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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!

Isaiah 65:1-12

Judgment and Salvation

65 (A)I was ready to be sought by (B)those who did not ask for me;
    I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here I am, here I am,”
    to a nation that was not called by[a] my name.
(C)I spread out my hands all the day
    to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good,
    following their own devices;
a people who provoke me
    to my face continually,
(D)sacrificing in gardens
    and making offerings on bricks;
who sit in tombs,
    and spend the night in secret places;
(E)who eat pig's flesh,
    and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels;
who say, “Keep to yourself,
    do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.”
(F)These are a smoke in my nostrils,
    a fire that burns all the day.
Behold, (G)it is written before me:
    (H)“I will not keep silent, but I will repay;
(I)I will indeed repay into their lap
    both your iniquities (J)and your fathers' iniquities together,
says the Lord;
(K)because they made offerings on the mountains
    (L)and insulted me on the hills,
I will measure into their lap
    payment for their former deeds.”[b]

Thus says the Lord:
(M)“As the new wine is found in the cluster,
    and they say, ‘Do not destroy it,
    for there is a blessing in it,’
so I will do for my servants' sake,
    (N)and not destroy them all.
(O)I will bring forth offspring from Jacob,
    and from Judah possessors of my mountains;
my chosen shall possess it,
    and my servants shall dwell there.
10 (P)Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks,
    and (Q)the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down,
    for my people (R)who have sought me.
11 But (S)you who forsake the Lord,
    who forget (T)my holy mountain,
who (U)set a table for Fortune
    and (V)fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny,
12 I will destine you to the sword,
    and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter,
(W)because, when I called, you did not answer;
    when I spoke, you did not listen,
(X)but you did what was evil in my eyes
    and chose what I did not delight in.”

1 Timothy 4

Some Will Depart from the Faith

Now (A)the Spirit expressly says that (B)in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to (C)deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of (D)liars whose consciences are seared, (E)who forbid marriage and (F)require abstinence from foods (G)that God created (H)to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For (I)everything created by God is good, and (J)nothing is to be rejected if it is (K)received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy (L)by the word of God and prayer.

A Good Servant of Christ Jesus

(M)If you put these things before the brothers,[a] you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have (N)followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, (O)silly myths. Rather (P)train yourself for godliness; for while (Q)bodily training is of some value, godliness (R)is of value in every way, as (S)it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is (T)trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and strive,[b] because we have our hope set on the living God, (U)who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

11 Command and teach (V)these things. 12 (W)Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers (X)an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 (Y)Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you (Z)by prophecy when the council of elders (AA)laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them,[c] so that (AB)all may see your progress. 16 (AC)Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save (AD)both yourself and (AE)your hearers.

Mark 12:13-27

Paying Taxes to Caesar

13 (A)And they sent to him some of (B)the Pharisees and some of (C)the Herodians, to (D)trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, (E)we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For (F)you are not swayed by appearances,[a] but truly teach (G)the way of God. Is it lawful to pay (H)taxes to (I)Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing (J)their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why (K)put me to the test? Bring me (L)a denarius[b] and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar's.” 17 Jesus said to them, (M)“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at him.

The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

18 And (N)Sadducees came to him, (O)who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that (P)if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man[c] must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”

24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because (Q)you know neither the Scriptures nor (R)the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither (S)marry nor (T)are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, (U)have you not read in (V)the book of Moses, in (W)the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, (X)‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”

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.