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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.
Duration: 861 days
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Version
Psalm 25

Psalm 25

Dependence on the Lord

Davidic.

Lord,[a] I turn to You.[b](A)
My God, I trust in You.
Do not let me be disgraced;(B)
do not let my enemies gloat over me.(C)
No one who waits for You
will be disgraced;(D)
those who act treacherously without cause
will be disgraced.(E)

Make Your ways known to me, Lord;
teach me Your paths.(F)
Guide me in Your truth and teach me,(G)
for You are the God of my salvation;(H)
I wait for You all day long.(I)
Remember, Lord, Your compassion
and Your faithful love,
for they have existed from antiquity.[c](J)
Do not remember the sins of my youth(K)
or my acts of rebellion;(L)
in keeping with Your faithful love, remember me
because of Your goodness, Lord.(M)

The Lord is good and upright;(N)
therefore He shows sinners the way.(O)
He leads the humble in what is right(P)
and teaches them His way.(Q)
10 All the Lord’s ways show faithful love and truth
to those who keep His covenant and decrees.(R)
11 Because of Your name, Yahweh,
forgive my sin, for it is great.(S)

12 Who is the man who fears the Lord?(T)
He will show him the way he should choose.(U)
13 He will live a good life,
and his descendants will inherit the land.[d](V)
14 The secret counsel of the Lord
is for those who fear Him,
and He reveals His covenant to them.(W)
15 My eyes are always on the Lord,
for He will pull my feet out of the net.(X)

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am alone and afflicted.(Y)
17 The distresses of my heart increase;[e](Z)
bring me out of my sufferings.(AA)
18 Consider my affliction and trouble,(AB)
and take away all my sins.(AC)
19 Consider my enemies; they are numerous,(AD)
and they hate me violently.(AE)
20 Guard me and deliver me;(AF)
do not let me be put to shame,
for I take refuge in You.(AG)
21 May integrity and what is right
watch over me,
for I wait for You.(AH)

22 God, redeem Israel, from all its distresses.(AI)

Psalm 9

Psalm 9

Celebration of God’s Justice

For the choir director: according to Muth-labben.[a] A Davidic psalm.

I will thank Yahweh with all my heart;
I will declare all Your wonderful works.(A)
I will rejoice and boast about You;(B)
I will sing about Your name, Most High.(C)

When my enemies retreat,
they stumble and perish before You.(D)
For You have upheld my just cause;[b](E)
You are seated on Your throne as a righteous judge.(F)
You have rebuked the nations:(G)
You have destroyed the wicked;(H)
You have erased their name forever and ever.(I)
The enemy has come to eternal ruin;
You have uprooted the cities,
and the very memory of them has perished.(J)

But the Lord sits enthroned forever;(K)
He has established His throne for judgment.(L)
He judges the world with righteousness;
He executes judgment on the nations with fairness.(M)
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a refuge in times of trouble.(N)
10 Those who know Your name trust in You
because You have not abandoned
those who seek You, Yahweh.(O)

11 Sing to the Lord, who dwells in Zion;(P)
proclaim His deeds among the nations.(Q)
12 For the One who seeks an accounting
for bloodshed remembers them;(R)
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.(S)

13 Be gracious to me, Lord;
consider my affliction at the hands of those who hate me.(T)
Lift me up from the gates of death,(U)
14 so that I may declare all Your praises.
I will rejoice in Your salvation(V)
within the gates of Daughter Zion.

15 The nations have fallen into the pit they made;
their foot is caught in the net they have concealed.(W)
16 The Lord has revealed Himself;
He has executed justice,(X)
striking down[c] the wicked[d]
by the work of their hands.(Y)Higgaion. Selah

17 The wicked will return to Sheol(Z)
all the nations that forget God.(AA)
18 For the oppressed will not always be forgotten;
the hope of the afflicted[e] will not perish forever.(AB)

19 Rise up, Lord! Do not let man prevail;
let the nations be judged in Your presence.(AC)
20 Put terror in them, Lord;(AD)
let the nations know they are only men.(AE)Selah

Psalm 15

Psalm 15

A Description of the Godly

A Davidic psalm.

Lord, who can dwell in Your tent?(A)
Who can live on Your holy mountain?(B)

The one who lives honestly, practices righteousness,
and acknowledges the truth in his heart(C)
who does not slander with his tongue,(D)
who does not harm his friend
or discredit his neighbor,(E)
who despises the one rejected by the Lord[a]
but honors those who fear the Lord,(F)
who keeps his word whatever the cost,(G)
who does not lend his money at interest(H)
or take a bribe against the innocent(I)
the one who does these things will never be moved.(J)

2 Chronicles 6:32-7:7

32 Even for the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel
but has come from a distant land
because of Your great name
and Your mighty hand and outstretched arm:(A)
when he comes and prays toward this temple,
33 may You hear in heaven in Your dwelling place,
and do all the foreigner asks You.
Then all the peoples of the earth will know Your name,
to fear You as Your people Israel do
and know that this temple I have built
is called by Your name.(B)

34 When Your people go out to fight against their enemies,
wherever You send them,
and they pray to You
in the direction of this city You have chosen(C)
and the temple that I have built for Your name,
35 may You hear their prayer and petition in heaven
and uphold their cause.

36 When they sin against You—
for there is no one who does not sin(D)
and You are angry with them
and hand them over to the enemy,
and their captors deport them
to a distant or nearby country,
37 and when they come to their senses
in the land where they were deported
and repent and petition You in their captors’ land,
saying: “We have sinned and done wrong;
we have been wicked,”
38 and when they return to You with their whole mind and heart
in the land of their captivity where they were taken captive,
and when they pray in the direction of their land
that You gave their ancestors,
and the city You have chosen,
and toward the temple I have built for Your name,
39 may You hear their prayer and petitions in heaven,
Your dwelling place,
and uphold their cause.[a]
May You forgive Your people
who sinned against You.

40 Now, my God,
please let Your eyes be open
and Your ears attentive
to the prayer of this place.(E)
41 Now therefore:(F)

Arise, Lord God, come to Your resting place,
You and Your powerful ark.
May Your priests, Lord God, be clothed with salvation,
and may Your godly people rejoice in goodness.
42 Lord God, do not reject Your anointed one;[b]
remember the loyalty of Your servant David.(G)

The Dedication Ceremonies

When Solomon finished praying,(H) fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices,(I) and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests were not able to enter the Lord’s temple because the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord. All the Israelites were watching when the fire descended and the glory of the Lord came on the temple. They bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground. They worshiped and praised the Lord:

For He is good,
for His faithful love endures forever.(J)

The king and all the people were offering sacrifices in the Lord’s presence.(K) King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. In this manner the king and all the people dedicated God’s temple. The priests and the Levites were standing at their stations. The Levites had the musical instruments of the Lord, which King David had made to praise the Lord—“for His faithful love endures forever”—when he offered praise with them.(L) Across from the Levites, the priests were blowing trumpets, and all the people were standing. Since the bronze altar that Solomon had made(M) could not accommodate the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the fellowship offerings, Solomon first consecrated the middle of the courtyard(N) that was in front of the Lord’s temple and then offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings there.(O)

James 2:1-13

The Sin of Favoritism

My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.(A) For example, a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor man dressed in dirty clothes also comes in. If you look with favor on the man wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” haven’t you discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my dear brothers: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world(B) to be rich in faith(C) and heirs(D) of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him? Yet you dishonored that poor man.(E) Don’t the rich oppress you and drag(F) you into the courts? Don’t they blaspheme the noble name that was pronounced over you at your baptism?(G)

Indeed, if you keep the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself,(H)[a] you are doing well. But if you show favoritism,(I) you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all.(J) 11 For He who said, Do not commit adultery,[b] also said, Do not murder.(K)[c] So if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you are a lawbreaker.

12 Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom.(L) 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn’t shown mercy.(M) Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Mark 14:53-65

Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin

53 They(A) led Jesus away to the high priest,(B) and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes(C) convened.(D) 54 Peter(E) followed Him at a distance, right into the high priest’s courtyard. He was sitting with the temple police,[a](F) warming himself by the fire.[b]

55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin(G) were looking for testimony against Jesus to put Him to death,(H) but they could find none. 56 For many were giving false testimony(I) against Him, but the testimonies did not agree. 57 Some stood up and were giving false testimony against Him, stating, 58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will demolish this sanctuary made by human hands,(J) and in three days I will build another not made by hands.’” 59 Yet their testimony did not agree(K) even on this.

60 Then the high priest stood up before them all and questioned Jesus, “Don’t You have an answer to what these men are testifying against You?” 61 But He kept silent and did not answer anything.(L) Again the high priest questioned Him, “Are You the Messiah,(M) the Son(N) of the Blessed(O) One?”

62 “I am,”(P) said Jesus, “and all of you[c] will see the Son of Man(Q) seated at the right hand(R) of the Power and coming with the clouds(S) of heaven.”(T)[d]

63 Then the high priest(U) tore his robes(V) and said, “Why do we still need witnesses?(W) 64 You have heard the blasphemy!(X) What is your decision?”[e]

And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.(Y) 65 Then some began to spit on Him, to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, saying, “Prophesy!”(Z) The temple police(AA) also took Him and slapped Him.