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Daily Office Readings

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Psalms

Psalm 55

Exaudi, Deus
1Hear my prayer,O God; *
     do not hide yourself from my petition.
2Listen to me and answer me; *
     I have no peace, because of my cares.
3I am shaken by the noise of the enemy *
     and by the pressure of the wicked;
4For they have cast an evil spell upon me *
     and are set against me in fury.
5My heart quakes within me, *
     and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
6Fear and trembling have come over me, *
     and horror overwhelms me.
7And I said, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! *
     I would fly away and be at rest.
8I would flee to a far-off place *
     and make my lodging in the wilderness.
9I would hasten to escape *
     from the stormy wind and tempest."
10Swallow them up, O Lord;
     confound their speech; *
     for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
11Day and night the watchmen make their rounds upon her walls, *
     but trouble and misery are in the midst of her.
12There is corruption at her heart; *
     her streets are never free of oppression and deceit.
13For had it been an adversary who taunted me,
     then I could have borne it; *
     or had it been an enemy who vaunted himself against me,
     then I could have hidden from him.
14But it was you, a man after my own heart, *
     my companion, my own familiar friend.
15We took sweet counsel together, *
     and walked with the throng in the house of God.
16Let death come upon them suddenly;
     let them go down alive to the grave; *
     for wickedness is in their dwellings, in their very midst.
17But I will call upon God, *
     and the LORD will deliver me.
18In the evening, in the morning, and at noonday,
     I will complain and lament, *
     and he will hear my voice.
19He will bring me safely back from the battle waged against me; *
     for there are many who fight me.
20God, who is enthroned of old, will hear me and bring them down; *
     they never change; they do not fear God.
21My companion stretched forth his hand against his comrade; *
     he has broken his covenant.
22His speech is softer than butter, *
     but war is in his heart.
23His words are smoother than oil, *
     but they are drawn swords.
24Cast your burden upon the LORD,
     and he will sustain you; *
     he will never let the righteous stumble.
25For you will bring the bloodthirsty and deceitful *
     down to the pit of destruction, O God.
26They shall not live out half their days, *
     but I will put my trust in you.

:o: - Evening Psalms - :o:
 

Psalm 138

Confitebor tibi
1I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with my whole heart; *
     before the gods I will sing your praise.
2I will bow down toward your holy temple
     and praise your Name, *
     because of your love and faithfulness;
3For you have glorified your Name *
     and your word above all things.
4When I called, you answered me; *
     you increased my strength within me.
5All the kings of the earth will praise you, O LORD, *
     when they have heard the words of your mouth.
6They will sing of the ways of the LORD, *
     that great is the glory of the LORD.
7Though the LORD be high, he cares for the lowly; *
     he perceives the haughty from afar.
8Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *
     you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies;
     your right hand shall save me.
9The LORD will make good his purpose for me; *
     O LORD, your love endures for ever;
     do not abandon the works of your hands.

Psalm 139:1-17(18-23)

1LORD, you have searched me out and known me; *
     you know my sitting down and my rising up;
     you discern my thoughts from afar.
2You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
     and are acquainted with all my ways.
3Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
     but you, O LORD, know it altogether.
4You press upon me behind and before *
     and lay your hand upon me.
5Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
     it is so high that I cannot attain to it.
6Where can I go then from your Spirit? *
     where can I flee from your presence?
7If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *
     if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
8If I take the wings of the morning *
     and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
9Even there your hand will lead me *
     and your right hand hold me fast.
10If I say, "Surely the darkness will cover me, *
     and the light around me turn to night,"
11Darkness is not dark to you;
     the night is as bright as the day; *
     darkness and light to you are both alike.
12For you yourself created my inmost parts; *
     you knit me together in my mother's womb.
13I will thank you because I am marvelously made; *
     your works are wonderful, and I know it well.
14My body was not hidden from you, *
     while I was being made in secret
     and woven in the depths of the earth.
15Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb;
     all of them were written in your book; *
     they were fashioned day by day,
     when as yet there was none of them.
16How deep I find your thoughts, O God! *
     how great is the sum of them!
17If I were to count them, they would be more in number
     than the sand; *
     to count them all, my life span would need to
     be like yours.
(18Oh, that you would slay the wicked, O God! *
     You that thirst for blood, depart from me.
19They speak despitefully against you; *
     your enemies take your Name in vain.
20Do I not hate those, O LORD, who hate you? *
     and do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
21I hate them with a perfect hatred; *
     they have become my own enemies.
22Search me out, O God, and know my heart; *
     try me and know my restless thoughts.
23Look well whether there be any wickedness in me *
     and lead me in the way that is everlasting.)

Old Testament Reading

Joshua 23:1-16
¹Now it came to pass, a long time after the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua was old, advanced in age. ²And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them: "I am old, advanced in age. ³You have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the LORD your God is He who has fought for you. ⁴See, I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the Great Sea westward. ⁵And the LORD your God will expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight. So you shall possess their land, as the LORD your God promised you. ⁶Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, ⁷and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them, ⁸but you shall hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day. ⁹For the LORD has driven out from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. ¹⁰One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you. ¹¹Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God. ¹²Or else, if indeed you do go back, and cling to the remnant of these nations-these that remain among you-and make marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you, ¹³know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the LORD your God has given you. ¹⁴"Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. ¹⁵Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the LORD your God promised you, so the LORD will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the LORD your God has given you. ¹⁶When you have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you." -- NKJV

New Testament Reading

Romans 15:25-33
²⁵But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. ²⁶For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. ²⁷It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things. ²⁸Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain. ²⁹But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. ³⁰Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, ³¹that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, ³²that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you. ³³Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. -- NKJV

Gospel Reading

Matthew 27:11-23
¹¹Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?" Jesus said to him, "It is as you say." ¹²And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. ¹³Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?" ¹⁴But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly. ¹⁵Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. ¹⁶And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. ¹⁷Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" ¹⁸For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy. ¹⁹While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him." ²⁰But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. ²¹The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They said, "Barabbas!" ²²Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!" ²³Then the governor said, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they cried out all the more, saying, "Let Him be crucified!" -- NKJV

 

 

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.
(Unless otherwise noted.)
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