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
Expanded Bible (EXB)
Version
Psalm 118

Thanksgiving for Victory

118 ·Thank [Praise] the Lord because he is good.
    His ·love [loyalty] ·continues [endures] forever.
Let Israel say,
    “His ·love [loyalty] ·continues [endures] forever.”
Let the ·family [L house] of Aaron [C the priests] say,
    “His ·love [loyalty] ·continues [endures] forever.”
Let those who ·respect [fear] the Lord [Prov. 1:7] say,
    “His ·love [loyalty] ·continues [endures] forever.”

I was in ·trouble [distress], so I ·called [prayed] to the Lord.
    The Lord answered me and set me ·free [L in a broad place].
I will not ·be afraid [fear], because the Lord is with me [Rom. 8:31].
    ·People can’t do anything [L What can people do…?] to me [Heb. 13:6].
The Lord is with me to help me,
    so I will ·see my enemies defeated [L look on my enemy; C in triumph].
It is better to ·trust [find refuge in] the Lord
    than to ·trust [have confidence in] people.
It is better to ·trust [find refuge in] the Lord
    than to ·trust [have confidence in] princes.

10 All the nations surrounded me,
    but I ·defeated them [warded them off] in the name of the Lord.
11 They surrounded me; they surrounded me on every side,
    but ·with the Lord’s power [L in the name of the Lord] I ·defeated them [warded them off].
12 They surrounded me like a swarm of bees,
    but they ·died [L were extinguished] as quickly as thorns burn.
    ·By the Lord’s power [L In the name of the Lord], I ·defeated them [warded them off].
13 They [or You] ·chased me [pushed me hard] until I ·was almost defeated [almost fell],
    but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord ·gives me strength and a song [L is my strength and song/or might].
    He has ·saved me [given me victory].

15 Shouts of joy and victory
    come from the tents of ·those who do right [the righteous]:
    “The right hand of the Lord has done powerful things.”
16 The ·power [L right hand] of the Lord ·has won the victory [is exalted];
    with his ·power [L right hand] the Lord has done powerful things.

17 I will not die, but live,
    and I will ·tell [recount] what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord has ·taught me a hard lesson [L surely disciplined/instructed me],
    but he did not ·let me die [L give me over to death].

19 Open for me the ·Temple gates [L gates of righteousness].
    Then I will come in and ·thank [praise] the Lord.
20 This is the Lord’s gate;
    only ·those who are good [the righteous] may enter through it [15; 24:3–6].
21 Lord, I ·thank [praise] you for answering me.
    You have ·saved me [given me victory].

22 The stone that the builders rejected
    became the chief cornerstone [Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:7].
23 ·The Lord did this [L This is from the Lord],
    and it is wonderful ·to us [L in our eyes; Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10–11].
24 This is the day that the Lord has made.
    Let us rejoice and be glad ·today [L in it]!

25 Please, Lord, ·save us [give us victory];
    please, Lord, give us ·success [prosperity].
26 ·God bless [Blessed be] the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
    We bless all of you from the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord [Mark 11:9; Luke 13:35; 19:38].
27 The Lord is God,
    and he has ·shown kindness to [illuminated; given light to] us.
·With branches in your hands, join the feast [L Bind the feast/procession with branches].
    Come to the ·corners [L horns; Ex. 27:2] of the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will ·thank [praise] you;
you are my God, and I will ·praise your greatness [L exalt you].

29 ·Thank [Praise] the Lord because he is good.
His ·love [loyalty] ·continues [endures] forever.

Psalm 145

Praise to God the King

A psalm of praise. Of David.

145 I ·praise your greatness [exalt you], my God the King;
    I will ·praise [bless] ·you [L your name] forever and ever.
I will ·praise [bless] you every day;
    I will praise ·you [L your name] forever and ever.
The Lord is great and ·worthy of our praise [greatly to be praised; 48:1];
    ·no one can understand how great he is [L there is no searching out/limit to his greatness].

·Parents [L A generation] will ·tell their children [L praise to a generation] what you have done.
    They will ·retell [proclaim] your mighty acts,
·wonderful majesty, and glory [L and the majestic glory of your splendor; C God’s manifest presence].
    And I will ·think about [meditate on] your ·miracles [wonderful works].
They will tell about the ·amazing things you do [L might of your awesomeness],
    and I will ·tell [recount] how great you are.
They will ·remember [bubble forth with] ·your great goodness [L the remembrance of your goodness]
    and will sing about your ·fairness [righteousness].

The Lord is ·kind [gracious] and ·shows mercy [compassionate].
    He ·does not become angry quickly [is slow to anger] but ·is full of love [has great loyalty].
The Lord is good to everyone;
    he is ·merciful [compassionate] to all he has made [86:15; 103:8; Ex. 34:6–7; Neh. 9:17, 31; Joel 2:13; Jon. 4:2].
10 Lord, everything you have made will ·praise [bless] you;
    ·those who belong to you [your saints/loyal ones] will bless you.
11 They will tell about the glory of your kingdom
    and will speak about your ·power [strength].
12 Then everyone will know the mighty things you do
    and the glory and ·majesty [splendor] of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom ·will go on and on [L is an eternal kingdom],
    and you will rule ·forever [L from generation to generation; Dan. 4:3].

The Lord ·will keep all his promises [L is faithful/true in all his words];
    he is loyal to all he has made.[a]
14 The Lord ·helps [supports] those who have ·been defeated [L fallen]
    and ·takes care of [L lifts up] those who are ·in trouble [bowed down].
15 ·All living things look to you for food [L The eyes of all look to you],
    and you give ·it [L their food] to them at the right time.
16 You open your hand,
    and you satisfy the desire of all living things [Matt. 6:25–27].

17 ·Everything the Lord does is right [L The Lord is righteous in all his ways].
    He is loyal ·to all he has made [or in all his deeds].
18 The Lord is ·close [near] to everyone who ·prays to [calls on] him,
    to all who ·truly pray to him [call on him in truth/faithfulness].
19 He ·gives those who respect him what they want [L accomplishes the desire of all who fear him; Prov. 1:7].
    He listens when they cry, and he ·saves them [gives them victory].
20 The Lord ·protects [guards; keeps] everyone who loves him,
    but he will destroy the wicked.

21 ·I will praise [L My mouth will speak the praise of] the Lord.
Let ·everyone [L all flesh] ·praise [bless] his holy name forever.

Isaiah 19:19-25

19 ·At that time [L In that day] there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of Egypt and a ·monument [or sacred pillar] to the Lord at the border of Egypt. 20 This will be a sign and a witness to the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] in the land of Egypt. When the people cry to the Lord for help, he will send a savior and defender, who will rescue them.

21 So the Lord will ·show himself [make himself known] to the Egyptians, and ·then [L in that day] they will ·know he is [acknowledge; know] the Lord. They will ·worship [serve] God ·and offer many sacrifices [with sacrifices and offerings]. They will make ·promises [vows] to the Lord and will keep them. 22 The Lord will ·punish [L strike] the Egyptians, but then he will heal them. They will ·come back [return] to the Lord, and he will listen to their ·prayers [pleas] and heal them.

23 ·At that time [L In that day] there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians will go to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship God together. 24 ·At that time [L In that day] ·Israel, Assyria, and Egypt will join together [L Israel will be the third, with Egypt and Assyria; C a great power like them], which will be a blessing for the earth. 25 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] will bless them, saying, “Egypt, you are my people. Assyria, ·I made you [L the work of my hands]. Israel, ·I own you [my inheritance]. You are all blessed!”

Romans 15:5-13

May ·the patience and encouragement that come from God [L the God of patience and encouragement] ·allow you to live in harmony with each other the way Christ Jesus wants [or grant you the same attitude with each other that Christ Jesus had]. ·Then [L …so that] ·you will all be joined together and [L together with one voice/mouth] you will give glory to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept each another, just as Christ accepted you. ·This will bring glory to God [or In this way Christ brought glory to God; L …to the glory of God]. [L For] I tell you that Christ became a servant of the ·Jews [L circumcised] to ·show [confirm] that God’s promises to the ·Jewish ancestors [patriarchs; fathers] are true. And he also did this so that the Gentiles could give glory to God for the mercy he gives to them. [L Just as] It is written in the Scriptures:

“So I will ·praise [confess] you among the ·Gentiles [nations].
    I will sing ·praises [psalms] to your name [Ps. 18:49].”

10 ·The Scripture also [L And again it] says,

“·Be happy [Rejoice; Celebrate], you ·Gentiles [nations], together with his people [Deut. 32:43].”

11 ·Again the Scripture says [L And again],

“All you ·Gentiles [nations], praise the Lord.
    All you people, sing praises to him [Ps. 117:1].”

12 And [L again] Isaiah says,

“·A new king will come from the family of Jesse [The root of Jesse will come/sprout; C Jesse was the father of King David].
    He will ·come [rise up] to rule over the ·Gentiles [nations],
and they will ·have hope because of [put their hope in] him [Is. 11:10].”

13 I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with ·much [L all] joy and peace ·while you trust [because you trust; through your faith] in him. Then your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 19:11-27

A Story About Three Servants(A)

11 As ·the people [L they; C either the disciples, the guests of Zacchaeus, or the larger crowd] were listening to this, Jesus told them a ·story [parable] because he was near Jerusalem and ·they thought [it seemed to them] God’s kingdom would appear immediately. 12 He said: “A ·very important man [nobleman] went to a country far away to ·be made a king [L receive a kingdom] and then to return home [C Judean kings, like Herod the Great and his son Archelaus, received their authority to rule from the emperor in Rome]. 13 So he called ten of his ·servants [slaves] and gave a coin [C Greek: mina; worth 100 denarii, or about 3 months’ wages] to each servant. He said, ‘·Do business with [Invest; Trade with] this money until I get back.’ 14 But ·the people in the kingdom [L his citizens/subjects] hated the man. So they sent a ·group [delegation; embassy] to follow him and say, ‘We don’t want this man to ·be our king [L rule/reign over us].’

15 “But the man ·became king [L received the kingdom]. When he returned home, he said, ‘Call those ·servants [slaves] who have my money so I can know how much they earned with it.’

16 “The first servant came and said, ‘Sir, ·I earned ten coins with the one you gave me [L your mina has earned ten minas].’ 17 The king said to the servant, ‘Excellent! ·You are a good servant [Good servant/slave!]. Since ·I can trust you [you have been faithful] with small things, I will let you ·rule [govern; L have authority] over ten of my cities.’

18 “The second servant said, ‘Sir, ·I earned five coins with your one [L your mina earned five minas].’ 19 The king said to this servant, ‘You can ·rule [be; take charge] over five cities.’

20 “Then another servant came in and said to the king, ‘Sir, here is your ·coin [mina] which I ·wrapped [stored away] in a ·piece of cloth [handkerchief] and hid. 21 [L For; Because] I was afraid of you, because you are a ·hard [harsh; demanding; severe] man. You even take ·money that [L out what] you didn’t ·earn [L put in] and ·gather food that [harvest what] you didn’t ·plant [sow].’ 22 Then the king said to the servant, ‘I will ·condemn [judge] you ·by your own words [L from your mouth], you ·evil [wicked; or worthless] servant. You knew that I am a ·hard [harsh; demanding; severe] man, taking ·money that [L out what] I didn’t ·earn [L put in]and ·gathering food that [L harvesting what] I didn’t ·plant [sow]. 23 Why then didn’t you put my money ·in the bank [L on the table; C referring to the banker’s table]? Then when I came back, my money would have earned some interest.’

24 “·The king [He] said to the men who were standing by, ‘Take the ·coin [L mina] away from this servant and give it to the servant who earned ten ·coins [L minas].’ 25 They said, ‘But sir, that servant already has ten ·coins [L minas].’ 26 ·The king said [L I say to you], ‘Those who have will be given more, but those who do not have anything ·will have everything [L even what they have will be] taken away from them. 27 Now ·where are my enemies [or concerning those enemies] who didn’t want me to ·be king [rule/reign over them]? Bring them here and ·kill [slay; slaughter] them before me.’”

Expanded Bible (EXB)

The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.