Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 146[a]
146 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist.
3 Do not trust in princes,
or in human beings, who cannot deliver.[b]
4 Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground.
On that day their plans die.[c]
5 How blessed is the one whose helper is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 the one who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who remains forever faithful,[d]
7 vindicates the oppressed,[e]
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord releases the imprisoned.
8 The Lord gives sight to the blind.
The Lord lifts up all who are bent over.[f]
The Lord loves the godly.
9 The Lord protects the resident foreigner.
He lifts up the fatherless and the widow,[g]
but he opposes the wicked.[h]
10 The Lord rules forever,
your God, O Zion, throughout the generations to come.[i]
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 147[j]
147 Praise the Lord,
for it is good to sing praises to our God.
Yes,[k] praise is pleasant and appropriate.
2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem,
and gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals[l] the brokenhearted,
and bandages their wounds.
4 He counts the number of the stars;
he names all of them.
5 Our Lord is great and has awesome power;[m]
there is no limit to his wisdom.[n]
6 The Lord lifts up the oppressed,
but knocks[o] the wicked to the ground.
7 Offer to the Lord a song of thanks.[p]
Sing praises to our God to the accompaniment of a harp.
8 He covers[q] the sky with clouds,
provides the earth with rain,
and causes grass to grow on the hillsides.[r]
9 He gives food to the animals,
and to the young ravens when they chirp.[s]
10 He is not enamored with the strength of a horse,
nor is he impressed by the warrior’s strong legs.[t]
11 The Lord takes delight in his faithful followers,[u]
and in those who wait for his loyal love.
12 Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem.
Praise your God, O Zion.
13 For he makes the bars of your gates strong.
He blesses your children[v] within you.
14 He[w] brings peace to your territory.[x]
He abundantly provides for you[y] the best grain.
15 He[z] sends his command through the earth;[aa]
swiftly his order reaches its destination.[ab]
16 He sends the snow that is white like wool;
he spreads the frost that is white like ashes.[ac]
17 He throws his hailstones[ad] like crumbs.
Who can withstand the cold wind he sends?[ae]
18 He then orders it all to melt;[af]
he breathes on it,[ag] and the water flows.
19 He proclaims his word to Jacob,
his statutes and regulations to Israel.
20 He has not done so with any other nation;
they are not aware of his regulations.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 111[a]
111 Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the assembly of the godly and the congregation.
2 The Lord’s deeds are great,
eagerly awaited[b] by all who desire them.
3 His work is majestic and glorious,[c]
and his faithfulness endures[d] forever.
4 He does[e] amazing things that will be remembered;[f]
the Lord is merciful and compassionate.
5 He gives[g] food to his faithful followers;[h]
he always remembers his covenant.[i]
6 He announced that he would do mighty deeds for his people,
giving them a land that belonged to other nations.[j]
7 His acts are characterized by[k] faithfulness and justice;
all his precepts are reliable.[l]
8 They are forever firm,
and should be faithfully and properly carried out.[m]
9 He delivered his people;[n]
he ordained that his covenant be observed forever.[o]
His name is holy and awesome.
10 To obey the Lord is the fundamental principle for wise living;[p]
all who carry out his precepts acquire good moral insight.[q]
He will receive praise forever.[r]
Psalm 112[s]
112 Praise the Lord!
How blessed is the one[t] who obeys[u] the Lord,
who takes great delight in keeping his commands.[v]
2 His descendants[w] will be powerful on the earth;
the godly[x] will be blessed.
3 His house contains wealth and riches;
his integrity endures.[y]
4 In the darkness a light[z] shines for the godly,
for each one who is merciful, compassionate, and just.[aa]
5 It goes well for the one[ab] who generously lends money,
and conducts his business honestly.[ac]
6 For he will never be shaken;
others will always remember one who is just.[ad]
7 He does not fear bad news.
He[ae] is confident; he trusts in the Lord.
8 His resolve[af] is firm; he will not succumb to fear
before he looks in triumph on his enemies.
9 He generously gives[ag] to the needy;
his integrity endures.[ah]
He will be vindicated and honored.[ai]
10 When the wicked[aj] see this, they will worry;
they will grind their teeth in frustration[ak] and melt away.
The desire of the wicked will perish.[al]
Psalm 113[am]
113 Praise the Lord.
Praise, you servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord.
2 May the Lord’s name be praised
now and forevermore.
3 From east to west[an]
the Lord’s name is deserving of praise.
4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations;
his splendor reaches beyond the sky.[ao]
5 Who can compare to the Lord our God,
who sits on a high throne?[ap]
6 He bends down to look[aq]
at the sky and the earth.
7 He raises the poor from the dirt,
and lifts up the needy from the garbage pile,[ar]
8 that he might seat him with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He makes the barren woman of the family[as]
a happy mother of children.[at]
Praise the Lord.
The Consequences of Accepting Wisdom or Folly[a]
9 Wisdom has built her house;
she has carved out its seven pillars.[b]
2 She has prepared her meat,[c] she has mixed her wine;
she also has arranged her table.[d]
3 She has sent out her female servants;
she calls out[e] on the highest places[f] of the city.
4 “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here.”
To those[g] who lack understanding,[h] she has said,[i]
5 “Come, eat[j] some of my food,
and drink some of the wine I have mixed.[k]
6 Abandon your foolish ways[l] so that you may live,[m]
and proceed[n] in the way of understanding.”
7 Whoever corrects[o] a mocker is asking for[p] insult;[q]
whoever reproves a wicked person receives[r] abuse.
8 Do not reprove[s] a mocker or[t] he will hate you;
reprove a wise person and he will love you.
9 Give instruction[u] to a wise person,[v] and he will become wiser still;
teach[w] a righteous person and he will add to his[x] learning.
10 The beginning[y] of wisdom is to fear the Lord,[z]
and acknowledging[aa] the Holy One[ab] is understanding.
11 For because[ac] of me your days will be many,
and years will be added[ad] to your life.
12 If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage,[ae]
but if[af] you have mocked,[ag] you alone must[ah] bear it.[ai]
6 My point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously[a] will also reap generously. 7 Each one of you should give[b] just as he has decided in his heart,[c] not reluctantly[d] or under compulsion,[e] because God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace overflow[f] to you so that because you have enough[g] of everything in every way at all times, you will overflow[h] in every good work. 9 Just as it is written, “He[i] has scattered widely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness remains forever.”[j] 10 Now God[k] who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your supply of seed and will cause the harvest of your righteousness to grow. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you may be generous on every occasion,[l] which is producing through us thanksgiving to God, 12 because the service of this ministry is not only providing for[m] the needs of the saints but is also overflowing with many thanks to God. 13 Through the evidence[n] of this service[o] they will glorify God because of your obedience to your confession in the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your sharing[p] with them and with everyone. 14 And in their prayers on your behalf, they long for you because of the extraordinary grace God has shown to you.[q] 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift![r]
Healing Blind Bartimaeus
46 They came to Jericho. As Jesus[a] and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to shout,[b] “Jesus, Son of David,[c] have mercy[d] on me!” 48 Many scolded[e] him to get him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So[f] they called the blind man and said to him, “Have courage! Get up! He is calling you.” 50 He threw off his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus. 51 Then[g] Jesus said to him,[h] “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied, “Rabbi,[i] let me see again.”[j] 52 Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has healed you.” Immediately he regained[k] his sight and followed him on the road.
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