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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 119:145-176

ק Qoph

145 I call with all my heart;(A) answer me, Lord,
    and I will obey your decrees.(B)
146 I call out to you; save me(C)
    and I will keep your statutes.
147 I rise before dawn(D) and cry for help;
    I have put my hope in your word.
148 My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,(E)
    that I may meditate on your promises.
149 Hear my voice(F) in accordance with your love;(G)
    preserve my life,(H) Lord, according to your laws.
150 Those who devise wicked schemes(I) are near,
    but they are far from your law.
151 Yet you are near,(J) Lord,
    and all your commands are true.(K)
152 Long ago I learned from your statutes(L)
    that you established them to last forever.(M)

ר Resh

153 Look on my suffering(N) and deliver me,(O)
    for I have not forgotten(P) your law.
154 Defend my cause(Q) and redeem me;(R)
    preserve my life(S) according to your promise.(T)
155 Salvation is far from the wicked,
    for they do not seek out(U) your decrees.
156 Your compassion, Lord, is great;(V)
    preserve my life(W) according to your laws.(X)
157 Many are the foes who persecute me,(Y)
    but I have not turned(Z) from your statutes.
158 I look on the faithless with loathing,(AA)
    for they do not obey your word.(AB)
159 See how I love your precepts;
    preserve my life,(AC) Lord, in accordance with your love.
160 All your words are true;
    all your righteous laws are eternal.(AD)

ש Sin and Shin

161 Rulers persecute me(AE) without cause,
    but my heart trembles(AF) at your word.
162 I rejoice(AG) in your promise
    like one who finds great spoil.(AH)
163 I hate and detest(AI) falsehood
    but I love your law.(AJ)
164 Seven times a day I praise you
    for your righteous laws.(AK)
165 Great peace(AL) have those who love your law,
    and nothing can make them stumble.(AM)
166 I wait for your salvation,(AN) Lord,
    and I follow your commands.
167 I obey your statutes,
    for I love them(AO) greatly.
168 I obey your precepts(AP) and your statutes,(AQ)
    for all my ways are known(AR) to you.

ת Taw

169 May my cry come(AS) before you, Lord;
    give me understanding(AT) according to your word.(AU)
170 May my supplication come(AV) before you;
    deliver me(AW) according to your promise.(AX)
171 May my lips overflow with praise,(AY)
    for you teach me(AZ) your decrees.
172 May my tongue sing(BA) of your word,
    for all your commands are righteous.(BB)
173 May your hand be ready to help(BC) me,
    for I have chosen(BD) your precepts.
174 I long for your salvation,(BE) Lord,
    and your law gives me delight.(BF)
175 Let me live(BG) that I may praise you,
    and may your laws sustain me.
176 I have strayed like a lost sheep.(BH)
    Seek your servant,
    for I have not forgotten(BI) your commands.

Psalm 128-130

Psalm 128

A song of ascents.

Blessed are all who fear the Lord,(A)
    who walk in obedience to him.(B)
You will eat the fruit of your labor;(C)
    blessings and prosperity(D) will be yours.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine(E)
    within your house;
your children(F) will be like olive shoots(G)
    around your table.
Yes, this will be the blessing(H)
    for the man who fears the Lord.(I)

May the Lord bless you from Zion;(J)
    may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem(K)
    all the days of your life.
May you live to see your children’s children—(L)
    peace be on Israel.(M)

Psalm 129

A song of ascents.

“They have greatly oppressed(N) me from my youth,”(O)
    let Israel say;(P)
“they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
    but they have not gained the victory(Q) over me.
Plowmen have plowed my back
    and made their furrows long.
But the Lord is righteous;(R)
    he has cut me free(S) from the cords of the wicked.”(T)

May all who hate Zion(U)
    be turned back in shame.(V)
May they be like grass on the roof,(W)
    which withers(X) before it can grow;
a reaper cannot fill his hands with it,(Y)
    nor one who gathers fill his arms.
May those who pass by not say to them,
    “The blessing of the Lord be on you;
    we bless you(Z) in the name of the Lord.”

Psalm 130

A song of ascents.

Out of the depths(AA) I cry to you,(AB) Lord;
    Lord, hear my voice.(AC)
Let your ears be attentive(AD)
    to my cry for mercy.(AE)

If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
    Lord, who could stand?(AF)
But with you there is forgiveness,(AG)
    so that we can, with reverence, serve you.(AH)

I wait for the Lord,(AI) my whole being waits,(AJ)
    and in his word(AK) I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen(AL) wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.(AM)

Israel, put your hope(AN) in the Lord,
    for with the Lord is unfailing love(AO)
    and with him is full redemption.(AP)
He himself will redeem(AQ) Israel
    from all their sins.(AR)

1 Samuel 12:1-6

Samuel’s Farewell Speech

12 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened(A) to everything you said to me and have set a king(B) over you. Now you have a king as your leader.(C) As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons(D) are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed.(E) Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey(F) have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe(G) to make me shut my eyes? If I have done(H) any of these things, I will make it right.”(I)

“You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”

Samuel said to them, “The Lord is witness(J) against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything(K) in my hand.(L)

“He is witness,” they said.

Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought(M) your ancestors up out of Egypt.

1 Samuel 12:16-25

16 “Now then, stand still(A) and see(B) this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes! 17 Is it not wheat harvest(C) now? I will call(D) on the Lord to send thunder(E) and rain.(F) And you will realize what an evil(G) thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.”

18 Then Samuel called on the Lord,(H) and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe(I) of the Lord and of Samuel.

19 The people all said to Samuel, “Pray(J) to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die,(K) for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”

20 “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil;(L) yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 Do not turn away after useless(M) idols.(N) They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22 For the sake(O) of his great name(P) the Lord will not reject(Q) his people, because the Lord was pleased to make(R) you his own. 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray(S) for you. And I will teach(T) you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear(U) the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart;(V) consider(W) what great(X) things he has done for you. 25 Yet if you persist(Y) in doing evil, both you and your king(Z) will perish.”(AA)

Acts 8:14-25

14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria(A) had accepted the word of God,(B) they sent Peter and John(C) to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit,(D) 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them;(E) they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.(F) 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them,(G) and they received the Holy Spirit.(H)

18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!(I) 21 You have no part or share(J) in this ministry, because your heart is not right(K) before God. 22 Repent(L) of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me(M) so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord(N) and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.(O)

Luke 23:1-12

23 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate.(A) And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation.(B) He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar(C) and claims to be Messiah, a king.”(D)

So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”(E)

But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee(F) and has come all the way here.”

On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean.(G) When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod,(H) who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him.(I) From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.(J) 10 The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe,(K) they sent him back to Pilate. 12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends(L)—before this they had been enemies.

New International Version (NIV)

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