Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 131
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 My heart is not proud,(A) Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;(B)
I do not concern myself with great matters(C)
or things too wonderful for me.(D)
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,(E)
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.(F)
Psalm 132(I)
A song of ascents.
1 Lord, remember David
and all his self-denial.(J)
2 He swore an oath to the Lord,
he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:(K)
3 “I will not enter my house(L)
or go to my bed,
4 I will allow no sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5 till I find a place(M) for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 We heard it in Ephrathah,(N)
we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:[a](O)
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place,(P)
let us worship at his footstool,(Q) saying,
8 ‘Arise, Lord,(R) and come to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9 May your priests be clothed with your righteousness;(S)
may your faithful people(T) sing for joy.’”
10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.
11 The Lord swore an oath to David,(U)
a sure oath he will not revoke:
“One of your own descendants(V)
I will place on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant(W)
and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
on your throne(X) for ever and ever.”
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion,(Y)
he has desired it for his dwelling,(Z) saying,
14 “This is my resting place for ever and ever;(AA)
here I will sit enthroned,(AB) for I have desired it.
15 I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor I will satisfy with food.(AC)
16 I will clothe her priests(AD) with salvation,
and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.(AE)
17 “Here I will make a horn[b] grow(AF) for David
and set up a lamp(AG) for my anointed one.(AH)
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,(AI)
but his head will be adorned with a radiant crown.”(AJ)
Psalm 133
A song of ascents. Of David.
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,(AM)
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
3 It is as if the dew(AN) of Hermon(AO)
were falling on Mount Zion.(AP)
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,(AQ)
even life forevermore.(AR)
Psalm 134
A song of ascents.
1 Praise the Lord, all you servants(AS) of the Lord
who minister(AT) by night(AU) in the house of the Lord.
2 Lift up your hands(AV) in the sanctuary(AW)
and praise the Lord.(AX)
Psalm 135(BA)
1 Praise the Lord.[c]
Praise the name of the Lord;
praise him, you servants(BB) of the Lord,
2 you who minister in the house(BC) of the Lord,
in the courts(BD) of the house of our God.
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;(BE)
sing praise to his name,(BF) for that is pleasant.(BG)
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob(BH) to be his own,
Israel to be his treasured possession.(BI)
5 I know that the Lord is great,(BJ)
that our Lord is greater than all gods.(BK)
6 The Lord does whatever pleases him,(BL)
in the heavens and on the earth,(BM)
in the seas and all their depths.
7 He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain(BN)
and brings out the wind(BO) from his storehouses.(BP)
8 He struck down the firstborn(BQ) of Egypt,
the firstborn of people and animals.
9 He sent his signs(BR) and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.(BS)
10 He struck down many(BT) nations
and killed mighty kings—
11 Sihon(BU) king of the Amorites,(BV)
Og king of Bashan,(BW)
and all the kings of Canaan(BX)—
12 and he gave their land as an inheritance,(BY)
an inheritance to his people Israel.
13 Your name, Lord, endures forever,(BZ)
your renown,(CA) Lord, through all generations.
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people(CB)
and have compassion on his servants.(CC)
15 The idols of the nations(CD) are silver and gold,
made by human hands.(CE)
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,(CF)
eyes, but cannot see.
17 They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath(CG) in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
19 All you Israelites, praise the Lord;(CH)
house of Aaron, praise the Lord;
20 house of Levi, praise the Lord;
you who fear him, praise the Lord.
21 Praise be to the Lord from Zion,(CI)
to him who dwells in Jerusalem.(CJ)
Praise the Lord.
21 and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.(A) 22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel.(B) There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.(C) 23 They will no longer defile(D) themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding,[a](E) and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.(F)
24 “‘My servant David(G) will be king(H) over them, and they will all have one shepherd.(I) They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.(J) 25 They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived.(K) They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever,(L) and David my servant will be their prince forever.(M) 26 I will make a covenant of peace(N) with them; it will be an everlasting covenant.(O) I will establish them and increase their numbers,(P) and I will put my sanctuary among them(Q) forever.(R) 27 My dwelling place(S) will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.(T) 28 Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy,(U) when my sanctuary is among them forever.(V)’”
Warnings Against Denying the Son
18 Dear children, this is the last hour;(A) and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming,(B) even now many antichrists have come.(C) This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us,(D) but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.(E)
20 But you have an anointing(F) from the Holy One,(G) and all of you know the truth.[a](H) 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it(I) and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.(J) 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.(K)
24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning(L) remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.(M) 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life.(N)
26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.(O) 27 As for you, the anointing(P) you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things(Q) and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.(R)
God’s Children and Sin
28 And now, dear children,(S) continue in him, so that when he appears(T) we may be confident(U) and unashamed before him at his coming.(V)
29 If you know that he is righteous,(W) you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.(X)
16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.(A) Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.(B) 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils(C) and be flogged in the synagogues.(D) 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings(E) as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it.(F) At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father(G) speaking through you.
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents(H) and have them put to death.(I) 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me,(J) but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.(K) 23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.(L)
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