Book of Common Prayer
Zion, the City of God
A psalm of the sons of Korah. A song.
87 The city he founded[a] is on the holy mountains.(A)
2 The Lord loves Zion’s city gates
more than all the dwellings of Jacob.(B)
3 Glorious things are said about you,
city of God.(C) Selah
4 ‘I will make a record of those who know me:
Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush –
each one was born there.’(D)
5 And it will be said of Zion,
‘This one and that one were born in her.’
The Most High himself will establish her.(E)
6 When he registers the peoples,
the Lord will record,
‘This one was born there.’(F) Selah
7 Singers and dancers[b] alike will say,[c]
‘My whole source of joy is[d] in you.’(G)
BOOK IV
(Psalms 90–106)
Eternal God and Mortal Man
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
90 Lord, you have been our refuge[a]
in every generation.(A)
2 Before the mountains were born,
before you gave birth to the earth and the world,
from eternity to eternity, you are God.(B)
3 You return mankind to the dust,
saying, ‘Return, descendants of Adam.’(C)
4 For in your sight a thousand years
are like yesterday that passes by,
like a few hours of the night.(D)
5 You end their lives;[b] they sleep.(E)
They are like grass that grows in the morning –
6 in the morning it sprouts and grows;
by the evening it withers and dries up.(F)
7 For we are consumed by your anger;
we are terrified by your wrath.(G)
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.(H)
9 For all our days ebb away under your wrath;
we end our years like a sigh.(I)
10 Our lives last[c] for seventy years
or, if we are strong, eighty years.
Even the best of them are[d] struggle and sorrow;
indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away.(J)
11 Who understands the power of your anger?
Your wrath matches the fear that is due you.(K)
12 Teach us to number our days carefully
so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.[e](L)
13 Lord – how long?
Turn and have compassion on your servants.(M)
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your faithful love
so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days.(N)
15 Make us rejoice for as many days as you have humbled us,
for as many years as we have seen adversity.(O)
16 Let your work be seen by your servants,
and your splendour by their children.(P)
17 Let the favour of the Lord our God be on us;
establish for us the work of our hands –
establish the work of our hands!(Q)
God’s Love Is Eternal
136 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.(A)
His faithful love endures for ever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His faithful love endures for ever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords.(B)
His faithful love endures for ever.
4 He alone does great wonders.(C)
His faithful love endures for ever.
5 He made the heavens skilfully.(D)
His faithful love endures for ever.
6 He spread the land on the waters.(E)
His faithful love endures for ever.
7 He made the great lights:(F)
His faithful love endures for ever.
8 the sun to rule by day,
His faithful love endures for ever.
9 the moon and stars to rule by night.(G)
His faithful love endures for ever.
10 He struck the firstborn of the Egyptians(H)
His faithful love endures for ever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His faithful love endures for ever.
12 with a strong hand and outstretched arm.(I)
His faithful love endures for ever.
13 He divided the Red Sea(J)
His faithful love endures for ever.
14 and led Israel through,(K)
His faithful love endures for ever.
15 but hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.(L)
His faithful love endures for ever.
16 He led his people in the wilderness.(M)
His faithful love endures for ever.
17 He struck down great kings
His faithful love endures for ever.
18 and slaughtered famous kings –
His faithful love endures for ever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
His faithful love endures for ever.
20 and Og king of Bashan –
His faithful love endures for ever.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
His faithful love endures for ever.
22 an inheritance to Israel his servant.(N)
His faithful love endures for ever.
23 He remembered us in our humiliation(O)
His faithful love endures for ever.
24 and rescued us from our foes.(P)
His faithful love endures for ever.
25 He gives food to every creature.(Q)
His faithful love endures for ever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven!(R)
His faithful love endures for ever.
1 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah,(A) Jotham,(B) Ahaz,(C) and Hezekiah,(D) kings of Judah, and of Jeroboam(E) son of Jehoash, king of Israel.
Hosea’s Marriage and Children
2 When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, he said this to him:
Go and marry a woman of promiscuity,(F)
and have children of promiscuity,
for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity
by abandoning the Lord.
3 So he went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.(G) 4 Then the Lord said to him:
Name him Jezreel,[a](H) for in a little while
I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel(I)
on the house of Jehu(J)
and put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
5 On that day I will break the bow of Israel(K)
in Jezreel Valley.(L)
6 She conceived again and gave birth to a daughter, and the Lord said to him:
Name her Lo-ruhamah,[b]
for I will no longer have compassion
on the house of Israel.
I will certainly take them away.
7 But I will have compassion on the house of Judah,(M)
and I will deliver them by the Lord their God.(N)
I will not deliver them by bow, sword, or war,
or by horses and cavalry.(O)
8 After Gomer had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son. 9 Then the Lord said:
Name him Lo-ammi,[c]
for you are not my people,
and I will not be your God.[d](P)
10 Yet the number of the Israelites
will be like the sand of the sea,(Q)
which cannot be measured or counted.
And in the place where they were told:
You are not my people,
they will be called: Sons of the living God.(R)
11 And the Judeans and the Israelites
will be gathered together.(S)
They will appoint for themselves a single ruler(T)
and go up from[e] the land.
For the day of Jezreel(U) will be great.
2 Call[f] your brothers: My People
and your sisters: Compassion.
Paul in Macedonia
20 After the uproar was over, Paul sent for the disciples, encouraged them, and after saying farewell, departed to go to Macedonia.(A) 2 And when he had passed through those areas and offered them many words of encouragement, he came to Greece 3 and stayed for three months. The Jews plotted against him when he was about to set sail for Syria, and so he decided to go back through Macedonia.(B) 4 He was accompanied[a] by Sopater son of Pyrrhus[b] from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy,(C) and Tychicus(D) and Trophimus(E) from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us in Troas,(F) 6 but we sailed away from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread.(G) In five days we reached them at Troas, where we spent seven days.
Eutychus Revived at Troas
7 On the first day of the week, we assembled to break bread.(H) Paul spoke to them, and since he was about to depart the next day, he kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were assembled, 9 and a young man named Eutychus was sitting on a window sill and sank into a deep sleep as Paul kept on talking. When he was overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third storey and was picked up dead. 10 But Paul went down, bent over him, embraced him, and said, ‘Don’t be alarmed, because he’s alive.’(I) 11 After going upstairs, breaking the bread, and eating, Paul talked a long time until dawn. Then he left. 12 They brought the boy home alive and were greatly comforted.
From Troas to Miletus
13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard, because these were his instructions, since he himself was going by land. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 Sailing from there, the next day we arrived off Chios. The following day we crossed over to Samos, and[c] the day after, we came to Miletus.(J) 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, because he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, for the day of Pentecost.(K)
Healings at Capernaum
38 After he left the synagogue, he entered Simon’s house.(A) Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her.(B) 39 So he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately(C) and began to serve them.
40 When the sun was setting, all those who had anyone ill with various diseases brought them to him. As he laid his hands on each one of them, he healed them.(D) 41 Also, demons were coming out of many, shouting and saying, ‘You are the Son of God! ’(E) But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.(F)
42 When it was day, he went out and made his way to a deserted place.(G) But the crowds were searching for him. They came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said to them, ‘It is necessary for me to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose.’ 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.[a](H)
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