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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 148-150

Psalm 148

Creation’s Praise of the Lord

Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise Him in the heights.(A)
Praise Him, all His angels;
praise Him, all His hosts.(B)
Praise Him, sun and moon;
praise Him, all you shining stars.(C)
Praise Him, highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens.(D)
Let them praise the name of Yahweh,
for He commanded, and they were created.(E)
He set them in position forever and ever;
He gave an order that will never pass away.(F)

Praise the Lord from the earth,
all sea monsters and ocean depths,(G)
lightning[a] and hail, snow and cloud,
powerful wind that executes His command,(H)
mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,(I)
10 wild animals and all cattle,
creatures that crawl and flying birds,(J)
11 kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all judges of the earth,(K)
12 young men as well as young women,
old and young together.(L)
13 Let them praise the name of Yahweh,
for His name alone is exalted.
His majesty covers heaven and earth.(M)
14 He has raised up a horn for His people,
resulting in praise to all His godly ones,
to the Israelites, the people close to Him.(N)
Hallelujah!

Psalm 149

Praise for God’s Triumph

Hallelujah!
Sing to the Lord a new song,(O)
His praise in the assembly of the godly.(P)
Let Israel celebrate its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.(Q)
Let them praise His name with dancing
and make music to Him with tambourine and lyre.(R)
For Yahweh takes pleasure in His people;(S)
He adorns the humble with salvation.(T)
Let the godly celebrate in triumphal glory;
let them shout for joy on their beds.(U)

Let the exaltation of God be in their mouths[b]
and a double-edged sword in their hands,(V)
inflicting vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,(W)
binding their kings with chains
and their dignitaries with iron shackles,(X)
carrying out the judgment decreed against them.
This honor is for all His godly people.(Y)
Hallelujah!

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord

Hallelujah!
Praise God in His sanctuary.
Praise Him in His mighty heavens.(Z)
Praise Him for His powerful acts;(AA)
praise Him for His abundant greatness.(AB)

Praise Him with trumpet blast;(AC)
praise Him with harp and lyre.(AD)
Praise Him with tambourine and dance;(AE)
praise Him with flute and strings.(AF)
Praise Him with resounding cymbals;
praise Him with clashing cymbals.(AG)

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.(AH)
Hallelujah!

Psalm 114-115

Psalm 114

God’s Deliverance of Israel

When Israel came out of Egypt—
the house of Jacob from a people
who spoke a foreign language(A)
Judah became His sanctuary,
Israel, His dominion.(B)

The sea looked and fled;(C)
the Jordan turned back.(D)
The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills, like lambs.(E)
Why was it, sea, that you fled?
Jordan, that you turned back?(F)
Mountains, that you skipped like rams?
Hills, like lambs?(G)

Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,(H)
who turned the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.(I)

Psalm 115

Glory to God Alone

Not to us, Yahweh, not to us,
but to Your name give glory
because of Your faithful love, because of Your truth.(J)
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”(K)
Our God is in heaven
and does whatever He pleases.(L)

Their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.(M)
They have mouths but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.(N)
They have hands but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk.(O)
They cannot make a sound with their throats.(P)
Those who make them are[a] just like them,
as are all who trust in them.(Q)

Israel,[b] trust in the Lord!(R)
He is their help and shield.(S)
10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord!(T)
He is their help and shield.(U)
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!(V)
He is their help and shield.
12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us.
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron;(W)
13 He will bless those who fear the Lord
small and great alike.(X)

14 May the Lord add to your numbers,
both yours and your children’s.(Y)
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.(Z)
16 The heavens are the Lord’s,[c]
but the earth He has given to the human race.(AA)
17 It is not the dead who praise the Lord,
nor any of those descending into the silence of death.(AB)
18 But we will praise the Lord,
both now and forever.(AC)
Hallelujah!

Job 11:1-9

Zophar Speaks

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

Should this stream of words(A) go unanswered
and such a talker[a] be acquitted?
Should your babbling put others to silence,
so that you can keep on ridiculing
with no one to humiliate you?
You have said, “My teaching(B) is sound,
and I am pure in Your sight.”
But if only God would speak
and declare His case[b] against you,
He would show you the secrets of wisdom,(C)
for true wisdom has two sides.
Know then that God has chosen to overlook some of your sin.(D)

Can you fathom the depths of God
or discover the limits of the Almighty?(E)
They are higher than the heavens—what can you do?
They are deeper than Sheol—what can you know?(F)
Their measure is longer than the earth
and wider than the sea.

Job 11:13-20

13 As for you, if you redirect your heart
and lift up your hands to Him in prayer—
14 if there is iniquity in your hand, remove it,
and don’t allow injustice to dwell in your tents—
15 then you will hold your head high, free from fault.
You will be firmly established and unafraid.(A)
16 For you will forget your suffering,
recalling it only as waters that have flowed by.
17 Your life will be brighter than noonday;
its darkness[a] will be like the morning.(B)
18 You will be confident, because there is hope.(C)
You will look carefully about and lie down in safety.(D)

19 You will lie down without fear,
and many will seek your favor.(E)
20 But the sight of the wicked(F) will fail.
Their way of escape will be cut off,
and their only hope is their last breath.(G)

Revelation 5

The Lamb Takes the Scroll

Then I saw in the right hand of the One seated on the throne a scroll with writing on the inside and on the back,(A) sealed with seven seals. I also saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or even to look in it. And I cried and cried because no one was found worthy to open[a] the scroll or even to look in it.

Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop crying. Look! The Lion from the tribe of Judah,(B) the Root of David,(C) has been victorious(D) so that He may open the scroll and[b] its seven seals.” Then I saw One like a slaughtered lamb standing between[c] the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God(E) sent into all the earth. He came and took the scroll[d] out of the right hand of the One seated on the throne.

The Lamb Is Worthy

When He took the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:(F)

You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because You were slaughtered,
and You redeemed[e] people[f]
for God by Your blood
from every tribe and language
and people and nation.(G)
10 You made them a kingdom[g]
and priests to our God,(H)
and they will reign on the earth.

11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and also of the living creatures and of the elders. Their number was countless thousands, plus thousands of thousands. 12 They said with a loud voice:

The Lamb who was slaughtered is worthy
to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing!

13 I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them say:

Blessing and honor and glory and dominion
to the One seated on the throne,
and to the Lamb, forever and ever!

14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Matthew 5:1-12

The Sermon on the Mount

When He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain,(A) and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. Then[a] He began to teach them, saying:(B)

The Beatitudes

“The poor in spirit are blessed,(C)
for the kingdom of heaven(D) is theirs.
Those who mourn are blessed,(E)
for they will be comforted.
The gentle are blessed,(F)
for they will inherit the earth.
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed,(G)
for they will be filled.
The merciful are blessed,
for they will be shown mercy.(H)
The pure in heart are blessed,
for they will see God.(I)
The peacemakers are blessed,
for they will be called sons of God.(J)
10 Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed,
for the kingdom of heaven(K) is theirs.

11 “You are blessed when they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted(L) the prophets who were before you.(M)