Previous Prev Day Next DayNext

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 26

I Will Bless the Lord

Of David.

26 (A)Vindicate me, O Lord,
    for I have (B)walked in my integrity,
    and I have (C)trusted in the Lord without wavering.
(D)Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
    test my heart and (E)my mind.[a]
For your (F)steadfast love is before my eyes,
    and I (G)walk in your (H)faithfulness.

I do not (I)sit with men of (J)falsehood,
    nor do I consort with hypocrites.
I (K)hate the assembly of evildoers,
    and I will not sit with the wicked.

I (L)wash my hands in innocence
    and go around your altar, O Lord,
proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
    and telling all your (M)wondrous deeds.

O Lord, I (N)love the habitation of your house
    and the place where your glory dwells.
(O)Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
    nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
10 in whose hands are evil devices,
    and whose right hands are full of (P)bribes.

11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
    redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on (Q)level ground;
    in (R)the great assembly I will bless the Lord.

Psalm 28

The Lord Is My Strength and My Shield

Of David.

28 To you, O Lord, I call;
    (A)my rock, be not deaf to me,
lest, if you (B)be silent to me,
    I become like those who (C)go down to the pit.
(D)Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,
    when I cry to you for help,
when I (E)lift up my hands
    (F)toward your most holy sanctuary.[a]

Do not (G)drag me off with the wicked,
    with the workers of evil,
(H)who speak peace with their neighbors
    while evil is in their hearts.
(I)Give to them according to their work
    and according to the evil of their deeds;
give to them according to the work of their hands;
    (J)render them their due reward.
Because they (K)do not regard the works of the Lord
    or the work of his hands,
he will tear them down and build them up no more.

Blessed be the Lord!
    For he has (L)heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and (M)my shield;
    in him my heart (N)trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
    and with my (O)song I give thanks to him.

The Lord is the strength of his people;[b]
    he is (P)the saving refuge of his anointed.
Oh, save your people and bless (Q)your heritage!
    (R)Be their shepherd and (S)carry them forever.

Psalm 36

How Precious Is Your Steadfast Love

To the choirmaster. Of David, the (A)servant of the Lord.

36 Transgression speaks to the wicked
    deep in his heart;[a]
(B)there is no fear of God
    before his eyes.
(C)For he flatters himself in his own eyes
    that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
The words of his mouth are (D)trouble and deceit;
    (E)he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
He (F)plots (G)trouble while on his bed;
    he sets himself in (H)a way that is not good;
    (I)he does not reject evil.

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.
(J)Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
    (K)your judgments are like the great deep;
    man and beast you (L)save, O Lord.

(M)How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
    The children of mankind take refuge (N)in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on (O)the abundance of your house,
    and you give them drink from (P)the river of (Q)your delights.
For with you is (R)the fountain of life;
    (S)in your light do we see light.

10 Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who (T)know you,
    and your righteousness to (U)the upright of heart!
11 Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,
    nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There (V)the evildoers lie fallen;
    they are thrust down, (W)unable to rise.

Psalm 39

What Is the Measure of My Days?

To the choirmaster: to (A)Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

39 I said, “I will (B)guard my ways,
    that I (C)may not sin with my tongue;
I will (D)guard my mouth with a muzzle,
    so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
I was (E)mute and silent;
    I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse.
    My (F)heart became hot within me.
As I mused, the fire burned;
    then I spoke with my tongue:

“O Lord, (G)make me know my end
    and what is the measure of my days;
    let me know how fleeting I am!
Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
    and (H)my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely (I)all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah
    Surely a man (J)goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing[a] they are in turmoil;
    man (K)heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!

“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
    (L)My hope is in you.
Deliver me from all my transgressions.
    (M)Do not make me the scorn of the fool!
(N)I am mute; I do not open my mouth,
    (O)for it is you who have done it.
10 (P)Remove your stroke from me;
    I am spent by the hostility of your hand.
11 When you discipline a man
    with (Q)rebukes for sin,
you (R)consume like a (S)moth what is dear to him;
    (T)surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah

12 (U)“Hear my prayer, O Lord,
    and give ear to my cry;
    hold not your peace at my tears!
For I am (V)a sojourner with you,
    (W)a guest, like all my fathers.
13 (X)Look away from me, that I may smile again,
    (Y)before I depart and (Z)am no more!”

Amos 7:10-17

Amos Accused

10 Then Amaziah (A)the priest of Bethel sent to (B)Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has (C)conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said,

“‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
    and (D)Israel must go into exile
    away from his land.’”

12 And Amaziah said to Amos, (E)“O seer, go, flee away (F)to the land of Judah, and (G)eat bread there, and prophesy there, 13 but (H)never again prophesy at Bethel, for (I)it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”

14 Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, (J)“I was[a] no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but (K)I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. 15 (L)But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 (M)Now therefore hear the word of the Lord.

“You say, (N)‘Do not prophesy against Israel,
    and (O)do not preach against the house of (P)Isaac.’

17 (Q)Therefore thus says the Lord:

“‘Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city,
    and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword,
    and your land (R)shall be divided up with a measuring line;
you yourself shall die in an unclean land,
    and (S)Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’”

Revelation 1:9-16

Vision of the Son of Man

I, John, your brother and (A)partner in (B)the tribulation and (C)the kingdom and (D)the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos (E)on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 (F)I was in the Spirit (G)on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice (H)like a trumpet 11 saying, (I)“Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw (J)seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands (K)one like (L)a son of man, (M)clothed with a long robe and (N)with a golden sash around his chest. 14 (O)The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. (P)His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 (Q)his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and (R)his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 (S)In his right hand he held seven stars, (T)from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and (U)his face was like the sun shining (V)in full strength.

Matthew 22:34-46

The Great Commandment

34 (A)But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced (B)the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 (C)And one of them, (D)a lawyer, asked him a question (E)to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, (F)“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And (G)a second is like it: (H)You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 (I)On these two commandments depend (J)all the Law and the Prophets.”

Whose Son Is the Christ?

41 (K)Now while the Pharisees (L)were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about (M)the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, (N)“The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, (O)in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

44 (P)“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
    until I put your enemies under your feet”’?

45 If then David calls him Lord, (Q)how is he his son?” 46 (R)And no one was able to answer him a word, (S)nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

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.