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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 80

Restore Us, O God

To the choirmaster: according to (A)Lilies. A Testimony. Of (B)Asaph, a Psalm.

80 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
    you who lead (C)Joseph like (D)a flock.
You who are (E)enthroned upon the cherubim, (F)shine forth.
    Before (G)Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,
(H)stir up your might
    and (I)come to save us!

(J)Restore us,[a] O God;
    (K)let your face shine, that we may be saved!

O (L)Lord God of hosts,
    (M)how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?
You have fed them with (N)the bread of tears
    and given them tears to drink in full measure.
(O)You make us an object of contention for our (P)neighbors,
    and our enemies laugh among themselves.

(Q)Restore us, O God of hosts;
    let your face shine, that we may be saved!

You brought (R)a vine out of Egypt;
    you (S)drove out the nations and planted it.
You (T)cleared the ground for it;
    it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
    the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 It sent out its branches to (U)the sea
    and its shoots to (V)the River.[b]
12 Why then have you (W)broken down its walls,
    so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 (X)The boar from the forest ravages it,
    and all that move in the field feed on it.

14 Turn again, O God of hosts!
    (Y)Look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
15     the stock that your right hand planted,
    and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.
16 They have (Z)burned it with fire; they have (AA)cut it down;
    may they perish at (AB)the rebuke of your face!
17 But (AC)let your hand be on the man of your right hand,
    the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!
18 Then we shall not turn back from you;
    (AD)give us life, and we will call upon your name!

19 (AE)Restore us, O Lord God of hosts!
    Let your face shine, that we may be saved!

1 Samuel 16:1-13

David Anointed King

16 The Lord said to Samuel, (A)“How long will you grieve over Saul, since (B)I have rejected him from being king over Israel? (C)Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, (D)for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, (E)‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. (F)And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city (G)came to meet him trembling and said, (H)“Do you come peaceably?” And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. (I)Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When they came, he looked on (J)Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.” But the Lord said to Samuel, (K)“Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, (L)but the Lord looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called (M)Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made (N)Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, (O)“There remains yet the youngest,[a] but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, (P)“Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was (Q)ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, (R)“Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took (S)the horn of oil (T)and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. (U)And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

1 John 2:18-25

Warning Concerning Antichrists

18 Children, (A)it is the last hour, and as you have heard that (B)antichrist is coming, so now (C)many antichrists have come. (D)Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 (E)They went out from us, but they were not of us; for (F)if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, (G)that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20 But you have been (H)anointed by (I)the Holy One, and (J)you all have knowledge.[a] 21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but (K)he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is (L)the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 (M)No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let (N)what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then (O)you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us[b](P)eternal life.

Psalm 33

The Steadfast Love of the Lord

33 (A)Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
    (B)Praise befits the upright.
Give thanks to the Lord with the (C)lyre;
    make melody to him with (D)the harp of (E)ten strings!
Sing to him (F)a new song;
    play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

For the word of the Lord is upright,
    and all his work is done in (G)faithfulness.
He (H)loves righteousness and justice;
    (I)the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

By (J)the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
    and by (K)the breath of his mouth all (L)their host.
He gathers the waters of the sea as (M)a heap;
    he (N)puts the deeps in storehouses.

Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
For (O)he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.

10 The Lord (P)brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
    he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 (Q)The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
    the plans of his heart to all generations.
12 (R)Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people whom he has (S)chosen as his heritage!

13 The Lord (T)looks down from heaven;
    he sees all the children of man;
14 from (U)where he sits enthroned he (V)looks out
    on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
    and observes all their deeds.
16 (W)The king is not saved by his great army;
    a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 (X)The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
    and by its great might it cannot rescue.

18 Behold, (Y)the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    (Z)on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may (AA)deliver their soul from death
    and keep them alive in (AB)famine.

20 Our soul (AC)waits for the Lord;
    he is our (AD)help and (AE)our shield.
21 For our heart is (AF)glad in him,
    because we (AG)trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
    even as we hope in you.

Acts 20:17-35

Paul Speaks to the Ephesian Elders

17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called (A)the elders of the church to come to him. 18 And when they came to him, he said to them:

(B)“You yourselves know (C)how I lived among you the whole time (D)from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 (E)serving the Lord (F)with all humility and with (G)tears and with trials that happened to me through (H)the plots of the Jews; 20 how I (I)did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and (J)teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 (K)testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of (L)repentance toward God and of (M)faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.[a] 22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained (N)by[b] the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that (O)the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that (P)imprisonment and (Q)afflictions await me. 24 But (R)I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only (S)I may finish my course and (T)the ministry (U)that I received from the Lord Jesus, (V)to testify to (W)the gospel of (X)the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, (Y)I know that none of you among whom I have gone about (Z)proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 26 Therefore (AA)I testify to you this day that (AB)I am innocent of the blood of all, 27 for (AC)I did not shrink from declaring to you (AD)the whole counsel of God. 28 (AE)Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all (AF)the flock, in which (AG)the Holy Spirit has made you (AH)overseers, (AI)to care for (AJ)the church of God,[c] which he (AK)obtained (AL)with his own blood.[d] 29 I (AM)know that after my departure (AN)fierce wolves will come in among you, (AO)not sparing the flock; 30 and (AP)from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore (AQ)be alert, remembering that (AR)for three years I did not cease night or day (AS)to admonish every one (AT)with tears. 32 And now (AU)I commend you to God and to (AV)the word of his grace, which is able to (AW)build you up and to give you (AX)the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 (AY)I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. 34 (AZ)You yourselves know that (BA)these hands ministered to my necessities and (BB)to those who were with me. 35 In all things (BC)I have shown you that (BD)by working hard in this way we must (BE)help the weak and (BF)remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed (BG)to give than to receive.’

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.