Print Page Options
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
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)
Version
Psalm 40

40 Unto the end, a psalm for David himself.

Blessed is he that understandeth concerning the needy and the poor: the Lord will deliver him in the evil day.

The Lord preserve him and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth: and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.

The Lord help him on his bed of sorrow: thou hast turned all his couch in his sickness.

I said: O Lord, be thou merciful to me: heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee.

My enemies have spoken evils against me: when shall he die and his name perish?

And if he came in to see me, he spoke vain things: his heart gathered together iniquity to itself. He went out and spoke to the same purpose.

All my enemies whispered together against me: they devised evils to me.

They determined against me an unjust word: shall he that sleepeth rise again no more?

10 For even the man of peace, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, hath greatly supplanted me.

11 But thou, O Lord, have mercy on me, and raise me up again: and I will requite them.

12 By this I know, that thou hast had a good will for me: because my enemy shall not rejoice over me.

13 But thou hast upheld me by reason of my innocence: and hast established me in thy sight for ever.

14 Blessed by the Lord the God of Israel from eternity to eternity. So be it. So be it.

Psalm 54

54 Unto the end, in verses, understanding for David.

Hear, O God, my prayer, and despise not my supplication:

Be attentive to me and hear me. I am grieved in my exercise; and am troubled,

At the voice of the enemy, and at the tribulation of the sinner. For they have cast iniquities upon me: and in wrath they were troublesome to me.

My heart is troubled within me: and the fear of death is fallen upon me.

Fear and trembling are come upon me: and darkness hath covered me.

And I said: Who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly and be at rest?

Lo, I have gone far off flying away; and I abode in the wilderness.

I waited for him that hath saved me from pusillanimity of spirit, and a storm.

10 Cast down, O Lord, and divide their tongues; for I have seen iniquity and contradiction in the city.

11 Day and night shall iniquity surround it upon its walls: and in the midst thereof are labour,

12 And injustice. And usury and deceit have not departed from its streets.

13 For if my enemy had reviled me, I would verily have borne with it. And if he that hated me had spoken great things against me, I would perhaps have hidden myself from him.

14 But thou a man of one mind, my guide, and my familiar,

15 Who didst take sweetmeats together with me: in the house of God we walked with consent.

16 Let death come upon them, and let them go down alive into hell. For there is wickedness in their dwellings: in the midst of them.

17 But I have cried to God: and the Lord will save me.

18 Evening and morning, and at noon I will speak and declare: and he shall hear my voice.

19 He shall redeem my soul in peace from them that draw near to me: for among many they were with me.

20 God shall hear, and the Eternal shall humble them. For there is no change with them, and they have not feared God:

21 He hath stretched forth his hand to repay. They have defiled his covenant,

22 They are divided by the wrath Of his countenance, and his heart hath drawn near. His words are smoother than oil, and the same are darts.

23 Cast thy care upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall not suffer the just to waver for ever.

24 But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee, O Lord.

Psalm 51

51 Unto the end, understanding for David,

When Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul David went to the house of Achimelech. [1 Kings 22.]

Why dost thou glory in malice, thou that art mighty in iniquity?

All the day long thy tongue hath devised injustice: as a sharp razor, thou hast wrought deceit.

Thou hast loved malice more than goodness: and iniquity rather than to speak righteousness.

Thou hast loved all the words of ruin, O deceitful tongue.

Therefore will God destroy thee for ever: he will pluck thee out, and remove thee from thy dwelling place: and thy root out of the land of the living.

The just shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, and say:

Behold the man that made not God his helper: But trusted in the abundance of his riches: and prevailed in his vanity.

10 But I, as a fruitful olive tree in the house of God, have hoped in the mercy of God for ever, yea for ever and ever.

11 I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name, for it is good in the sight of thy saints.

Wisdom 6:12-23

12 Covet ye therefore my words, and love them, and you shall have instruction.

13 Wisdom is glorious, and never fadeth away, and is easily seen by them that love her, and is found by them that seek her.

14 She preventeth them that covet her, so that she first sheweth herself unto them.

15 He that awaketh early to seek her, shall not labour: for he shall find her sitting at his door.

16 To think therefore upon her, is perfect understanding: and he that watcheth for her, shall quickly be secure.

17 For she goeth about seeking such as are worthy of her, and she sheweth herself to them cheerfully in the ways, and meeteth them with all providence.

18 For the beginning of her is the most true desire of discipline.

19 And the care of discipline is love: and love is the keeping of her laws: and the keeping of her laws is the firm foundation of incorruption:

20 And incorruption bringeth near to God.

21 Therefore the desire of wisdom bringeth to the everlasting kingdom.

22 If then your delight be in thrones, and sceptres, O ye kings of the people, love wisdom, that you may reign for ever.

23 Love the light of wisdom, all ye that bear rule over peoples.

Colossians 3:1-11

Therefore, if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above; where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God:

Mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth.

For you are dead; and your life is hid with Christ in God.

When Christ shall appear, who is your life, then you also shall appear with him in glory.

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, lust, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is the service of idols.

For which things the wrath of God cometh upon the children of unbelief,

In which you also walked some time, when you lived in them.

But now put you also all away: anger, indignation, malice, blasphemy, filthy speech out of your mouth.

Lie not one to another: stripping yourselves of the old man with his deeds,

10 And putting on the new, him who is renewed unto knowledge, according to the image of him that created him.

11 Where there is neither Gentile nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free. But Christ is all, and in all.

Luke 7:1-17

And when he had finished all his words in the hearing of the people, he entered into Capharnaum.

And the servant of a certain centurion, who was dear to him, being sick, was ready to die.

And when he had heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the ancients of the Jews, desiring him to come and heal his servant.

And when they came to Jesus, they besought him earnestly, saying to him: He is worthy that thou shouldest do this for him.

For he loveth our nation; and he hath built us a synagogue.

And Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent his friends to him, saying: Lord, trouble not thyself; for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof.

For which cause neither did I think myself worthy to come to thee; but say the word, and my servant shall be healed.

For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers: and I say to one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doth it.

Which Jesus hearing, marvelled: and turning about to the multitude that followed him, he said: Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith, not even in Israel.

10 And they who were sent, being returned to the house, found the servant whole who had been sick.

11 And it came to pass afterwards, that he went into a city that is called Naim; and there went with him his disciples, and a great multitude.

12 And when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow: and a great multitude of the city was with her.

13 Whom when the Lord had seen, being moved with mercy towards her, he said to her: Weep not.

14 And he came near and touched the bier. And they that carried it, stood still. And he said: Young man, I say to thee, arise.

15 And he that was dead, sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother.

16 And there came a fear on them all: and they glorified God, saying: A great prophet is risen up among us: and, God hath visited his people.

17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the country round about.