DAILY OFFICE

Daily scripture readings from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer

Sunday, April 14

Today's readings include passages from Psalms, Exodus, 1 John and Mark.

Psalm 114

1 When Israel went out from Egypt,
    the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became his sanctuary,
    Israel his dominion.
3 The sea looked and fled;
    Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
    the hills like lambs.
5 What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
    O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams?
    O hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
    at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turns the rock into a pool of water,
    the flint into a spring of water.

Psalm 115

1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,     for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! 2 Why should the nations say,     “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in the heavens;     he does all that he pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold,     the work of human hands. 5 They have mouths, but do not speak;     eyes, but do not see. 6 They have ears, but do not hear;     noses, but do not smell. 7 They have hands, but do not feel;     feet, but do not walk;     and they do not make a sound in their throat. 8 Those who make them become like them;     so do all who trust in them. 9 O Israel, trust in the Lord!     He is their help and their shield. 10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!     He is their help and their shield. 11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!     He is their help and their shield. 12 The Lord has remembered us; he will bless us;     he will bless the house of Israel;     he will bless the house of Aaron; 13 he will bless those who fear the Lord,     both the small and the great. 14 May the Lord give you increase,     you and your children! 15 May you be blessed by the Lord,     who made heaven and earth! 16 The heavens are the Lord's heavens,     but the earth he has given to the children of man. 17 The dead do not praise the Lord,     nor do any who go down into silence. 18 But we will bless the Lord     from this time forth and forevermore.     Praise the Lord!

Psalm 148

1 Praise the Lord!     Praise the Lord from the heavens;     praise him in the heights! 2 Praise him, all his angels;     praise him, all his hosts! 3 Praise him, sun and moon,     praise him, all you shining stars! 4 Praise him, you highest heavens,     and you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord!     For he commanded and they were created. 6 And he established them forever and ever;     he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away. 7 Praise the Lord from the earth,     you great sea creatures and all deeps, 8 fire and hail, snow and mist,     stormy wind fulfilling his word! 9 Mountains and all hills,     fruit trees and all cedars! 10 Beasts and all livestock,     creeping things and flying birds! 11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,     princes and all rulers of the earth! 12 Young men and maidens together,     old men and children! 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,     for his name alone is exalted;     his majesty is above earth and heaven. 14 He has raised up a horn for his people,     praise for all his saints,     for the people of Israel who are near to him.     Praise the Lord!

Psalm 149

1 Praise the Lord!     Sing to the Lord a new song,     his praise in the assembly of the godly! 2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker;     let the children of Zion rejoice in their King! 3 Let them praise his name with dancing,     making melody to him with tambourine and lyre! 4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;     he adorns the humble with salvation. 5 Let the godly exult in glory;     let them sing for joy on their beds. 6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats     and two-edged swords in their hands, 7 to execute vengeance on the nations     and punishments on the peoples, 8 to bind their kings with chains     and their nobles with fetters of iron, 9 to execute on them the judgment written!     This is honor for all his godly ones.     Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150

1 Praise the Lord!     Praise God in his sanctuary;     praise him in his mighty heavens! 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;     praise him according to his excellent greatness! 3 Praise him with trumpet sound;     praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;     praise him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;     praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!     Praise the Lord!

Exodus 18:1-12

1 Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home, 3 along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”), 4 and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). 5 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. 6 And when he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” 7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. 8 Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10 Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” 12 And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.

1 John 2:7-17

7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in himthere is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. 12 I am writing to you, little children,     because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. 13 I am writing to you, fathers,     because you know him who is from the beginning.     I am writing to you, young men,     because you have overcome the evil one.     I write to you, children,     because you know the Father. 14 I write to you, fathers,     because you know him who is from the beginning.     I write to you, young men,     because you are strong,     and the word of God abides in you,     and you have overcome the evil one. 15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Mark 16:9-20

9 Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. 12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. 14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

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