Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 117
1 Praise the Lord,(A) all you nations;(B)
extol him, all you peoples.
2 For great is his love(C) toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord(D) endures forever.
Praise the Lord.[a]
Psalm 118
2 Let Israel say:(H)
“His love endures forever.”(I)
3 Let the house of Aaron say:(J)
“His love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord(K) say:
“His love endures forever.”
5 When hard pressed,(L) I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.(M)
6 The Lord is with me;(N) I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?(O)
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.(P)
I look in triumph on my enemies.(Q)
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord(R)
than to trust in humans.(S)
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.(T)
10 All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.(U)
11 They surrounded me(V) on every side,(W)
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
12 They swarmed around me like bees,(X)
but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;(Y)
in the name of the Lord I cut them down.(Z)
13 I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the Lord helped me.(AA)
14 The Lord is my strength(AB) and my defense[b];
he has become my salvation.(AC)
15 Shouts of joy(AD) and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand(AE) has done mighty things!(AF)
16 The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
17 I will not die(AG) but live,
and will proclaim(AH) what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord has chastened(AI) me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.(AJ)
19 Open for me the gates(AK) of the righteous;
I will enter(AL) and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord(AM)
through which the righteous may enter.(AN)
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;(AO)
you have become my salvation.(AP)
22 The stone(AQ) the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;(AR)
23 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous(AS) in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.(AT)
25 Lord, save us!(AU)
Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes(AV) in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.[c](AW)
27 The Lord is God,(AX)
and he has made his light shine(AY) on us.
With boughs in hand,(AZ) join in the festal procession
up[d] to the horns of the altar.(BA)
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Psalm 112[a]
2 Their children(E) will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches(F) are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures(G) forever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns(H) for the upright,
for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.(I)
5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,(J)
who conduct their affairs with justice.
6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken;(K)
they will be remembered(L) forever.
7 They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast,(M) trusting in the Lord.(N)
8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;(O)
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.(P)
9 They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,(Q)
their righteousness endures(R) forever;
their horn[c] will be lifted(S) high in honor.
10 The wicked will see(T) and be vexed,
they will gnash their teeth(U) and waste away;(V)
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.(W)
Psalm 113
Praise the Lord, you his servants;(Y)
praise the name of the Lord.
2 Let the name of the Lord be praised,(Z)
both now and forevermore.(AA)
3 From the rising of the sun(AB) to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.
4 The Lord is exalted(AC) over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.(AD)
5 Who is like the Lord our God,(AE)
the One who sits enthroned(AF) on high,(AG)
6 who stoops down to look(AH)
on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor(AI) from the dust
and lifts the needy(AJ) from the ash heap;
8 he seats them(AK) with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He settles the childless(AL) woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.
Praise the Lord.
Water From the Rock
17 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin,(A) traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim,(B) but there was no water(C) for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water(D) to drink.”(E)
Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”(F)
3 But the people were thirsty(G) for water there, and they grumbled(H) against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die(I) of thirst?”
4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone(J) me.”
5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff(K) with which you struck the Nile,(L) and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb.(M) Strike(N) the rock, and water(O) will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the place Massah[a](P) and Meribah[b](Q) because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
The Supremacy of the Son of God
15 The Son is the image(A) of the invisible God,(B) the firstborn(C) over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created:(D) things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;(E) all things have been created through him and for him.(F) 17 He is before all things,(G) and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head(H) of the body, the church;(I) he is the beginning and the firstborn(J) from among the dead,(K) so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased(L) to have all his fullness(M) dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile(N) to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven,(O) by making peace(P) through his blood,(Q) shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies(R) in your minds(S) because of[a] your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled(T) you by Christ’s physical body(U) through death to present you(V) holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation(W)— 23 if you continue(X) in your faith, established(Y) and firm, and do not move from the hope(Z) held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven,(AA) and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.(AB)
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival,(A) Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.(B) 38 Whoever believes(C) in me, as Scripture has said,(D) rivers of living water(E) will flow from within them.”[a](F) 39 By this he meant the Spirit,(G) whom those who believed in him were later to receive.(H) Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.(I)
40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”(J)
41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.”
Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?(K) 42 Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants(L) and from Bethlehem,(M) the town where David lived?” 43 Thus the people were divided(N) because of Jesus. 44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.(O)
Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders
45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”
46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does,”(P) the guards replied.
47 “You mean he has deceived you also?”(Q) the Pharisees retorted. 48 “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?(R) 49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”
50 Nicodemus,(S) who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51 “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”
52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”(T)
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