Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 45[a]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.[b] A wedding song.(A)
1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme
as I recite my verses for the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
2 You are the most excellent of men
and your lips have been anointed with grace,(B)
since God has blessed you forever.(C)
3 Gird your sword(D) on your side, you mighty one;(E)
clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.(F)
4 In your majesty ride forth victoriously(G)
in the cause of truth, humility and justice;(H)
let your right hand(I) achieve awesome deeds.(J)
5 Let your sharp arrows(K) pierce the hearts(L) of the king’s enemies;(M)
let the nations fall beneath your feet.
6 Your throne, O God,[c] will last for ever and ever;(N)
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness(O) and hate wickedness;(P)
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing(Q) you with the oil of joy.(R)
8 All your robes are fragrant(S) with myrrh(T) and aloes(U) and cassia;(V)
from palaces adorned with ivory(W)
the music of the strings(X) makes you glad.
9 Daughters of kings(Y) are among your honored women;
at your right hand(Z) is the royal bride(AA) in gold of Ophir.(AB)
10 Listen, daughter,(AC) and pay careful attention:(AD)
Forget your people(AE) and your father’s house.
11 Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;(AF)
honor(AG) him, for he is your lord.(AH)
12 The city of Tyre(AI) will come with a gift,[d](AJ)
people of wealth will seek your favor.
13 All glorious(AK) is the princess within her chamber;
her gown is interwoven with gold.(AL)
14 In embroidered garments(AM) she is led to the king;(AN)
her virgin companions(AO) follow her—
those brought to be with her.
15 Led in with joy and gladness,(AP)
they enter the palace of the king.
16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers;
you will make them princes(AQ) throughout the land.
Psalm 47[a]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
2 For the Lord Most High(C) is awesome,(D)
the great King(E) over all the earth.
3 He subdued(F) nations under us,
peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance(G) for us,
the pride of Jacob,(H) whom he loved.[b]
5 God has ascended(I) amid shouts of joy,(J)
the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.(K)
6 Sing praises(L) to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;(M)
sing to him a psalm(N) of praise.
8 God reigns(O) over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.(P)
9 The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings[c] of the earth belong to God;(Q)
he is greatly exalted.(R)
Psalm 48[d]
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 Great is the Lord,(S) and most worthy of praise,(T)
in the city of our God,(U) his holy mountain.(V)
2 Beautiful(W) in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon[e](X) is Mount Zion,(Y)
the city of the Great King.(Z)
3 God is in her citadels;(AA)
he has shown himself to be her fortress.(AB)
4 When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,(AC)
5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.(AD)
6 Trembling seized(AE) them there,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(AF)
7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish(AG)
shattered by an east wind.(AH)
8 As we have heard,
so we have seen
in the city of the Lord Almighty,
in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
forever.[f](AI)
9 Within your temple, O God,
we meditate(AJ) on your unfailing love.(AK)
10 Like your name,(AL) O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;(AM)
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.(AN)
12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,(AO)
13 consider well her ramparts,(AP)
view her citadels,(AQ)
that you may tell of them
to the next generation.(AR)
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide(AS) even to the end.
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)
The Twelve Apostles(A)
12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.(B) 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:(C) 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew,(D) Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Blessings and Woes(E)
17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon,(F) 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him,(G) because power was coming from him and healing them all.(H)
20 Looking at his disciples, he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.(I)
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.(J)
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.(K)
22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you(L) and insult you(M)
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.(N)
23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy,(O) because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.(P)
24 “But woe to you who are rich,(Q)
for you have already received your comfort.(R)
25 Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.(S)
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.(T)
26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.(U)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.