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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 Catholic Bible (NCB)
Version
Psalm 105

Psalm 105[a]

God’s Faithfulness to the Covenant

[b]Give thanks to the Lord, invoke his name;[c]
    proclaim his deeds among the peoples.
Offer him honor with songs of praise;
    recount all his marvelous deeds.
Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts[d] of those who seek the Lord exult.
Reflect on the Lord and his strength;
    seek his face continually.
Remember the marvels he has wrought,
    his portents, and the judgments[e] he has set forth.
You are the offspring of his servant Abraham,
    the children of Jacob, his chosen ones.[f]
He is the Lord, our God;
    his judgments prevail all over the earth.
He is mindful of his covenant[g] forever,
    the promise he laid down for a thousand generations,
the covenant he made with Abraham
    and the oath he swore to Isaac.[h]
10 [i]He established it as a decree for Jacob,
    and as an everlasting covenant for Israel,
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
    as the portion of your heritage.”
12 [j]When they were few in number,
    an insignificant group of strangers in it,
13 they wandered from nation to nation,
    from one kingdom to another.
14 He permitted no one to oppress them,
    and in their regard he warned kings:[k]
15 “Do not touch my anointed ones;
    do no harm to my prophets.”[l]
16 Then he invoked a famine on the land
    and destroyed their supply of bread.
17 But he had sent a man ahead of them,
    Joseph, who had been sold as a slave.
18 They shackled his feet with fetters
    and clamped an iron collar around his neck,
19 until what he had prophesied was fulfilled
    and the word of the Lord proved him true.
20 The king ordered that he be released;
    the ruler of the peoples set him free.
21 He appointed him as master of his household
    and as ruler of all his possessions.
22 He was to instruct[m] his princes as he deemed fit
    and to impart wisdom to his elders.
23 Then Israel went down into Egypt;
    Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.[n]
24 God greatly increased the number of his people
    and made them too strong for their foes,
25 whose hearts he then turned[o] to hate his people
    and to conspire against his servants.
26 He sent his servant Moses,
    and Aaron whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his signs among them
    and worked wonders in the land of Ham.
28 [p]He sent darkness that enveloped the land,
    but they rebelled against his warnings.
29 He turned their waters into blood,
    and all their fish were destroyed.
30 Their land was saturated with frogs,
    even in the royal chambers.
31 At his command there came hordes of flies
    and gnats throughout their country.
32 He sent them hail instead of rain,
    and flashes of lightning in all their land.
33 He struck down their vines and their fig trees
    and demolished the trees of their country.
34 At his word the locusts came,
    as well as grasshoppers beyond all count.
35 They gobbled up every green plant in the land
    and devoured the produce of the soil.
36 He struck down all the firstborn of the land,
    the firstfruits of their manhood.
37 Then he led out his people with silver and gold,
    and there was not one among their tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
    for dread of Israel had overwhelmed them.
39 He spread a cloud over his people as a cover[q]
    and a fire to give light by night.
40 At their request he supplied them with quail,
    and he filled them with bread from heaven.[r]
41 He split open a rock and water gushed forth,
    flowing through the wilderness like a river.[s]
42 For he remembered the sacred promise
    that he had made to Abraham, his servant.
43 He led forth his people with rejoicing,
    his chosen ones with exultation.[t]
44 He gave them the lands of the nations,
    and they inherited the fruit of other people’s toil,
45 so that they might keep his decrees
    and observe his laws.
Alleluia.

Ezekiel 18:1-4

Chapter 18[a]

Individual Responsibility. This word of the Lord came to me: Why do you insist on repeating this proverb in the land of Israel:

The parents have eaten sour grapes,
    and their children’s teeth are set on edge?

As I live, says the Lord God, you will no longer repeat this proverb in Israel. Do not forget that all lives are mine. The life of the father and the life of the son are both mine. Only the person who sins shall die.

Ezekiel 18:19-32

19 You may ask, “Why should not the son share the guilt of his father?” If the son has done what is lawful and just, and he has been careful to observe all my laws, he will surely live. 20 The person who sins is the one who will die. A son shall not bear the responsibility for his father’s guilt, nor shall a father be charged with the guilt of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man shall be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked man shall be charged against him.

21 However, if the wicked renounce all of the sins that they have committed and keep all my statutes and do what is right and just, they shall surely live; they shall not die. 22 None of the crimes that they have committed shall be remembered against them; they shall live because of the righteous deeds that they have done 23 Do I derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked? asks the Lord God. Would I not rather rejoice to see them turn away from their wickedness and live?

24 But if the righteous turn away from their virtuous ways to follow the path of evil and do the same kind of abominable deeds that the wicked do, can they do this and live? None of their virtuous deeds will be remembered. Because of their infidelity and the sins they have committed, they shall die.

25 Yet you say, “The way of the Lord is unjust.” Now listen, O house of Israel! Is my way unfair? Or, rather, is it not your ways that are unfair? 26 When those who are righteous turn away from their righteousness and turn to evil pursuits, they shall die as a result of the iniquity that they have committed.

27 Similarly, when those who are wicked turn away from the wickedness that they have committed and do what is right and just, they shall save their life. 28 Since they have chosen to renounce all of the evil ways that they have followed, they shall surely live; they shall not die.

29 Yet the house of Israel says, “The way of the Lord is unfair.” O house of Israel, are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?

30 Therefore, I will judge you, O house of Israel, each one of you according to his ways, says the Lord God. Repent and renounce all your transgressions. Otherwise your iniquity will prove to be your downfall. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions you have committed, and strengthen yourself with a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Repent and live!

Hebrews 7:18-28

18 The earlier commandment is abrogated because of its weakness and ineffectiveness, 19 since the Law brought nothing to perfection. On the other hand, a better hope is introduced through which we draw nearer to God.

20 This was confirmed by an oath. When others became priests, no oath was required, 21 but this one became a priest with the swearing of an oath by the one who said to him,

“The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent:
    ‘You are a priest forever.’ ”

22 Accordingly, Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant.

23 Furthermore, the former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from remaining in office. 24 However, Jesus holds a perpetual priesthood because he remains forever. 25 Therefore, he has the full power to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to intercede for them.

26 The High Priest That We Needed.[a] It was fitting that we should have such a high priest—holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and raised high above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people. He accomplished this once for all when he offered himself. 28 The Law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the Law, appointed the Son who has been made perfect forever.

Luke 10:25-37

25 The Greatest Commandment.[a]And behold, a lawyer came forward to test Jesus by asking, “Teacher, what must I do to gain eternal life?” 26 Jesus said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 Jesus then said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”

29 The Parable of the Good Samaritan. But because the man wished to justify himself, he asked, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down[b] from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him and beat him, and then went off leaving him half-dead. 31 A priest happened to be traveling along that same road, but when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 A Levite[c] likewise came to that spot and saw him, but he too passed by on the other side.

33 “But a Samaritan who was traveling along that road came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. 34 He went up to him and bandaged his wounds after having poured oil and wine on them. Then he brought him upon his own animal to an inn and looked after him.

35 “The next day, he took out two denarii[d] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Look after him, and when I return I will repay you for anything more you might spend.’

36 “Which of those three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He answered, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”[e]

New Catholic Bible (NCB)

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