DAILY OFFICE

Daily scripture readings from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer

Wednesday, July 19

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

Psalm 38

1 Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,     nor discipline me in your wrath! 2 For your arrows have sunk into me,     and your hand has come down on me. 3 There is no soundness in my flesh     because of your indignation;     there is no health in my bones     because of my sin. 4 For my iniquities have gone over my head;     like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. 5 My wounds stink and fester     because of my foolishness, 6 I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;     all the day I go about mourning. 7 For my sides are filled with burning,     and there is no soundness in my flesh. 8 I am feeble and crushed;     I groan because of the tumult of my heart. 9 O Lord, all my longing is before you;     my sighing is not hidden from you. 10 My heart throbs; my strength fails me,     and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me. 11 My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague,     and my nearest kin stand far off. 12 Those who seek my life lay their snares;     those who seek my hurt speak of ruin     and meditate treachery all day long. 13 But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear,     like a mute man who does not open his mouth. 14 I have become like a man who does not hear,     and in whose mouth are no rebukes. 15 But for you, O Lord, do I wait;     it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. 16 For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me,     who boast against me when my foot slips!” 17 For I am ready to fall,     and my pain is ever before me. 18 I confess my iniquity;     I am sorry for my sin. 19 But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,     and many are those who hate me wrongfully. 20 Those who render me evil for good     accuse me because I follow after good. 21 Do not forsake me, O Lord!     O my God, be not far from me! 22 Make haste to help me,     O Lord, my salvation!

 

Psalm 119:25-48

25 My soul clings to the dust;     give me life according to your word! 26 When I told of my ways, you answered me;     teach me your statutes! 27 Make me understand the way of your precepts,     and I will meditate on your wondrous works. 28 My soul melts away for sorrow;     strengthen me according to your word! 29 Put false ways far from me     and graciously teach me your law! 30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness;     I set your rules before me. 31 I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;     let me not be put to shame! 32 I will run in the way of your commandments     when you enlarge my heart! 33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;     and I will keep it to the end. 34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law     and observe it with my whole heart. 35 Lead me in the path of your commandments,     for I delight in it. 36 Incline my heart to your testimonies,     and not to selfish gain! 37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;     and give me life in your ways. 38 Confirm to your servant your promise,     that you may be feared. 39 Turn away the reproach that I dread,     for your rules are good. 40 Behold, I long for your precepts;     in your righteousness give me life! 41 Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,     your salvation according to your promise; 42 then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,     for I trust in your word. 43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,     for my hope is in your rules. 44 I will keep your law continually,     forever and ever, 45 and I shall walk in a wide place,     for I have sought your precepts. 46 I will also speak of your testimonies before kings     and shall not be put to shame, 47 for I find my delight in your commandments,     which I love. 48 I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,     and I will meditate on your statutes.

 

1 Samuel 20:1-23

1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?” 2 And he said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.” 3 But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.” 4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.” 5 David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening. 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the clan.’ 7 If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that harm is determined by him. 8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?” 9 And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that it was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you?” 10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?” 11 And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field. 12 And Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? 13 But should it please my father to do you harm, the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father. 14 If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the Lord, that I may not die; 15 and do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 16 And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord take vengeance on David's enemies.” 17 And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul. 18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 On the third day go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain beside the stone heap. 20 And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark. 21 And behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you are to come, for, as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you away. 23 And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is between you and me forever.”

 

Acts 12:18-25

18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there. 20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food. 21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. 24 But the word of God increased and multiplied. 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.

 

Mark 2:13-22

13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. 15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” 18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

 

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