Orthodox Daily Readings

Monday, July 20, 2026

Holy Glorious Prophet Elijah (9th c. B.C.)

Old Testament: Composite 12 - 3 Kingdoms 17:1-23

Vespers, 1st reading

1 The Word of the Lord came to Elijah, and He said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Hosts, the God of Israel lives, before Whom I stand this day, there will be neither dew nor rain these years, except by the words of my mouth.”

2 And the Word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, “Depart hence eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is before the River Jordan. And there shall be water from the brook, and you shall drink it, and I will command the ravens to feed you there.” And Elijah went and did according to the word of the Lord; and he sat besides the brook Cherith, which is before the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread in the morning, and meat in the evening, and he drank water from the brook. And it came to pass after some days, that the brook dried up, for there was no rain in the land.

3 And the Word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, “Arise, and go to Sarepta of the Sidonians, and dwell there. For behold, I have commanded there a widow-woman to feed you.” And he arose and went to Sarepta of the Sidonians, and came to the gate of the city; and behold, a widow-woman there was gathering sticks. And Elijah called her and said to her, “Bring to me, now, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” And she went to fetch it. And Elijah called her and said to her, “Bring me also a morsel of bread in your hand, that I may eat.” And the woman said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have not a cake, but only a handful of meal in the pitcher, and a little oil in a cruse; and behold, I am gathering two sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my children, and we shall eat it and die.”

4 And Elijah said to her, “Take courage, go in and do according to your word; but make of it a little cake first and bring it to me; and afterward you shall make some for yourself and your children. For thus says the Lord God of Israel, the pitcher of meal shall not fail and the cruse of oil shall not be diminished, until the day that the Lord gives rain on the earth.” And the woman went and did according to the words of Elijah; and he ate, and she, and her children. And from that day the pitcher of meal did not fail, and the cruse of oil was not diminished, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by the hand of Elijah. And it came to pass after this that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick and his illness was very grievous, until there was no breath left in him. And she said to Elijah, “What have I do with you, O man of God? Have you come in to me to call to remembrance my unrighteousness, and to slay my son?” And Elijah said to the woman, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her bosom and carried him to the upper chamber where he was lodged, and laid him upon his own bed. And Elijah cried aloud to the Lord and said, “Woe is me, O Lord, the witness of the widow with whom I now abide; Thou hast wrought harm in slaying her son!”

5 And he blew on the child three times, and called on the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, let the soul of this child return to him.” And it was so. And the child cried out; and he brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” And the woman said to Elijah, “Behold, I know that you are a man of God, and the word of the Lord in your mouth is true.”

Old Testament: Composite 13 - 3 Kingdoms 18, 19

Vespers, 2nd reading

1 The Word of God came to Elijah the Tishbite in the third year of the reign of Ahab, saying, “Go, and show yourself to Ahab; and I will bring rain upon the face of the earth.” And it came to pass when Ahab saw Elijah, that he said to him, “Are you he that troubles Israel?” And Elijah said “I do not trouble Israel, but it is you and your father’s house, in that you forsook the Lord God, and you followed after Baal. Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the four hundred and fifty prophets of shame of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of the groves who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

2 And according to the word of Elijah, Ahab sent to all Israel, and gathered all the prophets on Mount Carmel, and brought Elijah before all of them. And Elijah said to them, “How long will you go limping on both feet? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people answered him not a word.

3 And Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; and the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men, and the prophets of the groves four hundred.” And Elijah said, “Give me two oxen, and let you choose one for yourselves, and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; and I will prepare the other bullock and lay it on the wood, and put no fire to it. And you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the Name of the Lord, my God; and the God Who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people answered and said, “The word that Elijah has spoken is good; let it be so.”

4 And Elijah said to the prophets of shame, “Choose for yourselves one bullock and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire to it.” And they took the bullock and prepared it; and they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, and said, “Hear us, O Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice, nor an answer. And they ran about the altar which they had made.

5 And it was noon, and Elijah the Tishbite mocked them and said, “Call with a loud voice, for your god is (musing), or he has gone to another place, or perhaps is sleeping and you must awake him.” And they cried with a loud voice, and cut themselves with knives and flogged themselves many times with whips, even to the shedding of their own blood. And they prophesied until the evening; and it came to pass that it was the time of the offering of the scarifice, but there was no voice.

6 And Elijah spoke to the prophets of shame, saying, “Stand by for the present, and I will offer my sacrifice.” And they stood aside and were silent. And Elijah said to the people, “Come near to me”; and all the people came near to him. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, as the Lord had said to him, “Israel shall be your name.”

7 And he built up the stones in the name of the Lord, and repaired the altar that had been broken down; and he made a trench for water that would hold two measures of seed round about the altar. And he piled the cleft wood on the altar which he had made, and divided the whole burnt-offering, and laid on the wood and around the altar. And Elijah said, “Fetch me four jars of water and pour it on the whole-burnt-offering, and on the wood.” And they did so. And he said, “Do it a second time”; and they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time”; and they did it a third time. And the water ran round about the altar, and the trench was filled with water.

8 And Elijah cried aloud to heaven and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, hearken unto me, hearken unto me this day by fire, and let all this people know that Thou alone art the Lord God of Israel and that I am Thy servant and that I have done all these things for Thy sake; for Thou hast turned back the hearts of this people to follow Thee.”

9 Then fire fell from the Lord out of heaven and devoured the whole-burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and the water that was in the trench; the fire licked up everything. And all the people fell upon their faces, and said, “Truly the Lord God, he is God!” And Elijah said to the people, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

10 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Behold, there is the sound of the coming of rain; prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain overtake you.” And Elijah went up on Mount Carmel, and bowed himself down to the ground; and he put his face between his knees and prayed to the Lord. And the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab wept and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to Jezreel.

11 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had slain the prophets with the sword. And Jezebel sent to Elijah, saying “By this time tomorrow I will make your life as the life of one of them.” And Elijah heard and was afraid; and he rose and departed for his life. And he came to Beersheba, in the land of Judah.

12 And he left his servant there and went a days journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he asked, concerning his life, that he might die, and said, “ Let it be enough, O Lord; now take away my life from me; for I am no better than my fathers.” And he lay down and slept under the tree. And behold, an angel of the Lord touched him and said to him, “Arise, eat and drink.” And Elijah looked, and behold, at his head there was a cake of barley and cruse of water. And he arose, and ate and drank, and lay down again and slept.

13 And the angel of the Lord returned a second time, and touched him, and said to him, “Arise, eat and drink, for the journey will be too much for you.” And he arose, and ate and drank. And he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb.

14 And he entered there into a cave, and lodged there. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” And Elijah said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord God Almighty, for the sons of Israel have forsaken Thee; they have thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I alone am left; and they seek my life to take it.” And the angel said, “Go forth tomorrow, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.”

15 And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountain, and broke in pieces the rock before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire the voice of a gentle breeze, and the Lord was there. And it came to pass when Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his mantle and went out and stood before the cave.

16 And behold, a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” And Elijah said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord God Almighty, for the sons of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I alone am left; and they seek my life to take it.”

17 And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way, and you shall come on the way of the wilderness of Damascus; and you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria; and you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi to be king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.”

Old Testament: Composite 14 - 3 Kingdoms 19:19, 20, 21; 4 Kingdoms 2:1,6-14

Vespers, 3rd reading

1 In those days, Elijah found Elisha the son of Shaphat, and he was plowing with oxen. And Elijah went to him and cast his mantle upon him. And Elisha left the oxen, and ran after Elijah and ministered to him.

2 And it came to pass, when the Lord was about to take Elijah up in a whirlwind, as it were, into heaven, Elijah and Elisha went out from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elisha, “Tarry here, then, for the Lord has sent me as far as the Jordan.” And Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and your soul lives, I will not leave you.” And they both went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went also, and they stood opposite afar off; but Elijah and Elisha stood by the Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and rolled it up, and smote the water; and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and they both went over on dry ground.

3 And it came to pass when they had gone over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken up from you.” And Elisha said, “Let there be, then, a double portion of your spirit upon me.” And Elijah said, ‘You have asked a hard thing. If you shall see me when I am taken up from you, then shall it be so for you; and if you do not see me, it shall not be so.”

4 And it came to pass as they went on and talked. And, behold, a chariot of fire, and horses of fire! And they separated the two of them. And Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind, as it were, into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, “Father! Father! The chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. And he took hold of his garments and rent them into two pieces.

5 And Elisha took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen upon his head. And Elisha went back and stood upon the bank of the Jordan. And Elisha took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen upon his head, and smote the waters, but they were not parted. And Elisha said, “Where now, is the God of Elijah, He also?” And Elisha smote the waters a second time, and the waters parted; and he went over on dry land.

Epistle: James 5:10-20

Epistle, Prophet

10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.

11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord – that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.

14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,

20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 9:13-18

13 Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar?

14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.

15 But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void.

16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!

17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.

18 What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.

Gospel: Luke 4:22-30

Matins Gospel

22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

23 He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’”

24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.

25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;

26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.

30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

Gospel: Luke 4:22-30

Gospel, Prophet