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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.
Duration: 861 days
New International Version (NIV)
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Psalm 72

Psalm 72

Of Solomon.

Endow the king with your justice,(A) O God,
    the royal son with your righteousness.
May he judge your people in righteousness,(B)
    your afflicted ones with justice.

May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
    the hills the fruit of righteousness.
May he defend the afflicted(C) among the people
    and save the children of the needy;(D)
    may he crush the oppressor.(E)
May he endure[a](F) as long as the sun,
    as long as the moon, through all generations.(G)
May he be like rain(H) falling on a mown field,
    like showers watering the earth.
In his days may the righteous flourish(I)
    and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

May he rule from sea to sea
    and from the River[b](J) to the ends of the earth.(K)
May the desert tribes bow before him
    and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish(L) and of distant shores(M)
    bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba(N) and Seba
    present him gifts.(O)
11 May all kings bow down(P) to him
    and all nations serve(Q) him.

12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
    the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity(R) on the weak and the needy
    and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue(S) them from oppression and violence,
    for precious(T) is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live!
    May gold from Sheba(U) be given him.
May people ever pray for him
    and bless him all day long.(V)
16 May grain(W) abound throughout the land;
    on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops(X) flourish like Lebanon(Y)
    and thrive[c] like the grass of the field.(Z)
17 May his name endure forever;(AA)
    may it continue as long as the sun.(AB)

Then all nations will be blessed through him,[d]
    and they will call him blessed.(AC)

18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,(AD)
    who alone does marvelous deeds.(AE)
19 Praise be to his glorious name(AF) forever;
    may the whole earth be filled with his glory.(AG)
Amen and Amen.(AH)

20 This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.(AI)

Psalm 119:73-96

י Yodh

73 Your hands made me(A) and formed me;
    give me understanding to learn your commands.
74 May those who fear you rejoice(B) when they see me,
    for I have put my hope in your word.(C)
75 I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous,(D)
    and that in faithfulness(E) you have afflicted me.
76 May your unfailing love(F) be my comfort,
    according to your promise(G) to your servant.
77 Let your compassion(H) come to me that I may live,
    for your law is my delight.(I)
78 May the arrogant(J) be put to shame for wronging me without cause;(K)
    but I will meditate on your precepts.
79 May those who fear you turn to me,
    those who understand your statutes.(L)
80 May I wholeheartedly follow(M) your decrees,(N)
    that I may not be put to shame.(O)

כ Kaph

81 My soul faints(P) with longing for your salvation,(Q)
    but I have put my hope(R) in your word.
82 My eyes fail,(S) looking for your promise;(T)
    I say, “When will you comfort me?”
83 Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke,
    I do not forget(U) your decrees.
84 How long(V) must your servant wait?
    When will you punish my persecutors?(W)
85 The arrogant(X) dig pits(Y) to trap me,
    contrary to your law.
86 All your commands are trustworthy;(Z)
    help me,(AA) for I am being persecuted(AB) without cause.(AC)
87 They almost wiped me from the earth,
    but I have not forsaken(AD) your precepts.
88 In your unfailing love(AE) preserve my life,(AF)
    that I may obey the statutes(AG) of your mouth.

ל Lamedh

89 Your word, Lord, is eternal;(AH)
    it stands firm in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness(AI) continues through all generations;(AJ)
    you established the earth, and it endures.(AK)
91 Your laws endure(AL) to this day,
    for all things serve you.(AM)
92 If your law had not been my delight,(AN)
    I would have perished in my affliction.(AO)
93 I will never forget(AP) your precepts,
    for by them you have preserved my life.(AQ)
94 Save me,(AR) for I am yours;
    I have sought out your precepts.(AS)
95 The wicked are waiting to destroy me,(AT)
    but I will ponder your statutes.(AU)
96 To all perfection I see a limit,
    but your commands are boundless.(AV)

Deuteronomy 31:30-32:14

The Song of Moses

30 And Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:

32 Listen,(A) you heavens,(B) and I will speak;
    hear, you earth, the words of my mouth.(C)
Let my teaching fall like rain(D)
    and my words descend like dew,(E)
like showers(F) on new grass,
    like abundant rain on tender plants.

I will proclaim(G) the name of the Lord.(H)
    Oh, praise the greatness(I) of our God!
He is the Rock,(J) his works are perfect,(K)
    and all his ways are just.
A faithful God(L) who does no wrong,
    upright(M) and just is he.(N)

They are corrupt and not his children;
    to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation.(O)
Is this the way you repay(P) the Lord,
    you foolish(Q) and unwise people?(R)
Is he not your Father,(S) your Creator,[a]
    who made you and formed you?(T)

Remember the days of old;(U)
    consider the generations long past.(V)
Ask your father and he will tell you,
    your elders, and they will explain to you.(W)
When the Most High(X) gave the nations their inheritance,
    when he divided all mankind,(Y)
he set up boundaries(Z) for the peoples
    according to the number of the sons of Israel.[b](AA)
For the Lord’s portion(AB) is his people,
    Jacob his allotted inheritance.(AC)

10 In a desert(AD) land he found him,
    in a barren and howling waste.(AE)
He shielded(AF) him and cared for him;
    he guarded him as the apple of his eye,(AG)
11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest
    and hovers over its young,(AH)
that spreads its wings to catch them
    and carries them aloft.(AI)
12 The Lord alone led(AJ) him;(AK)
    no foreign god was with him.(AL)

13 He made him ride on the heights(AM) of the land
    and fed him with the fruit of the fields.
He nourished him with honey from the rock,(AN)
    and with oil(AO) from the flinty crag,
14 with curds and milk from herd and flock
    and with fattened lambs and goats,
with choice rams of Bashan(AP)
    and the finest kernels of wheat.(AQ)
You drank the foaming blood of the grape.(AR)

2 Corinthians 11:21-33

21 To my shame I admit that we were too weak(A) for that!

Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about.(B) 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I.(C) Are they Israelites? So am I.(D) Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.(E) 23 Are they servants of Christ?(F) (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder,(G) been in prison more frequently,(H) been flogged more severely,(I) and been exposed to death again and again.(J) 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes(K) minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods,(L) once I was pelted with stones,(M) three times I was shipwrecked,(N) I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews,(O) in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city,(P) in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.(Q) 27 I have labored and toiled(R) and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food;(S) I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.(T) 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?(U) Who is led into sin,(V) and I do not inwardly burn?

30 If I must boast, I will boast(W) of the things that show my weakness.(X) 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever,(Y) knows(Z) that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me.(AA) 33 But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.(AB)

Luke 19:11-27

The Parable of the Ten Minas(A)

11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God(B) was going to appear at once.(C) 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants(D) and gave them ten minas.[a] ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’

14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.

16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’

17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’(E) his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’(F)

18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’

19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’

20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’(G)

22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words,(H) you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow?(I) 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’

24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’

25 “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’

26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away.(J) 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”

New International Version (NIV)

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