a thread opens
They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he stands; from his place shall he not remove: yes, one shall cry to him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.
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.
Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you that have escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their carved image, and pray to a god that cannot save.
from Isaiah 46:7 · a strong link
Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and show us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, so that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.
from Isaiah 45:20
Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.
from Isaiah 43:9
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
from Isaiah 41:1
In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.
from Joel 3:10
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.
And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
from I Corinthians 8:4
Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
from Mark 12:29
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
from Galatians 3:20
But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to withstand his indignation.
from Deuteronomy 6:4
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.
A new commandment I give to you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
from I John 3:16 · a strong link
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which works by love.
from John 13:34
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
from Galatians 5:6
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.
Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
from I John 2:27
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
from I Corinthians 2:13
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not arrogant, nor trust in the uncertainty of riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy;
from Colossians 3:16
And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answers again, and said to them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
from I Timothy 6:17
Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You shall seek me: and as I said to the Jews, Where I go, you cannot come; so now I say to you.
from Mark 10:24
Then Jesus said to them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go to him that sent me.
from John 13:33
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.
Which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
from I Corinthians 12:28
But, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
from Ephesians 3:5 · a strong link
That you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior:
from Jude 1:17 · a strong link
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, See you do it not: I am your fellow servant, and of your brothers that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
from II Peter 3:2
Search the Scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
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.
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 Chronicles 29:17
Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.
from II Corinthians 1:12
And Paul, earnestly seeing the council, said, Men and brothers, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.
from Hebrews 13:18
For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judges me is the Lord.
from Acts 23:1
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:
Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD.
from I Corinthians 5:7
Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
from Exodus 13:6
And the uncircumcised male whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.
from Exodus 12:15 · a strong link
That is the whole thread.
Every verse the cross-references reach from Isaiah 46:7 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