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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 24

The King of Glory

A Psalm of David.

24 (A)The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,[a]
    the world and those who dwell therein,
for he has (B)founded it upon (C)the seas
    and established it upon the rivers.

(D)Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
    And who shall stand in his (E)holy place?
(F)He who has (G)clean hands and (H)a pure heart,
    who does not (I)lift up his soul to (J)what is false
    and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive (K)blessing from the Lord
    and (L)righteousness from (M)the God of his salvation.
Such is (N)the generation of those who seek him,
    who (O)seek the face of the God of Jacob.[b] Selah

(P)Lift up your heads, O gates!
    And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
    that (Q)the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord, strong and mighty,
    the Lord, (R)mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates!
    And lift them up, O ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory?
    (S)The Lord of hosts,
    he is the King of glory! Selah

Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord Glory

A Psalm of David.

29 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,[a]
    (A)ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in (B)the splendor of holiness.[b]

The voice of the Lord is over (C)the waters;
    the God of glory (D)thunders,
    the Lord, over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is (E)powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks (F)the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon to (G)skip like a calf,
    and (H)Sirion like a young (I)wild ox.

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
    the Lord shakes the wilderness of (J)Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord makes (K)the deer give birth[c]
    and strips the forests bare,
    and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

10 The Lord sits enthroned over (L)the flood;
    the Lord sits enthroned (M)as king forever.
11 May the Lord give (N)strength to his people!
    May the Lord bless[d] his people with (O)peace!

Psalm 8

How Majestic Is Your Name

To the choirmaster: according to The (A)Gittith.[a] A Psalm of David.

O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your (B)name in all the earth!
You have set your (C)glory above the heavens.
    (D)Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established (E)strength because of your foes,
    to still (F)the enemy and the avenger.

When I (G)look at your heavens, the work of your (H)fingers,
    the moon and the stars, (I)which you have set in place,
(J)what is man that you are (K)mindful of him,
    and (L)the son of man that you (M)care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than (N)the heavenly beings[b]
    and crowned him with (O)glory and honor.
You have given him (P)dominion over the works of your hands;
    (Q)you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 84

My Soul Longs for the Courts of the Lord

To the choirmaster: according to (A)The Gittith.[a] A Psalm of (B)the Sons of Korah.

84 How (C)lovely is your (D)dwelling place,
    O Lord of hosts!
My soul (E)longs, yes, (F)faints
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
    to (G)the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
    (H)my King and my God.
(I)Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
    ever (J)singing your praise! Selah

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    (K)in whose heart are the highways to Zion.[b]
As they go through the Valley of Baca
    they make it a place of springs;
    (L)the early rain also covers it with (M)pools.
They go (N)from strength to strength;
    each one (O)appears before God in Zion.

O (P)Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
    give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
(Q)Behold our (R)shield, O God;
    look on the face of your anointed!

10 For a day (S)in your courts is better
    than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be (T)a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is (U)a sun and (V)shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor.
(W)No good thing does he withhold
    from those who (X)walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
    (Y)blessed is the one who trusts in you!

Joshua 24:1-15

The Covenant Renewal at Shechem

24 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel (A)to Shechem and (B)summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And (C)they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, (D)your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates,[a] Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and (E)they served other gods. (F)Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River[b] and (G)led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. (H)I gave him Isaac. And to Isaac I gave (I)Jacob and Esau. (J)And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, (K)but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. (L)And I sent Moses and Aaron, (M)and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and (N)afterward I brought you out.

“‘Then (O)I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and (P)you came to the sea. (Q)And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. (R)And when they cried to the Lord, (S)he put darkness between you and the Egyptians (T)and made the sea come upon them and cover them; (U)and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. (V)And you lived in the wilderness a long time. Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. (W)They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. (X)Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. (Y)And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, 10 (Z)but I would not listen to Balaam. (AA)Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. 11 (AB)And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, (AC)and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also (AD)the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. 12 And I sent (AE)the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was (AF)not by your sword or by your bow. 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored (AG)and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’

Choose Whom You Will Serve

14 (AH)“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. (AI)Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 (AJ)And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, (AK)choose this day whom you will serve, whether (AL)the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or (AM)the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. (AN)But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Acts 28:23-31

23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening (A)he expounded to them, testifying to (B)the kingdom of God and (C)trying to convince them about Jesus (D)both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And (E)some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: (F)“The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:

26 (G)“‘Go to this people, and say,
(H)“You will indeed hear but never understand,
    and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
27 (I)For this people's heart has grown dull,
    and with their ears they can barely hear,
    and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
    and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
    and (J)turn, and I would heal them.’

28 Therefore let it be known to you that (K)this (L)salvation of God (M)has been sent to the Gentiles; (N)they will listen.”[a]

30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense,[b] and (O)welcomed all who came to him, 31 (P)proclaiming (Q)the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ (R)with all boldness and (S)without hindrance.

Mark 2:23-28

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

23 (A)One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples (B)began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, (C)why are they doing (D)what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, (E)“Have you never read (F)what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of[a] (G)Abiathar the high priest, and ate (H)the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” 27 And he said to them, (I)“The Sabbath was made for man, (J)not man for the Sabbath. 28 So (K)the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

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.