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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 Century Version (NCV)
Version
Psalm 117-118

A Hymn of Praise

117 All you nations, praise the Lord.
    All you people, praise him
because the Lord loves us very much,
    and his truth is everlasting.

Praise the Lord!

Thanksgiving for Victory

118 Thank the Lord because he is good.
    His love continues forever.
Let the people of Israel say,
    “His love continues forever.”
Let the family of Aaron say,
    “His love continues forever.”
Let those who respect the Lord say,
    “His love continues forever.”

I was in trouble, so I called to the Lord.
    The Lord answered me and set me free.
I will not be afraid, because the Lord is with me.
    People can’t do anything to me.
The Lord is with me to help me,
    so I will see my enemies defeated.
It is better to trust the Lord
    than to trust people.
It is better to trust the Lord
    than to trust princes.

10 All the nations surrounded me,
    but I defeated them in the name of the Lord.
11 They surrounded me on every side,
    but with the Lord’s power I defeated them.
12 They surrounded me like a swarm of bees,
    but they died as quickly as thorns burn.
    By the Lord’s power, I defeated them.
13 They chased me until I was almost defeated,
    but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord gives me strength and a song.
    He has saved me.

15 Shouts of joy and victory
    come from the tents of those who do right:
    “The Lord has done powerful things.”
16 The power of the Lord has won the victory;
    with his power the Lord has done mighty things.

17 I will not die, but live,
    and I will tell what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord has taught me a hard lesson,
    but he did not let me die.

19 Open for me the Temple gates.
    Then I will come in and thank the Lord.
20 This is the Lord’s gate;
    only those who are good may enter through it.
21 Lord, I thank you for answering me.
    You have saved me.

22 The stone that the builders rejected
    became the cornerstone.
23 The Lord did this,
    and it is wonderful to us.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made.
    Let us rejoice and be glad today!

25 Please, Lord, save us;
    please, Lord, give us success.
26 God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
    We bless all of you from the Temple of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God,
    and he has shown kindness to us.
With branches in your hands, join the feast.
    Come to the corners of the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will thank you;
    you are my God, and I will praise your greatness.

29 Thank the Lord because he is good.
    His love continues forever.

Psalm 112-113

Honest People Are Blessed

112 Praise the Lord!

Happy are those who respect the Lord,
    who want what he commands.
Their descendants will be powerful in the land;
    the children of honest people will be blessed.
Their houses will be full of wealth and riches,
    and their goodness will continue forever.
A light shines in the dark for honest people,
    for those who are merciful and kind and good.
It is good to be merciful and generous.
    Those who are fair in their business
will never be defeated.
    Good people will always be remembered.
They won’t be afraid of bad news;
    their hearts are steady because they trust the Lord.
They are confident and will not be afraid;
    they will look down on their enemies.
They give freely to the poor.
    The things they do are right and will continue forever.
    They will be given great honor.

10 The wicked will see this and become angry;
    they will grind their teeth in anger and then disappear.
    The wishes of the wicked will come to nothing.

Praise for the Lord’s Kindness

113 Praise the Lord!

Praise him, you servants of the Lord;
    praise the name of the Lord.
The Lord’s name should be praised
    now and forever.
The Lord’s name should be praised
    from where the sun rises to where it sets.
The Lord is supreme over all the nations;
    his glory reaches to the skies.

No one is like the Lord our God,
    who rules from heaven,
who bends down to look
    at the skies and the earth.
The Lord lifts the poor from the dirt
    and takes the helpless from the ashes.
He seats them with princes,
    the princes of his people.
He gives children to the woman who has none
    and makes her a happy mother.

Praise the Lord!

Exodus 17:1-7

Water from a Rock

17 The whole Israelite community left the Desert of Sin and traveled from place to place, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”

Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why are you testing the Lord?”

But the people were very thirsty for water, so they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Was it to kill us, our children, and our farm animals with thirst?”

So Moses cried to the Lord, “What can I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me to death.”

The Lord said to Moses, “Go ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Carry with you the walking stick that you used to strike the Nile River. Now go! I will stand in front of you on a rock at Mount Sinai. Hit that rock with the stick, and water will come out of it so that the people can drink.” Moses did these things as the elders of Israel watched. He named that place Massah,[a] because the Israelites tested the Lord when they asked, “Is the Lord with us or not?” He also named it Meribah,[b] because they quarreled.

Colossians 1:15-23

The Importance of Christ

15 No one can see God, but Jesus Christ is exactly like him. He ranks higher than everything that has been made. 16 Through his power all things were made—things in heaven and on earth, things seen and unseen, all powers, authorities, lords, and rulers. All things were made through Christ and for Christ. 17 He was there before anything was made, and all things continue because of him. 18 He is the head of the body, which is the church. Everything comes from him. He is the first one who was raised from the dead. So in all things Jesus has first place. 19 God was pleased for all of himself to live in Christ. 20 And through Christ, God has brought all things back to himself again—things on earth and things in heaven. God made peace through the blood of Christ’s death on the cross.

21 At one time you were separated from God. You were his enemies in your minds, and the evil things you did were against God. 22 But now God has made you his friends again. He did this through Christ’s death in the body so that he might bring you into God’s presence as people who are holy, with no wrong, and with nothing of which God can judge you guilty. 23 This will happen if you continue strong and sure in your faith. You must not be moved away from the hope brought to you by the Good News that you heard. That same Good News has been told to everyone in the world, and I, Paul, help in preaching that Good News.

John 7:37-52

Jesus Talks About the Spirit

37 On the last and most important day of the feast Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 If anyone believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from that person’s heart, as the Scripture says.” 39 Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit. The Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been raised to glory. But later, those who believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit.

The People Argue About Jesus

40 When the people heard Jesus’ words, some of them said, “This man really is the Prophet.”[a]

41 Others said, “He is the Christ.”

Still others said, “The Christ will not come from Galilee. 42 The Scripture says that the Christ will come from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived.” 43 So the people did not agree with each other about Jesus. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one was able to touch him.

Some Leaders Won’t Believe

45 The Temple guards went back to the leading priests and the Pharisees, who asked, “Why didn’t you bring Jesus?”

46 The guards answered, “The words he says are greater than the words of any other person who has ever spoken!”

47 The Pharisees answered, “So Jesus has fooled you also! 48 Have any of the leaders or the Pharisees believed in him? No! 49 But these people, who know nothing about the law, are under God’s curse.”

50 Nicodemus, who had gone to see Jesus before, was in that group.[b] He said, 51 “Our law does not judge a person without hearing him and knowing what he has done.”

52 They answered, “Are you from Galilee, too? Study the Scriptures, and you will learn that no prophet comes from Galilee.”

New Century Version (NCV)

The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.