DAILY OFFICE

Daily scripture readings from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer

Wednesday, April 10

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

Psalm 12

1 Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone;     for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. 2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;     with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. 3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,     the tongue that makes great boasts, 4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,     our lips are with us; who is master over us?” 5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,     I will now arise,” says the Lord;     “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” 6 The words of the Lord are pure words,     like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,     purified seven times. 7 You, O Lord, will keep them;     you will guard us from this generation forever. 8 On every side the wicked prowl,     as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

Psalm 13

1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?     How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul     and have sorrow in my heart all the day?     How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;     light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”     lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;     my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord,     because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 14

1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”     They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,     there is none who does good. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,     to see if there are any who understand,     who seek after God. 3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;     there is none who does good,     not even one. 4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers     who eat up my people as they eat bread     and do not call upon the Lord? 5 There they are in great terror,     for God is with the generation of the righteous. 6 You would shame the plans of the poor,     but the Lord is his refuge. 7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!     When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,     let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Psalm 119:1-24

1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,     who walk in the law of the Lord! 2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,     who seek him with their whole heart, 3 who also do no wrong,     but walk in his ways! 4 You have commanded your precepts     to be kept diligently. 5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast     in keeping your statutes! 6 Then I shall not be put to shame,     having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. 7 I will praise you with an upright heart,     when I learn your righteous rules. 8 I will keep your statutes;     do not utterly forsake me! 9 How can a young man keep his way pure?     By guarding it according to your word. 10 With my whole heart I seek you;     let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart,     that I might not sin against you. 12 Blessed are you, O Lord;     teach me your statutes! 13 With my lips I declare     all the rules of your mouth. 14 In the way of your testimonies I delight     as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on your precepts     and fix my eyes on your ways. 16 I will delight in your statutes;     I will not forget your word. 17 Deal bountifully with your servant,     that I may live and keep your word. 18 Open my eyes, that I may behold     wondrous things out of your law. 19 I am a sojourner on the earth;     hide not your commandments from me! 20 My soul is consumed with longing     for your rules at all times. 21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,     who wander from your commandments. 22 Take away from me scorn and contempt,     for I have kept your testimonies. 23 Even though princes sit plotting against me,     your servant will meditate on your statutes. 24 Your testimonies are my delight;     they are my counselors.

Exodus 15:22-16:10

22 Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. 24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he cried to the Lord, and the Lordshowed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, 26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water. 16:1 They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.” 9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” 10 And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.

1 Peter 2:1-10

1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

John 15:1-11

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

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