Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 146
The God of Compassion
1 Hallelujah!
My soul, praise the Lord.(A)
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing to my God as long as I live.(B)
3 Do not trust in nobles,
in man, who cannot save.(C)
4 When his breath[a] leaves him,
he returns to the ground;
on that day his plans die.(D)
5 Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,(E)
6 the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea and everything in them.(F)
He remains faithful forever,(G)
7 executing justice for the exploited
and giving food to the hungry.(H)
The Lord frees prisoners.(I)
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.(J)
The Lord raises up those who are oppressed.[b](K)
The Lord loves the righteous.(L)
9 The Lord protects foreigners
and helps the fatherless and the widow,(M)
but He frustrates the ways of the wicked.(N)
10 The Lord reigns forever;
Zion, your God reigns for all generations.(O)
Hallelujah!
Psalm 147
God Restores Jerusalem
1 Hallelujah!
How good it is to sing to our God,
for praise is pleasant and lovely.(P)
2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;(Q)
He gathers Israel’s exiled people.(R)
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.(S)
4 He counts the number of the stars;
He gives names to all of them.(T)
5 Our Lord is great, vast in power;
His understanding is infinite.[c](U)
6 The Lord helps the afflicted
but brings the wicked to the ground.(V)
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
play the lyre to our God,(W)
8 who covers the sky with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
and causes grass to grow on the hills.(X)
9 He provides the animals with their food,
and the young ravens, what they cry for.(Y)
10 He is not impressed by the strength of a horse;
He does not value the power[d] of a man.(Z)
11 The Lord values those who fear Him,
those who put their hope in His faithful love.(AA)
12 Exalt the Lord, Jerusalem;
praise your God, Zion!(AB)
13 For He strengthens the bars of your gates
and blesses your children within you.(AC)
14 He endows your territory with prosperity;[e](AD)
He satisfies you with the finest wheat.(AE)
15 He sends His command throughout the earth;
His word runs swiftly.(AF)
16 He spreads snow like wool;
He scatters frost like ashes;(AG)
17 He throws His hailstones like crumbs.
Who can withstand His cold?(AH)
18 He sends His word and melts them;
He unleashes His winds,[f] and the waters flow.(AI)
19 He declares His word to Jacob,
His statutes and judgments to Israel.(AJ)
20 He has not done this for any nation;
they do not know[g] His judgments.(AK)
Hallelujah!
Psalm 148
Creation’s Praise of the Lord
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise Him in the heights.(AL)
2 Praise Him, all His angels;
praise Him, all His hosts.(AM)
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
praise Him, all you shining stars.(AN)
4 Praise Him, highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens.(AO)
5 Let them praise the name of Yahweh,
for He commanded, and they were created.(AP)
6 He set them in position forever and ever;
He gave an order that will never pass away.(AQ)
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
all sea monsters and ocean depths,(AR)
8 lightning[h] and hail, snow and cloud,
powerful wind that executes His command,(AS)
9 mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,(AT)
10 wild animals and all cattle,
creatures that crawl and flying birds,(AU)
11 kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all judges of the earth,(AV)
12 young men as well as young women,
old and young together.(AW)
13 Let them praise the name of Yahweh,
for His name alone is exalted.
His majesty covers heaven and earth.(AX)
14 He has raised up a horn for His people,
resulting in praise to all His godly ones,
to the Israelites, the people close to Him.(AY)
Hallelujah!
Psalm 149
Praise for God’s Triumph
1 Hallelujah!
Sing to the Lord a new song,(AZ)
His praise in the assembly of the godly.(BA)
2 Let Israel celebrate its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.(BB)
3 Let them praise His name with dancing
and make music to Him with tambourine and lyre.(BC)
4 For Yahweh takes pleasure in His people;(BD)
He adorns the humble with salvation.(BE)
5 Let the godly celebrate in triumphal glory;
let them shout for joy on their beds.(BF)
6 Let the exaltation of God be in their mouths[i]
and a double-edged sword in their hands,(BG)
7 inflicting vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,(BH)
8 binding their kings with chains
and their dignitaries with iron shackles,(BI)
9 carrying out the judgment decreed against them.
This honor is for all His godly people.(BJ)
Hallelujah!
The Valley of Dry Bones
37 The hand of the Lord was on me,(A) and He brought me out by His Spirit(B) and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry. 3 Then He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I replied, “Lord God, only You know.”(C)
4 He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live.(D) 6 I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.”(E)
7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath,[a] prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!”(F) 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me; the breath[b] entered them,(G) and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.
11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.(H) Look how they say, ‘Our bones are dried up,(I) and our hope has perished;(J) we are cut off.’(K) 12 Therefore, prophesy and say to them: This is what the Lord God says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them,(L) My people, and lead you into the land of Israel. 13 You will know that I am Yahweh, My people, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.(M) 14 I will put My Spirit in you,(N) and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. I have spoken, and I will do it.”(O) This is the declaration of the Lord.
Preaching in Solomon’s Colonnade
11 While he[a] was holding on to Peter and John, all the people, greatly amazed, ran toward them in what is called Solomon’s Colonnade.(A) 12 When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Or why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own power or godliness? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers,(B) has glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied in the presence of Pilate,(C) when he had decided to release Him. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One(D) and asked to have a murderer given to you.(E) 15 You killed the source[b] of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this.(F) 16 By faith in His name, His name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. So the faith that comes through Him has given him this perfect health in front of all of you.
17 “And now, brothers, I know that you did it in ignorance, just as your leaders also did.(G) 18 But what God predicted through the mouth of all the prophets—that His Messiah would suffer—He has fulfilled(H) in this way. 19 Therefore repent(I) and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out,(J) that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,[c] 20 and that He may send Jesus, who has been appointed(K) for you as the Messiah. 21 Heaven must welcome[d] Him until the times of the restoration of all things, which God spoke about by the mouth of His holy prophets from the beginning.(L) 22 Moses said:[e]
The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He will say to you. 23 And everyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from the people.(M)[f]
24 “In addition, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, have also announced these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, saying to Abraham, And all the families of the earth will be blessed through your offspring.(N)[g] 26 God raised up His Servant[h] and sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your evil ways.”(O)
12 This is My command: Love one another as I have loved(A) you. 13 No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life(B) for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn’t know what his master[a](C) is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you.(D) I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask(E) the Father in My name,(F) He will give you.(G) 17 This is what I command you: Love one another.
Persecutions Predicted
18 “If the world hates(H) you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen(I) you out of it, the world hates you. 20 Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’(J) If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word,(K) they will also keep yours. 21 But they will do all these things to you on account of My name,(L) because they don’t know(M) the One who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin.[b](N) Now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates Me also hates My Father.(O) 24 If I had not done the works(P) among them that no one else has done,(Q) they would not have sin.(R) Now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this happened so that the statement written in their scripture might be fulfilled:(S) They hated Me for no reason.(T)[c]
Coming Testimony and Rejection
26 “When the Counselor(U) comes, the One I will send to you from the Father(V)—the Spirit of truth(W) who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me. 27 You also will testify,(X) because you have been with Me from the beginning.
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