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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 41

Psalm 41[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Blessed(A) are those who have regard for the weak;(B)
    the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.(C)
The Lord protects(D) and preserves them—(E)
    they are counted among the blessed in the land—(F)
    he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.(G)
The Lord sustains them on their sickbed(H)
    and restores them from their bed of illness.(I)

I said, “Have mercy(J) on me, Lord;
    heal(K) me, for I have sinned(L) against you.”
My enemies say of me in malice,
    “When will he die and his name perish?(M)
When one of them comes to see me,
    he speaks falsely,(N) while his heart gathers slander;(O)
    then he goes out and spreads(P) it around.

All my enemies whisper together(Q) against me;
    they imagine the worst for me, saying,
“A vile disease has afflicted him;
    he will never get up(R) from the place where he lies.”
Even my close friend,(S)
    someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
    has turned[b] against me.(T)

10 But may you have mercy(U) on me, Lord;
    raise me up,(V) that I may repay(W) them.
11 I know that you are pleased with me,(X)
    for my enemy does not triumph over me.(Y)
12 Because of my integrity(Z) you uphold me(AA)
    and set me in your presence forever.(AB)

13 Praise(AC) be to the Lord, the God of Israel,(AD)
    from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.(AE)

Psalm 52

Psalm 52[a]

For the director of music. A maskil[b] of David. When Doeg the Edomite(A) had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”

Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
    Why do you boast(B) all day long,(C)
    you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
You who practice deceit,(D)
    your tongue plots destruction;(E)
    it is like a sharpened razor.(F)
You love evil(G) rather than good,
    falsehood(H) rather than speaking the truth.[c]
You love every harmful word,
    you deceitful tongue!(I)

Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
    He will snatch you up and pluck(J) you from your tent;
    he will uproot(K) you from the land of the living.(L)
The righteous will see and fear;
    they will laugh(M) at you, saying,
“Here now is the man
    who did not make God his stronghold(N)
but trusted in his great wealth(O)
    and grew strong by destroying others!”

But I am like an olive tree(P)
    flourishing in the house of God;
I trust(Q) in God’s unfailing love
    for ever and ever.
For what you have done I will always praise you(R)
    in the presence of your faithful people.(S)
And I will hope in your name,(T)
    for your name is good.(U)

Psalm 44

Psalm 44[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.[b]

We have heard it with our ears,(A) O God;
    our ancestors have told us(B)
what you did in their days,
    in days long ago.(C)
With your hand you drove out(D) the nations
    and planted(E) our ancestors;
you crushed(F) the peoples
    and made our ancestors flourish.(G)
It was not by their sword(H) that they won the land,
    nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand,(I) your arm,(J)
    and the light(K) of your face, for you loved(L) them.

You are my King(M) and my God,(N)
    who decrees[c] victories(O) for Jacob.
Through you we push back(P) our enemies;
    through your name we trample(Q) our foes.
I put no trust in my bow,(R)
    my sword does not bring me victory;
but you give us victory(S) over our enemies,
    you put our adversaries to shame.(T)
In God we make our boast(U) all day long,(V)
    and we will praise your name forever.[d](W)

But now you have rejected(X) and humbled us;(Y)
    you no longer go out with our armies.(Z)
10 You made us retreat(AA) before the enemy,
    and our adversaries have plundered(AB) us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep(AC)
    and have scattered us among the nations.(AD)
12 You sold your people for a pittance,(AE)
    gaining nothing from their sale.

13 You have made us a reproach(AF) to our neighbors,(AG)
    the scorn(AH) and derision(AI) of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword(AJ) among the nations;
    the peoples shake their heads(AK) at us.
15 I live in disgrace(AL) all day long,
    and my face is covered with shame(AM)
16 at the taunts(AN) of those who reproach and revile(AO) me,
    because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.(AP)

17 All this came upon us,
    though we had not forgotten(AQ) you;
    we had not been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned(AR) back;
    our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed(AS) us and made us a haunt for jackals;(AT)
    you covered us over with deep darkness.(AU)

20 If we had forgotten(AV) the name of our God
    or spread out our hands to a foreign god,(AW)
21 would not God have discovered it,
    since he knows the secrets of the heart?(AX)
22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep(AY) to be slaughtered.(AZ)

23 Awake,(BA) Lord! Why do you sleep?(BB)
    Rouse yourself!(BC) Do not reject us forever.(BD)
24 Why do you hide your face(BE)
    and forget(BF) our misery and oppression?(BG)

25 We are brought down to the dust;(BH)
    our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up(BI) and help us;
    rescue(BJ) us because of your unfailing love.(BK)

Job 32:1-10

Elihu

32 So these three men stopped answering Job,(A) because he was righteous in his own eyes.(B) But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite,(C) of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself(D) rather than God.(E) He was also angry with the three friends,(F) because they had found no way to refute Job,(G) and yet had condemned him.[a](H) Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he.(I) But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused.

So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said:

“I am young in years,
    and you are old;(J)
that is why I was fearful,
    not daring to tell you what I know.
I thought, ‘Age should speak;
    advanced years should teach wisdom.’(K)
But it is the spirit[b](L) in a person,
    the breath of the Almighty,(M) that gives them understanding.(N)
It is not only the old[c] who are wise,(O)
    not only the aged(P) who understand what is right.(Q)

10 “Therefore I say: Listen to me;(R)
    I too will tell you what I know.(S)

Job 32:19-33:1

19 inside I am like bottled-up wine,
    like new wineskins ready to burst.(A)
20 I must speak and find relief;
    I must open my lips and reply.(B)
21 I will show no partiality,(C)
    nor will I flatter anyone;(D)
22 for if I were skilled in flattery,
    my Maker(E) would soon take me away.(F)

33 “But now, Job, listen(G) to my words;
    pay attention to everything I say.(H)

Job 33:19-28

19 “Or someone may be chastened(A) on a bed of pain(B)
    with constant distress in their bones,(C)
20 so that their body finds food(D) repulsive
    and their soul loathes the choicest meal.(E)
21 Their flesh wastes away to nothing,
    and their bones,(F) once hidden, now stick out.(G)
22 They draw near to the pit,(H)
    and their life to the messengers of death.[a](I)
23 Yet if there is an angel at their side,
    a messenger,(J) one out of a thousand,
    sent to tell them how to be upright,(K)
24 and he is gracious to that person and says to God,
    ‘Spare them from going down to the pit;(L)
    I have found a ransom for them(M)
25 let their flesh be renewed(N) like a child’s;
    let them be restored as in the days of their youth’(O)
26 then that person can pray to God and find favor with him,(P)
    they will see God’s face and shout for joy;(Q)
    he will restore them to full well-being.(R)
27 And they will go to others and say,
    ‘I have sinned,(S) I have perverted what is right,(T)
    but I did not get what I deserved.(U)
28 God has delivered(V) me from going down to the pit,(W)
    and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’(X)

Acts 13:44-52

44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying(A) and heaped abuse(B) on him.

46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first.(C) Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.(D) 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“‘I have made you[a] a light for the Gentiles,(E)
    that you[b] may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’[c](F)

48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord;(G) and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

49 The word of the Lord(H) spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.(I) 51 So they shook the dust off their feet(J) as a warning to them and went to Iconium.(K) 52 And the disciples(L) were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.(M)

John 10:19-30

19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided.(A) 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed(B) and raving mad.(C) Why listen to him?”

21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon.(D) Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”(E)

Further Conflict Over Jesus’ Claims

22 Then came the Festival of Dedication[a] at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.(F) 24 The Jews(G) who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”(H)

25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you,(I) but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,(J) 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.(K) 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them,(L) and they follow me.(M) 28 I give them eternal life,(N) and they shall never perish;(O) no one will snatch them out of my hand.(P) 29 My Father, who has given them to me,(Q) is greater than all[b];(R) no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”(S)

New International Version (NIV)

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