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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 45

Psalm 45[a]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.[b] A wedding song.(A)

My heart is stirred by a noble theme
    as I recite my verses for the king;
    my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.

You are the most excellent of men
    and your lips have been anointed with grace,(B)
    since God has blessed you forever.(C)

Gird your sword(D) on your side, you mighty one;(E)
    clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.(F)
In your majesty ride forth victoriously(G)
    in the cause of truth, humility and justice;(H)
    let your right hand(I) achieve awesome deeds.(J)
Let your sharp arrows(K) pierce the hearts(L) of the king’s enemies;(M)
    let the nations fall beneath your feet.
Your throne, O God,[c] will last for ever and ever;(N)
    a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
You love righteousness(O) and hate wickedness;(P)
    therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
    by anointing(Q) you with the oil of joy.(R)
All your robes are fragrant(S) with myrrh(T) and aloes(U) and cassia;(V)
    from palaces adorned with ivory(W)
    the music of the strings(X) makes you glad.
Daughters of kings(Y) are among your honored women;
    at your right hand(Z) is the royal bride(AA) in gold of Ophir.(AB)

10 Listen, daughter,(AC) and pay careful attention:(AD)
    Forget your people(AE) and your father’s house.
11 Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;(AF)
    honor(AG) him, for he is your lord.(AH)
12 The city of Tyre(AI) will come with a gift,[d](AJ)
    people of wealth will seek your favor.
13 All glorious(AK) is the princess within her chamber;
    her gown is interwoven with gold.(AL)
14 In embroidered garments(AM) she is led to the king;(AN)
    her virgin companions(AO) follow her—
    those brought to be with her.
15 Led in with joy and gladness,(AP)
    they enter the palace of the king.

16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers;
    you will make them princes(AQ) throughout the land.

17 I will perpetuate your memory through all generations;(AR)
    therefore the nations will praise you(AS) for ever and ever.(AT)

Psalm 47-48

Psalm 47[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

Clap your hands,(A) all you nations;
    shout to God with cries of joy.(B)

For the Lord Most High(C) is awesome,(D)
    the great King(E) over all the earth.
He subdued(F) nations under us,
    peoples under our feet.
He chose our inheritance(G) for us,
    the pride of Jacob,(H) whom he loved.[b]

God has ascended(I) amid shouts of joy,(J)
    the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.(K)
Sing praises(L) to God, sing praises;
    sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth;(M)
    sing to him a psalm(N) of praise.

God reigns(O) over the nations;
    God is seated on his holy throne.(P)
The nobles of the nations assemble
    as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings[c] of the earth belong to God;(Q)
    he is greatly exalted.(R)

Psalm 48[d]

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.

Great is the Lord,(S) and most worthy of praise,(T)
    in the city of our God,(U) his holy mountain.(V)

Beautiful(W) in its loftiness,
    the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon[e](X) is Mount Zion,(Y)
    the city of the Great King.(Z)
God is in her citadels;(AA)
    he has shown himself to be her fortress.(AB)

When the kings joined forces,
    when they advanced together,(AC)
they saw her and were astounded;
    they fled in terror.(AD)
Trembling seized(AE) them there,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.(AF)
You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish(AG)
    shattered by an east wind.(AH)

As we have heard,
    so we have seen
in the city of the Lord Almighty,
    in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
    forever.[f](AI)

Within your temple, O God,
    we meditate(AJ) on your unfailing love.(AK)
10 Like your name,(AL) O God,
    your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;(AM)
    your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices,
    the villages of Judah are glad
    because of your judgments.(AN)

12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
    count her towers,(AO)
13 consider well her ramparts,(AP)
    view her citadels,(AQ)
that you may tell of them
    to the next generation.(AR)

14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
    he will be our guide(AS) even to the end.

Genesis 37:12-24

Joseph Sold by His Brothers

12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem,(A) 13 and Israel(B) said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem.(C) Come, I am going to send you to them.”

“Very well,” he replied.

14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers(D) and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.(E)

When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”

17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.(F)’”

So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.(G)

19 “Here comes that dreamer!(H)” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns(I) and say that a ferocious animal(J) devoured him.(K) Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”(L)

21 When Reuben(M) heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.(N) 22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern(O) here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.(P)

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe(Q) he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern.(R) The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

1 Corinthians 1:20-31

20 Where is the wise person?(A) Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age?(B) Has not God made foolish(C) the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world(D) through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save(E) those who believe.(F) 22 Jews demand signs(G) and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified:(H) a stumbling block(I) to Jews and foolishness(J) to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called,(K) both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God(L) and the wisdom of God.(M) 25 For the foolishness(N) of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness(O) of God is stronger than human strength.

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called.(P) Not many of you were wise(Q) by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose(R) the foolish(S) things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not(T)—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.(U) 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus,(V) who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness,(W) holiness(X) and redemption.(Y) 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[a](Z)

Mark 1:14-28

Jesus Announces the Good News(A)

14 After John(B) was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee,(C) proclaiming the good news of God.(D) 15 “The time has come,”(E) he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe(F) the good news!”(G)

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.(H)

19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit(I)

21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach.(J) 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.(K) 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us,(L) Jesus of Nazareth?(M) Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”(N)

25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!”(O) 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.(P)

27 The people were all so amazed(Q) that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region(R) of Galilee.

New International Version (NIV)

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