Book of Common Prayer
The Happiness of Those Whose Help Is the Lord
146 Praise[a] the Lord!
(A)Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 (B)While I live I will praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 (C)Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in [b]a son of man, in whom there is no [c]help.
4 (D)His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day (E)his plans perish.
5 (F)Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 (G)Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
7 (H)Who executes justice for the oppressed,
(I)Who gives food to the hungry.
(J)The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.
8 (K)The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
(L)The Lord raises those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.
9 (M)The Lord watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
(N)But the way of the wicked He [d]turns upside down.
10 (O)The Lord shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Praise to God for His Word and Providence
147 Praise[e] the Lord!
For (P)it is good to sing praises to our God;
(Q)For it is pleasant, and (R)praise is beautiful.
2 The Lord (S)builds up Jerusalem;
(T)He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
3 (U)He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their [f]wounds.
4 (V)He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
5 (W)Great is our Lord, and (X)mighty in power;
(Y)His understanding is infinite.
6 (Z)The Lord lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises on the harp to our God,
8 (AA)Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who prepares rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
9 (AB)He gives to the beast its food,
And (AC)to the young ravens that cry.
10 (AD)He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your children within you.
14 (AE)He makes peace in your borders,
And (AF)fills you with [g]the finest wheat.
15 (AG)He sends out His command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.
16 (AH)He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes;
17 He casts out His hail like [h]morsels;
Who can stand before His cold?
18 (AI)He sends out His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
19 (AJ)He declares His word to Jacob,
(AK)His statutes and His judgments to Israel.
20 (AL)He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His judgments, they have not known them.
[i]Praise the Lord!
Praise to God for His Faithfulness and Justice
111 Praise[a] the Lord!
(A)I will praise the Lord with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
2 (B)The works of the Lord are great,
(C)Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
3 His work is (D)honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
(E)The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
5 He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will ever be mindful of His covenant.
6 He has declared to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the [b]heritage of the nations.
7 The works of His hands are (F)verity[c] and justice;
All His precepts are sure.
8 (G)They stand fast forever and ever,
And are (H)done in truth and uprightness.
9 (I)He has sent redemption to His people;
He has commanded His covenant forever:
(J)Holy and awesome is His name.
10 (K)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.
The Blessed State of the Righteous
112 Praise[d] the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who (L)delights greatly in His commandments.
2 (M)His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 (N)Wealth and riches will be in his house,
And his righteousness [e]endures forever.
4 (O)Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;
He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
5 (P)A good man deals graciously and lends;
He will guide his affairs (Q)with discretion.
6 Surely he will never be shaken;
(R)The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.
7 (S)He will not be afraid of evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
8 His (T)heart is established;
(U)He will not be afraid,
Until he (V)sees his desire upon his enemies.
9 He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever;
His [f]horn will be exalted with honor.
10 The wicked will see it and be grieved;
He will gnash his teeth and melt away;
The desire of the wicked shall perish.
The Majesty and Condescension of God
113 Praise[g] the Lord!
(W)Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord!
2 (X)Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore!
3 (Y)From the rising of the sun to its going down
The Lord’s name is to be praised.
4 The Lord is (Z)high above all nations,
(AA)His glory above the heavens.
5 (AB)Who is like the Lord our God,
Who dwells on high,
6 (AC)Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?
7 (AD)He raises the poor out of the dust,
And lifts the (AE)needy out of the ash heap,
8 That He may (AF)seat him with princes—
With the princes of His people.
9 (AG)He grants the [h]barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children.
Praise the Lord!
5 Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and (A)the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he [a]made ready his chariot and took his people with him. 7 Also, he took (B)six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. 8 And the Lord (C)hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and (D)the children of Israel went out with boldness. 9 So the (E)Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.
10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel (F)cried out to the Lord. 11 (G)Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 (H)Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”
13 And Moses said to the people, (I)“Do not be afraid. (J)Stand still, and see the (K)salvation[b] of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall (L)see again no more forever. 14 (M)The Lord will fight for you, and you shall (N)hold[c] your peace.”
15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But (O)lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will (P)harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will (Q)gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
19 And the Angel of God, (R)who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and (S)made the sea into dry land, and the waters were (T)divided. 22 So (U)the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were (V)a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
What Was Heard, Seen, and Touched(A)
1 That (B)which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have (C)seen with our eyes, (D)which we have looked upon, and (E)our hands have handled, concerning the (F)Word of life— 2 (G)the life (H)was manifested, and we have seen, (I)and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was (J)with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is (K)with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you (L)that [a]your joy may be full.
Fellowship with Him and One Another
5 (M)This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that (N)God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 (O)If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we (P)walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and (Q)the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
The Way, the Truth, and the Life
14 “Let (A)not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many [a]mansions; if it were not so, [b]I would have told you. (B)I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, (C)I will come again and receive you to Myself; that (D)where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
5 (E)Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am (F)the way, (G)the truth, and (H)the life. (I)No one comes to the Father (J)except through Me.
The Father Revealed
7 (K)“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.