Book of Common Prayer
The Happiness of Those Whose Help Is the Lord
146 Praise[a] the Lord!
(A)Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 (B)While I live I will praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 (C)Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in [b]a son of man, in whom there is no [c]help.
4 (D)His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day (E)his plans perish.
5 (F)Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 (G)Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
7 (H)Who executes justice for the oppressed,
(I)Who gives food to the hungry.
(J)The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.
8 (K)The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
(L)The Lord raises those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.
9 (M)The Lord watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
(N)But the way of the wicked He [d]turns upside down.
10 (O)The Lord shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Praise to God for His Word and Providence
147 Praise[e] the Lord!
For (P)it is good to sing praises to our God;
(Q)For it is pleasant, and (R)praise is beautiful.
2 The Lord (S)builds up Jerusalem;
(T)He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
3 (U)He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their [f]wounds.
4 (V)He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
5 (W)Great is our Lord, and (X)mighty in power;
(Y)His understanding is infinite.
6 (Z)The Lord lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises on the harp to our God,
8 (AA)Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who prepares rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
9 (AB)He gives to the beast its food,
And (AC)to the young ravens that cry.
10 (AD)He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your children within you.
14 (AE)He makes peace in your borders,
And (AF)fills you with [g]the finest wheat.
15 (AG)He sends out His command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.
16 (AH)He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes;
17 He casts out His hail like [h]morsels;
Who can stand before His cold?
18 (AI)He sends out His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
19 (AJ)He declares His word to Jacob,
(AK)His statutes and His judgments to Israel.
20 (AL)He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His judgments, they have not known them.
[i]Praise the Lord!
Praise to God for His Faithfulness and Justice
111 Praise[a] the Lord!
(A)I will praise the Lord with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
2 (B)The works of the Lord are great,
(C)Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
3 His work is (D)honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
(E)The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
5 He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will ever be mindful of His covenant.
6 He has declared to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the [b]heritage of the nations.
7 The works of His hands are (F)verity[c] and justice;
All His precepts are sure.
8 (G)They stand fast forever and ever,
And are (H)done in truth and uprightness.
9 (I)He has sent redemption to His people;
He has commanded His covenant forever:
(J)Holy and awesome is His name.
10 (K)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.
The Blessed State of the Righteous
112 Praise[d] the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who (L)delights greatly in His commandments.
2 (M)His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 (N)Wealth and riches will be in his house,
And his righteousness [e]endures forever.
4 (O)Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;
He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
5 (P)A good man deals graciously and lends;
He will guide his affairs (Q)with discretion.
6 Surely he will never be shaken;
(R)The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.
7 (S)He will not be afraid of evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
8 His (T)heart is established;
(U)He will not be afraid,
Until he (V)sees his desire upon his enemies.
9 He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever;
His [f]horn will be exalted with honor.
10 The wicked will see it and be grieved;
He will gnash his teeth and melt away;
The desire of the wicked shall perish.
The Majesty and Condescension of God
113 Praise[g] the Lord!
(W)Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord!
2 (X)Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore!
3 (Y)From the rising of the sun to its going down
The Lord’s name is to be praised.
4 The Lord is (Z)high above all nations,
(AA)His glory above the heavens.
5 (AB)Who is like the Lord our God,
Who dwells on high,
6 (AC)Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?
7 (AD)He raises the poor out of the dust,
And lifts the (AE)needy out of the ash heap,
8 That He may (AF)seat him with princes—
With the princes of His people.
9 (AG)He grants the [h]barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children.
Praise the Lord!
Moses Commands Obedience
4 “Now, O Israel, listen to (A)the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and [a]possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. 2 (B)You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. 3 Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at (C)Baal Peor; for the Lord your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor. 4 But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.
5 “Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. 6 Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is (D)your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’
7 “For (E)what great nation is there that has (F)God[b] so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? 8 And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently (G)keep yourself, lest you (H)forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And (I)teach them to your children and your grandchildren,
Preach the Word
4 I (A)charge you [a]therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, (B)who will judge the living and the dead [b]at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. (C)Convince, (D)rebuke, (E)exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 (F)For the time will come when they will not endure (G)sound doctrine, (H)but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and (I)be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, (J)endure afflictions, do the work of (K)an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Paul’s Valedictory
6 For (L)I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of (M)my departure is at hand. 7 (N)I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me (O)the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous (P)Judge, will give to me (Q)on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
The Anointing at Bethany(A)
12 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, (B)where Lazarus was [a]who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 (C)There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then (D)Mary took a pound of very costly oil of (E)spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
4 But one of His disciples, (F)Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for [b]three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and (G)had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
7 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; [c]she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 For (H)the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.