive her in the Lord, as becomes saints, and that you assist her in whatever business she has need of you: for she has been a patron of many, and of myself also.
from Philippians 2:29
The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he served me at Ephesus, you know very well.
from Romans 16:2
As I begged you to remain still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that you might charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
from II Timothy 1:18
a thread opens
I know also, my God, that you try the heart, and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy your people, who are present here, to offer willingly to you.
You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you that believe:
from I Chronicles 29:17
For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conduct in the world, and more abundantly toward you.
from I Thessalonians 2:10
For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
from II Corinthians 1:12 · a strong link
But have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
from II Corinthians 2:17 · a strong link
a thread opens
Clean out therefore the old leaven, so that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: you shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
from I Corinthians 5:7
For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh:
from Exodus 12:5
And he shall take of the blood of the young bull, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
from Hebrews 9:13
That is the whole thread.
Every verse the cross-references reach from Isaiah 34:9 along this chain. Today’s own vigil is laid separately.
Each verse follows the one before it along the chain a study Bible draws — a century old, public, and compiled by people arguing about Scripture rather than about how long you stay. Every card says which verse it came from and opens the chapter it belongs to. Today’s vigil is the same for every reader and is worked out from the date alone, so there is no account, no counter, and nothing stored in your browser or ours.
The text is the Lantern Modern Standard. The links are openbible.info’s cross-reference set (CC BY), the same apparatus behind the reader’s Echoes drawer. Read a whole book · Today’s table