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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 148-150

Psalm 148

Praise the Lord.[a](A)

Praise the Lord from the heavens;(B)
    praise him in the heights above.
Praise him, all his angels;(C)
    praise him, all his heavenly hosts.(D)
Praise him, sun(E) and moon;
    praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens(F)
    and you waters above the skies.(G)

Let them praise the name(H) of the Lord,
    for at his command(I) they were created,
and he established them for ever and ever—
    he issued a decree(J) that will never pass away.

Praise the Lord(K) from the earth,
    you great sea creatures(L) and all ocean depths,(M)
lightning and hail,(N) snow and clouds,
    stormy winds that do his bidding,(O)
you mountains and all hills,(P)
    fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals(Q) and all cattle,
    small creatures and flying birds,
11 kings(R) of the earth and all nations,
    you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and women,
    old men and children.

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,(S)
    for his name alone is exalted;
    his splendor(T) is above the earth and the heavens.(U)
14 And he has raised up for his people a horn,[b](V)
    the praise(W) of all his faithful servants,(X)
    of Israel, the people close to his heart.(Y)

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 149

Praise the Lord.[c](Z)

Sing to the Lord a new song,(AA)
    his praise in the assembly(AB) of his faithful people.

Let Israel rejoice(AC) in their Maker;(AD)
    let the people of Zion be glad in their King.(AE)
Let them praise his name with dancing(AF)
    and make music to him with timbrel and harp.(AG)
For the Lord takes delight(AH) in his people;
    he crowns the humble with victory.(AI)
Let his faithful people rejoice(AJ) in this honor
    and sing for joy on their beds.(AK)

May the praise of God be in their mouths(AL)
    and a double-edged(AM) sword in their hands,(AN)
to inflict vengeance(AO) on the nations
    and punishment(AP) on the peoples,
to bind their kings with fetters,(AQ)
    their nobles with shackles of iron,(AR)
to carry out the sentence written against them—(AS)
    this is the glory of all his faithful people.(AT)

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord.[d](AU)

Praise God in his sanctuary;(AV)
    praise him in his mighty heavens.(AW)
Praise him for his acts of power;(AX)
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.(AY)
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,(AZ)
    praise him with the harp and lyre,(BA)
praise him with timbrel and dancing,(BB)
    praise him with the strings(BC) and pipe,(BD)
praise him with the clash of cymbals,(BE)
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything(BF) that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 114-115

Psalm 114

When Israel came out of Egypt,(A)
    Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
Judah(B) became God’s sanctuary,(C)
    Israel his dominion.

The sea looked and fled,(D)
    the Jordan turned back;(E)
the mountains leaped(F) like rams,
    the hills like lambs.

Why was it, sea, that you fled?(G)
    Why, Jordan, did you turn back?
Why, mountains, did you leap like rams,
    you hills, like lambs?

Tremble, earth,(H) at the presence of the Lord,
    at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turned the rock into a pool,
    the hard rock into springs of water.(I)

Psalm 115(J)

Not to us, Lord, not to us
    but to your name be the glory,(K)
    because of your love and faithfulness.(L)

Why do the nations say,
    “Where is their God?”(M)
Our God is in heaven;(N)
    he does whatever pleases him.(O)
But their idols are silver and gold,(P)
    made by human hands.(Q)
They have mouths, but cannot speak,(R)
    eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears, but cannot hear,
    noses, but cannot smell.
They have hands, but cannot feel,
    feet, but cannot walk,
    nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
Those who make them will be like them,
    and so will all who trust in them.

All you Israelites, trust(S) in the Lord
    he is their help and shield.
10 House of Aaron,(T) trust in the Lord
    he is their help and shield.
11 You who fear him,(U) trust in the Lord
    he is their help and shield.

12 The Lord remembers(V) us and will bless us:(W)
    He will bless his people Israel,
    he will bless the house of Aaron,
13 he will bless those who fear(X) the Lord
    small and great alike.

14 May the Lord cause you to flourish,(Y)
    both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven(Z) and earth.

16 The highest heavens belong to the Lord,(AA)
    but the earth he has given(AB) to mankind.
17 It is not the dead(AC) who praise the Lord,
    those who go down to the place of silence;
18 it is we who extol the Lord,(AD)
    both now and forevermore.(AE)

Praise the Lord.[a](AF)

Job 11:1-9

Zophar

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite(A) replied:

“Are all these words to go unanswered?(B)
    Is this talker to be vindicated?(C)
Will your idle talk(D) reduce others to silence?
    Will no one rebuke you when you mock?(E)
You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless(F)
    and I am pure(G) in your sight.’
Oh, how I wish that God would speak,(H)
    that he would open his lips against you
and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,(I)
    for true wisdom has two sides.
    Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.(J)

“Can you fathom(K) the mysteries of God?
    Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
They are higher(L) than the heavens(M) above—what can you do?
    They are deeper than the depths below(N)—what can you know?(O)
Their measure(P) is longer than the earth
    and wider than the sea.(Q)

Job 11:13-20

13 “Yet if you devote your heart(A) to him
    and stretch out your hands(B) to him,(C)
14 if you put away(D) the sin that is in your hand
    and allow no evil(E) to dwell in your tent,(F)
15 then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;(G)
    you will stand firm(H) and without fear.(I)
16 You will surely forget your trouble,(J)
    recalling it only as waters gone by.(K)
17 Life will be brighter than noonday,(L)
    and darkness will become like morning.(M)
18 You will be secure, because there is hope;
    you will look about you and take your rest(N) in safety.(O)
19 You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,(P)
    and many will court your favor.(Q)
20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail,(R)
    and escape will elude them;(S)
    their hope will become a dying gasp.”(T)

Revelation 5

The Scroll and the Lamb

Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne(A) a scroll with writing on both sides(B) and sealed(C) with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel(D) proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion(E) of the tribe of Judah,(F) the Root of David,(G) has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Then I saw a Lamb,(H) looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures(I) and the elders.(J) The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes,(K) which are the seven spirits[a](L) of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.(M) And when he had taken it, the four living creatures(N) and the twenty-four elders(O) fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp(P) and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers(Q) of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying:(R)

“You are worthy(S) to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
    and with your blood(T) you purchased(U) for God
    persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.(V)
10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests(W) to serve our God,
    and they will reign[b] on the earth.”(X)

11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand.(Y) They encircled the throne and the living creatures(Z) and the elders.(AA) 12 In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb,(AB) who was slain,(AC)
    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
    and honor and glory and praise!”(AD)

13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth(AE) and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne(AF) and to the Lamb(AG)
    be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”(AH)

14 The four living creatures(AI) said, “Amen,”(AJ) and the elders(AK) fell down and worshiped.(AL)

Matthew 5:1-12

Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes(A)

He said:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.(B)
Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.(C)
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.(D)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.(E)
Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.(F)
Blessed are the pure in heart,(G)
    for they will see God.(H)
Blessed are the peacemakers,(I)
    for they will be called children of God.(J)
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,(K)
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.(L)

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you,(M) persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.(N) 12 Rejoice and be glad,(O) because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.(P)

New International Version (NIV)

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