DAILY OFFICE

Daily scripture readings from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer

Wednesday, January 11

Today's readings include passages from Psalms, Isaiah, Ephesians and Mark.

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.

 

Isaiah 41:1-16

1 Listen to me in silence, O coastlands;     let the peoples renew their strength;     let them approach, then let them speak;     let us together draw near for judgment. 2 Who stirred up one from the east     whom victory meets at every step?     He gives up nations before him,     so that he tramples kings underfoot;     he makes them like dust with his sword,     like driven stubble with his bow. 3 He pursues them and passes on safely,     by paths his feet have not trod. 4 Who has performed and done this,     calling the generations from the beginning?     I, the Lord, the first,     and with the last; I am he. 5 The coastlands have seen and are afraid;     the ends of the earth tremble;     they have drawn near and come. 6 Everyone helps his neighbor     and says to his brother, “Be strong!” 7 The craftsman strengthens the goldsmith,     and he who smooths with the hammer him who strikes the anvil,     saying of the soldering, “It is good”;     and they strengthen it with nails so that it cannot be moved. 8 But you, Israel, my servant,     Jacob, whom I have chosen,     the offspring of Abraham, my friend; 9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth,     and called from its farthest corners,     saying to you, “You are my servant,     I have chosen you and not cast you off”; 10 fear not, for I am with you;     be not dismayed, for I am your God;     I will strengthen you, I will help you,     I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 11 Behold, all who are incensed against you     shall be put to shame and confounded;     those who strive against you     shall be as nothing and shall perish. 12 You shall seek those who contend with you,     but you shall not find them;     those who war against you     shall be as nothing at all. 13 For I, the Lord your God,     hold your right hand;     it is I who say to you, “Fear not,     I am the one who helps you.” 14 Fear not, you worm Jacob,     you men of Israel!     I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord;     your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. 15 Behold, I make of you a threshing sledge,     new, sharp, and having teeth;     you shall thresh the mountains and crush them,     and you shall make the hills like chaff; 16 you shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away,     and the tempest shall scatter them.     And you shall rejoice in the Lord;     in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.

 

Ephesians 2:1-10

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

 

Mark 1:29-45

29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. 35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. 40 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

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