DAILY OFFICE

Daily scripture readings from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer

Monday, July 17

Today's readings include passages from Psalms, 1 Samuel, Acts and Mark.

Psalm 9

1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;     I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. 2 I will be glad and exult in you;     I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. 3 When my enemies turn back,     they stumble and perish before your presence. 4 For you have maintained my just cause;     you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. 5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;     you have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;     their cities you rooted out;     the very memory of them has perished. 7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever;     he has established his throne for justice, 8 and he judges the world with righteousness;     he judges the peoples with uprightness. 9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,     a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 And those who know your name put their trust in you,     for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. 11 Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion!     Tell among the peoples his deeds! 12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;     he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. 13 Be gracious to me, O Lord!     See my affliction from those who hate me,     O you who lift me up from the gates of death, 14 that I may recount all your praises,     that in the gates of the daughter of Zion     I may rejoice in your salvation. 15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;     in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. 16 The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment;     the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah 17 The wicked shall return to Sheol,     all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,     and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. 19 Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail;     let the nations be judged before you! 20 Put them in fear, O Lord!     Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah

 

Psalm 15

1 Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?     Who shall dwell on your holy hill? 2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right     and speaks truth in his heart; 3 who does not slander with his tongue     and does no evil to his neighbor,     nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,     but who honors those who fear the Lord;     who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 who does not put out his money at interest     and does not take a bribe against the innocent.     He who does these things shall never be moved.

 

Psalm 25

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, in you I trust;     let me not be put to shame;     let not my enemies exult over me. 3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;     they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;     teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,     for you are the God of my salvation;     for you I wait all the day long. 6 Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,     for they have been from of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;     according to your steadfast love remember me,     for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! 8 Good and upright is the Lord;     therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 9 He leads the humble in what is right,     and teaches the humble his way. 10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,     for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11 For your name's sake, O Lord,     pardon my guilt, for it is great. 12 Who is the man who fears the Lord?     Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. 13 His soul shall abide in well-being,     and his offspring shall inherit the land. 14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,     and he makes known to them his covenant. 15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord,     for he will pluck my feet out of the net. 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,     for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged;     bring me out of my distresses. 18 Consider my affliction and my trouble,     and forgive all my sins. 19 Consider how many are my foes,     and with what violent hatred they hate me. 20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!     Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me,     for I wait for you. 22 Redeem Israel, O God,     out of all his troubles.

 

1 Samuel 18:5-16, 27b-30

5 And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. 6 As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. 7 And the women sang to one another as they celebrated,     “Saul has struck down his thousands,     and David his ten thousands.” 8 And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” 9 And Saul eyed David from that day on. 10 The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand. 11 And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice. 12 Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. 13 So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people. 14 And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him. 15 And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them. ...  27b And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. 28 But when Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him, 29 Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David's enemy continually. 30 Then the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.

 

Acts 11:19-30

19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. 27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

 

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.