Daily Readings
The Scripture readings appointed for the day, with the full text in your language. Follow the daily readings for your tradition, every morning, in the Bosko app.
Morning Prayer — First Lesson
Wisdom 19
But upon the ungodly there came to the end indignation without mercy; For their future also God foreknew, How that, having changed their minds to let your people go, And having speeded them eagerly on their way, They would repent themselves and pursue them. For while they were yet in the midst of their mourning, And making lamentation at the graves of the dead, They drew upon themselves another counsel of folly, And pursued as fugitives those whom with intreaties they had cast out. For the doom which they deserved was drawing them to this end, And it made them forget the things that had befallen them, That they might fill up the punishment which was yet lacking to their torments, And that your people might journey on by a marvelous road, But they themselves might find a strange death. For the whole creation, each part in its several kind, was fashioned again anew, Ministering to your several commandments, That your servants might be guarded free from hurt. Then the cloud that shadowed the camp was seen, And dry land rising up out of what before was water, Out of the Red sea an unhindered highway, And a grassy plain out of the violent surge; By which they passed over with all their army, These that were covered with your hand, Having seen strange marvels. For like horses they roamed at large, And they skipped about like lambs, Praising you, O Lord, who was their deliverer. For they still remembered the things that came to pass in the time of their sojourning, How that instead of bearing cattle the land brought forth lice, And instead of fish the river cast up a multitude of frogs. But afterwards they saw also a new race of birds, When, led on by desire, they asked for luxurious dainties; For, to solace them, there came up for them quails from the sea. And upon the sinners came the punishments Not without the tokens that were given beforehand by the force of the thunders; For justly did they suffer through their own wickednesses, For grievous indeed was the hatred which they practised toward guests. For whereas the men of Sodom received not the strangers when they came among them; The Egyptians made slaves of guests who were their benefactors. And not only so, but God will visit the men of Sodom after another sort, Since they received as enemies those who were aliens; Whereas these first welcomed with feastings, And then afflicted with dreadful toils, Them that had already shared with them in the same rights. And moreover they were stricken with loss of sight (Even as were those others at the righteous man’s doors), When, being compassed about with yawning darkness, They sought every one the passage through his own door. For as the notes of a lute vary the character of the rhythm, Even so did the elements, changing their order one with another, Continuing always the same, each in its several sound; As may clearly be divined from the sight of the things that are come to pass. For creatures of the dry land were turned into creatures of the waters, And creatures that swim trode now upon the earth: Fire kept the mastery of its own power in the midst of water, And water forgat its quenching nature: Contrariwise, flames wasted not the flesh of perishable creatures that walked among them; Neither melted they the ice-like grains of ambrosial food, that were of nature apt to melt. For in all things, O Lord, you did magnify your people, And you did glorify them and not lightly regard them; Standing by their side in every time and place.
Morning Prayer — Second Lesson
Luke 9
He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them out to preach God’s Kingdom and to heal the sick. He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey—no staffs, nor wallet, nor bread, nor money. Don’t have two coats each. Into whatever house you enter, stay there, and depart from there. As many as don’t receive you, when you depart from that city, shake off even the dust from your feet for a testimony against them.” They departed and went throughout the villages, preaching the Good News and healing everywhere. Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him; and he was very perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. Herod said, “I beheaded John, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” He sought to see him. The apostles, when they had returned, told him what things they had done. He took them and withdrew apart to a desert region of a city called Bethsaida. But the multitudes, perceiving it, followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them of God’s Kingdom, and he cured those who needed healing. The day began to wear away; and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and farms, and lodge, and get food, for we are here in a deserted place.” But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we should go and buy food for all these people.” For they were about five thousand men. He said to his disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” They did so, and made them all sit down. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to the sky, he blessed them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. They ate and were all filled. They gathered up twelve baskets of broken pieces that were left over. As he was praying alone, the disciples were with him, and he asked them, “Who do the multitudes say that I am?” They answered, “ ‘John the Baptizer,’ but others say, ‘Elijah,’ and others, that one of the old prophets has risen again.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” But he warned them, and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.” He said to all, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake, will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits his own self? For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed, when he comes in his glory, and the glory of the Father, and of the holy angels. But I tell you the truth: There are some of those who stand here who will in no way taste of death until they see God’s Kingdom.” About eight days after these sayings, he took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up onto the mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became white and dazzling. Behold, two men were talking with him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory, and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they were fully awake, they saw his glory, and the two men who stood with him. As they were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let’s make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not knowing what he said. While he said these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud. A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!” When the voice came, Jesus was found alone. They were silent, and told no one in those days any of the things which they had seen. On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great multitude met him. Behold, a man from the crowd called out, saying, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. Behold, a spirit takes him, he suddenly cries out, and it convulses him so that he foams, and it hardly departs from him, bruising him severely. I begged your disciples to cast it out, and they couldn’t.” Jesus answered, “Faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” While he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him violently. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. They were all astonished at the majesty of God. But while all were marveling at all the things which Jesus did, he said to his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears, for the Son of Man will be delivered up into the hands of men.” But they didn’t understand this saying. It was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying. An argument arose among them about which of them was the greatest. Jesus, perceiving the reasoning of their hearts, took a little child, and set him by his side, and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me. Whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For whoever is least among you all, this one will be great.” John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he doesn’t follow with us.” Jesus said to him, “Don’t forbid him, for he who is not against us is for us.” It came to pass, when the days were near that he should be taken up, he intently set his face to go to Jerusalem and sent messengers before his face. They went and entered into a village of the Samaritans, so as to prepare for him. They didn’t receive him, because he was traveling with his face set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from the sky, and destroy them, just as Elijah did?” But he turned and rebuked them, “You don’t know of what kind of spirit you are. For the Son of Man didn’t come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” They went to another village. As they went on the way, a certain man said to him, “I want to follow you wherever you go, Lord.” Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another, “Follow me!” But he said, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead, but you go and announce God’s Kingdom.” Another also said, “I want to follow you, Lord, but first allow me to say good-bye to those who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for God’s Kingdom.”
Evening Prayer — First Lesson
Sirach 1
All wisdom comes from the Lord, And is with him forever. The sand of the seas, and the drops of rain, And the days of eternity, who shall count? The height of the heaven, and the breadth of the earth, And the deep, and wisdom, who shall search them out? Wisdom has been created before all things, And the understanding of prudence from everlasting. To whom has the root of wisdom been revealed? And who has known her shrewd counsels? There is one wise, greatly to be feared, The Lord sitting upon his throne: He created her, And saw, and counted her, And poured her out upon all his works. She is with all flesh according to his gift; And he gave her freely to those who love him. The fear of the Lord is glory, and exultation, And gladness, and a crown of rejoicing. The fear of the Lord will delight the heart, And will give gladness, and joy, and length of days. Whoso fears the Lord, it will go well with him at the last, And in the day of his death he will be blessed. To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; And it was created together with the faithful in the womb. With men she laid an eternal foundation; And with their seed will she be had in trust. To fear the Lord is the fulness of wisdom; And she satiateth men with her fruits. She will fill all her house with desirable things, And her garners with her produce. The fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom, Making peace and perfect health to flourish. He both saw and counted her; He rained down skill and knowledge of understanding, And exalted the honor of those who hold her fast. To fear the Lord is the root of wisdom; And her branches are length of days. Unjust wrath can never be justified; For the sway of his wrath is his downfall. A man that is longsuffering will bear for a season, And afterward gladness will spring up to him; He will hide his words for a season, And the lips of many will tell forth his understanding. A parable of knowledge is in the treasures of wisdom; But godliness is an abomination to a sinner. If you desire wisdom, keep the commandments, And the Lord will give her to you freely: For the fear of the Lord is wisdom and instruction; And in faith and meekness is his good pleasure. Disobey not the fear of the Lord; And come not to him with a double heart. Be not a hypocrite in the mouths of men; And take good heed to your lips. Exalt not yourself, lest you fall, And bring dishonor upon your soul; And so the Lord will reveal your secrets, And will cast you down in the midst of the congregation; Because you came not to the fear of the Lord, And your heart was full of deceit.
Evening Prayer — Second Lesson
Ephesians 3
For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles, if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you, how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words, by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News, of which I was made a servant according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power. To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ, to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him. Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory. For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Readings follow the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (public domain). Scripture text is in the public domain. (World English Bible)
Daily readings, every morning
In Bosko the day's readings are waiting for you each morning — mark each one read so you never lose your place, read them in any of 30 translations, and sit with a short reflection. Your tradition's daily readings, tracked and always in your pocket.
