Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 45[a]
Nuptial Ode for the Messianic King
1 For the director.[b] According to “Lilies.” A maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song.
2 [c]My heart[d] is moved by a noble theme
as I sing my poem to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a skillful scribe.
3 You are the most handsome of men;[e]
grace has anointed your lips,
for God has blessed you forever.
4 Gird your sword upon your thigh, O warrior,
and advance in splendor and majesty.
5 Ride on triumphantly in truth, humility, and justice;
may your right hand perform wondrous deeds.
6 Your arrows are sharp;
nations will lie beneath your feet;
the enemies of the king will lose heart.[f]
7 Your throne, O God,[g] will last forever and ever;
the scepter of your kingdom will be a scepter of justice.
8 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has established you above your fellow kings
by anointing you with the oil of gladness.
9 [h]All your robes are fragrant
with myrrh and aloes and cassia;
from palaces of ivory
stringed instruments bring joy to your heart.
10 Daughters of kings[i] are among your women in waiting;
at your right hand is your queen
adorned in gold of Ophir.
11 My daughter, listen carefully to my words
and follow them diligently.
Forget your people and your father’s house;[j]
12 then the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord,
13 bow down before him.
The Daughter of Tyre[k] will bring you gifts,
people of wealth will seek your favor.
14 Within the palace the king’s daughter is adorned
in robes threaded with gold.
15 In embroidered garments she is led to the king,
followed by her virgin companions,
who are also led to you.,[l]
16 They are brought in with joy and gladness
as they enter the palace of the king.
17 Your[m] sons will take the place of your ancestors;
you will make them princes in all the earth.
18 I will extol your name through all generations;
therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.[n]
Psalm 47[a]
The Lord, King of All Nations
1 For the director.[b] A psalm of the sons of Korah.
2 All you peoples, clap your hands,[c]
shout to God with cries of gladness.
3 For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome;
he is the great King over all the earth.
4 He subdued nations under us
and brought peoples under our feet.
5 He chose our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob,[d] whom he loved. Selah
6 [e]God has ascended amid shouts of joy;
the Lord, amid the sound of trumpets.
7 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
8 For God is the King of the entire earth;
sing hymns of praise to him.
9 God reigns over all the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.
10 The princes of the nations assemble
with the people of the God of Abraham;
for the rulers[f] of the earth belong to God,
and he is exalted on high.
Psalm 48[g]
Thanksgiving for the Deliverance of God’s People
1 A psalm of the sons of Korah.[h] A song.
2 Great is the Lord and worthy of high praise
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain,[i] 3 towering in its beauty,
is the joy of the entire earth.
Mount Zion, the true heights of the north,[j]
is the city of the great King.
4 God is in her citadels
and has revealed himself as her fortress.[k]
5 [l]For the kings conspired together
and came onward in unison.
6 As soon as they beheld her, they were astounded;
filled with panic, they fled.
7 They were seized with trembling,
with pains like those of a woman in labor,
8 as though a wind from the east[m]
were breaking up the ships of Tarshish.
9 What we had heard,
we have now beheld for ourselves[n]
in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God
that he established to endure forever. Selah
10 O God, as we stand in the midst of your temple,
we will meditate on your kindness.[o]
11 Like your name,[p] O God,
your praise extends to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with righteousness;
12 let Mount Zion rejoice.
Let the towns of Judah exult
in your saving judgments.[q]
13 [r]Walk around Zion; pass throughout her;
count the number of her towers.
14 Take careful note of her ramparts,
walk through her citadels,
so that you may recount for future generations
15 that such is God;
our God forever and ever,
he will be our guide eternally.[s]
23 Omri’s Reign.[a] It was during the thirty-first year of the reign of Asa, the king of Judah, that Omri began to reign over Israel. He reigned for twelve years, six of them from Tirzah.
24 He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, and he built a city upon the hill and named it Samaria, after Shemer, the owner of the hill.
25 Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, worse than any of those who preceded him. 26 He walked in the ways of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, in his sin, causing Israel to sin, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger over their worthless idols.
27 As to the other deeds of Omri, what he did, and his accomplishments, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 28 Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab reigned in his stead.
29 Ahab’s Reign.[b]Ahab, the son of Omri, began to reign over Israel during the thirty-eighth year of the reign of Asa, the king of Judah. Ahab, the son of Omri, reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-two years.
30 Ahab, the son of Omri, did more evil in the sight of the Lord than any of those who preceded him. 31 As if it were not enough that he committed the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, he also married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of the Sidonians, and he went after and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also set up an Asherah, and Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than all of the kings of Israel who preceded him.
34 During his time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundation over Abiram, his eldest, and he built its gates over Segub, his youngest. This was just as the word of the Lord had foretold through Joshua, the son of Nun.[c]
News and Instructions
12 To Live Is Christ.[a] Brethren, I want you to know that what has happened to me has actually helped spread the gospel, 13 for my imprisonment has become known not only throughout the praetorium[b] but to everyone else as well. 14 And the majority of the brethren having taken encouragement in the Lord from my imprisonment, dare more than ever to proclaim the word without fear.
15 It is true that some are proclaiming Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others are doing so with goodwill. 16 These latter ones do so out of love, aware that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not in sincerity, but in an effort to increase my suffering while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter, as long as in every way, with false motives or true, that Christ is proclaimed? And in that I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and with the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will result in deliverance for me. 20 It is my firm expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but will act with complete fearlessness, now as always, so that Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by my life or by my death.
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.[c] 22 But if I continue living in the body, that will mean fruitful work for me. Hence, I do not know which I should choose. 23 I am pulled in opposite directions. My desire is to depart and to be with Christ, for that is far better, 24 but, it is a more urgent need for you that I remain in the body.
25 Since I am convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with all of you to ensure your progress and joy in the faith. 26 Thus, you will rebound with joy in Christ Jesus when I return to be with you once again.
27 Striving and Suffering for Christ.[d] Only live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or simply hear news of you from a distance, I will know that you are standing firm and united in spirit, striving together for the faith of the gospel, 28 and being in no way intimidated by those who oppose you.
This will be a clear sign to them of their forthcoming destruction as well as of your salvation. All of this is in accord with God’s design. 29 For it has been granted you not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him. 30 You are taking part in the same struggle that you have seen in me and that you now hear I am experiencing.[e]
Chapter 16
Jesus Is Raised from the Dead.[a] 1 When the Sabbath was over,[b] Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome purchased aromatic spices so that they might go and anoint Jesus. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb.
3 They had been asking each other, “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4 But when they looked up, they observed that the stone, which was extremely large, had already been rolled back. 5 On entering the tomb, they saw a young man arrayed in a white robe sitting on the right hand side, and they were stunned.
6 He said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised. He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go forth and tell his disciples and Peter: ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him just as he told you.’ ” 8 Then the women emerged from the tomb and fled, overcome with trembling and amazement. They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Appendix
The Longer Ending[c]
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene. After he had risen from the dead early on the first day of the week, Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had driven out seven demons. 10 She then went forth and related the story of his appearance to his mourning and weeping companions. 11 However, when they heard that he was alive and that she had seen him, they refused to believe it.12 Jesus Appears to Two Disciples. After this, Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them as they were on their way into the country. 13 They then returned and reported the news to the others, but they did not believe them either.
14 Jesus Appears to and Commissions the Eleven. Still later, he appeared to the eleven while they were at table. He reproached them for their lack of faith and their hardness of heart because they refused to believe the witness of those who had seen him after he had risen.
15 Then he said to them, “Go forth into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 These are the signs that will mark those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons. They will be granted the gift of speaking in new languages. 18 If they pick up serpents in their hands or drink any deadly poison, they will remain unharmed. The sick on whom they lay their hands will recover.”
19 Jesus Ascends to Heaven. Then, after he had spoken to them, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven, and there he took his place at the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth to proclaim the gospel everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word by means of the signs that accompanied their preaching.
Noncanonical Endings
The Shorter Ending.[d] And they reported all the instructions briefly to Peter and his companions. Afterward, through them Jesus sent forth from east to west the sacred and perpetual proclamation of eternal salvation.
The Freer Logion.[e] And they excused themselves, saying, “This age of lawlessness and unbelief is under Satan, who does not allow the truth and power of God to prevail over the unclean things of the spirit. Therefore, reveal your righteousness now”—thus they spoke to Christ. And Christ replied to them, “The limit of the years of Satan’s power has been reached, but other terrible things draw near. And for those who sinned I was handed over to death, that they might return to the truth and no longer sin, in order that they might inherit the spiritual and incorruptible glory of righteousness, which is in heaven.”
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