a thread opens
Zion spreads forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her: the LORD has commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversaries should be around him: Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them.
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 the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldeans, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his servants the prophets.
from Lamentations 1:17
But it happened, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians: so we dwell at Jerusalem.
from II Kings 24:2 · a strong link
Declare in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.
from Jeremiah 35:11
O you children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Beth-haccerem: for evil appears out of the north, and great destruction.
from Jeremiah 4:5
a thread opens
Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith in me.
from Acts 20:21
And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
from Acts 26:18
In which formerly you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience:
from I John 5:19
As obedient children, not conforming yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
from Ephesians 2:2
For we ourselves also were formerly foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
from I Peter 1:14
a thread opens
Be it known to you therefore, men and brothers, that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins:
And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
from Acts 13:38
Namely, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
from II Corinthians 5:18
I, even I, am he that blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and will not remember your sins.
from II Corinthians 5:19
Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for my holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the pagans, where you went.
from Isaiah 43:25 · a strong link
Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for your mercy, and for your truth’s sake.
from Ezekiel 36:22
But I worked for my name’s sake, so that it should not be polluted before the pagans, in whose sight I brought them out.
from Psalms 115:1
a thread opens
Because he has appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
from Acts 17:31
And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Look, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints,
from Matthew 25:31
To the end he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
from Jude 1:14 · a strong link
a thread opens
For truly against your holy child Jesus, whom you have anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
from Acts 4:27 · a strong link
I give you charge in the sight of God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
from Matthew 27:2
And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
from I Timothy 6:13
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have first place.
from Revelation of John 3:14 · a strong link
a thread opens
You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do you.
For the LORD had said to Moses, Say to the children of Israel, You are a stiff-necked people: I will come up into the midst of you in a moment, and consume you: therefore now put off your ornaments from you, so that I may know what to do to you.
from Acts 7:51 · a strong link
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
from Exodus 33:5
Let me be weighed in an even balance, so that God may know my integrity.
from Psalms 139:23 · a strong link
TEKEL; You are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting.
from Job 31:6
Surely common people are vanity, and people of rank are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.
from Daniel 5:27 · a strong link
a thread opens
And he said to me, Depart: for I will send you far hence to the Gentiles.
But the Lord said to him, Go your way: for he is a chosen vessel to me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
from Acts 22:21 · a strong link
To which I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
from Acts 9:15
Of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of his power.
from I Timothy 2:7
By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
from Ephesians 3:7
That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, so that he might go to his own place.
from Romans 1:5
If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of my apostleship are you in the Lord.
from Acts 1:25
That is the whole thread.
Every verse the cross-references reach from Lamentations 1:17 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