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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 137

Psalm 137

By the rivers of Babylon(A) we sat and wept(B)
    when we remembered Zion.(C)
There on the poplars(D)
    we hung our harps,(E)
for there our captors(F) asked us for songs,
    our tormentors demanded(G) songs of joy;
    they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”(H)

How can we sing the songs of the Lord(I)
    while in a foreign land?
If I forget you,(J) Jerusalem,
    may my right hand forget its skill.
May my tongue cling to the roof(K) of my mouth
    if I do not remember(L) you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem(M)
    my highest joy.

Remember, Lord, what the Edomites(N) did
    on the day Jerusalem fell.(O)
“Tear it down,” they cried,
    “tear it down to its foundations!”(P)
Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,(Q)
    happy is the one who repays you
    according to what you have done to us.
Happy is the one who seizes your infants
    and dashes them(R) against the rocks.

Psalm 144

Psalm 144

Of David.

Praise be to the Lord my Rock,(A)
    who trains my hands for war,
    my fingers for battle.
He is my loving God and my fortress,(B)
    my stronghold(C) and my deliverer,
my shield,(D) in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues peoples[a](E) under me.

Lord, what are human beings(F) that you care for them,
    mere mortals that you think of them?
They are like a breath;(G)
    their days are like a fleeting shadow.(H)

Part your heavens,(I) Lord, and come down;(J)
    touch the mountains, so that they smoke.(K)
Send forth lightning(L) and scatter(M) the enemy;
    shoot your arrows(N) and rout them.
Reach down your hand from on high;(O)
    deliver me and rescue me(P)
from the mighty waters,(Q)
    from the hands of foreigners(R)
whose mouths are full of lies,(S)
    whose right hands(T) are deceitful.(U)

I will sing a new song(V) to you, my God;
    on the ten-stringed lyre(W) I will make music to you,
10 to the One who gives victory to kings,(X)
    who delivers his servant David.(Y)

From the deadly sword(Z) 11 deliver me;
    rescue me(AA) from the hands of foreigners(AB)
whose mouths are full of lies,(AC)
    whose right hands are deceitful.(AD)

12 Then our sons in their youth
    will be like well-nurtured plants,(AE)
and our daughters will be like pillars(AF)
    carved to adorn a palace.
13 Our barns will be filled(AG)
    with every kind of provision.
Our sheep will increase by thousands,
    by tens of thousands in our fields;
14     our oxen(AH) will draw heavy loads.[b]
There will be no breaching of walls,(AI)
    no going into captivity,
    no cry of distress in our streets.(AJ)
15 Blessed is the people(AK) of whom this is true;
    blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.

Psalm 42-43

BOOK II

Psalms 42–72

Psalm 42[a][b]

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

As the deer(A) pants for streams of water,(B)
    so my soul pants(C) for you, my God.
My soul thirsts(D) for God, for the living God.(E)
    When can I go(F) and meet with God?
My tears(G) have been my food
    day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
    “Where is your God?”(H)
These things I remember
    as I pour out my soul:(I)
how I used to go to the house of God(J)
    under the protection of the Mighty One[d]
with shouts of joy(K) and praise(L)
    among the festive throng.(M)

Why, my soul, are you downcast?(N)
    Why so disturbed(O) within me?
Put your hope in God,(P)
    for I will yet praise(Q) him,
    my Savior(R) and my God.(S)

My soul is downcast within me;
    therefore I will remember(T) you
from the land of the Jordan,(U)
    the heights of Hermon(V)—from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep(W)
    in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
    have swept over me.(X)

By day the Lord directs his love,(Y)
    at night(Z) his song(AA) is with me—
    a prayer to the God of my life.(AB)

I say to God my Rock,(AC)
    “Why have you forgotten(AD) me?
Why must I go about mourning,(AE)
    oppressed(AF) by the enemy?”(AG)
10 My bones suffer mortal agony(AH)
    as my foes taunt(AI) me,
saying to me all day long,
    “Where is your God?”(AJ)

11 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.(AK)

Psalm 43[e]

Vindicate me, my God,
    and plead my cause(AL)
    against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me(AM) from those who are
    deceitful and wicked.(AN)
You are God my stronghold.
    Why have you rejected(AO) me?
Why must I go about mourning,(AP)
    oppressed by the enemy?(AQ)
Send me your light(AR) and your faithful care,(AS)
    let them lead me;(AT)
let them bring me to your holy mountain,(AU)
    to the place where you dwell.(AV)
Then I will go(AW) to the altar(AX) of God,
    to God, my joy(AY) and my delight.(AZ)
I will praise you with the lyre,(BA)
    O God, my God.

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.(BB)

Jeremiah 31:27-34

27 “The days are coming,”(A) declares the Lord, “when I will plant(B) the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. 28 Just as I watched(C) over them to uproot(D) and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster,(E) so I will watch over them to build and to plant,”(F) declares the Lord. 29 “In those days people will no longer say,

‘The parents(G) have eaten sour grapes,
    and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’(H)

30 Instead, everyone will die for their own sin;(I) whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.

31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will make a new covenant(J)
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant(K)
    I made with their ancestors(L)
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,(M)
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband(N) to[a] them,[b]
declares the Lord.
33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds(O)
    and write it on their hearts.(P)
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.(Q)
34 No longer will they teach(R) their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know(S) me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive(T) their wickedness
    and will remember their sins(U) no more.”

Romans 11:25-36

All Israel Will Be Saved

25 I do not want you to be ignorant(A) of this mystery,(B) brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited:(C) Israel has experienced a hardening(D) in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,(E) 26 and in this way[a] all Israel will be saved.(F) As it is written:

“The deliverer will come from Zion;
    he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is[b] my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”[c](G)

28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies(H) for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs,(I) 29 for God’s gifts and his call(J) are irrevocable.(K) 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient(L) to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now[d] receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience(M) so that he may have mercy on them all.

Doxology

33 Oh, the depth of the riches(N) of the wisdom and[e] knowledge of God!(O)
    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out!(P)
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been his counselor?”[f](Q)
35 “Who has ever given to God,
    that God should repay them?”[g](R)
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.(S)
    To him be the glory forever! Amen.(T)

John 11:28-44

28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher(A) is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.(B) 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her,(C) noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”(D)

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved(E) in spirit and troubled.(F) 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

35 Jesus wept.(G)

36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”(H)

37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man(I) have kept this man from dying?”(J)

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved,(K) came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.(L) 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”(M)

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe,(N) you will see the glory of God?”(O)

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up(P) and said, “Father,(Q) I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,(R) that they may believe that you sent me.”(S)

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”(T) 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen,(U) and a cloth around his face.(V)

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

John 12:37-50

Belief and Unbelief Among the Jews

37 Even after Jesus had performed so many signs(A) in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”[a](B)

39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

40 “He has blinded their eyes
    and hardened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
    nor understand with their hearts,
    nor turn—and I would heal them.”[b](C)

41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory(D) and spoke about him.(E)

42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him.(F) But because of the Pharisees(G) they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;(H) 43 for they loved human praise(I) more than praise from God.(J)

44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.(K) 45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.(L) 46 I have come into the world as a light,(M) so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

47 “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.(N) 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them(O) at the last day. 49 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me(P) to say all that I have spoken. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life.(Q) So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”(R)

New International Version (NIV)

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