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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.
Duration: 861 days
World English Bible (WEB)
Version
Psalm 131-135

A Song of Ascents. By David.

131 Yahweh, my heart isn’t arrogant, nor my eyes lofty;
    nor do I concern myself with great matters,
    or things too wonderful for me.
Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul,
    like a weaned child with his mother,
    like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Israel, hope in Yahweh,
    from this time forward and forever more.

A Song of Ascents.

132 Yahweh, remember David and all his affliction,
how he swore to Yahweh,
    and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
“Surely I will not come into the structure of my house,
    nor go up into my bed;
I will not give sleep to my eyes,
    or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find out a place for Yahweh,
    a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah.
    We found it in the field of Jaar.
“We will go into his dwelling place.
    We will worship at his footstool.”
Arise, Yahweh, into your resting place,
    you, and the ark of your strength.
Let your priests be clothed with righteousness.
    Let your saints shout for joy!
10 For your servant David’s sake,
    don’t turn away the face of your anointed one.
11 Yahweh has sworn to David in truth.
    He will not turn from it:
    “I will set the fruit of your body on your throne.
12 If your children will keep my covenant,
    my testimony that I will teach them,
    their children also will sit on your throne forever more.”
13 For Yahweh has chosen Zion.
    He has desired it for his habitation.
14 “This is my resting place forever.
    I will live here, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provision.
    I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation.
    Her saints will shout aloud for joy.
17 I will make the horn of David to bud there.
    I have ordained a lamp for my anointed.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,
    but on himself, his crown will shine.”

A Song of Ascents. By David.

133 See how good and how pleasant it is
    for brothers to live together in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
    that ran down on the beard,
    even Aaron’s beard,
    that came down on the edge of his robes,
like the dew of Hermon,
    that comes down on the hills of Zion;
    for there Yahweh gives the blessing,
    even life forever more.

A Song of Ascents.

134 Look! Praise Yahweh, all you servants of Yahweh,
    who stand by night in Yahweh’s house!
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary.
    Praise Yahweh!
May Yahweh bless you from Zion,
    even he who made heaven and earth.

135 Praise Yah!
    Praise Yahweh’s name!
    Praise him, you servants of Yahweh,
you who stand in Yahweh’s house,
    in the courts of our God’s house.
Praise Yah, for Yahweh is good.
    Sing praises to his name, for that is pleasant.
For Yah has chosen Jacob for himself,
    Israel for his own possession.
For I know that Yahweh is great,
    that our Lord is above all gods.
Whatever Yahweh pleased, that he has done,
    in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth.
    He makes lightnings with the rain.
    He brings the wind out of his treasuries.
He struck the firstborn of Egypt,
    both of man and animal.
He sent signs and wonders into the middle of you, Egypt,
    on Pharaoh, and on all his servants.
10 He struck many nations,
    and killed mighty kings—
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
    Og king of Bashan,
    and all the kingdoms of Canaan—
12 and gave their land for a heritage,
    a heritage to Israel, his people.
13 Your name, Yahweh, endures forever;
    your renown, Yahweh, throughout all generations.
14 For Yahweh will judge his people
    and have compassion on his servants.

15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
    the work of men’s hands.
16 They have mouths, but they can’t speak.
    They have eyes, but they can’t see.
17 They have ears, but they can’t hear,
    neither is there any breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
    yes, everyone who trusts in them.
19 House of Israel, praise Yahweh!
    House of Aaron, praise Yahweh!
20 House of Levi, praise Yahweh!
    You who fear Yahweh, praise Yahweh!
21 Blessed be Yahweh from Zion,
    who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise Yah!

Numbers 23:11-26

11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them altogether.”

12 He answered and said, “Must I not take heed to speak that which Yahweh puts in my mouth?”

13 Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, where you may see them. You shall see just part of them, and shall not see them all. Curse them from there for me.”

14 He took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bull and a ram on every altar. 15 He said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I meet God over there.”

16 Yahweh met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and say this.”

17 He came to him, and behold, he was standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. Balak said to him, “What has Yahweh spoken?”

18 He took up his parable, and said,

“Rise up, Balak, and hear!
    Listen to me, you son of Zippor.
19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
    nor a son of man, that he should repent.
Has he said, and he won’t do it?
    Or has he spoken, and he won’t make it good?
20 Behold, I have received a command to bless.
    He has blessed, and I can’t reverse it.
21 He has not seen iniquity in Jacob.
    Neither has he seen perverseness in Israel.
Yahweh his God is with him.
    The shout of a king is among them.
22 God brings them out of Egypt.
    He has as it were the strength of the wild ox.
23 Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob;
    neither is there any divination with Israel.
Now it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel,
    ‘What has God done!’
24 Behold, a people rises up as a lioness.
    As a lion he lifts himself up.
He shall not lie down until he eats of the prey,
    and drinks the blood of the slain.”

25 Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.”

26 But Balaam answered Balak, “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘All that Yahweh speaks, that I must do’?”

Romans 8:1-11

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.[a] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. For what the law couldn’t do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace; because the mind of the flesh is hostile toward God, for it is not subject to God’s law, neither indeed can it be. Those who are in the flesh can’t please God.

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. 10 If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Matthew 22:1-14

22 Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a wedding feast for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding feast!”’ But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise; and the rest grabbed his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren’t worthy. Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the wedding feast.’ 10 Those servants went out into the highways and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing, 12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’ 14 For many are called, but few chosen.”

World English Bible (WEB)

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