Daily Mass Readings for August 15, 2026: Gospel — Mt 19,13-15

¹ The Lord’s message came to me: ² “What do you mean by quoting this proverb concerning the land of Israel: “‘The fathers eat sour grapes, And the children’s teeth become numb?’ ³ “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will not quote this proverb in Israel anymore! ⁴ Indeed! All lives are mine—the life of the father as well as the life of the son is mine. The one who sins will die. ⁵ “Suppose a man is righteous. He practices what is just and right; ⁶ does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains or pray to the idols of the house of Israel; does not defile his neighbor’s wife; does not approach a woman for marital relations during her period; ⁷ does not oppress anyone, but gives the debtor back whatever was given in pledge; does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and clothes the naked; ⁸ does not engage in usury or charge interest, but refrains from wrongdoing; promotes true justice between men; ⁹ and follows my statutes and observes my regulations by carrying them out. That man is righteous; he will certainly live, declares the Sovereign Lord. 1 ⁰ “Suppose such a man has a violent son who sheds blood and does any of these things mentioned previously 1 3 :¹ Then the Lord’s message came to me: ² “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to the prophets who prophesy from their imagination: ‘Listen to the Lord’s message! ³ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit but have seen nothing! ⁴ Your prophets have become like jackals among the ruins, O Israel. ⁵ You have not gone up in the breaks in the wall, nor repaired a wall for the house of Israel that it would stand strong in the battle on the day of the Lord. ⁶ They see delusion and their omens are a lie. They say, “The Lord declares,” though the Lord has not sent them; yet they expect their word to be confirmed. ⁷ Have you not seen a false vision and announced a lying omen when you say, “The Lord declares,” although I myself never spoke? 8 “‘Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have spoken false words and forecast delusion, look, I am against you, declares the Sovereign Lord. ⁹ My hand will be against the prophets who see delusion and announce lying omens. They will not be included in the council of my people, nor be written in the registry of the house of Israel, nor enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord. 1 0 “‘This is because they have led my people astray saying, “All is well,” when things are not well. When anyone builds a wall without mortar, they coat it with whitewash. 1 ¹ Tell the ones who coat it with whitewash that it will fall. When there is a deluge of rain, hailstones will fall and a violent wind will break out. 1 ² When the wall has collapsed, people will ask you, “Where is the whitewash you coated it with?” 1 3 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my rage I will make a violent wind break out. In my anger there will be a deluge of rain and hailstones in destructive fury. 1 ⁴ I will break down the wall you coated with whitewash and knock it to the ground so that its foundation is exposed. When it falls you will be destroyed beneath it, and you will know that I am the Lord. 1 ⁵ I will vent my rage against the wall and against those who coated it with whitewash. Then I will say to you, “The wall is no more and those who whitewashed it are no more— 1 ⁶ those prophets of Israel who would prophesy about Jerusalem and would see visions of peace for it, when there was no peace,” declares the Sovereign Lord.’ 1 ⁷ “As for you, son of man, turn toward the daughters of your people who are prophesying from their imagination. Prophesy against them 1 ⁸ and say ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to those who sew bands on all their wrists and make headbands for heads of every size to entrap people’s lives! Will you entrap my people’s lives, yet preserve your own lives? 1 ⁹ You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. You have put to death people who should not die and kept alive those who should not live by your lies to my people, who listen to lies! 2 0 “‘Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Take note that I am against your wristbands with which you entrap people’s lives like birds. I will tear them from your arms and will release the people’s lives, which you hunt like birds. 2 ¹ I will tear off your headbands and rescue my people from your power; they will no longer be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 2 ² This is because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies (although I have not grieved him), and because you have encouraged the wicked person not to turn from his evil conduct and preserve his life. 2 ³ Therefore you will no longer see false visions and practice divination. I will rescue my people from your power, and you will know that I am the Lord.’” 3 0 :¹ The Lord’s message came to me: ² “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘Wail, “Alas, the day is here!” ³ For the day is near, the day of the Lord is near; it will be a day of storm clouds, it will be a time of judgment for the nations. ⁴ A sword will come against Egypt and panic will overtake Ethiopia when the slain fall in Egypt and they carry away her wealth and dismantle her foundations. ⁵ Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all the foreigners, Libya, and the people of the covenant land will die by the sword along with them. 6 “‘This is what the Lord says: Egypt’s supporters will fall; her confident pride will crumble. From Migdol to Syene they will die by the sword within her, declares the Sovereign Lord. ⁷ They will be desolate among desolate lands, and their cities will be among ruined cities. ⁸ They will know that I am the Lord when I ignite a fire in Egypt and all her allies are defeated. 9 “‘On that day messengers will go out from me in ships to frighten overconfident Ethiopia; panic will overtake them on the day of Egypt’s doom; for beware—it is coming! 1 0 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt, by the hand of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon. 1 ¹ He and his people with him, the most terrifying of the nations, will be brought there to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with corpses. 1 ² I will dry up the waterways and hand the land over to evil men. I will make the land and everything in it desolate by the hand of foreigners. I, the Lord, have spoken! 1 3 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will destroy the idols, and put an end to the gods of Memphis. There will no longer be a prince from the land of Egypt; so I will make the land of Egypt fearful. 1 ⁴ I will desolate Pathros, I will ignite a fire in Zoan, and I will execute judgments on Thebes. 1 ⁵ I will pour out my anger upon Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt; I will cut off the hordes of Thebes. 1 ⁶ I will ignite a fire in Egypt; Syene will writhe in agony, Thebes will be broken down, and Memphis will face enemies every day. 1 ⁷ The young men of On and of Pi Beseth will die by the sword; and the cities will go into captivity. 1 ⁸ In Tahpanhes the day will be dark when I break the yoke of Egypt there. Her confident pride will cease within her; a cloud will cover her, and her daughters will go into captivity. 1 ⁹ I will execute judgments on Egypt. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’” 2 ⁰ In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the Lord’s message came to me: 2 ¹ “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Look, it has not been bandaged for healing or set with a dressing so that it might become strong enough to grasp a sword. 2 ² Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and I will break his arms, the strong arm and the broken one, and I will make the sword drop from his hand. 2 ³ I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among foreign countries. 2 ⁴ I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and I will place my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan like the fatally wounded before the king of Babylon. 2 ⁵ I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall limp. Then they will know that I am the Lord when I place my sword in the hand of the king of Babylon and he extends it against the land of Egypt. 2 ⁶ I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among foreign countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” 3 1 :¹ In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the Lord’s message came to me: ² “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and his hordes: “‘Who are you like in your greatness? ³ Consider Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches, like a forest giving shade, and extremely tall; its top reached into the clouds. ⁴ The water made it grow; underground springs made it grow tall. Rivers flowed all around the place it was planted, while smaller channels watered all the trees of the field. ⁵ Therefore it grew taller than all the trees of the field; its boughs grew large and its branches grew long, because of the plentiful water in its shoots. ⁶ All the birds of the sky nested in its boughs; under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth; in its shade all the great nations lived. ⁷ It was beautiful in its loftiness, in the length of its branches; for its roots went down deep to plentiful waters. ⁸ The cedars in the garden of God could not eclipse it, nor could the fir trees match its boughs; the plane trees were as nothing compared to its branches; no tree in the garden of God could rival its beauty. ⁹ I made it beautiful with its many branches; all the trees of Eden, in the garden of God, envied it. 1 0 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because it was tall in stature, and its top reached into the clouds, and it was proud of its height, 1 ¹ I gave it over to the leader of the nations. He has judged it thoroughly, as its sinfulness deserves. I have thrown it out. 1 ² Foreigners from the most terrifying nations have cut it down and left it to lie there on the mountains. In all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs lie broken in the ravines of the land. All the peoples of the land have departed from its shade and left it. 1 ³ On its ruins all the birds of the sky will live, and all the wild animals will walk on its branches. 1 ⁴ For this reason no watered trees will grow so tall; their tops will not reach into the clouds, nor will the well-watered ones grow that high. For all of them have been appointed to die in the lower parts of the earth; they will be among mere mortals, with those who descend to the Pit. 1 5 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day it went down to Sheol I caused observers to lament. I covered it with the deep and held back its rivers; its plentiful water was restrained. I clothed Lebanon in black for it, and all the trees of the field wilted because of it. 1 ⁶ I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I threw it down to Sheol, along with those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and the best of Lebanon, all that were well-watered, were comforted in the earth below. 1 ⁷ Those who lived in its shade, its allies among the nations, also went down with it to Sheol, to those killed by the sword. 1 ⁸ Which of the trees of Eden was like you in majesty and loftiness? You will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower parts of the earth; you will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword! This is what will happen to Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.’” 3 2 :¹ In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first of the month, the Lord’s message came to me: ² “Son of man, sing a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him: “‘You were like a lion among the nations, but you are a monster in the seas; you thrash about in your streams, stir up the water with your feet, and muddy your streams. 3 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘I will throw my net over you in the assembly of many peoples; and they will haul you up in my dragnet. ⁴ I will leave you on the ground, I will fling you on the open field, I will allow all the birds of the sky to settle on you, and I will permit all the wild animals to gorge themselves on you. ⁵ I will put your flesh on the mountains, and fill the valleys with your maggot-infested carcass. ⁶ I will drench the land with the flow of your blood up to the mountains, and the ravines will be full of your blood. ⁷ When I extinguish you, I will cover the sky; I will darken its stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not shine. ⁸ I will darken all the lights in the sky over you, and I will darken your land, declares the Sovereign Lord. ⁹ I will disturb many peoples when I bring about your destruction among the nations, among countries you do not know. 1 ⁰ I will shock many peoples with you, and their kings will shiver with horror because of you. When I brandish my sword before them, every moment each one will tremble for his life, on the day of your fall. 1 1 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘The sword of the king of Babylon will attack you. 1 ² By the swords of the mighty warriors I will cause your hordes to fall— all of them are the most terrifying among the nations. They will devastate the pride of Egypt, and all its hordes will be destroyed. 1 ³ I will destroy all its cattle beside the plentiful waters; and no human foot will disturb the waters again, nor will the hooves of cattle disturb them. 1 ⁴ Then I will make their waters calm and will make their streams flow like olive oil, declares the Sovereign Lord. 1 ⁵ When I turn the land of Egypt into desolation and the land is destitute of everything that fills it, when I strike all those who live in it, then they will know that I am the Lord.’ 1 ⁶ This is a lament; they will chant it. The daughters of the nations will chant it. They will chant it over Egypt and over all her hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.” 1 ⁷ In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the Lord’s message came to me: 1 ⁸ “Son of man, wail over the horde of Egypt. Bring it down; bring her and the daughters of powerful nations down to the lower parts of the earth, along with those who descend to the Pit. 1 ⁹ Say to them, ‘Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and be laid to rest with the uncircumcised!’ 2 ⁰ They will fall among those killed by the sword. The sword is drawn; they carry her and all her hordes away. 2 ¹ The bravest of the warriors will speak to him from the midst of Sheol along with his allies, saying: ‘The uncircumcised have come down; they lie still, killed by the sword.’ 2 ² “Assyria is there with all her assembly around her grave, all of them struck down by the sword. 2 ³ Their graves are located in the remote slopes of the Pit. Her assembly is around her grave, all of them struck down by the sword, those who spread terror in the land of the living. 2 ⁴ “Elam is there with all her hordes around her grave; all of them struck down by the sword. They went down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth, those who spread terror in the land of the living. Now they will bear their shame with those who descend to the Pit. 2 ⁵ Among the dead they have made a bed for her, along with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, for their terror had spread in the land of the living. They bear their shame along with those who descend to the Pit; they are placed among the dead. 2 ⁶ “Meshech Tubal is there, along with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, for they spread their terror in the land of the living. 2 ⁷ They do not lie with the fallen warriors of ancient times, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, having their swords placed under their heads and their shields on their bones, when the terror of these warriors was in the land of the living. 2 ⁸ “But as for you, in the midst of the uncircumcised you will be broken, and you will lie with those killed by the sword. 2 ⁹ “Edom is there with her kings and all her princes. Despite their might they are laid with those killed by the sword; they lie with the uncircumcised and those who descend to the Pit. 3 ⁰ “All the leaders of the north are there, along with all the Sidonians; despite their might they have gone down in shameful terror with the dead. They lie uncircumcised with those killed by the sword and bear their shame with those who descend to the Pit. 3 ¹ “Pharaoh will see them and be consoled over all his hordes who were killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his army, declares the Sovereign Lord. 3 ² Indeed, I terrified him in the land of the living, yet he will lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with those killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.”