a thread opens
God brought them out of Egypt; he has as it were the strength of a wild ox.
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.
His glory is like the firstling of his young bull, and his horns are like the horns of wild oxen: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
from Numbers 23:22 · a strong link
And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus says the LORD, With these shall you push the Syrians, until you have consumed them.
from Deuteronomy 33:17 · a strong link
Then lifted I up my eyes, and saw, and look, four horns.
from I Kings 22:11
And it happened, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and there stood a man opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went to him, and said to him, Are you for us, or for our adversaries?
from Zechariah 1:18
And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, Are you the man that spoke to the woman? And he said, I am.
from Joshua 5:13
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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.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
from I Corinthians 8:4 · a strong link
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
from Deuteronomy 6:4 · a strong link
But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that you are mindful of him? or the son of man, that you visit him?
from I Timothy 2:5
For he spoke in a certain place of the seventh day in this way, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
from Hebrews 2:6
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.
Who have for my life laid down their own necks: to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.
from I John 3:16
And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.
from Romans 16:4
Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, were multiplied.
from Acts 16:5 · a strong link
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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 we have not followed cleverly devised myths, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
from I John 2:27
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
from II Peter 1:16
And I, brothers, when I came to you, came not with excellence of speech or of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God.
from I Corinthians 2:4
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made void.
from I Corinthians 2:1 · a strong link
But though I be untrained in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been thoroughly made manifest among you in all things.
from I Corinthians 1:17
Whereby, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
from II Corinthians 11:6 · a strong link
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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.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
from I Corinthians 12:28 · a strong link
And I will give you pastors according to my heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
from Ephesians 4:11 · a strong link
So when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, love you me more than these? He said to him, Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. He said to him, Feed my lambs.
from Jeremiah 3:15 · a strong link
For you were as sheep going astray; but are now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
from John 21:15
How think you? if a man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine, and goes into the mountains, and seeks that which has gone astray?
from I Peter 2:25 · a strong link
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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.
And you, Solomon my son, know you the God of your father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts: if you seek him, he will be found of you; but if you forsake him, he will cast you off for ever.
from I Chronicles 29:17 · a strong link
And the LORD said to Moses, Look, you shall sleep with your fathers; and this people will rise up, and prostitute themselves after the gods of the strangers of the land, where they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.
from I Chronicles 28:9
For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid to his fathers, and saw corruption:
from Deuteronomy 31:16
Men and brothers, let me freely speak to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
from Acts 13:36 · a strong link
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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:
And I saw, and, look, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
from I Corinthians 5:7
Therefore God also has highly exalted him, and given him a name above every name:
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.
from Philippians 2:9 · a strong link
That is the whole thread.
Every verse the cross-references reach from Numbers 23:22 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