DAILY OFFICE

Daily scripture readings from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer

Tuesday, December 13

Today's readings include passages from Psalms, Isaiah, 2 Peter and Luke.

Psalm 45

1 My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;     I address my verses to the king;     my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe. 2 You are the most handsome of the sons of men;     grace is poured upon your lips;     therefore God has blessed you forever. 3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,     in your splendor and majesty! 4 In your majesty ride out victoriously     for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;     let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! 5 Your arrows are sharp     in the heart of the king's enemies;     the peoples fall under you. 6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.     The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; 7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.     Therefore God, your God, has anointed you     with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; 8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.     From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad; 9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;     at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir. 10 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:     forget your people and your father's house, 11 and the king will desire your beauty.     Since he is your lord, bow to him. 12 The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,     the richest of the people. 13 All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold. 14 In many-colored robes she is led to the king,     with her virgin companions following behind her. 15 With joy and gladness they are led along     as they enter the palace of the king. 16 In place of your fathers shall be your sons;     you will make them princes in all the earth. 17 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;     therefore nations will praise you forever and ever. 

 

Psalm 47

1 Clap your hands, all peoples!     Shout to God with loud songs of joy! 2 For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,     a great king over all the earth. 3 He subdued peoples under us,     and nations under our feet. 4 He chose our heritage for us,     the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah 5 God has gone up with a shout,     the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!     Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7 For God is the King of all the earth;     sing praises with a psalm! 8 God reigns over the nations;     God sits on his holy throne. 9 The princes of the peoples gather     as the people of the God of Abraham.     For the shields of the earth belong to God;     he is highly exalted!

 

Psalm 48

1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised     in the city of our God!     His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation,     is the joy of all the earth,     Mount Zion, in the far north,     the city of the great King. 3 Within her citadels God     has made himself known as a fortress. 4 For behold, the kings assembled;     they came on together. 5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;     they were in panic; they took to flight. 6 Trembling took hold of them there,     anguish as of a woman in labor. 7 By the east wind you shattered     the ships of Tarshish. 8 As we have heard, so have we seen     in the city of the Lord of hosts,     in the city of our God,     which God will establish forever. Selah 9 We have thought on your steadfast love, O God,     in the midst of your temple. 10 As your name, O God,     so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.     Your right hand is filled with righteousness. 11 Let Mount Zion be glad!     Let the daughters of Judah rejoice     because of your judgments! 12 Walk about Zion, go around her,     number her towers, 13 consider well her ramparts,     go through her citadels,     that you may tell the next generation 14 that this is God,     our God forever and ever.     He will guide us forever.

 

Isaiah 9:1-7

1  But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The people who walked in darkness     have seen a great light;     those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,     on them has light shone. 3 You have multiplied the nation;     you have increased its joy;     they rejoice before you     as with joy at the harvest,     as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden,     and the staff for his shoulder,     the rod of his oppressor,     you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult     and every garment rolled in blood     will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born,     to us a son is given;     and the government shall be upon his shoulder,     and his name shall be called     Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,     Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace     there will be no end,     on the throne of David and over his kingdom,     to establish it and to uphold it     with justice and with righteousness     from this time forth and forevermore.     The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

 

2 Peter 1:12-21

12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

 

Luke 22:54-69

54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly. 63 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. 64 They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” 65 And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him. 66 When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, 67 “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”

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