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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 105

Psalm 105(A)

Give praise to the Lord,(B) proclaim his name;(C)
    make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him,(D) sing praise to him;(E)
    tell of all his wonderful acts.(F)
Glory in his holy name;(G)
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and his strength;
    seek his face(H) always.

Remember the wonders(I) he has done,
    his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,(J)
you his servants, the descendants of Abraham,(K)
    his chosen(L) ones, the children of Jacob.
He is the Lord our God;
    his judgments are in all the earth.

He remembers his covenant(M) forever,
    the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
the covenant he made with Abraham,(N)
    the oath he swore to Isaac.
10 He confirmed it(O) to Jacob as a decree,
    to Israel as an everlasting covenant:(P)
11 “To you I will give the land of Canaan(Q)
    as the portion you will inherit.”(R)

12 When they were but few in number,(S)
    few indeed, and strangers in it,(T)
13 they wandered from nation to nation,(U)
    from one kingdom to another.
14 He allowed no one to oppress(V) them;
    for their sake he rebuked kings:(W)
15 “Do not touch(X) my anointed ones;
    do my prophets(Y) no harm.”

16 He called down famine(Z) on the land
    and destroyed all their supplies of food;
17 and he sent a man before them—
    Joseph, sold as a slave.(AA)
18 They bruised his feet with shackles,(AB)
    his neck was put in irons,
19 till what he foretold(AC) came to pass,
    till the word(AD) of the Lord proved him true.
20 The king sent and released him,
    the ruler of peoples set him free.(AE)
21 He made him master of his household,
    ruler over all he possessed,
22 to instruct his princes(AF) as he pleased
    and teach his elders wisdom.(AG)

23 Then Israel entered Egypt;(AH)
    Jacob resided(AI) as a foreigner in the land of Ham.(AJ)
24 The Lord made his people very fruitful;
    he made them too numerous(AK) for their foes,
25 whose hearts he turned(AL) to hate his people,
    to conspire(AM) against his servants.
26 He sent Moses(AN) his servant,
    and Aaron,(AO) whom he had chosen.(AP)
27 They performed(AQ) his signs(AR) among them,
    his wonders(AS) in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness(AT) and made the land dark—
    for had they not rebelled against(AU) his words?
29 He turned their waters into blood,(AV)
    causing their fish to die.(AW)
30 Their land teemed with frogs,(AX)
    which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.
31 He spoke,(AY) and there came swarms of flies,(AZ)
    and gnats(BA) throughout their country.
32 He turned their rain into hail,(BB)
    with lightning throughout their land;
33 he struck down their vines(BC) and fig trees(BD)
    and shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke,(BE) and the locusts came,(BF)
    grasshoppers(BG) without number;(BH)
35 they ate up every green thing in their land,
    ate up the produce of their soil.
36 Then he struck down all the firstborn(BI) in their land,
    the firstfruits of all their manhood.
37 He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold,(BJ)
    and from among their tribes no one faltered.
38 Egypt was glad when they left,
    because dread of Israel(BK) had fallen on them.

39 He spread out a cloud(BL) as a covering,
    and a fire to give light at night.(BM)
40 They asked,(BN) and he brought them quail;(BO)
    he fed them well with the bread of heaven.(BP)
41 He opened the rock,(BQ) and water gushed out;
    it flowed like a river in the desert.

42 For he remembered his holy promise(BR)
    given to his servant Abraham.
43 He brought out his people with rejoicing,(BS)
    his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
44 he gave them the lands of the nations,(BT)
    and they fell heir to what others had toiled(BU) for—
45 that they might keep his precepts
    and observe his laws.(BV)

Praise the Lord.[a](BW)

Genesis 32:3-21

Jacob sent messengers(A) ahead of him to his brother Esau(B) in the land of Seir,(C) the country of Edom.(D) He instructed them: “This is what you are to say to my lord(E) Esau: ‘Your servant(F) Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban(G) and have remained there till now. I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, male and female servants.(H) Now I am sending this message to my lord,(I) that I may find favor in your eyes.(J)’”

When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”(K)

In great fear(L) and distress(M) Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups,[a](N) and the flocks and herds and camels as well. He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one group,[b] the group[c] that is left may escape.”

Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham,(O) God of my father Isaac,(P) Lord, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’(Q) 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness(R) you have shown your servant. I had only my staff(S) when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps.(T) 11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid(U) he will come and attack me,(V) and also the mothers with their children.(W) 12 But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand(X) of the sea, which cannot be counted.(Y)’”

13 He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift(Z) for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,(AA) 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.(AB) 16 He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds.”(AC)

17 He instructed the one in the lead: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ 18 then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant(AD) Jacob. They are a gift(AE) sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’”

19 He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: “You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 20 And be sure to say, ‘Your servant(AF) Jacob is coming behind us.’” For he thought, “I will pacify him with these gifts(AG) I am sending on ahead;(AH) later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me.”(AI) 21 So Jacob’s gifts(AJ) went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp.

1 John 2:18-29

Warnings Against Denying the Son

18 Dear children, this is the last hour;(A) and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming,(B) even now many antichrists have come.(C) This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us,(D) but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.(E)

20 But you have an anointing(F) from the Holy One,(G) and all of you know the truth.[a](H) 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it(I) and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.(J) 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.(K)

24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning(L) remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.(M) 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life.(N)

26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.(O) 27 As for you, the anointing(P) you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things(Q) and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.(R)

God’s Children and Sin

28 And now, dear children,(S) continue in him, so that when he appears(T) we may be confident(U) and unashamed before him at his coming.(V)

29 If you know that he is righteous,(W) you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.(X)

John 10:19-30

19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided.(A) 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed(B) and raving mad.(C) Why listen to him?”

21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon.(D) Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”(E)

Further Conflict Over Jesus’ Claims

22 Then came the Festival of Dedication[a] at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.(F) 24 The Jews(G) who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”(H)

25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you,(I) but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,(J) 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.(K) 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them,(L) and they follow me.(M) 28 I give them eternal life,(N) and they shall never perish;(O) no one will snatch them out of my hand.(P) 29 My Father, who has given them to me,(Q) is greater than all[b];(R) no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”(S)

New International Version (NIV)

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