Book of Common Prayer
103 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me! Praise His Holy Name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits!
3 Who forgives all your iniquity and heals all your infirmities.
4 Who redeems your life from the grave and crowns you with mercy and compassions.
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things; and your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The LORD executes righteousness and judgment for all who are oppressed.
7 He made His ways known to Moses and His works to the children of Israel.
8 The LORD is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness.
9 He will not always strive with us; nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heaven is above the Earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our sins from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
14 For He knows whereof we are made. He remembers that we are dust.
15 The days of man are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 For the wind goes over it and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
17 But the lovingkindness of the LORD endures forever and ever upon those who fear Him, and His righteousness upon children’s children
18 to those who keep His Covenant and remember His Commandments, to do them.
19 The LORD has prepared His throne in Heaven, and His Kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the LORD, His angels, who excel in strength! Who do His Commandment in obeying the voice of His word!
21 Praise the LORD, all His hosts; His servants who do His pleasure!
22 Praise the LORD, all His works in all places of His dominion! My soul, praise the LORD!
5 In the time of Herod, King of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, of the class of Abijah. And his wife was among the daughters of Aaron. And her name was Elizabeth.
6 Both were righteous before God and walked in all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord, without reproof.
7 And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren. And both were well-advanced in age.
8 And it so happened that as he executed the priest’s office before God (as per his class),
9 the lot fell to him to burn incense when he went into the Temple of the Lord, according to the custom of the priest’s office.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were outside in prayer while the incense was burning.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the Altar of Incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said to him, “Fear not, Zacharias. For your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son. And you shall call his name, John.
14 “And you shall have joy and gladness. And many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. And he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
16 “And he shall turn many of the children of Israel to their Lord God.
17 “For he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 Then Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is of a great age.”
19 And the angel answered, and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I am sent to speak to you, and to show you these good tidings.
20 “And behold, you shall be silent, and unable to speak, until the day that these things are done, because you did not believe my words which shall be fulfilled in their season.”
21 Now the people waited for Zacharias. And they marveled that he remained so long in the Temple.
22 And when he came out, he could not speak to them. Then, they perceived that he had seen a vision in the Temple. For he made signs to them and remained silent.
23 And it happened that when the days of his office were fulfilled, he departed to his own house.
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