Print Page Options
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
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Version
Psalm 101

(A psalm by David.)

A King and His Promises

I will sing to you, Lord!
I will celebrate your kindness
    and your justice.
Please help me learn
    to do the right thing,
and I will be honest and fair
    in my own kingdom.

I refuse to be corrupt
or to take part
    in anything crooked,
and I won't be dishonest
    or deceitful.

Anyone who spreads gossip
    will be silenced;
no one who is conceited
    will be my friend.

I will find trustworthy people
    to serve as my advisors;
only an honest person
    will serve as an official.

No one who cheats or lies
will have a position
    in my royal court.
Each morning I will silence
    any lawbreakers I find
in the countryside
    or in the city of the Lord.

Psalm 109:1-30

(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

A Prayer for the Lord's Help

I praise you, God!
    Don't keep silent.
Destructive and deceitful lies
    are told about me,
and hateful things are said
    for no reason.
I had pity and prayed[a]
    for my enemies,
but their words to me
    were harsh and cruel.
For being friendly and kind,
they paid me back
    with meanness and hatred.

My enemies said,
“Find some worthless fools
    to accuse him of a crime.
Try him and find him guilty!
    Consider his prayers a lie.
(A) Cut his life short
and let someone else
    have his job.
Make orphans of his children
    and a widow of his wife;
10 make his children beg for food
    and live in the slums.

11 “Let the people he owes
take everything he owns.
    Give it all to strangers.
12 Don't let anyone be kind to him
or have pity on the children
    he leaves behind.
13 Bring an end to his family,
and from now on let him be
    a forgotten man.

14 “Don't let the Lord forgive
the sins of his parents
    and his ancestors.
15 Don't let the Lord forget
    the sins of his family,
or let anyone remember
    his family ever lived.
16 He was so cruel to the poor,
homeless, and discouraged
    that they died young.

17 “He cursed others.
    Now place a curse on him!
He never wished others well.
    Wish only trouble for him!
18 He cursed others more often
    than he dressed himself.
Let his curses strike him deep,
just as water and olive oil
    soak through to our bones.
19 Let his curses surround him,
just like the belt and clothes
    he wears each day.”

20 Those are the cruel things
my enemies wish for me.
    Let it all happen to them!
21 Be true to your name, Lord God!
Show your great kindness
    and rescue me.

22 I am poor and helpless,
    and I have lost all hope.
23 I am fading away
    like an evening shadow;
I am tossed aside
    like a crawling insect.
24 I have gone without eating,[b]
until my knees are weak,
    and my body is bony.
25 (B) When my enemies see me,
they say cruel things
    and shake their heads.

26 Please help me, Lord God!
Come and save me
    because of your love.
27 Let others know that you alone
    have saved me.
28 I don't care if they curse me,
    as long as you bless me.
You will make my enemies fail
    when they attack,
and you will make me glad
    to be your servant.
29 You will cover them with shame,
just as their bodies
    are covered with clothes.

30 I will sing your praises
and thank you, Lord,
    when your people meet.

Psalm 119:121-144

121 I did what was fair and right!
Don't hand me over to those
    who want to mistreat me.
122 Take good care of me,
    your servant,
and don't let me be harmed
    by those conceited people.
123 My eyes are weary from waiting
to see you keep your promise
    to come and save me.
124 Show your love for me,
your servant,
    and teach me your laws.
125 I serve you,
so let me understand
    your teachings.
126 Do something, Lord!
    They have broken your Law.
127 Your laws mean more to me
    than the finest gold.
128 I follow all your commands,[a]
but I hate anyone
    who leads me astray.

129 Your teachings are wonderful,
    and I respect them all.
130 Understanding your word
brings light to the minds
    of ordinary people.
131 I honestly want to know
    everything you teach.
132 Think about me and be kind,
just as you are to everyone
    who loves your name.
133 Keep your promise
and don't let me stumble
    or let sin control my life.
134 Protect me from abuse,
    so I can obey your laws.
135 Smile on me, your servant,
    and teach me your laws.
136 When anyone disobeys you,
    my eyes overflow with tears.

137 Our Lord, you always do right,
    and your decisions are fair.
138 All your teachings are true
    and trustworthy.
139 It upsets me greatly
when my enemies neglect
    your teachings.
140 Your word to me, your servant,
is like pure gold;
    I treasure what you say.
141 Everyone calls me a nobody,
    but I remember your laws.
142 You will always do right,
    and your teachings are true.
143 I am in deep distress,
    but I love your teachings.
144 Your rules are always fair.
Help me to understand them
    and live.

Isaiah 63:15-64:9

A Prayer for Mercy and Help

15 Please, Lord, look down
    from your holy and glorious
home in the heavens
    and see what's going on.
Have you lost interest?
    Where is your power?
Show that you care about us[a]
    and have mercy!
16 (A) Our ancestors Abraham and Jacob
    have both rejected us.
But you are still our Father;
you have been our protector
    since ancient times.

17 Why did you make us turn away
    from you, our Lord?
Why did you make us want
    to disobey you?
Please change your mind!
We are your servants,
    your very own people.
18 For a little while,
    your temple belonged to us;[b]
and now our enemies
    have torn it down.
19 We act as though you
had never ruled us
    or called us your people.

64 Rip the heavens apart!
Come down, Lord;
    make the mountains tremble.
Be a spark that starts a fire
    causing water to boil.[c]
Then your enemies will know
    who you are;
all nations will tremble
    because you are nearby.

Your fearsome deeds
    have completely amazed us;
even the mountains shake
    when you come down.
(B) You are the only God
    ever seen or heard of
who works miracles
    for his followers.

You help all who gladly obey
and do what you want,
    but sin makes you angry.
Only by your help
    can we ever be saved.[d]
We are unfit to worship you;
each of our good deeds
    is merely a filthy rag.
We dry up like leaves;
our sins are storm winds
    sweeping us away.
No one worships in your name
    or remains faithful.
You have turned your back on us
and let our sins melt us away.[e]

You, Lord, are our Father.
    We are nothing but clay,
but you are the potter
    who molded us.
Don't be so furious
or keep our sins
    in your thoughts forever!
Remember that all of us
    are your people.

1 Timothy 3

Church Officials

It is true that[a] anyone who desires to be a church official[b] wants to be something worthwhile. (A) That's why officials must have a good reputation and be faithful in marriage.[c] They must be self-controlled, sensible, well-behaved, friendly to strangers, and able to teach. They must not be heavy drinkers or troublemakers. Instead, they must be kind and gentle and not love money.

Church officials must be in control of their own families, and they must see that their children are obedient and always respectful. If they don't know how to control their own families, how can they look after God's people?

They must not be new followers of the Lord. If they are, they might become proud and be doomed along with the devil. Finally, they must be well-respected by people who are not followers. Then they won't be trapped and disgraced by the devil.

Church Officers

Church officers[d] should be serious. They must not be liars, heavy drinkers, or greedy for money. And they must have a clear conscience and hold firmly to what God has shown us about our faith. 10 They must first prove themselves. Then if no one has anything against them, they can serve as officers.

11 Women[e] must also be serious. They must not gossip or be heavy drinkers, and they must be faithful in everything they do.

12 Church officers must be faithful in marriage.[f] They must be in full control of their children and everyone else in their home. 13 Those who serve well as officers will earn a good reputation and will be highly respected for their faith in Christ Jesus.

The Mystery of Our Religion

14 I hope to visit you soon. But I am writing these instructions, 15 so if I am delayed, you will know how everyone who belongs to God's family ought to behave. After all, the church of the living God is the strong foundation of truth.

16 Here is the great mystery of our religion:

Christ[g] came as a human.
The Spirit proved
    that he pleased God,
and he was seen by angels.

Christ was preached
    to the nations.
People in this world
    put their faith in him,
and he was taken up to glory.

Mark 11:27-12:12

A Question about Jesus' Authority

(Matthew 21.23-27; Luke 20.1-8)

27 Jesus and his disciples returned to Jerusalem. And as he was walking through the temple, the chief priests, the nation's leaders, and the teachers of the Law of Moses came over to him. 28 They asked, “What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?”

29 Jesus answered, “I have just one question to ask you. If you answer it, I will tell you where I got the right to do these things. 30 Who gave John the right to baptize? Was it God in heaven or merely some human being?”

31 They thought it over and said to each other, “We can't say that God gave John this right. Jesus will ask us why we didn't believe John. 32 On the other hand, these people think that John was a prophet. So we can't say it was merely some human who gave John the right to baptize.”

They were afraid of the crowd 33 and told Jesus, “We don't know.”

Jesus replied, “Then I won't tell you who gave me the right to do what I do.”

Renters of a Vineyard

(Matthew 21.33-46; Luke 20.9-19)

12 (A) Jesus then told them this story:

A farmer once planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it and dug a pit to crush the grapes in. He also built a lookout tower. Then he rented out his vineyard and left the country.

When it was harvest time, he sent a servant to get his share of the grapes. The renters grabbed the servant, beat him up, and sent him away without a thing.

The owner sent another servant, but the renters beat him on the head and insulted him terribly. Then the man sent another servant, and they killed him. He kept sending servant after servant. They beat some of them and killed some.

The owner had a son he loved very much. Finally, he sent his son to the renters because he thought they would respect him. But they said to themselves, “Someday he will own this vineyard. Let's kill him! That way we can have it all for ourselves.” So they grabbed the owner's son, killed him, and threw his body out of the vineyard.

Jesus asked, “What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? He will come and kill those renters and let someone else have his vineyard. 10 (B) You surely know that the Scriptures say,

‘The stone the builders
    tossed aside
is now the most important
    stone of all.
11 This is something
the Lord has done,
    and it is amazing to us.’ ”

12 The leaders knew that Jesus was really talking about them, and they wanted to arrest him. But because they were afraid of the crowd, they let him alone and left.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.