Lectionary Readings for Friday, January 24th, 2020

New Moon

Second Book of Lords: Chapter I, Chapter II

OF THE SECOND CYCLE, BEING COTEMPORANEOUS
WITH THE BOOK OF AH’SHONG, SON OF JEHOVIH.

Chapter 1

1. In the beginning man was naked and not ashamed; but the Lord raised man up and bade
him hide his nakedness, and man obeyed, and was clothed.

2. And the Lord walked by man for a long season, showing him the way of resurrection;
and man was obedient, depending on the Lord for all things.

3. And the Lord said unto man: Behold, I have walked with thee, and taught thee; but by
my indulgence thou hast neglected to put forth thine own energy.

4. Now I am going away from thee for a season, that thou mayst learn to develop thyself.

5. But lest thou stumble and fall, I leave with thee certain commandments, and they shall
be a guide unto thee and thy heirs forever.

6. Hear thou then the commandments of the Lord thy God.

7. Thou shalt love thy Creator with all thy mind, and heart, and soul, all the days of thy
life.

8. And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

9. Because thou wert born into the world without covering, thou shalt clothe thyself.

10. Then inquired man of the Lord: Behold, thou hast shown the ass what is good for him
to eat, and the fish, and the serpent, and the lion; every living creature; but man only hast
thou not shown?

11. The Lord said: Of everything that groweth up out of the ground that is good to eat
give I unto thee, and they shall be food for thee.

12. But of all things of flesh and blood, wherein is life, thou shalt not eat.

13. For thou shalt not kill.

14. Man inquired of the Lord: Thou has shown the males and females of all the living the
times and periods to come together; but man and woman hast thou not shown?

15. The Lord said: Thou shalt learn from the beasts, and birds, and fishes, that the female
during gestation is in keeping of her Creator.

16. Thou shalt also respect the times of woman.

17. Man inquired of the Lord: Thou hast shown the bird how to build her nest, and the
carnivore how to scent the subtle track of his prey, and the spider to weave his net; but as
to the manner of man’s house, or as to herbs that are good or are poisonous, thou has not
shown man.

18. The Lord said: All the instinct that is in the bird, or beast, or fish, or insect, or
creeping thing, was created with them, but man was created blank; and yet man shall
attain to more subtle senses than any other living creature.

19. Man inquired: How shall man attain to these?

20. The Lord answered: Serve thy Creator by doing good unto others with all thy wisdom
and strength, and by being true to thine own highest light, and all knowledge shall come
to thee.

21. So the Lord left man for a season to himself; and man so loved the earth and
whatsoever ministered unto his ease, and to his flesh desires, that he fell from his high
estate. And great darkness came upon the earth. And man cast aside his clothes, and went
naked, and became carnal in his desires.

Chapter 2

1. The Lord went abroad over the earth, calling: Come to me, O man! Behold thy Lord is
returned!

2. But man heard not the voice of the Lord; for, by man’s indulgence, the spirit of man
was covered up in his own flesh.

3. The Lord sent his loo’is (masters of generations, angels next in rank above guardian
angels, i.e., ashars) to the I’hins, and they raised up heirs unto the Lord; by controlling the
parentage of the unborn brought they into the world a new race of men, of the same seed
and blood as of old, and these heard the voice of the Lord.

4. And the Lord said unto man: Because thou kept not my commandments thou hast
brought affliction upon thyself, and thy people, to the farthest ends of the world.

5. Now will I raise thee up once more, and deliver the tribes of men from darkness into
light.

6. And the Lord delivered man into wisdom, and peace and virtue; and the earth became
as a garden of sweet smelling flowers and luxurious fruit.

7. The Lord said: How sayst thou, O man? Shalt thou still have a keeper?

8. And man said: Behold, I am strong and wise. Go thou away from the earth. I
understand thy commandments.

9. The Lord inquired: Knowest thou the meaning of, Love thy Creator? And man said:
Yea, Lord; and to love my neighbor as myself; and to do good unto others with all my
wisdom and strength. Yea, I have the All Highest Light. I am wiser than the ancients.
Behold, I want no Lord nor God; I am the highest product of all the universe.

10. The Lord said: I will try thee, O man; I will go away for a season.

11. So the Lord departed once more. And man had nothing to look up to, so he looked at
himself and became vainglorious. And the tribes of men aspired to overcome one another;
war and destruction followed.

12. Man forgot his Creator; he said: No Eye seeth me, no Ear heareth me. And he
neglected to guard himself against the serpent (corporeality); and the serpent said unto
him: Partake thou of all things, for they are thine.

13. And man gave heed, and, lo and behold, the race of man descended into utter
darkness. And man distinguished not his sister or mother; and woman distinguished not
her brother or father.

14. And God beheld the wickedness of man, and he called out, saying: Hear my voice, O
man! Hear the voice of the Lord!

15. But because of the darkness of man he could not hear the voice of God, his Lord.

16. And the Lord sent his angels down to man that they might appeal to man’s
understanding.

17. But the angels loved darkness also, and strove not to lift man up out of darkness. And
the Lord was of no more avail amongst mortals, and he departed away from the earth.
And man became on the earth as a harvest that is blighted and rotted because of its
rankness.

END OF THE SECOND BOOK OF LORDS.