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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.
Duration: 861 days
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
Version
Psalm 30

Psalm 30

Joy in the Morning

A psalm; a dedication song for the house. Of David.

I will exalt you, Lord,
because you have lifted me up(A)
and have not allowed my enemies
to triumph over me.(B)
Lord my God,
I cried to you for help, and you healed me.(C)
Lord, you brought me up from Sheol;(D)
you spared me from among those
going down[a] to the Pit.(E)

Sing to the Lord, you his faithful ones,
and praise his holy name.(F)
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor, a lifetime.
Weeping may stay overnight,
but there is joy in the morning.(G)

When I was secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”(H)
Lord, when you showed your favor,
you made me stand like a strong mountain;(I)
when you hid your face, I was terrified.(J)
Lord, I called to you;
I sought favor from my Lord:(K)
“What gain is there in my death,
if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your truth?(L)
10 Lord, listen and be gracious to me;
Lord, be my helper.”(M)

11 You turned my lament into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,(N)
12 so that I can sing to you and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.(O)

Psalm 32

Psalm 32

The Joy of Forgiveness

Of David. A Maskil.

How joyful is the one
whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered!(A)
How joyful is a person whom
the Lord does not charge with iniquity(B)
and in whose spirit is no deceit!(C)

When I kept silent, my bones became brittle
from my groaning all day long.(D)
For day and night your hand was heavy on me;(E)
my strength was drained[a]
as in the summer’s heat.(F)Selah
Then I acknowledged my sin to you(G)
and did not conceal my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.(H)Selah

Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to you immediately.[b](I)
When great floodwaters come,
they will not reach him.(J)
You are my hiding place;(K)
you protect me from trouble.(L)
You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance.Selah

I will instruct you and show you the way to go;(M)
with my eye on you, I will give counsel.(N)
Do not be like a horse or mule,
without understanding,
that must be controlled with bit and bridle
or else it will not come near you.(O)

10 Many pains come to the wicked,(P)
but the one who trusts in the Lord
will have faithful love surrounding him.(Q)
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice,
you righteous ones;
shout for joy,
all you upright in heart.(R)

Psalm 42-43

BOOK II

(Psalms 42–72)

Psalm 42

Longing for God

For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.

As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so I long for you, God.(A)
I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I come and appear before God?(B)
My tears have been my food day and night,
while all day long people say to me,
“Where is your God?” (C)
I remember this as I pour out my heart:(D)
how I walked with many,
leading the festive procession to the house of God,
with joyful and thankful shouts.(E)

Why, my soul, are you so dejected?
Why are you in such turmoil?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him,
my Savior and my God.(F)
I[a] am deeply depressed;
therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan
and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.(G)
Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your billows have swept over me.(H)
The Lord will send his faithful love by day;(I)
his song will be with me in the night—
a prayer to the God of my life.

I will say to God, my rock,(J)
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about in sorrow
because of the enemy’s oppression?” (K)
10 My adversaries taunt me,
as if crushing my bones,
while all day long they say to me,
“Where is your God?” (L)
11 Why, my soul, are you so dejected?
Why are you in such turmoil?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him,
my Savior and my God.(M)

Psalm 43[b]

Vindicate me, God, and champion my cause
against an unfaithful nation;
rescue me from the deceitful and unjust person.(N)
For you are the God of my refuge.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about in sorrow
because of the enemy’s oppression?(O)

Send your light and your truth; let them lead me.(P)
Let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling place.(Q)
Then I will come to the altar of God,
to God, my greatest joy.(R)
I will praise you with the lyre,
God, my God.(S)

Why, my soul, are you so dejected?
Why are you in such turmoil?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him,
my Savior and my God.(T)

1 Samuel 22

Saul’s Increasing Paranoia

22 So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam.(A) When David’s brothers and his father’s whole family heard, they went down and joined him there. In addition, every man who was desperate, in debt, or discontented rallied around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.(B)

From there David went to Mizpeh of Moab where he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother stay with you until I know what God will do for me.” So he left them in the care of the king of Moab, and they stayed with him the whole time David was in the stronghold.

Then the prophet Gad(C) said to David, “Don’t stay in the stronghold. Leave and return to the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.

Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. At that time Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree(D) at the high place. His spear was in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him. Saul said to his servants, “Listen, men of Benjamin: Is Jesse’s son going to give all of you fields and vineyards? Do you think he’ll make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?(E) That’s why all of you have conspired against me! Nobody tells me when my own son makes a covenant with Jesse’s son.(F) None of you cares about me(G) or tells me that my son has stirred up my own servant to wait in ambush for me, as is the case today.”

Then Doeg the Edomite,(H) who was in charge of Saul’s servants, answered, “I saw Jesse’s son come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.(I) 10 Ahimelech inquired of the Lord for him(J) and gave him provisions.(K) He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”(L)

Slaughter of the Priests

11 The king sent messengers to summon the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub, and his father’s whole family, who were priests in Nob. All of them came to the king. 12 Then Saul said, “Listen, son of Ahitub!”

“I’m at your service,(M) my lord,” he said.

13 Saul asked him, “Why did you and Jesse’s son conspire against me? You gave him bread and a sword and inquired of God for him, so he could rise up against me and wait in ambush, as is the case today.”(N)

14 Ahimelech replied to the king, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David?(O) He is the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard, and honored in your house. 15 Was today the first time I inquired of God for him?(P) Of course not! Please don’t let the king make an accusation against your servant or any of my father’s family, for your servant didn’t have any idea[a] about all this.”

16 But the king said, “You will die, Ahimelech—you and your father’s whole family!”

17 Then the king ordered the guards standing by him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord(Q) because they sided with David. For they knew he was fleeing, but they didn’t tell me.” But the king’s servants would not lift a hand to execute the priests of the Lord.

18 So the king said to Doeg, “Go and execute the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite went and executed the priests himself. On that day, he killed eighty-five men(R) who wore linen ephods.(S) 19 He also struck down Nob, the city of the priests, with the sword—both men and women, infants and nursing babies, oxen, donkeys, and sheep.(T)

20 However, one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped. His name was Abiathar,(U) and he fled to David.(V) 21 Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22 Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew that Doeg the Edomite(W) was there that day and that he was sure to report to Saul. I myself am responsible for[b] the lives of everyone in your father’s family. 23 Stay with me. Don’t be afraid, for the one who wants to take my life wants to take your life.(X) You will be safe with me.”

Acts 13:26-43

26 “Brothers and sisters, children of Abraham’s race, and those among you who fear God, it is to us that the word of this salvation has been sent.(A) 27 Since the residents of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize him or the sayings of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, they have fulfilled their words by condemning him.(B) 28 Though they found no grounds for the death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him killed.(C) 29 When they had carried out all that had been written about him, they took him down from the tree and put him in a tomb.(D) 30 But God raised him from the dead,(E) 31 and he appeared for many days to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.(F) 32 And we ourselves proclaim to you the good news of the promise that was made to our ancestors.(G) 33 God has fulfilled this for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second Psalm:

You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.[a][b] (H)

34 As to his raising him from the dead, never to return to decay, he has spoken in this way, I will give you the holy and sure promises of David.[c](I) 35 Therefore he also says in another passage, You will not let your Holy One see decay.[d](J) 36 For David, after serving God’s purpose in his own generation, fell asleep,(K) was buried with his fathers, and decayed,(L) 37 but the one God raised up did not decay. 38 Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers and sisters, that through this man forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you.(M) 39 Everyone who believes is justified[e] through him from everything that you could not be justified from through the law of Moses.(N) 40 So beware that what is said in the prophets does not happen to you:

41 Look, you scoffers,
marvel and vanish away,
because I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will never believe,
even if someone were to explain it to you.[f](O)

Paul and Barnabas in Antioch

42 As they were leaving, the people[g] urged them to speak about these matters the following Sabbath. 43 After the synagogue had been dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking with them and urging them to continue in the grace of God.(P)

Mark 3:19-35

19 and Judas Iscariot,(A) who also betrayed him.

A House Divided

20 Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat.[a] 21 When his family(B) heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, “He’s out of his mind.”(C)

22 The scribes(D) who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,”(E) and, “He drives out(F) demons(G) by the ruler(H) of the demons.”(I)

23 So he summoned(J) them and spoke to them in parables:(K) “How can Satan(L) drive out Satan?(M) 24 If a kingdom(N) is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up(O) the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.

28 “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies(P) they utter. 29 But whoever blasphemes(Q) against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness,(R) but is guilty(S) of an eternal sin”[b](T) 30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”(U)

True Relationships

31 His(V) mother(W) and his brothers(X) came, and standing outside, they sent word to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him and told him, “Look, your mother, your brothers,(Y) and your sisters[c] are outside asking for you.”

33 He replied to them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 Looking at those sitting in a circle around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!(Z) 35 Whoever does the will of God(AA) is my brother and sister and mother.”

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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