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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.
Duration: 861 days
New International Version (NIV)
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Psalm 63

Psalm 63[a]

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,(A)
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.(B)

I have seen you in the sanctuary(C)
    and beheld your power and your glory.(D)
Because your love is better than life,(E)
    my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,(F)
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.(G)
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;(H)
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you;
    I think of you through the watches of the night.(I)
Because you are my help,(J)
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.(K)
I cling to you;(L)
    your right hand upholds me.(M)

Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;(N)
    they will go down to the depths of the earth.(O)
10 They will be given over to the sword(P)
    and become food for jackals.(Q)

11 But the king will rejoice in God;
    all who swear by God will glory in him,(R)
    while the mouths of liars will be silenced.(S)

Psalm 103

Psalm 103

Of David.

Praise the Lord,(A) my soul;(B)
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.(C)
Praise the Lord,(D) my soul,
    and forget not(E) all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins(F)
    and heals(G) all your diseases,
who redeems your life(H) from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,(I)
who satisfies(J) your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed(K) like the eagle’s.(L)

The Lord works righteousness(M)
    and justice for all the oppressed.(N)

He made known(O) his ways(P) to Moses,
    his deeds(Q) to the people of Israel:
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,(R)
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;(S)
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve(T)
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love(U) for those who fear him;(V)
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions(W) from us.

13 As a father has compassion(X) on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,(Y)
    he remembers that we are dust.(Z)
15 The life of mortals is like grass,(AA)
    they flourish like a flower(AB) of the field;
16 the wind blows(AC) over it and it is gone,
    and its place(AD) remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children(AE)
18 with those who keep his covenant(AF)
    and remember(AG) to obey his precepts.(AH)

19 The Lord has established his throne(AI) in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules(AJ) over all.

20 Praise the Lord,(AK) you his angels,(AL)
    you mighty ones(AM) who do his bidding,(AN)
    who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,(AO)
    you his servants(AP) who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works(AQ)
    everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.(AR)

1 Kings 12:21-33

21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered all Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—a hundred and eighty thousand able young men—to go to war(A) against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon.

22 But this word of God came to Shemaiah(B) the man of God:(C) 23 “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to all Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 24 ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’” So they obeyed the word of the Lord and went home again, as the Lord had ordered.

Golden Calves at Bethel and Dan

25 Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem(D) in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel.[a](E)

26 Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem,(F) they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.”

28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves.(G) He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”(H) 29 One he set up in Bethel,(I) and the other in Dan.(J) 30 And this thing became a sin;(K) the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other.[b]

31 Jeroboam built shrines(L) on high places and appointed priests(M) from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. 32 He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth(N) month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel,(O) sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made. 33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel.(P) So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings.

Acts 4:18-31

18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.(A) 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him?(B) You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking(C) about what we have seen and heard.”(D)

21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people(E) were praising God(F) for what had happened. 22 For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.

The Believers Pray

23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.(G) “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.(H) 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:(I)

“‘Why do the nations rage
    and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
against the Lord
    and against his anointed one.[a][b](J)

27 Indeed Herod(K) and Pontius Pilate(L) met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus,(M) whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.(N) 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.(O) 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders(P) through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”(Q)

31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.(R) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit(S) and spoke the word of God(T) boldly.(U)

John 10:31-42

31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,(A) 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”(B)

34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law,(C) ‘I have said you are “gods”’[a]?(D) 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God(E) came—and Scripture cannot be set aside(F) 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart(G) as his very own(H) and sent into the world?(I) Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?(J) 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father.(K) 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”(L) 39 Again they tried to seize him,(M) but he escaped their grasp.(N)

40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan(O) to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign,(P) all that John said about this man was true.”(Q) 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.(R)

New International Version (NIV)

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