Book of Common Prayer
A Davidic Song of Ascents
Hope in the Lord
131 Lord, my heart is not arrogant,
nor do I look haughty.
I do not aspire[a] to great things,
nor concern myself with things beyond my ability.
2 Instead, I have composed and quieted myself
like a weaned child with its mother;
I am like a weaned child.
3 Place your hope in the Lord, Israel,
both now and forever.
A Song of Ascents
The Lord Lives in Zion
132 Lord, remember in David’s favor
all of his troubles;
2 how he swore an oath to the Lord,
vowing to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “I will not enter[b] my house,
or lie down on[c] my bed,
4 or let myself go to sleep[d]
or even take a nap,[e]
5 until I locate a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 We heard about it[f] in Ephrata;[g]
we found it in the fields of Jaar.[h]
7 Let’s go to his dwelling place
and worship at his footstool.
8 Arise, Lord,
and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your strength.
9 May your priests be clothed with righteousness
and may your godly ones shout for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
don’t turn away the face of your anointed one.
11 The Lord made an oath to David
from which he will not retreat:
“One of your sons
I will set in place on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and my statutes that I will teach them,
then their sons will also sit on your throne forever.”
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion,
desiring it as his dwelling place.
14 “This is my resting place forever.
Here I will live,
because I desire to do so.
15 I will bless its provisions abundantly;
I will satiate its poor with food.[i]
16 I will clothe its priests with salvation
and its godly ones will shout for joy.
17 There I will create a power base[j] for David—
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.
18 I will clothe his enemies with disgrace,
but on him his crown will shine.”
A Davidic Song of Ascents
The Significance of Unity
133 Look how good and how pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil on the head,
descending to the beard—
even to Aaron’s beard—
and flowing down to the edge of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon
falling on Zion’s mountains.
For there the Lord commanded his blessing—
life everlasting.
A Song of Ascents
Praise to the Creator
134 Now bless the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord
who serve[k] nightly in the Lord’s Temple.
2 Lift up your hands to the Holy Place
and bless the Lord.
3 May the Lord who fashions heaven and earth
bless you from Zion.
Praising God for His Graciousness
135 Hallelujah!
Praise the name of the Lord!
Give praise, you servants of the Lord,
2 you who are standing in the Lord’s Temple,
in the courtyards of the house of our God.
3 Praise the Lord,
because the Lord is good;
Sing to his name,
for he is gracious.
4 It is Jacob whom the Lord chose for himself—
Israel as his personal possession.
5 Indeed, I know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord[l] surpasses all gods.
6 The Lord does whatever pleases him
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all its[m] deep regions.
7 He makes the clouds rise from the ends of the earth,
fashioning lightning for the rain,
bringing the wind from his storehouses.
8 It was the Lord[n] who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
including both men and animals.
9 He sent signs and wonders among you, Egypt,
before[o] Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 He struck down many nations,
killing many kings—
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
Og, king of Bashan,
and every kingdom of Canaan—
12 and he gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to his people Israel.
13 Your name, Lord, exists forever,
and your reputation, Lord, throughout the ages.
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people,
and he will show compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
worked by[p] the hands of human beings.
16 Mouths are attributed to them,
but they cannot speak;
sight is attributed to them,
but they cannot see;
17 ears are attributed to them,
but they do not hear,
and there is no breath in their mouths.
18 Those who craft them—
and all[q] who trust in them—
will become like them.
19 House of Israel, bless the Lord!
House of Aaron, bless the Lord!
20 House of Levi, bless the Lord!
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
he who lives in Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
Joab Rebukes David
19 [a]Someone informed Joab, “The king is weeping bitterly, mourning for Absalom.” 2 The victory had become an occasion for the army to mourn, because on that very day the troops heard the announcement, “The king is grieving for his son!” 3 So men snuck into the city that day like men do who are ashamed after they’ve run away from a battle.
4 Meanwhile, the king veiled his face and kept on crying loudly, “My son Absalom! Absalom my son, my son!”
5 Joab went up to the palace and rebuked the king: “Today you’ve humiliated your entire army who just saved your life, the lives of your sons and daughters, and the lives of your wives and mistresses! 6 You love those who hate you and hate those who love you! You’ve made it abundantly clear today that your officers and the men under them[b] mean nothing to you! I’ve learned today that you would rather have Absalom alive today and all the rest of us dead! 7 Now get up and restore the morale of[c] your army. I swear by the Lord that if you don’t get out there, you won’t have a single man left in your army[d] by nightfall! You’ll be in more trouble today than all the disasters you’ve been through from your boyhood until now!” 8 So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the army was informed, “The king is sitting in the gateway!” they all gathered together in his presence.
David is Reinstated as King
Meanwhile, the Israelis had run away back to their own homes. 9 Throughout the tribes of Israel, everyone was quarreling with one another:
“The king delivered us from the domination of our enemies….”
“He’s the one who rescued us from Philistine control….”
“Now he’s fleeing the country because of Absalom…!”
10 “The very same Absalom we anointed to rule just died in battle…!”
“Now then, why remain silent about bringing the king back…?”
11 So King David sent this message[e] to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests: “Ask the elders of Judah, ‘Why are you the last to bring the king back to his palace, considering that what’s being reported throughout all of Israel has come to the king at his palace? 12 You’re my relatives! You’re my own flesh and blood! So why are you the last to bring back the king?’ 13 Then ask Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my own flesh and blood? So may God deal with me, no matter how severely, if from this day forward you don’t take Joab’s place as commander of my army.’
14 By doing things like this,[f] he persuaded all the men of Judah to unite in support of him.[g] They sent the king this message: “Come on back, you and all of your army!” 15 So the king returned to Israel as far as the Jordan River.[h]
Shimei is Shown Mercy
The men of Judah went out as far as Gilgal to greet the king and escort him across the Jordan River 16 while Gera’s son Shimei,[i] a descendant of Benjamin from Bahurim, accompanied them to meet King David. 17 Ziba, the steward in charge of Saul’s household, and 1,000 descendants of Benjamin accompanied him, along with Ziba’s fifteen sons and 20 servants. They rushed toward the Jordan River ahead of the king 18 and forded it to assist the king at the crossing so he could do whatever he wished.
Just as the king was about to ford the Jordan River, Gera’s son Shimei fell down in front of the king 19 and addressed him,[j] “May your majesty not hold me guilty. Don’t remember how your servant did wrong the day your majesty the king left Jerusalem. May the king not let it burden his heart, 20 because your servant knows that I have sinned, but today I have come here as the first one from the entire house of Joseph to meet your majesty the king.”
21 But Zeruiah’s son Abishai asked, “Why shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this? After all, he cursed the Lord’s anointed!”
22 David replied, “What do you sons of Zeruiah have in common with me?[k] You’ve become my enemies today! Should anyone be executed in Israel today? Don’t you know that I’ve been reinstated as king over Israel today?” 23 Then the king addressed Shimei, “You won’t die!” affirming his promise with an oath.
Paul Presents His Case to Felix
24 Five days later, the high priest Ananias arrived with certain elders and Tertullus, an attorney, and they summarized their case against Paul before the governor. 2 When Paul[a] had been summoned, Tertullus opened the prosecution by saying:
“Your Excellency Felix, since we are enjoying lasting peace because of you, and since reforms for this nation are being brought about through your foresight, 3 we always and everywhere acknowledge it with profound gratitude. 4 But so as not to detain you any further, I beg you to hear us briefly with your customary graciousness. 5 For we have found this man a perfect pest and an agitator among all Jews throughout the world. He is a ringleader in the sect of the Nazarenes[b] 6 and even tried to profane the Temple, but we arrested him.[c] 8 By examining him for yourself, you will be able to find out from him everything of which we accuse him.”
9 The Jewish leaders[d] supported his accusations by asserting that these things were true. 10 When the governor motioned for Paul to speak, he replied:
“Since I know that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I am pleased to present my defense. 11 You can verify for yourself that I went up to worship in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago. 12 They never found me debating with anyone in the Temple or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or throughout the city, 13 and they cannot prove to you the charges they are now bringing against me. 14 However, I admit to you that in accordance with the Way, which they call a heresy,[e] I worship the God of our ancestors and believe in everything written in the Law and the Prophets. 15 I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish—that there is to be a resurrection of the righteous and the wicked. 16 Therefore, I always do my best to have a clear conscience before God and people. 17 After many years, I have come back to my people to bring gifts for the poor and to offer sacrifices. 18 They found me in the Temple doing these things just as I had completed the purification ceremony. No crowd or noisy mob was present. 19 But some Jews from Asia were there, and they should be here before you to accuse me if they have anything against me. 20 Otherwise, these men themselves should tell what wrong they found when I stood before the Council[f]— 21 unless it is for the one thing I shouted as I stood among them: ‘It is for the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”
22 Felix was rather well informed about the Way, and so he adjourned the trial with the comment, “When Tribune Lysias arrives, I’ll decide your case.” 23 He ordered the centurion to guard Paul[g] but to let him have some freedom and not to keep any of his friends from caring for his needs.
The Greatest Commandment(A)
28 Then one of the scribes came near and heard the Sadducees[a] arguing with one another. He saw how well Jesus[b] answered them, so he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of them all?”
29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord[c] our God is one Lord,[d] 30 and you must love the Lord[e] your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’[f] 31 The second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’[g] No other commandment is greater than these.”
32 Then the scribe told him, “Well said,[h] Teacher! You have told the truth that ‘God[i] is one, and there is no other besides him.’[j] 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus saw how wisely the man[k] answered, he told him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one dared to ask him another question.
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