Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 89[a]
Prayer for the Fulfillment of God’s Promise
1 A maskil[b] of Ethan the Ezrahite.
2 [c]I will sing forever of the Lord’s kindness;
with my lips I will proclaim your faithfulness[d]
throughout the generations.
3 You said, “My kindness lasts forever;
my faithfulness is as firmly established as the heavens.
4 “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to my servant David:
5 ‘I will establish your descendants forever
and allow your throne to endure for all generations.’ ”[e] Selah
6 [f]Let the heavens[g] praise your wonders, O Lord,
your faithfulness in the assembly of your holy ones.
7 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Is there any heavenly being[h] who is like the Lord,
8 a God who is feared in the council of the holy ones,
greater and more awesome than any who stand in his presence?
9 O Lord, God of hosts,[i] who is like you?
Almighty Lord, your faithfulness is never absent.
10 You control the raging sea,
calming its surging waves.
11 You crushed Rahab[j] with a deadly blow;
you scattered your foes with your mighty arm.
12 Yours are the heavens and yours is the earth;
you founded the world[k] and all that is in it.
13 You created the north and the south;[l]
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
14 Mighty is your arm and strong is your hand;
your right hand is forever raised high.
15 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
kindness and faithfulness go before your face.[m]
16 Blessed[n] are the people who know how to acclaim you, O Lord,
who walk in the light of your countenance.
17 In your name they rejoice all day long,
and they exult in your righteousness.
18 [o]You are the strength in which they glory,
and by your kindness our horn[p] is exalted.
19 For the Lord is our shield,
the Holy One of Israel, our King.
20 [q]On one occasion you spoke in a vision[r]
and said to your faithful servants:
“I have appointed as leader one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
21 I have found David, my servant,
and with my holy oil I have anointed him.
22 “My hand will sustain him;
my arm will make him strong.
23 No enemy will overcome him;
no one who is wicked will oppress him.
24 “I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
25 My faithfulness and my kindness will be with him;
through my name his horn will be exalted.
26 “I will stretch his hand as far as the sea
and his right hand as far as the rivers.[s]
27 He will cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock of my salvation.’
28 [t]“I will designate him as my firstborn,
the highest of all earthly kings.
29 Forever I will maintain my kindness for him,
and my covenant with him will never end.
30 I will establish his dynasty forever
and his throne as long as the heavens.
31 [u]“If his descendants forsake my law
and refuse to conform to my decrees,
32 if they break my statutes
and do not keep my precepts,
33 I will punish their disobedience with the rod
and their iniquity with scourges.
34 “But I will not deprive him of my kindness
or fail to observe my faithfulness.[v]
35 [w]I will not violate my covenant
or alter the promise I have spoken.
36 “By my holiness I have sworn once and for all:
never will I break faith with David.
37 His dynasty will last forever,
and his throne will endure before me like the sun.
38 It will endure forever like the moon,
a faithful witness in the sky.” Selah
39 [x]But now you have spurned and rejected him,
you have become filled with wrath against your anointed one.[y]
40 You have repudiated your covenant with your servant
and dishonored his crown in the dust.
41 You have breached all his walls
and turned his strongholds into ruins.
42 Every passer-by has despoiled him;
he has become a laughingstock to his neighbors.
43 [z]You have exalted the right hand of his foes
and caused all his enemies to rejoice.
44 You have driven back his drawn sword
and left him to fight without your support.
45 You have put an end to his glory
and toppled his throne to the ground.
46 You have curtailed the time of his youth[aa]
and enveloped him in shame. Selah
47 [ab]How long, O Lord? Will you remain hidden forever?
How long[ac] will your wrath blaze like a fire?
48 Remember how brief is my span of life
and how weak you have made all mortals.
49 Who can live and never experience death?
Who can save himself from the power of the netherworld? Selah
50 [ad]Where is your kindness of old, O Lord,
which you swore to David in your faithfulness?
51 Remember, O Lord, the insults hurled at your servant;
recall how I have borne in my heart the slanders of all the peoples.
52 Your enemies have leveled insults at us, O Lord;
they have taunted the footsteps of your anointed one.
53 Blessed be the Lord forever.
Amen! Amen![ae]
The Holy War: Judas Maccabeus (166–161 B.C.)
Chapter 3
Eulogy of a Hero. 1 Then his son Judas, who was known as Maccabeus, took his place. 2 All his brothers and all who had allied themselves to his father gave him their support, and they enthusiastically continued to fight for Israel.
3 He enhanced the glory of his people,
and like a giant he put on his breastplate.
He girded himself with the armor of warfare,
engaging in battles and protecting the camp by his sword.
4 In his exploits he was like a lion,
like a young lion roaring for prey.
5 He pursued and tracked down the wicked,
and he cast into the flames those who troubled his people.
6 The lawbreakers cowered with terror at his approach;
all evildoers were completely confounded.
Under his leadership deliverance was achieved,
7 as he caused many kings to become embittered,
but Jacob to be gladdened by his deeds;
and his memory is blessed forever.
8 He marched through the towns of Judea,
destroying the apostates who dwelt there.
He turned away wrath from Israel,
9 and his renown spread to the ends of the earth,
as he saved those that were on the brink of perishing.
10 First Battles of Judas. Then Apollonius[a] united the Gentiles with a large army from Samaria to wage war against Israel. 11 On learning this, Judas marched out to confront him, and he defeated and killed him. Many fell wounded, and those who survived took flight. 12 Then their spoils were seized. The sword of Apollonius was taken by Judas, who used it in his battles for the rest of his life.
13 When Seron, the commander of the Assyrian army, learned that Judas had mustered a large force of faithful soldiers prepared for battle, 14 he said, “I will make a name for myself and win great renown in the kingdom if I defeat Judas and his followers who have shown such contempt for the king’s edict.” 15 And once again a large army of unbelievers banded together to help him exact vengeance on the Israelites.
16 When he reached the ascent of Beth-horon,[b] Judas marched out to confront him with a small contingent. 17 However, when they observed the army that was gathered to do battle with them, his soldiers said to Judas, “How can we, as few as we are, fight against so great a multitude? Besides, we are faint with hunger, for we have eaten nothing all day.” 18 But Judas replied, “It is easy for many to be defeated by a few. In the sight of Heaven,[c] there is no distinction between deliverance by many and deliverance by a few. 19 Victory in war does not depend upon the size of the fighting force, but rather upon the strength that comes from Heaven. 20 Our enemies have come against us in a display of insolence and lawlessness to destroy us and our wives and our children, and to plunder us. 21 However, we are fighting in defense of our lives and our laws. 22 He himself[d] will crush them before our eyes; therefore, do not be afraid of them.”
23 When he had finished speaking, he rushed suddenly against Seron and his army, and they were crushed before him. 24 He pursued them down the descent of Beth-horon as far as the plain. About eight hundred[e] of their men fell, and those who survived fled to the country of the Philistines.
7 When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will emerge to lead astray the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—in order to gather them for battle. They are as numerous as the sands of the sea.[a]
9 They marched across the breadth of the earth[b] and laid siege to the camp of the saints and the beloved city. However, fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil who had led them astray was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been flung to be tormented day and night forever and ever.
11 Preparation for the Judgment.[c] Then I saw a great white throne, and the one who was seated upon it. The earth and the sky fled so far from his presence that they could no longer be found.
12 The Resurrection and Judgment.[d] And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and the scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their deeds, as were recorded in the scrolls.
13 The sea gave up all the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them. The dead were judged according to their deeds. 14 Then Death and Hades were hurled into the fiery lake. This fiery lake is the second death.[e] 15 Anyone who was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the fiery lake.
Chapter 17
Jesus Is Transfigured.[a] 1 Six days later, Jesus took Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain[b] by themselves. 2 And in their presence he was transfigured; his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, conversing with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will make three tents here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud cast a shadow over them. Then a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were greatly frightened. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Stand up, and do not be frightened.” 8 And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one, but only Jesus.
Elijah Has Already Come.[c] 9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11 He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come, and he will set everything right again. 12 However, I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
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