Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 24
The King of Glory
A Davidic psalm.
1 The earth and everything in it,
the world and its inhabitants,
belong to the Lord;(A)
2 for He laid its foundation on the seas
and established it on the rivers.(B)
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in His holy place?(C)
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,(D)
who has not set his mind[a] on what is false,(E)
and who has not sworn deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the Lord,(F)
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.(G)
6 Such is the generation of those who seek Him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.[b](H)
7 Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.(I)
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.(J)
9 Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
10 Who is He, this King of glory?
The Lord of Hosts,
He is the King of glory.(K)
Psalm 29
The Voice of the Lord
A Davidic psalm.
1 Ascribe to Yahweh, you heavenly beings,[a]
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due His name;
worship Yahweh
in the splendor of His holiness.[b](A)
3 The voice of the Lord is above the waters.
The God of glory thunders—
the Lord, above vast waters,(B)
4 the voice of the Lord in power,
the voice of the Lord in splendor.(C)
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.(D)
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,(E)
and Sirion,[c] like a young wild ox.(F)
7 The voice of the Lord flashes flames of fire.(G)
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.(H)
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth[d](I)
and strips the woodlands bare.(J)
In His temple all cry, “Glory!”
Psalm 8
God’s Glory, Man’s Dignity
For the choir director: on the Gittith.(A) A Davidic psalm.
1 Yahweh, our Lord,
how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth!(B)
You have covered the heavens with Your majesty.[a](C)
2 Because of Your adversaries,
You have established a stronghold[b]
from the mouths of children and nursing infants(D)
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I observe Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which You set in place,(E)
4 what is man that You remember him,
the son of man that You look after him?(F)
5 You made him little less than God[c][d]
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him lord over the works of Your hands;
You put everything under his feet:[e](G)
7 all the sheep and oxen,
as well as the animals in the wild,
8 the birds of the sky,
and the fish of the sea
that pass through the currents of the seas.(H)
9 Yahweh, our Lord,
how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth!
Psalm 84
Longing for God’s House
For the choir director: on the Gittith.(A) A psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 How lovely is Your dwelling place,
Lord of Hosts.(B)
2 I long and yearn
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh cry out for[a] the living God.(C)
3 Even a sparrow finds a home,
and a swallow, a nest for herself
where she places her young—
near Your altars, Lord of Hosts,
my King and my God.(D)
4 How happy are those who reside in Your house,
who praise You continually.(E)
5 Happy are the people whose strength is in You,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.(F)
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca,[b]
they make it a source of springwater;
even the autumn rain will cover it with blessings.[c](G)
7 They go from strength to strength;
each appears before God in Zion.(H)
8 Lord God of Hosts, hear my prayer;
listen, God of Jacob.(I)
9 Consider our shield,[d] God;(J)
look on the face of Your anointed one.(K)
10 Better a day in Your courts
than a thousand anywhere else.
I would rather be at the door of the house of my God
than to live in the tents of wicked people.(L)
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield.(M)
The Lord gives grace and glory;
He does not withhold the good
from those who live with integrity.(N)
12 Happy is the person who trusts in You,
Lord of Hosts!(O)
Abraham’s Plea for Sodom
16 The men got up from there and looked out over Sodom, and Abraham was walking with them to see them off. 17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide what I am about to do from Abraham?(A) 18 Abraham is to become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.(B) 19 For I have chosen[a] him so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. This is how the Lord will fulfill to Abraham what He promised him.” 20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is immense, and their sin is extremely serious. 21 I will go down(C) to see if what they have done justifies the cry that has come up to Me. If not, I will find out.”
22 The men turned from there and went toward Sodom(D) while Abraham remained standing before the Lord.[b] 23 Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?(E) 24 What if there are 50 righteous people in the city? Will You really sweep it away instead of sparing the place for the sake of the 50 righteous people who are in it? 25 You could not possibly do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. You could not possibly do that! Won’t the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”(F)
26 The Lord said, “If I find 50 righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”(G)
27 Then Abraham answered, “Since I have ventured to speak to the Lord—even though I am dust and ashes— 28 suppose the 50 righteous lack five. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?”
He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find 45 there.”
29 Then he spoke to Him again, “Suppose 40 are found there?”
He answered, “I will not do it on account of 40.”
30 Then he said, “Let the Lord not be angry, and I will speak further. Suppose 30 are found there?”
He answered, “I will not do it if I find 30 there.”
31 Then he said, “Since I have ventured to speak to the Lord, suppose 20 are found there?”
He replied, “I will not destroy it on account of 20.”
32 Then he said, “Let the Lord not be angry, and I will speak one more time.(H) Suppose 10 are found there?”
He answered, “I will not destroy it on account of 10.” 33 When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, He departed, and Abraham returned to his place.
13 For you were called(A) to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled(B) in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.(C)[a] 15 But if you bite and devour(D) one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.
The Spirit versus the Flesh
16 I say then, walk by the Spirit(E) and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires(F) what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.(G) 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious:[b][c] sexual immorality,(H) moral impurity,(I) promiscuity,(J) 20 idolatry,(K) sorcery,(L) hatreds,(M) strife,(N) jealousy,(O) outbursts of anger,(P) selfish ambitions,(Q) dissensions,(R) factions,(S) 21 envy,[d](T) drunkenness, carousing,(U) and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.(V)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit(W) is love,(X) joy,(Y) peace, patience,(Z) kindness,(AA) goodness, faith,[e] 23 gentleness,(AB) self-control.(AC) Against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus(AD) have crucified the flesh(AE) with its passions and desires.(AF) 25 Since we live(AG) by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit.
Healing a Blind Man
22 Then they came to Bethsaida.(A) They brought a blind(B) man to Him and begged Him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and brought him out of the village. Spitting(C) on his eyes and laying His hands on(D) him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?”
24 He looked up and said, “I see people—they look to me like trees walking.”(E)
25 Again Jesus placed His hands on the man’s eyes, and he saw distinctly. He was cured and could see everything clearly. 26 Then He sent(F) him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”[a](G)
Peter’s Confession of the Messiah
27 Jesus(H) went out with His disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the road He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”
28 They answered Him, “John the Baptist;(I) others, Elijah; still others, one of the prophets.”(J)
29 “But you,” He asked them again, “who do you say that I am?”
Peter(K) answered Him, “You are the Messiah!”(L)
30 And He strictly warned(M) them to tell no one about Him.
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