Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 87
A psalm of the Korahites. A song.
87 God’s foundation is set on the holy mountains.
2 The Lord loves Zion’s gates
more than all of Jacob’s houses combined.
3 Glorious things are said about you,
the city of God! Selah
4 I count Rahab and Babel among those who know me;
also Philistia and Tyre, along with Cush—
each of these was born there.
5 And of Zion it is said:
“Each person was born in it,
but the one who will establish it is the Most High.”
6 The Lord makes a record as he registers the peoples:
“Each one was born there.” Selah
7 And while they dance, people sing:
“The source of my life comes from you.”
BOOK IV
(Psalms 90–106)
Psalm 90
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
90 Lord, you have been our help,
generation after generation.
2 Before the mountains were born,
before you birthed the earth and the inhabited world—
from forever in the past
to forever in the future, you are God.
3 You return people to dust,
saying, “Go back, humans,”
4 because in your perspective a thousand years
are like yesterday past,
like a short period during the night watch.
5 You sweep humans away like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning.
6 True, in the morning it thrives, renewed,
but come evening it withers, all dried up.
7 Yes, we are wasting away because of your wrath;
we are paralyzed with fear on account of your rage.
8 You put our sins right in front of you,
set our hidden faults in the light from your face.
9 Yes, all our days slip away because of your fury;
we finish up our years with a whimper.
10 We live at best to be seventy years old,
maybe eighty, if we’re strong.
But their duration brings hard work and trouble
because they go by so quickly.
And then we fly off.
11 Who can comprehend the power of your anger?
The honor that is due you corresponds to your wrath.
12 Teach us to number our days
so we can have a wise heart.
13 Come back to us, Lord!
Please, quick!
Have some compassion for your servants!
14 Fill us full every morning with your faithful love
so we can rejoice and celebrate our whole life long.
15 Make us happy for the same amount of time that you afflicted us—
for the same number of years that we saw only trouble.
16 Let your acts be seen by your servants;
let your glory be seen by their children.
17 Let the kindness of the Lord our God be over us.
Make the work of our hands last.
Make the work of our hands last!
Psalm 136
136 Give thanks to the Lord because he is good.
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
2 Give thanks to the God of all gods—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of all lords—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
4 Give thanks to the only one
who makes great wonders—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
5 Give thanks to the one who made the skies with skill—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
6 Give thanks to the one who shaped the earth on the water—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
7 Give thanks to the one who made the great lights—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
8 The sun to rule the day—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
9 The moon and the stars to rule the night—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
10 Give thanks to the one who struck down the Egyptians’ oldest offspring—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
11 Give thanks to the one who brought Israel out of there—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
12 With a strong hand and outstretched arm—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
13 Give thanks to the one who split the Reed Sea[a] in two—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
14 Give thanks to the one who brought Israel through—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
15 And tossed Pharaoh and his army into the Reed Sea—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
16 Give thanks to the one who led his people through the desert—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
17 Give thanks to the one who struck down great kings—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
18 And killed powerful kings—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
19 Sihon, the Amorite king—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
20 Og, king of Bashan—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
21 Handing their land over as an inheritance—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
22 As an inheritance to Israel, his servant—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
23 God remembered us when we were humiliated—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
24 God rescued us from our enemies—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
25 God is the one who provides food for all living things—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
16 The Lord said to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men from Israel’s elders, whom you know as elders and officers of the people. Take them to the meeting tent, and let them stand there with you. 17 Then I’ll descend and speak with you there. I’ll take some of the spirit that is on you and place it on them. Then they will carry the burden of the people with you so that you won’t bear it alone.
24 So Moses went out and told the people the Lord’s words. He assembled seventy men from the people’s elders and placed them around the tent. 25 The Lord descended in a cloud, spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and placed it on the seventy elders. When the spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but only this once. 26 Two men had remained in the camp, one named Eldad and the second named Medad, and the spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they hadn’t gone out to the tent, so they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
28 Joshua, Nun’s son and Moses’ assistant since his youth, responded, “My master Moses, stop them!”
29 Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? If only all the Lord’s people were prophets with the Lord placing his spirit on them!”
The reconciliation of God’s people
11 So remember that once you were Gentiles by physical descent, who were called “uncircumcised” by Jews who are physically circumcised. 12 At that time you were without Christ. You were aliens rather than citizens of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of God’s promise. In this world you had no hope and no God. 13 But now, thanks to Christ Jesus, you who once were so far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles into one group. With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us. 15 He canceled the detailed rules of the Law so that he could create one new person out of the two groups, making peace. 16 He reconciled them both as one body to God by the cross, which ended the hostility to God.
17 When he came, he announced the good news of peace to you who were far away from God and to those who were near. 18 We both have access to the Father through Christ by the one Spirit. 19 So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household. 20 As God’s household, you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 The whole building is joined together in him, and it grows up into a temple that is dedicated to the Lord. 22 Christ is building you into a place where God lives through the Spirit.
Crowd’s response
28 When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were amazed at his teaching 29 because he was teaching them like someone with authority and not like their legal experts.
A man with a skin disease
8 Now when Jesus had come down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with a skin disease came, kneeled before him, and said, “Lord, if you want, you can make me clean.”
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, saying, “I do want to. Become clean.” Instantly his skin disease was cleansed. 4 Jesus said to him, “Don’t say anything to anyone. Instead, go and show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded. This will be a testimony to them.”
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible