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Daily scripture readings from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer

Tuesday, April 30

Today's readings include passages from Psalms, Leviticus, 1 Thessalonians and Matthew.

Psalm 61

1 Hear my cry, O God,     listen to my prayer; 2 from the end of the earth I call to you     when my heart is faint.     Lead me to the rock     that is higher than I, 3 for you have been my refuge,     a strong tower against the enemy. 4 Let me dwell in your tent forever!     Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah 5 For you, O God, have heard my vows;     you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. 6 Prolong the life of the king;     may his years endure to all generations! 7 May he be enthroned forever before God;     appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him! 8 So will I ever sing praises to your name,     as I perform my vows day after day.

Psalm 62

1 For God alone my soul waits in silence;     from him comes my salvation. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,     my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. 3 How long will all of you attack a man     to batter him,     like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? 4 They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.     They take pleasure in falsehood.     They bless with their mouths,     but inwardly they curse. Selah 5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,     for my hope is from him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation,     my fortress; I shall not be shaken. 7 On God rests my salvation and my glory;     my mighty rock, my refuge is God. 8 Trust in him at all times, O people;     pour out your heart before him;     God is a refuge for us. Selah 9 Those of low estate are but a breath;     those of high estate are a delusion;     in the balances they go up;     they are together lighter than a breath. 10 Put no trust in extortion;     set no vain hopes on robbery;     if riches increase, set not your heart on them. 11 Once God has spoken;     twice have I heard this:     that power belongs to God, 12 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.     For you will render to a man     according to his work.

Psalm 68

1 God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered;     and those who hate him shall flee before him! 2 As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;     as wax melts before fire,     so the wicked shall perish before God! 3 But the righteous shall be glad;     they shall exult before God;     they shall be jubilant with joy! 4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name;     lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;     his name is the Lord;     exult before him! 5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows     is God in his holy habitation. 6 God settles the solitary in a home;     he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,     but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. 7 O God, when you went out before your people,     when you marched through the wilderness, Selah 8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,     before God, the One of Sinai,     before God, the God of Israel. 9 Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;     you restored your inheritance as it languished; 10 your flock found a dwelling in it;     in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy. 11 The Lord gives the word;     the women who announce the news are a great host: 12 “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!”     The women at home divide the spoil— 13 though you men lie among the sheepfolds—     the wings of a dove covered with silver,     its pinions with shimmering gold. 14 When the Almighty scatters kings there,     let snow fall on Zalmon. 15 O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;     O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan! 16 Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,     at the mount that God desired for his abode,     yes, where the Lord will dwell forever? 17 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,     thousands upon thousands;     the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary. 18 You ascended on high,     leading a host of captives in your train     and receiving gifts among men,     even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there. 19 Blessed be the Lord,     who daily bears us up;     God is our salvation. Selah 20 Our God is a God of salvation,     and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death. 21 But God will strike the heads of his enemies,     the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways. 22 The Lord said,     “I will bring them back from Bashan,     I will bring them back from the depths of the sea, 23 that you may strike your feet in their blood,     that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.” 24 Your procession is seen, O God,     the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary— 25 the singers in front, the musicians last,     between them virgins playing tambourines: 26 “Bless God in the great congregation,     the Lord, O you who are of Israel's fountain!” 27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,     the princes of Judah in their throng,     the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. 28 Summon your power, O God,     the power, O God, by which you have worked for us. 29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem     kings shall bear gifts to you. 30 Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds,     the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.     Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute;     scatter the peoples who delight in war. 31 Nobles shall come from Egypt;     Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God. 32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;     sing praises to the Lord, Selah 33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;     behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. 34 Ascribe power to God,     whose majesty is over Israel,     and whose power is in the skies. 35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary;     the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.     Blessed be God!

Leviticus 16:20-34

20 “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. 22 The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. 23 “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there. 24 And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. 26 And he who lets the goat go to Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 27 And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire. 28 And he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 29 “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. 30 For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. 31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. 32 And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father's place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. 33 He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Matthew 6:7-15

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

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