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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 93

Psalm 93

The Lord reigns,(A) he is robed in majesty;(B)
    the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;(C)
    indeed, the world is established,(D) firm and secure.(E)
Your throne was established(F) long ago;
    you are from all eternity.(G)

The seas(H) have lifted up, Lord,
    the seas have lifted up their voice;(I)
    the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.(J)
Mightier than the thunder(K) of the great waters,
    mightier than the breakers(L) of the sea—
    the Lord on high is mighty.(M)

Your statutes, Lord, stand firm;
    holiness(N) adorns your house(O)
    for endless days.

Psalm 96

Psalm 96(A)

Sing to the Lord(B) a new song;(C)
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name;(D)
    proclaim his salvation(E) day after day.
Declare his glory(F) among the nations,
    his marvelous deeds(G) among all peoples.

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;(H)
    he is to be feared(I) above all gods.(J)
For all the gods of the nations are idols,(K)
    but the Lord made the heavens.(L)
Splendor and majesty(M) are before him;
    strength and glory(N) are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord,(O) all you families of nations,(P)
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    bring an offering(Q) and come into his courts.(R)
Worship the Lord(S) in the splendor of his[a] holiness;(T)
    tremble(U) before him, all the earth.(V)
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.(W)
    The world is firmly established,(X) it cannot be moved;(Y)
    he will judge(Z) the peoples with equity.(AA)

11 Let the heavens rejoice,(AB) let the earth be glad;(AC)
    let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
    let all the trees of the forest(AD) sing for joy.(AE)
13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
    he comes to judge(AF) the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness(AG)
    and the peoples in his faithfulness.(AH)

Psalm 34

Psalm 34[a][b]

Of David. When he pretended to be insane(A) before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.

I will extol the Lord at all times;(B)
    his praise will always be on my lips.
I will glory(C) in the Lord;
    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.(D)
Glorify the Lord(E) with me;
    let us exalt(F) his name together.

I sought the Lord,(G) and he answered me;
    he delivered(H) me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant;(I)
    their faces are never covered with shame.(J)
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
    he saved him out of all his troubles.(K)
The angel of the Lord(L) encamps around those who fear him,
    and he delivers(M) them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;(N)
    blessed is the one who takes refuge(O) in him.
Fear the Lord,(P) you his holy people,
    for those who fear him lack nothing.(Q)
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.(R)
11 Come, my children, listen(S) to me;
    I will teach you(T) the fear of the Lord.(U)
12 Whoever of you loves life(V)
    and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue(W) from evil
    and your lips from telling lies.(X)
14 Turn from evil and do good;(Y)
    seek peace(Z) and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord(AA) are on the righteous,(AB)
    and his ears are attentive(AC) to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is against(AD) those who do evil,(AE)
    to blot out their name(AF) from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears(AG) them;
    he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close(AH) to the brokenhearted(AI)
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 The righteous person may have many troubles,(AJ)
    but the Lord delivers him from them all;(AK)
20 he protects all his bones,
    not one of them will be broken.(AL)

21 Evil will slay the wicked;(AM)
    the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord will rescue(AN) his servants;
    no one who takes refuge(AO) in him will be condemned.

2 Kings 4:8-37

The Shunammite’s Son Restored to Life

One day Elisha went to Shunem.(A) And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat. She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. 10 Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay(B) there whenever he comes to us.”

11 One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down there. 12 He said to his servant Gehazi, “Call the Shunammite.”(C) So he called her, and she stood before him. 13 Elisha said to him, “Tell her, ‘You have gone to all this trouble for us. Now what can be done for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?’”

She replied, “I have a home among my own people.”

14 “What can be done for her?” Elisha asked.

Gehazi said, “She has no son, and her husband is old.”

15 Then Elisha said, “Call her.” So he called her, and she stood in the doorway. 16 “About this time(D) next year,” Elisha said, “you will hold a son in your arms.”

“No, my lord!” she objected. “Please, man of God, don’t mislead your servant!”

17 But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.

18 The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers.(E) 19 He said to his father, “My head! My head!”

His father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. 21 She went up and laid him on the bed(F) of the man of God, then shut the door and went out.

22 She called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return.”

23 “Why go to him today?” he asked. “It’s not the New Moon(G) or the Sabbath.”

“That’s all right,” she said.

24 She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on; don’t slow down for me unless I tell you.” 25 So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.(H)

When he saw her in the distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi, “Look! There’s the Shunammite! 26 Run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?’”

“Everything is all right,” she said.

27 When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress,(I) but the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me why.”

28 “Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she said. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t raise my hopes’?”

29 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tuck your cloak into your belt,(J) take my staff(K) in your hand and run. Don’t greet anyone you meet, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy’s face.”

30 But the child’s mother said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her.

31 Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.”

32 When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch.(L) 33 He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed(M) to the Lord. 34 Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched(N) himself out on him, the boy’s body grew warm. 35 Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times(O) and opened his eyes.(P)

36 Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite.” And he did. When she came, he said, “Take your son.”(Q) 37 She came in, fell at his feet and bowed to the ground. Then she took her son and went out.

Acts 9:10-31

10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision,(A) “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus(B) named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on(C) him to restore his sight.”

13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people(D) in Jerusalem.(E) 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests(F) to arrest all who call on your name.”(G)

15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument(H) to proclaim my name to the Gentiles(I) and their kings(J) and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”(K)

17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on(L) Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”(M) 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,(N) 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem

Saul spent several days with the disciples(O) in Damascus.(P) 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues(Q) that Jesus is the Son of God.(R) 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name?(S) And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?”(T) 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.(U)

23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him,(V) 24 but Saul learned of their plan.(W) Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.(X)

26 When he came to Jerusalem,(Y) he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas(Z) took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him,(AA) and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.(AB) 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews,[a](AC) but they tried to kill him.(AD) 30 When the believers(AE) learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea(AF) and sent him off to Tarsus.(AG)

31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria(AH) enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.(AI)

Luke 3:7-18

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers!(A) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?(B) Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’(C) For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”(D)

10 “What should we do then?”(E) the crowd asked.

11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”(F)

12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized.(G) “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,”(H) he told them.

14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely(I)—be content with your pay.”

15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John(J) might possibly be the Messiah.(K) 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with[a] water.(L) But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with[b] the Holy Spirit and fire.(M) 17 His winnowing fork(N) is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”(O) 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

New International Version (NIV)

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