Book of Common Prayer
A song for those who go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. A psalm of David.
131 Lord, my heart isn’t proud.
My eyes aren’t proud either.
I don’t concern myself with important matters.
I don’t concern myself with things that are too wonderful for me.
2 I have made myself calm and content
like a young child in its mother’s arms.
Deep down inside me, I am as content as a young child.
3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord
both now and forever.
A song for those who go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.
132 Lord, remember David
and all the times he didn’t do what he wanted.
2 Lord, he made a promise.
Mighty One of Jacob, he made a promise to you.
3 He said, “I won’t enter my house
or go to bed.
4 I won’t let my eyes sleep.
I won’t close my eyelids
5 until I find a place for the Lord.
I want to build a house for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 Here are the words we heard in Ephrathah.
We heard them again in the fields of Kiriath Jearim.
7 “Let us go to the Lord’s house.
Let us worship at his feet. Let us say,
8 ‘Lord, rise up and come to your resting place.
Come in together with the ark. It’s the sign of your power.
9 May your priests put on godliness as if it were their clothes.
May your faithful people sing for joy.’ ”
10 In honor of your servant David,
don’t turn your back on your anointed king.
11 The Lord made a promise to David.
It is a firm promise that he will never break.
He said, “After you die,
I will place one of your own sons on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and the laws I teach them,
then their sons will sit
on your throne for ever and ever.”
13 The Lord has chosen Zion.
That’s the place where he wants to live.
14 He has said, “This will be my resting place for ever and ever.
Here I will sit on my throne, because that’s what I want.
15 I will greatly bless Zion with everything it needs.
I will give plenty of food to the poor people living there.
16 I will put salvation on its priests as if it were their clothes.
God’s faithful people will always sing for joy.
17 “Here in Jerusalem I will raise up a mighty king from the family of David.
I will set up the lamp of David’s kingdom for my anointed king.
Its flame will burn brightly forever.
18 I will put shame on his enemies as if it were their clothes.
But he will wear on his head a shining crown.”
A song for those who go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. A psalm of David.
133 How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in peace!
2 It’s like the special olive oil
that was poured on Aaron’s head.
It ran down on his beard
and on the collar of his robe.
3 It’s as if the dew of Mount Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
There the Lord gives his blessing.
He gives life that never ends.
A song for those who go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.
134 All you who serve the Lord, praise the Lord.
All you who serve at night in the house of the Lord, praise him.
2 Lift up your hands in the temple
and praise the Lord.
3 May the Lord bless you from Zion.
He is the Maker of heaven and earth.
135 Praise the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord.
You who serve the Lord, praise him.
2 You who serve in the house of the Lord, praise him.
You who serve in the courtyards of the temple of our God, praise him.
3 Praise the Lord, because he is good.
Sing praise to his name, because that is pleasant.
4 The Lord has chosen the people of Jacob to be his own.
He has chosen Israel to be his special treasure.
5 I know that the Lord is great.
I know that our Lord is greater than all gods.
6 The Lord does anything he wants to do
in the heavens and on the earth.
He does it even in the deepest parts of the oceans.
7 He makes clouds rise from one end of the earth to the other.
He sends lightning with the rain.
He brings the wind out of his storerooms.
8 He killed the oldest son of each family in Egypt.
He struck down the oldest males that were born to people and animals.
9 He did miraculous signs in Egypt.
He did wonders against Pharaoh and everyone who served him.
10 He destroyed many nations.
He killed mighty kings.
11 He killed Sihon, the king of the Amorites,
and Og, the king of Bashan.
He killed all the kings of Canaan.
12 He gave their land as a gift
to his people Israel.
13 Lord, your name continues forever.
Lord, your fame will last for all time to come.
14 When the Lord hands down his sentence, it will be in his people’s favor.
He will show deep concern for those who serve him.
15 The statues of the nations’ gods are made out of silver and gold.
They are made by human hands.
16 They have mouths but can’t speak.
They have eyes but can’t see.
17 They have ears but can’t hear.
They have mouths but can’t breathe.
18 Those who make statues of gods will be like them.
So will all those who trust in them.
19 People of Israel, praise the Lord.
Priests of Aaron, praise the Lord.
20 Tribe of Levi, praise the Lord.
You who have respect for the Lord, praise him.
21 Give praise to the Lord in Zion.
Give praise to the God who lives in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.
A Message About Jerusalem
3 How terrible it will be for Jerusalem!
Its people crush others.
They refuse to obey the Lord.
They are “unclean.”
2 They don’t obey anyone.
They don’t accept the Lord’s warnings.
They don’t trust in him.
They don’t ask their God for his help.
3 Jerusalem’s officials are like roaring lions.
Their rulers are like wolves that hunt in the evening.
They don’t leave anything to eat in the morning.
4 Their prophets care about nothing.
They can’t be trusted.
Their priests make the temple “unclean.”
They break the law they teach others to obey.
5 In spite of that, the Lord is good to Jerusalem.
He never does anything that is wrong.
Every morning he does what is fair.
Each new day he does the right thing.
But those who do what is wrong
aren’t even ashamed of it.
Jerusalem Remains Unrepentant
6 The Lord says to his people,
“I have destroyed other nations.
I have wiped out their forts.
I have left their streets deserted.
No one walks along them.
Their cities are destroyed.
They are deserted and empty.
7 Here is what I thought about Jerusalem.
‘Surely you will have respect for me.
Surely you will accept my warning.’
Then the city you think is safe would not be destroyed.
And I would not have to punish you so much.
But they still wanted to go on sinning
in every way they could.
8 So wait for me to come as judge,”
announces the Lord.
“Wait for the day I will stand up
to witness against all sinners.
I have decided to gather the nations.
I will bring the kingdoms together.
And I will pour out all my burning anger on them.
The fire of my jealous anger
will burn the whole world up.
Israel Will Trust in the Lord
9 “But then I will purify what all the nations say.
And they will use their words to worship me.
They will serve me together.
10 My scattered people will come to me
from beyond the rivers of Cush.
They will worship me.
They will bring me offerings.
11 Jerusalem, you have done many wrong things to me.
But at that time you will not be put to shame anymore.
That’s because I will remove from this city
those who think so highly of themselves.
You will never be proud again
on my holy mountain of Zion.
12 But inside your city I will leave
those who are not proud at all.
Those who are still left alive will trust in the Lord.
13 They will not do anything wrong.
They will not tell any lies.
They will not say anything to fool other people.
They will eat and lie down in peace.
And no one will make them afraid.”
Living Godly Lives Among People Who Don’t Believe
11 Dear friends, you are outsiders and those who wander in this world. So I’m asking you not to give in to your sinful desires. They fight against your soul. 12 People who don’t believe might say you are doing wrong. But lead good lives among them. Then they will see your good deeds. And they will give glory to God on the day he comes to judge.
13 Follow the lead of every human authority. Do this for the Lord’s sake. Obey the emperor. He is the highest authority. 14 Obey the governors. The emperor sends them to punish those who do wrong. He also sends them to praise those who do right. 15 By doing good you will put a stop to the talk of foolish people. They don’t know what they are saying. 16 Live as free people. But don’t use your freedom to cover up evil. Live as people who are God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone. Love the family of believers. Have respect for God. Honor the emperor.
18 Slaves, obey your masters out of deep respect for God. Obey not only those who are good and kind. Obey also those who are not kind. 19 Suppose a person suffers pain unfairly because they want to obey God. This is worthy of praise. 20 But suppose you receive a beating for doing wrong, and you put up with it. Will anyone honor you for this? Of course not. But suppose you suffer for doing good, and you put up with it. God will praise you for this. 21 You were chosen to do good even if you suffer. That’s because Christ suffered for you. He left you an example that he expects you to follow. 22 Scripture says,
“He didn’t commit any sin.
No lies ever came out of his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:9)
23 People shouted at him and made fun of him. But he didn’t do the same thing back to them. When he suffered, he didn’t say he would make them suffer. Instead, he trusted in the God who judges fairly. 24 “He himself carried our sins” in his body on the cross. (Isaiah 53:5) He did it so that we would die as far as sins are concerned. Then we would lead godly lives. “His wounds have healed you.” (Isaiah 53:5) 25 “You were like sheep wandering away.” (Isaiah 53:6) But now you have returned to the Shepherd. He is the one who watches over your souls.
The Story of the Workers in the Vineyard
20 “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who owned land. He went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to give them the usual pay for a day’s work. Then he sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine o’clock in the morning he went out again. He saw others standing in the market doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard. I’ll pay you what is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and at three o’clock and did the same thing. 6 About five o’clock he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard spoke to the person who was in charge of the workers. He said, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay. Begin with the last ones I hired. Then go on to the first ones.’
9 “The workers who were hired about five o’clock came. Each received the usual day’s pay. 10 So when those who were hired first came, they expected to receive more. But each of them also received the usual day’s pay. 11 When they received it, they began to complain about the owner. 12 ‘These people who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said. ‘You have paid them the same as us. We have done most of the work and have been in the hot sun all day.’
13 “The owner answered one of them. ‘Friend,’ he said, ‘I’m being fair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for the usual day’s pay? 14 Take your money and go. I want to give the one I hired last the same pay I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Do you feel cheated because I gave so freely to the others?’
16 “So those who are last will be first. And those who are first will be last.”
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