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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 83

O God, Do Not Keep Silence

A Song. A Psalm of (A)Asaph.

83 O God, do not keep silence;
    (B)do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
For behold, your enemies (C)make an uproar;
    those who hate you have (D)raised their heads.
They lay (E)crafty plans against your people;
    they consult together against your (F)treasured ones.
They say, “Come, (G)let us wipe them out as a nation;
    let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”
For they conspire with one accord;
    against you they make a covenant—
the tents of (H)Edom and (I)the Ishmaelites,
    (J)Moab and (K)the Hagrites,
(L)Gebal and (M)Ammon and (N)Amalek,
    (O)Philistia with the inhabitants of (P)Tyre;
(Q)Asshur also has joined them;
    they are the strong arm of (R)the children of Lot. Selah

Do to them as you did to (S)Midian,
    as to (T)Sisera and Jabin at (U)the river Kishon,
10 who were destroyed at (V)En-dor,
    who became (W)dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like (X)Oreb and Zeeb,
    all their princes like (Y)Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, (Z)“Let us take possession for ourselves
    of the pastures of God.”

13 O my God, make them like (AA)whirling dust,[a]
    like (AB)chaff before the wind.
14 As (AC)fire consumes the forest,
    as the flame (AD)sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so may you pursue them (AE)with your tempest
    and terrify them with your hurricane!
16 (AF)Fill their faces with shame,
    that they may seek your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be (AG)put to shame and dismayed forever;
    let them perish in disgrace,
18 that they may (AH)know that you alone,
    (AI)whose name is the Lord,
    are (AJ)the Most High over all the earth.

Psalm 34

Taste and See That the Lord Is Good

[a] Of David, when he (A)changed his behavior before (B)Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.

34 I will bless the Lord (C)at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul (D)makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and (E)be glad.
Oh, (F)magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together!

I (G)sought the Lord, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are (H)radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed.
(I)This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
    and (J)saved him out of all his troubles.
(K)The angel of the Lord (L)encamps
    around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Oh, (M)taste and see that (N)the Lord is good!
    (O)Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
    for those who fear him have no lack!
10 (P)The young lions suffer want and hunger;
    but those who (Q)seek the Lord lack no good thing.

11 (R)Come, O children, listen to me;
    (S)I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 (T)What man is there who desires life
    and loves many days, that he may (U)see good?
13 (V)Keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from (W)speaking deceit.
14 (X)Turn away from evil and do good;
    seek peace and (Y)pursue it.

15 (Z)The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
    (AA)and his ears toward their cry.
16 (AB)The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
    to (AC)cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 (AD)When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
    and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to (AE)the brokenhearted
    and saves (AF)the crushed in spirit.

19 (AG)Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
    (AH)but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
    (AI)not one of them is broken.
21 (AJ)Affliction will slay the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord (AK)redeems the life of his servants;
    none of those who take refuge in him will be (AL)condemned.

Psalm 85-86

Revive Us Again

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

85 Lord, you were (B)favorable to your land;
    you (C)restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You (D)forgave the iniquity of your people;
    you (E)covered all their sin. Selah
You withdrew all your wrath;
    you (F)turned from your hot anger.

(G)Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
    and put away your indignation toward us!
(H)Will you be angry with us forever?
    Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
Will you not (I)revive us again,
    that your people may (J)rejoice in you?
Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
    and grant us your salvation.

(K)Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
    for he will (L)speak peace to his people, to his (M)saints;
    but let them not (N)turn back to (O)folly.
Surely his (P)salvation is near to those who fear him,
    that (Q)glory may dwell in our land.

10 (R)Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;
    (S)righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs up from the ground,
    and righteousness looks down from the sky.
12 Yes, (T)the Lord will give what is good,
    and our land (U)will yield its increase.
13 (V)Righteousness will go before him
    and make his footsteps a way.

Great Is Your Steadfast Love

(W)A Prayer of David.

86 (X)Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
    for I am (Y)poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am (Z)godly;
    save your servant, who (AA)trusts in you—you are my God.
(AB)Be gracious to me, O Lord,
    for to you do I cry all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
    for (AC)to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For you, O Lord, are good and (AD)forgiving,
    (AE)abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
(AF)Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
    listen to my plea for grace.
In (AG)the day of my trouble I call upon you,
    (AH)for you answer me.

There is (AI)none like you among the gods, O Lord,
    (AJ)nor are there any works like yours.
(AK)All the nations you have made shall come
    and worship before you, O Lord,
    and shall glorify your name.
10 For (AL)you are great and (AM)do wondrous things;
    (AN)you alone are God.
11 (AO)Teach me your way, O Lord,
    that I may (AP)walk in your truth;
    (AQ)unite my heart to fear your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
    and I will glorify your name forever.
13 (AR)For great is your steadfast love toward me;
    you have (AS)delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

14 O God, insolent men have (AT)risen up against me;
    a band of ruthless men seeks my life,
    and they do not set you before them.
15 But you, O Lord, are a God (AU)merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
16 (AV)Turn to me and be gracious to me;
    give your strength to (AW)your servant,
    and save (AX)the son of your maidservant.
17 (AY)Show me a sign of your (AZ)favor,
    that those who hate me may see and be put to shame
    because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

1 Samuel 2:27-36

The Lord Rejects Eli's Household

27 And there came (A)a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, (B)‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? 28 (C)Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, (D)to wear an ephod before me? (E)I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. 29 Why then do you (F)scorn[a] my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’ 30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: (G)‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ (H)but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, (I)the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 Then (J)in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, (K)and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33 The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his[b] eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants[c] of your house shall die by the sword of men.[d] 34 (L)And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die (M)on the same day. 35 (N)And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. (O)And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before (P)my anointed forever. 36 And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, “Please put me in one of the priests' places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”’”

Acts 2:22-36

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, (A)a man attested to you by God (B)with (C)mighty works and wonders and signs that (D)God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus,[a] (E)delivered up according to (F)the definite plan and (G)foreknowledge of God, (H)you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 (I)God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because (J)it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,

(K)“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
    for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
    my flesh also will dwell (L)in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to (M)Hades,
    (N)or let your (O)Holy One (P)see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
    you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about (Q)the patriarch David (R)that he both died and (S)was buried, and (T)his tomb is with us to this day. 30 (U)Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that (V)God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that (W)he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus (X)God raised up, (Y)and of that we all are witnesses. 33 (Z)Being therefore (AA)exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from (AB)the Father (AC)the promise of the Holy Spirit, (AD)he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For (AE)David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

(AF)“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
35     until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that (AG)God has made him (AH)both Lord and Christ, this Jesus (AI)whom you crucified.”

Luke 20:41-21:4

Whose Son Is the Christ?

41 (A)But he said to them, “How can they say that (B)the Christ is (C)David's son? 42 For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,

(D)“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
43     until I make your enemies (E)your footstool.”’

44 David thus calls him Lord, so (F)how is he his son?”

Beware of the Scribes

45 (G)And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and (H)the places of honor at feasts, 47 (I)who devour widows' houses and (J)for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

The Widow's Offering

21 (K)Jesus[a] looked up and saw the rich (L)putting their gifts into (M)the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two (N)small copper coins.[b] And he said, “Truly, I tell you, (O)this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her (P)poverty put in all (Q)she had to live on.”

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.