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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.
Duration: 861 days
English Standard Version (ESV)
Version
Psalm 105

Tell of All His Wondrous Works

105 (A)Oh give thanks to the Lord; (B)call upon his name;
    (C)make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    (D)tell of all his wondrous works!
Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
Seek the Lord and his (E)strength;
    (F)seek his presence continually!
Remember the (G)wondrous works that he has done,
    his miracles, and (H)the judgments he uttered,
O offspring of (I)Abraham, his servant,
    children of Jacob, his (J)chosen ones!

He is the Lord our God;
    his (K)judgments are in all the earth.
He (L)remembers his covenant forever,
    the word that he commanded, for (M)a thousand generations,
(N)the covenant that he made with Abraham,
    his (O)sworn promise to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to (P)Jacob as a statute,
    to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, (Q)“To you I will give the land of Canaan
    as (R)your portion for an inheritance.”

12 When they were (S)few in number,
    of little account, and (T)sojourners in it,
13 wandering from nation to nation,
    from one kingdom to another people,
14 he (U)allowed no one to oppress them;
    he (V)rebuked kings on their account,
15 saying, (W)“Touch not my anointed ones,
    do my prophets no harm!”

16 When he (X)summoned a famine on the land
    and (Y)broke all supply[a] of bread,
17 he had (Z)sent a man ahead of them,
    Joseph, who was (AA)sold as a slave.
18 His (AB)feet were hurt with fetters;
    his neck was put in a collar of iron;
19 until (AC)what he had said came to pass,
    the word of the Lord (AD)tested him.
20 (AE)The king sent and (AF)released him;
    the ruler of the peoples set him free;
21 he (AG)made him lord of his house
    and ruler of all his possessions,
22 to bind[b] his princes at his pleasure
    and to teach his elders wisdom.

23 Then (AH)Israel came to Egypt;
    Jacob (AI)sojourned in (AJ)the land of Ham.
24 And the Lord (AK)made his people very fruitful
    and made them stronger than their foes.
25 He (AL)turned their hearts to hate his people,
    to (AM)deal craftily with his servants.

26 He (AN)sent Moses, his servant,
    and Aaron, (AO)whom he had chosen.
27 (AP)They performed his signs among them
    and miracles in (AQ)the land of Ham.
28 He (AR)sent darkness, and made the land dark;
    they (AS)did not rebel[c] against his words.
29 He turned their waters into blood
    and (AT)caused their fish to die.
30 Their land swarmed with frogs,
    even in (AU)the chambers of their kings.
31 He spoke, and there came (AV)swarms of flies,
    (AW)and gnats throughout their country.
32 He gave them hail for rain,
    and fiery (AX)lightning bolts through their land.
33 He struck down their vines and fig trees,
    and (AY)shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke, and the (AZ)locusts came,
    young locusts without number,
35 which devoured all the vegetation in their land
    and ate up the fruit of their ground.
36 He (BA)struck down all the firstborn in their land,
    (BB)the firstfruits of all their strength.

37 Then he brought out Israel with (BC)silver and gold,
    and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
38 (BD)Egypt was glad when they departed,
    for (BE)dread of them had fallen upon it.

39 He (BF)spread a cloud for a covering,
    and fire to give light by night.
40 (BG)They asked, and he (BH)brought quail,
    and gave them (BI)bread from heaven in abundance.
41 He opened the rock, and (BJ)water gushed out;
    it flowed through (BK)the desert like a river.
42 For he (BL)remembered his holy promise,
    and (BM)Abraham, his servant.

43 So he brought his people out with joy,
    his (BN)chosen ones with (BO)singing.
44 And he (BP)gave them the lands of the nations,
    and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples' toil,
45 that they might (BQ)keep his statutes
    and (BR)observe his laws.
(BS)Praise the Lord!

Zechariah 4

A Vision of a Golden Lampstand

And (A)the angel who talked with me came again (B)and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, (C)a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and (D)seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. And there are (E)two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” And I said to (F)the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, (G)“Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to (H)Zerubbabel: (I)Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, (J)O great mountain? Before (K)Zerubbabel (L)you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward (M)the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, (N)“The hands of (O)Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also (P)complete it. (Q)Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 10 (R)For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see (S)the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

(T)“These seven (U)are the eyes of the Lord, (V)which range through the whole earth.” 11 Then I said to him, “What are these (W)two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” 12 And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these (X)two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil[a] is poured out?” 13 He said to me, (Y)“Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, (Z)“These are the two anointed ones[b] who stand by (AA)the Lord of the whole earth.”

Ephesians 4:17-32

The New Life

17 Now this I say and (A)testify in the Lord, (B)that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, (C)in the futility of their minds. 18 They (D)are darkened in their understanding, (E)alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to (F)their hardness of heart. 19 They (G)have become callous and (H)have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you (I)learned Christ!— 21 assuming that (J)you have heard about him and (K)were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to (L)put off (M)your old self,[a] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through (N)deceitful desires, 23 and (O)to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on (P)the new self, (Q)created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you (R)speak the truth with his neighbor, for (S)we are members one of another. 26 (T)Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and (U)give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather (V)let him labor, (W)doing honest work with his own hands, so (X)that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 (Y)Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give (Z)grace to those who hear. 30 And (AA)do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, (AB)by whom you were sealed for the day of (AC)redemption. 31 (AD)Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 (AE)Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, (AF)forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Matthew 9:1-8

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to (A)his own city. (B)And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus (C)saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, (D)“Take heart, my son; (E)your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, (F)“This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, (G)knowing[a] their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, (H)they were afraid, and (I)they glorified God, who had (J)given such authority to men.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.