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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.
Duration: 861 days
World English Bible (WEB)
Version
Psalm 68

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. A song.

68 Let God arise!
    Let his enemies be scattered!
    Let them who hate him also flee before him.
As smoke is driven away,
    so drive them away.
As wax melts before the fire,
    so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad.
    Let them rejoice before God.
    Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.
Sing to God! Sing praises to his name!
    Extol him who rides on the clouds:
to Yah, his name!
    Rejoice before him!
A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows,
    is God in his holy habitation.
God sets the lonely in families.
He brings out the prisoners with singing,
    but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.

God, when you went out before your people,
    when you marched through the wilderness... Selah.
The earth trembled.
    The sky also poured down rain at the presence of the God of Sinai—
    at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
You, God, sent a plentiful rain.
    You confirmed your inheritance when it was weary.
10 Your congregation lived therein.
    You, God, prepared your goodness for the poor.
11 The Lord announced the word.
    The ones who proclaim it are a great company.
12 “Kings of armies flee! They flee!”
    She who waits at home divides the plunder,
13     while you sleep among the camp fires,
    the wings of a dove sheathed with silver,
    her feathers with shining gold.
14 When the Almighty scattered kings in her,
    it snowed on Zalmon.
15 The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains.
    The mountains of Bashan are rugged.
16 Why do you look in envy, you rugged mountains,
    at the mountain where God chooses to reign?
    Yes, Yahweh will dwell there forever.
17 The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands.
    The Lord is among them, from Sinai, into the sanctuary.
18 You have ascended on high.
    You have led away captives.
You have received gifts among people,
    yes, among the rebellious also, that Yah God might dwell there.

19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burdens,
    even the God who is our salvation. Selah.
20 God is to us a God of deliverance.
    To Yahweh, the Lord, belongs escape from death.
21 But God will strike through the head of his enemies,
    the hairy scalp of such a one as still continues in his guiltiness.
22 The Lord said, “I will bring you again from Bashan,
    I will bring you again from the depths of the sea,
23 that you may crush them, dipping your foot in blood,
    that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies.”
24 They have seen your processions, God,
    even the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.
25 The singers went before, the minstrels followed after,
    among the ladies playing with tambourines,
26 “Bless God in the congregations,
    even the Lord in the assembly of Israel!”
27 There is little Benjamin, their ruler,
    the princes of Judah, their council,
    the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.

28 Your God has commanded your strength.
    Strengthen, God, that which you have done for us.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem,
    kings shall bring presents to you.
30 Rebuke the wild animal of the reeds,
    the multitude of the bulls with the calves of the peoples.
Trample under foot the bars of silver.
    Scatter the nations who delight in war.
31 Princes shall come out of Egypt.
    Ethiopia shall hurry to stretch out her hands to God.
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth!
    Sing praises to the Lord—Selah—
33 to him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which are of old;
    behold, he utters his voice, a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe strength to God!
    His excellency is over Israel,
    his strength is in the skies.
35 You are awesome, God, in your sanctuaries.
    The God of Israel gives strength and power to his people.
    Praise be to God!

Psalm 72

By Solomon.

72 God, give the king your justice;
    your righteousness to the royal son.
He will judge your people with righteousness,
    and your poor with justice.
The mountains shall bring prosperity to the people.
    The hills bring the fruit of righteousness.
He will judge the poor of the people.
    He will save the children of the needy,
    and will break the oppressor in pieces.
They shall fear you while the sun endures;
    and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
He will come down like rain on the mown grass,
    as showers that water the earth.
In his days, the righteous shall flourish,
    and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
    from the River to the ends of the earth.
Those who dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him.
    His enemies shall lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of the islands will bring tribute.
    The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
11 Yes, all kings shall fall down before him.
    All nations shall serve him.
12 For he will deliver the needy when he cries;
    the poor, who has no helper.
13 He will have pity on the poor and needy.
    He will save the souls of the needy.
14 He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence.
    Their blood will be precious in his sight.
15 He will live; and Sheba’s gold will be given to him.
    Men will pray for him continually.
    They will bless him all day long.
16 Abundance of grain shall be throughout the land.
    Its fruit sways like Lebanon.
    Let it flourish, thriving like the grass of the field.
17 His name endures forever.
    His name continues as long as the sun.
Men shall be blessed by him.
    All nations will call him blessed.

18 Praise be to Yahweh God, the God of Israel,
    who alone does marvelous deeds.
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever!
    Let the whole earth be filled with his glory!
Amen and amen.

20 This ends the prayers by David, the son of Jesse.

1 Kings 19:9-18

He came to a cave there, and camped there; and behold, Yahweh’s word came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 He said, “I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

11 He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before Yahweh.”

Behold, Yahweh passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake; but Yahweh was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake a fire passed; but Yahweh was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a still small voice. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. Behold, a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14 He said, “I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

15 Yahweh said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 Anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi to be king over Israel; and anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah to be prophet in your place. 17 He who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and he who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. 18 Yet I reserved seven thousand in Israel, all the knees of which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him.”

Ephesians 4:17-32

17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts. 19 They, having become callous, gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But you didn’t learn Christ that way, 21 if indeed you heard him and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.

25 Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and don’t sin.”(A) Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 and don’t give place[a] to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, producing with his hands something that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.

John 6:15-27

15 Jesus therefore, perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea. 17 They entered into the boat, and were going over the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 The sea was tossed by a great wind blowing. 19 When therefore they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia,[a] they saw Jesus walking on the sea(A) and drawing near to the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But he said to them, “It is I.[b] Don’t be afraid.” 21 They were willing therefore to receive him into the boat. Immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

22 On the next day, the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except the one in which his disciples had embarked, and that Jesus hadn’t entered with his disciples into the boat, but his disciples had gone away alone. 23 However, boats from Tiberias came near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 When the multitude therefore saw that Jesus wasn’t there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”

26 Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Don’t work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed him.”

World English Bible (WEB)

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