Previous Prev Day Next DayNext

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]

Isaiah 43:1-13

Israel’s Only Savior

43 But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created(A) you, Jacob,
    he who formed(B) you, Israel:(C)
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed(D) you;
    I have summoned you by name;(E) you are mine.(F)
When you pass through the waters,(G)
    I will be with you;(H)
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,(I)
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.(J)
For I am the Lord your God,(K)
    the Holy One(L) of Israel, your Savior;(M)
I give Egypt(N) for your ransom,
    Cush[a](O) and Seba(P) in your stead.(Q)
Since you are precious and honored(R) in my sight,
    and because I love(S) you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.
Do not be afraid,(T) for I am with you;(U)
    I will bring your children(V) from the east
    and gather(W) you from the west.(X)
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
    and to the south,(Y) ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
    and my daughters(Z) from the ends of the earth(AA)
everyone who is called by my name,(AB)
    whom I created(AC) for my glory,(AD)
    whom I formed and made.(AE)

Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,(AF)
    who have ears but are deaf.(AG)
All the nations gather together(AH)
    and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold(AI) this
    and proclaimed to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
    so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”
10 “You are my witnesses,(AJ)” declares the Lord,
    “and my servant(AK) whom I have chosen,
so that you may know(AL) and believe me
    and understand that I am he.
Before me no god(AM) was formed,
    nor will there be one after me.(AN)
11 I, even I, am the Lord,(AO)
    and apart from me there is no savior.(AP)
12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
    I, and not some foreign god(AQ) among you.
You are my witnesses,(AR)” declares the Lord, “that I am God.
13     Yes, and from ancient days(AS) I am he.(AT)
No one can deliver out of my hand.
    When I act, who can reverse it?”(AU)

Ephesians 3:14-21

A Prayer for the Ephesians

14 For this reason I kneel(A) before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches(B) he may strengthen you with power(C) through his Spirit in your inner being,(D) 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts(E) through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted(F) and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people,(G) to grasp how wide and long and high and deep(H) is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge(I)—that you may be filled(J) to the measure of all the fullness of God.(K)

20 Now to him who is able(L) to do immeasurably more than all we ask(M) or imagine, according to his power(N) that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.(O)

Mark 2:23-3:6

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath(A)(B)

23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain.(C) 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”(D)

25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest,(E) he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat.(F) And he also gave some to his companions.”(G)

27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man,(H) not man for the Sabbath.(I) 28 So the Son of Man(J) is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue,(K) and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely(L) to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.(M) Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians(N) how they might kill Jesus.(O)

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.