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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 45

Your Throne, O God, Is Forever

To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil[a] of (A)the Sons of Korah; a love song.

45 My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;
    I address my verses to the king;
    my tongue is like the pen of (B)a ready scribe.

You are (C)the most handsome of the sons of men;
    (D)grace is poured upon your lips;
    therefore God has blessed you forever.
(E)Gird your (F)sword on your thigh, O (G)mighty one,
    in (H)your splendor and majesty!

In your majesty (I)ride out victoriously
    for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;
    let your right hand teach you (J)awesome deeds!
Your arrows are sharp
    in the heart of the king's enemies;
    the peoples fall under you.

(K)Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
    The (L)scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
    (M)you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore (N)God, your God, has (O)anointed you
    with the oil of (P)gladness (Q)beyond your companions;
    your robes are all fragrant with (R)myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces (S)stringed instruments make you glad;
    daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;
    (T)at your right hand stands the queen in (U)gold of Ophir.

10 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
    forget your people and your father's house,
11     and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your (V)lord, (W)bow to him.
12     The people[b] of Tyre will (X)seek your favor with (Y)gifts,
    (Z)the richest of the people.[c]

13 All glorious is (AA)the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.
14     (AB)In many-colored robes (AC)she is led to the king,
    with her virgin companions following behind her.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along
    as they enter the palace of the king.

16 In place of your fathers shall be your sons;
    you will make them (AD)princes in all the earth.
17 (AE)I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
    therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.

Psalm 47-48

God Is King over All the Earth

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of (A)the Sons of Korah.

47 (B)Clap your hands, all peoples!
    (C)Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
For the Lord, the Most High, (D)is to be feared,
    (E)a great king over all the earth.
He (F)subdued peoples under us,
    and nations under our feet.
He chose our (G)heritage for us,
    (H)the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah

God (I)has gone up with a shout,
    the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises!
    Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
For God is (J)the King of all the earth;
    sing praises (K)with a psalm![a]

God (L)reigns over the nations;
    God sits on his holy throne.
(M)The princes of the peoples gather
    as the people of the God of Abraham.
For (N)the shields of the earth belong to God;
    he is highly exalted!

Zion, the City of Our God

A Song. A Psalm of (O)the Sons of Korah.

48 (P)Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
    in (Q)the city of our God!
His (R)holy mountain, (S)beautiful in elevation,
    is (T)the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
    (U)the city of the great King.
Within her citadels God
    has made himself known as a fortress.

For behold, (V)the kings assembled;
    they came on together.
As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
    they were in panic; they took to flight.
(W)Trembling took hold of them there,
    anguish (X)as of a woman in labor.
By (Y)the east wind you (Z)shattered
    the ships of (AA)Tarshish.
As we have heard, so have we seen
    in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in (AB)the city of our God,
    which God will (AC)establish forever. Selah

We have thought on your (AD)steadfast love, O God,
    in the midst of your temple.
10 As your (AE)name, O God,
    so your praise reaches to (AF)the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11     Let Mount (AG)Zion be glad!
Let (AH)the daughters of Judah rejoice
    because of your judgments!

12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
    number her towers,
13 consider well her (AI)ramparts,
    go through her citadels,
(AJ)that you may tell the next generation
14     that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
    He will (AK)guide us forever.[b]

Job 29:1-20

Job's Summary Defense

29 And Job again (A)took up his discourse, and said:

“Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
    as in the days when God watched over me,
when his (B)lamp shone upon my head,
    and by his light I walked through darkness,
as I was in my prime,[a]
    when the (C)friendship of God was upon my tent,
when the Almighty was yet with me,
    when my (D)children were all around me,
when my steps were (E)washed with (F)butter,
    and (G)the rock poured out for me streams of (H)oil!
When I went out to (I)the gate of the city,
    when I prepared my seat in the square,
the young men saw me and withdrew,
    and the aged rose and stood;
the princes refrained from talking
    and (J)laid their hand on their mouth;
10 the voice of the nobles was hushed,
    and their (K)tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
11 When the ear heard, it called me blessed,
    and when the eye saw, it approved,
12 because I (L)delivered the poor who cried for help,
    and the fatherless who had none to help him.
13 (M)The blessing of him who was (N)about to perish came upon me,
    and I caused (O)the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14 I (P)put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
    my justice was like a robe and (Q)a turban.
15 I was (R)eyes to the blind
    and feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy,
    and I searched out (S)the cause of him whom I did not know.
17 I (T)broke (U)the fangs of the unrighteous
    and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
18 (V)Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my (W)nest,
    and I shall multiply my days as (X)the sand,
19 my (Y)roots spread out to (Z)the waters,
    with the dew all night on my (AA)branches,
20 my glory fresh with me,
    and my (AB)bow ever (AC)new in my hand.’

Acts 14:1-18

Paul and Barnabas at Iconium

14 Now at Iconium (A)they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. (B)But the (C)unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against (D)the brothers.[a] So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for (E)the Lord, who bore witness to (F)the word of his grace, (G)granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. But the people of the city (H)were divided; (I)some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, (J)to mistreat them and (K)to stone them, they learned of it and (L)fled to (M)Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, and there they continued to preach the gospel.

Paul and Barnabas at Lystra

Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was (N)crippled from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and (O)seeing that he had faith to be made well,[b] 10 said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he (P)sprang up and began walking. 11 And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, (Q)“The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” 12 Barnabas they called (R)Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 And the priest of (S)Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and (T)wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they (U)tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 15 “Men, (V)why are you doing these things? We also are men, (W)of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that (X)you should turn from these (Y)vain things to (Z)a living God, (AA)who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. 16 In past generations he (AB)allowed all the nations (AC)to walk in their own ways. 17 Yet (AD)he did not leave himself without witness, for he (AE)did good by (AF)giving you rains from heaven and (AG)fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with (AH)food and (AI)gladness.” 18 Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.

John 10:31-42

31 (A)The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but (B)for blasphemy, because you, being a man, (C)make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in (D)your Law, (E)‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be (F)broken— 36 do you say of him whom (G)the Father consecrated and (H)sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because (I)I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 (J)If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, (K)even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that (L)the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 (M)Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.

40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place (N)where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but (O)everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And (P)many believed in him there.

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.