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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 16-17

Psalm 16

A miktam[a] of David.

Keep me safe,(A) my God,
    for in you I take refuge.(B)

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;(C)
    apart from you I have no good thing.”(D)
I say of the holy people(E) who are in the land,(F)
    “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
Those who run after other gods(G) will suffer(H) more and more.
    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
    or take up their names(I) on my lips.

Lord, you alone are my portion(J) and my cup;(K)
    you make my lot(L) secure.
The boundary lines(M) have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.(N)
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;(O)
    even at night(P) my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand,(Q) I will not be shaken.(R)

Therefore my heart is glad(S) and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,(T)
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,(U)
    nor will you let your faithful[b] one(V) see decay.(W)
11 You make known to me the path of life;(X)
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,(Y)
    with eternal pleasures(Z) at your right hand.(AA)

Psalm 17

A prayer of David.

Hear me,(AB) Lord, my plea is just;
    listen to my cry.(AC)
Hear(AD) my prayer—
    it does not rise from deceitful lips.(AE)
Let my vindication(AF) come from you;
    may your eyes see what is right.(AG)

Though you probe my heart,(AH)
    though you examine me at night and test me,(AI)
you will find that I have planned no evil;(AJ)
    my mouth has not transgressed.(AK)
Though people tried to bribe me,
    I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
    through what your lips have commanded.
My steps have held to your paths;(AL)
    my feet have not stumbled.(AM)

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;(AN)
    turn your ear to me(AO) and hear my prayer.(AP)
Show me the wonders of your great love,(AQ)
    you who save by your right hand(AR)
    those who take refuge(AS) in you from their foes.
Keep me(AT) as the apple of your eye;(AU)
    hide me(AV) in the shadow of your wings(AW)
from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
    from my mortal enemies who surround me.(AX)

10 They close up their callous hearts,(AY)
    and their mouths speak with arrogance.(AZ)
11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me,(BA)
    with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
12 They are like a lion(BB) hungry for prey,(BC)
    like a fierce lion crouching in cover.

13 Rise up,(BD) Lord, confront them, bring them down;(BE)
    with your sword rescue me from the wicked.
14 By your hand save me from such people, Lord,
    from those of this world(BF) whose reward is in this life.(BG)
May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;
    may their children gorge themselves on it,
    and may there be leftovers(BH) for their little ones.

15 As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;
    when I awake,(BI) I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.(BJ)

Psalm 134-135

Psalm 134

A song of ascents.

Praise the Lord, all you servants(A) of the Lord
    who minister(B) by night(C) in the house of the Lord.
Lift up your hands(D) in the sanctuary(E)
    and praise the Lord.(F)

May the Lord bless you from Zion,(G)
    he who is the Maker of heaven(H) and earth.

Psalm 135(I)

Praise the Lord.[a]

Praise the name of the Lord;
    praise him, you servants(J) of the Lord,
you who minister in the house(K) of the Lord,
    in the courts(L) of the house of our God.

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;(M)
    sing praise to his name,(N) for that is pleasant.(O)
For the Lord has chosen Jacob(P) to be his own,
    Israel to be his treasured possession.(Q)

I know that the Lord is great,(R)
    that our Lord is greater than all gods.(S)
The Lord does whatever pleases him,(T)
    in the heavens and on the earth,(U)
    in the seas and all their depths.
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
    he sends lightning with the rain(V)
    and brings out the wind(W) from his storehouses.(X)

He struck down the firstborn(Y) of Egypt,
    the firstborn of people and animals.
He sent his signs(Z) and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
    against Pharaoh and all his servants.(AA)
10 He struck down many(AB) nations
    and killed mighty kings—
11 Sihon(AC) king of the Amorites,(AD)
    Og king of Bashan,(AE)
    and all the kings of Canaan(AF)
12 and he gave their land as an inheritance,(AG)
    an inheritance to his people Israel.

13 Your name, Lord, endures forever,(AH)
    your renown,(AI) Lord, through all generations.
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people(AJ)
    and have compassion on his servants.(AK)

15 The idols of the nations(AL) are silver and gold,
    made by human hands.(AM)
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,(AN)
    eyes, but cannot see.
17 They have ears, but cannot hear,
    nor is there breath(AO) in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
    and so will all who trust in them.

19 All you Israelites, praise the Lord;(AP)
    house of Aaron, praise the Lord;
20 house of Levi, praise the Lord;
    you who fear him, praise the Lord.
21 Praise be to the Lord from Zion,(AQ)
    to him who dwells in Jerusalem.(AR)

Praise the Lord.

Daniel 3:1-18

The Image of Gold and the Blazing Furnace

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image(A) of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide,[a] and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. He then summoned the satraps,(B) prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials(C) to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.

Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “Nations and peoples of every language,(D) this is what you are commanded to do: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp,(E) pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image(F) of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.(G) Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”(H)

Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.(I)

At this time some astrologers[b](J) came forward and denounced the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever!(K) 10 Your Majesty has issued a decree(L) that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold,(M) 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego(N)—who pay no attention(O) to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”(P)

13 Furious(Q) with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods(R) or worship the image(S) of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god(T) will be able to rescue(U) you from my hand?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego(V) replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver(W) us from it, and he will deliver(X) us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.(Y)

1 John 3:1-10

See what great love(A) the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!(B) And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.(C) Dear friends,(D) now we are children of God,(E) and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a](F) we shall be like him,(G) for we shall see him as he is.(H) All who have this hope in him purify themselves,(I) just as he is pure.(J)

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.(K) But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.(L) And in him is no sin.(M) No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.(N) No one who continues to sin has either seen him(O) or known him.(P)

Dear children,(Q) do not let anyone lead you astray.(R) The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.(S) The one who does what is sinful is of the devil,(T) because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God(U) appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.(V) No one who is born of God(W) will continue to sin,(X) because God’s seed(Y) remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God(Z) are and who the children of the devil(AA) are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love(AB) their brother and sister.(AC)

Luke 3:15-22

15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John(A) might possibly be the Messiah.(B) 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with[a] water.(C) But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with[b] the Holy Spirit and fire.(D) 17 His winnowing fork(E) is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”(F) 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

19 But when John rebuked Herod(G) the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, 20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.(H)

The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus(I)(J)

21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying,(K) heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him(L) in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son,(M) whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”(N)

New International Version (NIV)

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