DAILY OFFICE

Daily scripture readings from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer

Tuesday, November 1

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

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! As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;     as wax melts before fire,     so the wicked shall perish before God! But the righteous shall be glad;     they shall exult before God;     they shall be jubilant with joy! 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! Father of the fatherless and protector of widows     is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home;     he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,     but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. O God, when you went out before your people,     when you marched through the wilderness, Selah the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,     before God, the One of Sinai,     before God, the God of Israel. 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!

 

Revelation 14:14-15:8

14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. 17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia. 15:1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. 2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. 3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,     “Great and amazing are your deeds,     O Lord God the Almighty!     Just and true are your ways,     O King of the nations! 4 Who will not fear, O Lord,     and glorify your name?     For you alone are holy.     All nations will come     and worship you,     for your righteous acts have been revealed.” 5 After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, 6 and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. 7 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, 8 and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

 

Luke 13:1-9

1 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” 6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

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