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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 75-76

Psalm 75[a]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm of Asaph. A song.

We praise you, God,
    we praise you, for your Name is near;(A)
    people tell of your wonderful deeds.(B)

You say, “I choose the appointed time;(C)
    it is I who judge with equity.(D)
When the earth and all its people quake,(E)
    it is I who hold its pillars(F) firm.[b]
To the arrogant(G) I say, ‘Boast no more,’(H)
    and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.[c](I)
Do not lift your horns against heaven;
    do not speak so defiantly.(J)’”

No one from the east or the west
    or from the desert can exalt themselves.
It is God who judges:(K)
    He brings one down, he exalts another.(L)
In the hand of the Lord is a cup
    full of foaming wine mixed(M) with spices;
he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth
    drink it down to its very dregs.(N)

As for me, I will declare(O) this forever;
    I will sing(P) praise to the God of Jacob,(Q)
10 who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
    but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”(R)

Psalm 76[d]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.

God is renowned in Judah;
    in Israel his name is great.(S)
His tent is in Salem,(T)
    his dwelling place in Zion.(U)
There he broke the flashing arrows,(V)
    the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.[e](W)

You are radiant with light,(X)
    more majestic than mountains rich with game.
The valiant(Y) lie plundered,
    they sleep their last sleep;(Z)
not one of the warriors
    can lift his hands.
At your rebuke,(AA) God of Jacob,
    both horse and chariot(AB) lie still.

It is you alone who are to be feared.(AC)
    Who can stand(AD) before you when you are angry?(AE)
From heaven you pronounced judgment,
    and the land feared(AF) and was quiet—
when you, God, rose up to judge,(AG)
    to save all the afflicted(AH) of the land.
10 Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,(AI)
    and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.[f]

11 Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them;(AJ)
    let all the neighboring lands
    bring gifts(AK) to the One to be feared.
12 He breaks the spirit of rulers;
    he is feared by the kings of the earth.

Psalm 23

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd,(A) I lack nothing.(B)
    He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,(C)
    he refreshes my soul.(D)
He guides me(E) along the right paths(F)
    for his name’s sake.(G)
Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,[a](H)
I will fear no evil,(I)
    for you are with me;(J)
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

You prepare a table(K) before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;(L)
    my cup(M) overflows.
Surely your goodness and love(N) will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Psalm 27

Psalm 27

Of David.

The Lord is my light(A) and my salvation(B)
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold(C) of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?(D)

When the wicked advance against me
    to devour[a] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.(E)
Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;(F)
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.(G)

One thing(H) I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,(I)
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble(J)
    he will keep me safe(K) in his dwelling;
he will hide me(L) in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.(M)

Then my head will be exalted(N)
    above the enemies who surround me;(O)
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice(P) with shouts of joy;(Q)
    I will sing(R) and make music(S) to the Lord.

Hear my voice(T) when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.(U)
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!(V)
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face(W) from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;(X)
    you have been my helper.(Y)
Do not reject me or forsake(Z) me,
    God my Savior.(AA)
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way,(AB) Lord;
    lead me in a straight path(AC)
    because of my oppressors.(AD)
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses(AE) rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

13 I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord(AF)
    in the land of the living.(AG)
14 Wait(AH) for the Lord;
    be strong(AI) and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

Genesis 24:28-38

28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.(A) 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban,(B) and he hurried out to the man at the spring. 30 As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s arms,(C) and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring. 31 “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord,”(D) he said. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”

32 So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder(E) were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet.(F) 33 Then food was set before him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say.”

“Then tell us,” Laban said.

34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant.(G) 35 The Lord has blessed(H) my master abundantly,(I) and he has become wealthy.(J) He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.(K) 36 My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age,(L) and he has given him everything he owns.(M) 37 And my master made me swear an oath,(N) and said, ‘You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live,(O) 38 but go to my father’s family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.’(P)

Genesis 24:49-51

49 Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness(A) to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn.”

50 Laban and Bethuel(B) answered, “This is from the Lord;(C) we can say nothing to you one way or the other.(D) 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.(E)

Hebrews 12:12-29

12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.(A) 13 “Make level paths for your feet,”[a](B) so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.(C)

Warning and Encouragement

14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone(D) and to be holy;(E) without holiness no one will see the Lord.(F) 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God(G) and that no bitter root(H) grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral,(I) or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.(J) 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears,(K) he could not change what he had done.

The Mountain of Fear and the Mountain of Joy

18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm;(L) 19 to a trumpet blast(M) or to such a voice speaking words(N) that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them,(O) 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”[b](P) 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”[c](Q)

22 But you have come to Mount Zion,(R) to the city(S) of the living God,(T) the heavenly Jerusalem.(U) You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn,(V) whose names are written in heaven.(W) You have come to God, the Judge of all,(X) to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,(Y) 24 to Jesus the mediator(Z) of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood(AA) that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.(AB)

25 See to it that you do not refuse(AC) him who speaks.(AD) If they did not escape when they refused him who warned(AE) them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?(AF) 26 At that time his voice shook the earth,(AG) but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”[d](AH) 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken(AI)—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,(AJ) let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,(AK) 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”[e](AL)

John 7:14-36

Jesus Teaches at the Festival

14 Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach.(A) 15 The Jews(B) there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning(C) without having been taught?”(D)

16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.(E) 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out(F) whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory,(G) but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 19 Has not Moses given you the law?(H) Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”(I)

20 “You are demon-possessed,”(J) the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle,(K) and you are all amazed. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision(L) (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs),(M) you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”(N)

Division Over Who Jesus Is

25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?(O) 26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities(P) really concluded that he is the Messiah?(Q) 27 But we know where this man is from;(R) when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”

28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts,(S) cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from.(T) I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true.(U) You do not know him, 29 but I know him(V) because I am from him and he sent me.”(W)

30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him,(X) because his hour had not yet come.(Y) 31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him.(Z) They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs(AA) than this man?”

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time,(AB) and then I am going to the one who sent me.(AC) 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”(AD)

35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered(AE) among the Greeks,(AF) and teach the Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”(AG)

New International Version (NIV)

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