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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.
Duration: 861 days
New International Version (NIV)
Version
Psalm 20-21

Psalm 20[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;(A)
    may the name of the God of Jacob(B) protect you.(C)
May he send you help(D) from the sanctuary(E)
    and grant you support(F) from Zion.(G)
May he remember(H) all your sacrifices
    and accept your burnt offerings.[b](I)
May he give you the desire of your heart(J)
    and make all your plans succeed.(K)
May we shout for joy(L) over your victory
    and lift up our banners(M) in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.(N)

Now this I know:
    The Lord gives victory to his anointed.(O)
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
    with the victorious power of his right hand.(P)
Some trust in chariots(Q) and some in horses,(R)
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.(S)
They are brought to their knees and fall,(T)
    but we rise up(U) and stand firm.(V)
Lord, give victory to the king!
    Answer us(W) when we call!

Psalm 21[c]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

The king rejoices in your strength, Lord.(X)
    How great is his joy in the victories you give!(Y)

You have granted him his heart’s desire(Z)
    and have not withheld the request of his lips.[d]
You came to greet him with rich blessings
    and placed a crown of pure gold(AA) on his head.(AB)
He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
    length of days, for ever and ever.(AC)
Through the victories(AD) you gave, his glory is great;
    you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.(AE)
Surely you have granted him unending blessings
    and made him glad with the joy(AF) of your presence.(AG)
For the king trusts in the Lord;(AH)
    through the unfailing love(AI) of the Most High(AJ)
    he will not be shaken.(AK)

Your hand will lay hold(AL) on all your enemies;
    your right hand will seize your foes.
When you appear for battle,
    you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
    and his fire will consume them.(AM)
10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
    their posterity from mankind.(AN)
11 Though they plot evil(AO) against you
    and devise wicked schemes,(AP) they cannot succeed.
12 You will make them turn their backs(AQ)
    when you aim at them with drawn bow.

13 Be exalted(AR) in your strength, Lord;(AS)
    we will sing and praise your might.

Psalm 110

Psalm 110

Of David. A psalm.

The Lord says(A) to my lord:[a]

“Sit at my right hand(B)
    until I make your enemies
    a footstool for your feet.”(C)

The Lord will extend your mighty scepter(D) from Zion,(E) saying,
    “Rule(F) in the midst of your enemies!”
Your troops will be willing
    on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor,(G)
    your young men will come to you
    like dew from the morning’s womb.[b](H)

The Lord has sworn
    and will not change his mind:(I)
“You are a priest forever,(J)
    in the order of Melchizedek.(K)

The Lord is at your right hand[c];(L)
    he will crush kings(M) on the day of his wrath.(N)
He will judge the nations,(O) heaping up the dead(P)
    and crushing the rulers(Q) of the whole earth.
He will drink from a brook along the way,[d]
    and so he will lift his head high.(R)

Psalm 116-117

Psalm 116

I love the Lord,(A) for he heard my voice;
    he heard my cry(B) for mercy.(C)
Because he turned his ear(D) to me,
    I will call on him as long as I live.

The cords of death(E) entangled me,
    the anguish of the grave came over me;
    I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
Then I called on the name(F) of the Lord:
    Lord, save me!(G)

The Lord is gracious and righteous;(H)
    our God is full of compassion.(I)
The Lord protects the unwary;
    when I was brought low,(J) he saved me.(K)

Return to your rest,(L) my soul,
    for the Lord has been good(M) to you.

For you, Lord, have delivered me(N) from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the Lord(O)
    in the land of the living.(P)

10 I trusted(Q) in the Lord when I said,
    “I am greatly afflicted”;(R)
11 in my alarm I said,
    “Everyone is a liar.”(S)

12 What shall I return to the Lord
    for all his goodness(T) to me?

13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
    and call on the name(U) of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows(V) to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people.

15 Precious in the sight(W) of the Lord
    is the death of his faithful servants.(X)
16 Truly I am your servant, Lord;(Y)
    I serve you just as my mother did;(Z)
    you have freed me from my chains.(AA)

17 I will sacrifice a thank offering(AB) to you
    and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows(AC) to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts(AD) of the house of the Lord
    in your midst, Jerusalem.(AE)

Praise the Lord.[a]

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord,(AF) all you nations;(AG)
    extol him, all you peoples.
For great is his love(AH) toward us,
    and the faithfulness of the Lord(AI) endures forever.

Praise the Lord.[b]

Amos 5:18-27

The Day of the Lord

18 Woe to you who long
    for the day of the Lord!(A)
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?(B)
    That day will be darkness,(C) not light.(D)
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion
    only to meet a bear,(E)
as though he entered his house
    and rested his hand on the wall
    only to have a snake bite him.(F)
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness,(G) not light—
    pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?(H)

21 “I hate,(I) I despise your religious festivals;(J)
    your assemblies(K) are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings(L) and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them.(M)
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
    I will have no regard for them.(N)
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
    I will not listen to the music of your harps.(O)
24 But let justice(P) roll on like a river,
    righteousness(Q) like a never-failing stream!(R)

25 “Did you bring me sacrifices(S) and offerings
    forty years(T) in the wilderness, people of Israel?
26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king,
    the pedestal of your idols,(U)
    the star of your god[a]
    which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore I will send you into exile(V) beyond Damascus,”
    says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.(W)

Jude 17-25

A Call to Persevere

17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles(A) of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.(B) 18 They said to you, “In the last times(C) there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”(D) 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.(E)

20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up(F) in your most holy faith(G) and praying in the Holy Spirit,(H) 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait(I) for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.(J)

22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire;(K) to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.[a](L)

Doxology

24 To him who is able(M) to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence(N) without fault(O) and with great joy— 25 to the only God(P) our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!(Q) Amen.(R)

Matthew 22:15-22

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar(A)

15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians.(B) “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax[a](C) to Caesar or not?”

18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s,(D) and to God what is God’s.”

22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.(E)

New International Version (NIV)

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