Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 93
1 The Lord reigns,(A) he is robed in majesty;(B)
the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;(C)
indeed, the world is established,(D) firm and secure.(E)
2 Your throne was established(F) long ago;
you are from all eternity.(G)
Psalm 96(A)
1 Sing to the Lord(B) a new song;(C)
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name;(D)
proclaim his salvation(E) day after day.
3 Declare his glory(F) among the nations,
his marvelous deeds(G) among all peoples.
4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;(H)
he is to be feared(I) above all gods.(J)
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,(K)
but the Lord made the heavens.(L)
6 Splendor and majesty(M) are before him;
strength and glory(N) are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the Lord,(O) all you families of nations,(P)
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering(Q) and come into his courts.(R)
9 Worship the Lord(S) in the splendor of his[a] holiness;(T)
tremble(U) before him, all the earth.(V)
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.(W)”
The world is firmly established,(X) it cannot be moved;(Y)
he will judge(Z) the peoples with equity.(AA)
11 Let the heavens rejoice,(AB) let the earth be glad;(AC)
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest(AD) sing for joy.(AE)
13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
he comes to judge(AF) the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness(AG)
and the peoples in his faithfulness.(AH)
Psalm 148
Praise the Lord from the heavens;(B)
praise him in the heights above.
2 Praise him, all his angels;(C)
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.(D)
3 Praise him, sun(E) and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, you highest heavens(F)
and you waters above the skies.(G)
5 Let them praise the name(H) of the Lord,
for at his command(I) they were created,
6 and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree(J) that will never pass away.
7 Praise the Lord(K) from the earth,
you great sea creatures(L) and all ocean depths,(M)
8 lightning and hail,(N) snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,(O)
9 you mountains and all hills,(P)
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals(Q) and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
11 kings(R) of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and women,
old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,(S)
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor(T) is above the earth and the heavens.(U)
14 And he has raised up for his people a horn,[b](V)
the praise(W) of all his faithful servants,(X)
of Israel, the people close to his heart.(Y)
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 150
Praise God in his sanctuary;(B)
praise him in his mighty heavens.(C)
2 Praise him for his acts of power;(D)
praise him for his surpassing greatness.(E)
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,(F)
praise him with the harp and lyre,(G)
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,(H)
praise him with the strings(I) and pipe,(J)
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,(K)
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything(L) that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
The Law and the Promise
15 Brothers and sisters,(A) let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.(B) Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,”[a](C) meaning one person, who is Christ. 17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years(D) later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise;(E) but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions(F) until the Seed(G) to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels(H) and entrusted to a mediator.(I) 20 A mediator,(J) however, implies more than one party; but God is one.
21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not!(K) For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.(L) 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin,(M) so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
Zechariah’s Song
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit(A) and prophesied:(B)
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,(C)
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.(D)
69 He has raised up a horn[a](E) of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David(F)
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),(G)
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors(H)
and to remember his holy covenant,(I)
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:(J)
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him(K) without fear(L)
75 in holiness and righteousness(M) before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet(N) of the Most High;(O)
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,(P)
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,(Q)
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun(R) will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,(S)
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”(T)
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit[b];(U) and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah(A)(B)(C)
1 This is the genealogy[a] of Jesus the Messiah[b] the son of David,(D) the son of Abraham:(E)
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,(F)
Isaac the father of Jacob,(G)
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,(H)
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,(I)
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,(J)
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David.(K)
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,(L)
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,(M)
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.(N)
12 After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,(O)
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,(P)
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary,(Q) and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.(R)
17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
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