DAILY OFFICE

Daily scripture readings from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer

Friday, May 5

Today's readings include passages from Psalms, Colossians and Luke.

Psalm 40

1 I waited patiently for the Lord;     he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction,     out of the miry bog,     and set my feet upon a rock,     making my steps secure. 3 He put a new song in my mouth,     a song of praise to our God.     Many will see and fear,     and put their trust in the Lord. 4 Blessed is the man who makes     the Lord his trust,     who does not turn to the proud,     to those who go astray after a lie! 5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God,     your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;     none can compare with you!     I will proclaim and tell of them,     yet they are more than can be told. 6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,     but you have given me an open ear.     Burnt offering and sin offering     you have not required. 7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;     in the scroll of the book it is written of me: 8 I delight to do your will, O my God;     your law is within my heart.” 9 I have told the glad news of deliverance     in the great congregation;     behold, I have not restrained my lips,     as you know, O Lord. 10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;     I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;     I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness     from the great congregation. 11 As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain     your mercy from me;     your steadfast love and your faithfulness will     ever preserve me! 12 For evils have encompassed me     beyond number;     my iniquities have overtaken me,     and I cannot see;     they are more than the hairs of my head;     my heart fails me. 13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me!     Lord, make haste to help me! 14 Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether     who seek to snatch away my life;     let those be turned back and brought to dishonor     who delight in my hurt! 15 Let those be appalled because of their shame     who say to me, “Aha, Aha!” 16 But may all who seek you     rejoice and be glad in you;     may those who love your salvation     say continually, “Great is the Lord!” 17 As for me, I am poor and needy,     but the Lord takes thought for me.     You are my help and my deliverer;     do not delay, O my God!

 

Psalm 51

1 Have mercy on me, O God,     according to your steadfast love;     according to your abundant mercy     blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,     and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions,     and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned     and done what is evil in your sight,     so that you may be justified in your words     and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,     and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,     and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;     wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness;     let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins,     and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,     and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence,     and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,     and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,     and sinners will return to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,     O God of my salvation,     and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips,     and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;     you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;     a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;     build up the walls of Jerusalem; 19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,     in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;     then bulls will be offered on your altar.

 

Psalm 54

1 O God, save me by your name,     and vindicate me by your might. 2 O God, hear my prayer;     give ear to the words of my mouth. 3 For strangers have risen against me;     ruthless men seek my life;     they do not set God before themselves. Selah 4 Behold, God is my helper;     the Lord is the upholder of my life. 5 He will return the evil to my enemies;     in your faithfulness put an end to them. 6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;     I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. 7 For he has delivered me from every trouble,     and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

 

Colossians 3:1-11

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old selfwith its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

 

Luke 7:1-17

1 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” 6 And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well. 11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

  English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.