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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.
Duration: 861 days
American Standard Version (ASV)
Version
Psalm 131-135

Childlike trust in Jehovah.

A Song of Ascents; of David.

131 Jehovah, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty;
Neither do I [a]exercise myself in great matters,
Or in things too wonderful for me.
Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child with his mother,
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in Jehovah
From this time forth and for evermore.

Prayer for Jehovah’s blessing upon the sanctuary.

A Song of Ascents.

132 Jehovah, remember for David
All his affliction;
How he sware unto Jehovah,
And vowed unto the Mighty One of Jacob:
Surely I will not come into the [b]tabernacle of my house,
Nor go up into [c]my bed;
I will not give sleep to mine eyes,
Or slumber to mine eyelids;
Until I find out a place for Jehovah,
[d]A tabernacle for the Mighty One of Jacob.
Lo, we heard of it in [e]Ephrathah:
We found it in the field of [f]the wood.
We will go into his tabernacles;
We will worship at his footstool.
Arise, O Jehovah, into thy resting-place;
Thou, and the ark of thy strength.
Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness;
And let thy saints shout for joy.
10 For thy servant David’s sake
Turn not away the face of thine anointed.
11 Jehovah hath sworn unto David in truth;
He will not turn from it:
Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
12 If thy children will keep my covenant
And my testimony that I shall teach them,
Their children also shall sit upon thy throne for evermore.
13 For Jehovah hath chosen Zion;
He hath desired it for his habitation.
14 This is my resting-place for ever:
Here will I dwell; for I have desired it.
15 I will [g]abundantly bless her provision:
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 Her priests also will I clothe with salvation;
And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
17 There will I make [h]the horn of David to bud:
I have [i]ordained a lamp for mine anointed.
18 His enemies will I clothe with shame;
But upon himself shall his crown flourish.

The excellency of brotherly unity.

A Song of Ascents; of David.

133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious oil upon the head,
That ran down upon the beard,
Even Aaron’s beard;
That came down upon the [j]skirt of his garments;
Like the dew of Hermon,
That cometh down upon the mountains of Zion:
For there Jehovah commanded the blessing,
Even life for evermore.

Greetings of night-watchers.

A Song of Ascents.

134 Behold, bless ye Jehovah, all ye servants of Jehovah,
That by night stand in the house of Jehovah.
Lift up your hands [k]to the sanctuary,
And bless ye Jehovah.
Jehovah bless thee out of Zion;
Even he that made heaven and earth.

Praise for Jehovah’s wonderful works. Vanity of idols.

[l]135 Praise ye Jehovah.
Praise ye the name of Jehovah;
Praise him, O ye servants of Jehovah,
Ye that stand in the house of Jehovah,
In the courts of the house of our God.
Praise ye Jehovah; for Jehovah is good:
Sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.
For [m]Jehovah hath chosen Jacob unto himself,
And Israel for his own possession.
For I know that Jehovah is great,
And that our Lord is above all gods.
Whatsoever Jehovah pleased, that hath he done,
In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps;
Who causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;
Who maketh lightnings for the rain;
Who bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries;
Who smote the first-born of Egypt,
Both of man and beast;
Who sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt,
Upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants;
10 Who smote many [n]nations,
And slew mighty kings,
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
And Og king of Bashan,
And all the kingdoms of Canaan,
12 And gave their land for a heritage,
A heritage unto Israel his people.
13 Thy name, O Jehovah, endureth for ever;
Thy memorial name, O Jehovah, throughout all generations.
14 For Jehovah will judge his people,
And repent himself concerning his servants.

15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.
16 They have mouths, but they speak not;
Eyes have they, but they see not;
17 They have ears, but they hear not;
Neither is there any breath in their mouths.
18 They that make them shall be like unto them;
Yea, every one that trusteth in them.
19 O house of Israel, bless ye Jehovah:
O house of Aaron, bless ye Jehovah:
20 O house of Levi, bless ye Jehovah:
Ye that fear Jehovah, bless ye Jehovah.
21 Blessed be Jehovah out of Zion,
Who dwelleth at Jerusalem.
[o]Praise ye Jehovah.

Zechariah 13

13 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered; and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. And it shall come to pass that, when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of Jehovah; and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he prophesieth; neither shall they wear a hairy mantle to deceive: but he shall say, I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a bondman from my youth. And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds between thine [a]arms? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my [b]friends.

Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith Jehovah of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn my hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith Jehovah, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.

Ephesians 1:15-23

15 For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is [a]among you, and [b]the love which ye show toward all the saints, 16 cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; 18 having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 and what the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might 20 which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this [c]world, but also in that which is to come: 22 and he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Luke 19:11-27

11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was immediately to appear. 12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called ten [a]servants of his, and gave them ten [b]pounds, and said unto them, Trade ye herewith till I come. 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent an ambassage after him, saying, We will not that this man reign over us. 15 And it came to pass, when he was come back again, having received the kingdom, that he commanded these [c]servants, unto whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. 16 And the first came before him, saying, Lord, thy pound hath made ten pounds more. 17 And he said unto him, Well done, thou good [d]servant: because thou wast found faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. 18 And the second came, saying, Thy pound, Lord, hath made five pounds. 19 And he said unto him also, Be thou also over five cities. 20 And [e]another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I kept laid up in a napkin: 21 for I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that which thou layedst not down, and reapest that which thou didst not sow. 22 He saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked [f]servant. Thou knewest that I am an austere man, taking up that which I laid not down, and reaping that which I did not sow; 23 then wherefore gavest thou not my money into the bank, and [g]I at my coming should have required it with interest? 24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take away from him the pound, and give it unto him that hath the ten pounds. 25 And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds. 26 I say unto you, that unto every one that hath shall be given; but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away from him. 27 But these mine enemies, that would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.