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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.
Duration: 861 days
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
Version
Psalm 5-6

Psalm 5

To the Chief Musician; on wind instruments. A Psalm of David.

Listen to my words, O Lord, give heed to my sighing and groaning.

Hear the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to You do I pray.

In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord; in the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart].

For You are not a God Who takes pleasure in wickedness; neither will the evil [man] so much as dwell [temporarily] with You.

Boasters can have no standing in Your sight; You abhor all evildoers.

You will destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors [and rejects] the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

But as for me, I will enter Your house through the abundance of Your steadfast love and mercy; I will worship toward and at Your holy temple in reverent fear and awe of You.

Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way level (straight and right) before my face.

For there is nothing trustworthy or steadfast or truthful in their talk; their heart is destruction [or a destructive chasm, a yawning gulf]; their throat is an open sepulcher; they flatter and make smooth with their tongue.(A)

10 Hold them guilty, O God; let them fall by their own designs and counsels; cast them out because of the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against You.

11 But let all those who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice; let them ever sing and shout for joy, because You make a covering over them and defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You and be in high spirits.

12 For You, Lord, will bless the [uncompromisingly] righteous [him who is upright and in right standing with You]; as with a shield You will surround him with goodwill (pleasure and favor).

Psalm 6

To the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments, set [possibly] an octave below. A Psalm of David.

O Lord, rebuke me not in Your anger nor discipline and chasten me in Your hot displeasure.

Have mercy on me and be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am weak (faint and withered away); O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.

My [inner] self [as well as my body] is also exceedingly disturbed and troubled. But You, O Lord, how long [until You return and speak peace to me]?

Return [to my relief], O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of Your steadfast love and mercy.

For in death there is no remembrance of You; in Sheol (the place of the dead) who will give You thanks?

I am weary with my groaning; all night I soak my pillow with tears, I drench my couch with my weeping.

My eye grows dim because of grief; it grows old because of all my enemies.

Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.(B)

The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord receives my prayer.

10 Let all my enemies be ashamed and sorely troubled; let them turn back and be put to shame suddenly.

Psalm 10-11

Psalm 10

Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself, [veiling Your eyes] in times of trouble (distress and desperation)?

The wicked in pride and arrogance hotly pursue and persecute the poor; let them be taken in the schemes which they have devised.

For the wicked man boasts (sings the praises) of his own heart’s desire, and the one greedy for gain curses and spurns, yes, renounces and despises the Lord.

The wicked one in the pride of his countenance will not seek, inquire for, and yearn for God; all his thoughts are that there is no God [so He never punishes].

His ways are grievous [or persist] at all times; Your judgments [Lord] are far above and on high out of his sight [so he never thinks about them]; as for all his foes, he sniffs and sneers at them.

He thinks in his heart, I shall not be moved; for throughout all generations I shall not come to want or be in adversity.

His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, oppression (fraud); under his tongue are trouble and sin (mischief and iniquity).

He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he slays the innocent; he watches stealthily for the poor (the helpless and unfortunate).

He lurks in secret places like a lion in his thicket; he lies in wait that he may seize the poor (the helpless and the unfortunate); he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.

10 [The prey] is crushed, sinks down; and the helpless falls by his mighty [claws].

11 [The foe] thinks in his heart, God has quite forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see [my deed].

12 Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up Your hand; forget not the humble [patient and crushed].

13 Why does the wicked [man] condemn (spurn and renounce) God? Why has he thought in his heart, You will not call to account?

14 You have seen it; yes, You note trouble and grief (vexation) to requite it with Your hand. The unfortunate commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break the arm of the wicked man; and as for the evil man, search out his wickedness until You find no more.

16 The Lord is King forever and ever; the nations will perish out of His land.

17 O Lord, You have heard the desire and the longing of the humble and oppressed; You will prepare and strengthen and direct their hearts, You will cause Your ear to hear,

18 To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man, who is of the earth, may not terrify them any more.

Psalm 11

To the Chief Musician or Choir Leader. [A Psalm] of David.

In the Lord I take refuge [and put my trust]; how can you say to me, Flee like a bird to your mountain?

For see, the wicked are bending the bow; they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they [furtively] in darkness may shoot at the upright in heart.

If the foundations are destroyed, what can the [unyieldingly] righteous do, or what has He [the Righteous One] wrought or accomplished?

The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold; His eyelids test and prove the children of men.(A)

The Lord tests and proves the [unyieldingly] righteous, but His soul abhors the wicked and him who loves violence.(B)

Upon the wicked He will rain quick burning coals or snares; fire, brimstone, and a [dreadful] scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.

For the Lord is [rigidly] righteous, He loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold His face, or He beholds the upright.

Jonah 1

Now the word of the Lord came to [a]Jonah son of Amittai, saying,

Arise, go to [b]Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.(A)

But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from being in the presence of the Lord [as His prophet] and went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish [the most remote of the Phoenician trading places then known]. So he paid the appointed fare and went down into the ship to go with them to Tarshish from being in the presence of the Lord [as His servant and minister].(B)

But the Lord sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a violent tempest on the sea so that the ship was about to be broken.(C)

Then the mariners were afraid, and each man cried to his god; and they cast the goods that were in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep.

So the captain came and said to him, What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call upon your God! Perhaps your God will give a thought to us so that we shall not perish.

And they each said to one another, Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us. So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.

Then they said to him, Tell us, we pray you, on whose account has this evil come upon us? What is your occupation? Where did you come from? And what is your country and nationality?

And he said to them, I am a Hebrew, and I [reverently] fear and worship the Lord, the God of heaven, Who made the sea and the dry land.

10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, What is this that you have done? For the men knew that he fled from being in the presence of the Lord [as His prophet and servant], because he had told them.

11 Then they said to him, What shall we do to you, that the sea may subside and be calm for us? For the sea became more and more [violently] tempestuous.

12 And [Jonah] said to them, Take me up and cast me into the sea; so shall the sea become calm for you, for I know that it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.

13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring the ship to the land, but they could not, for the sea became more and more violent against them.

14 Therefore they cried to the Lord, We beseech You, O Lord, we beseech You, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.

15 So they took up Jonah and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

16 Then the men [reverently and worshipfully] feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

17 Now the Lord had prepared and appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.(D)

Acts 26:24-27:8

24 And as he thus proceeded with his defense, Festus called out loudly, Paul, you are mad! Your great learning is driving you insane!

25 But Paul replied, I am not mad, most noble Festus, but I am uttering the straight, sound truth.

26 For the king understands about these things well enough, and [therefore] to him I speak with bold frankness and confidence. I am convinced that not one of these things has escaped his notice, for all this did not take place in a corner [in secret].

27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? [Do you give credence to God’s messengers and their words?] I perceive and know that you do believe.

28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, You think it a small task to make a Christian of me [just offhand to induce me with little ado and persuasion, at very short notice].

29 And Paul replied, Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you, but also all who are listening to me today, might become such as I am, except for these chains.

30 Then the king arose, and the governor and Bernice and all those who were seated with them;

31 And after they had gone out, they said to one another, This man is doing nothing deserving of death or [even] of imprisonment.

32 And Agrippa said to Festus, This man could have been set at liberty if he had not appealed to Caesar.

27 Now when it was determined that we [including Luke] should sail for Italy, they turned Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion of the imperial regiment named Julius.

And going aboard a ship from Adramyttium which was about to sail for the ports along the coast of [the province of] Asia, we put out to sea; and Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, accompanied us.

The following day we landed at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul in a loving way, with much consideration (kindness and care), permitting him to go to his friends [there] and be refreshed and be cared for.

After putting to sea from there we passed to the leeward (south side) of Cyprus [for protection], for the winds were contrary to us.

And when we had sailed over [the whole length] of sea which lies off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia.

There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy, and he transferred us to it.

For a number of days we made slow progress and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus; then, as the wind did not permit us to proceed, we went under the lee (shelter) of Crete off Salmone,

And coasting along it with difficulty, we arrived at a place called Fair Havens, near which is located the town of Lasea.

Luke 8:40-56

40 Now when Jesus came back [to Galilee], the crowd received and welcomed Him gladly, for they were all waiting and looking for Him.

41 And there came a man named Jairus, who had [for a [a]long time] been a director of the synagogue; and falling at the feet of Jesus, he begged Him to come to his house,

42 For he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As [Jesus] went, the people pressed together around Him [almost suffocating Him].

43 And a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years [b]and had spent all her living upon physicians, and could not be healed by anyone,

44 Came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment, and immediately her flow of blood ceased.

45 And Jesus said, Who is it who touched Me? When all were denying it, Peter [c]and those who were with him said, Master, the multitudes surround You and press You on every side!

46 But Jesus said, Someone did touch Me; for I perceived that [healing] power has gone forth from Me.

47 And when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came up trembling, and, falling down before Him, she declared in the presence of all the people for what reason she had touched Him and how she had been instantly cured.

48 And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your confidence and trust in Me) has made you well! Go (enter) [d]into peace ([e]untroubled, undisturbed well-being).

49 While He was still speaking, a man from the house of the director of the synagogue came and said [to Jairus], Your daughter is dead; do not [f]weary and trouble the Teacher any further.

50 But Jesus, on hearing this, answered him, Do not be seized with alarm or struck with fear; simply believe [[g]in Me as able to do this], and she shall be made well.

51 And when He came to the house, He permitted no one to enter with Him except Peter and John and James, and the girl’s father and mother.

52 And all were weeping for and bewailing her; but He said, Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.

53 And they laughed Him to scorn, knowing full well that she was dead.

54 And grasping her hand, He called, saying, Child, arise [[h]from the sleep of death]!

55 And her spirit returned [[i]from death], and she arose immediately; and He directed that she should be given something to eat.

56 And her parents were amazed, but He charged them to tell no one what had occurred.

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation