Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 45
A Royal Wedding Song
For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.”[a] A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song.
1 My heart is moved by a noble theme
as I recite my verses to the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.(A)
2 You are the most handsome of men;
grace flows from your lips.(B)
Therefore God has blessed you forever.(C)
3 Mighty warrior, strap your sword at your side.
In your majesty and splendor(D)—
4 in your splendor ride triumphantly
in the cause of truth, humility, and justice.
May your right hand show your awe-inspiring acts.(E)
5 Your arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;
the peoples fall under you.(F)
6 Your throne,(G) God, is[b] forever and ever;
the scepter of Your[c] kingdom is a scepter of justice.(H)
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;(I)
therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy
more than your companions.
8 Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume all your garments;
from ivory palaces harps bring you joy.(J)
9 Kings’ daughters are among your honored women;(K)
the queen, adorned with gold from Ophir,
stands at your right hand.(L)
10 Listen, daughter, pay attention and consider:
forget your people and your father’s house,(M)
11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Bow down to him, for he is your lord.(N)
12 The daughter of Tyre, the wealthy people,
will seek your favor with gifts.(O)
Psalm 47
God Our King
For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 Clap your hands, all you peoples;(A)
shout to God with a jubilant cry.(B)
2 For Yahweh, the Most High, is awe-inspiring,
a great King over all the earth.(C)
3 He subdues peoples under us
and nations under our feet.(D)
4 He chooses for us our inheritance—
the pride of Jacob, whom He loves.(E)
5 God ascends among shouts of joy,
the Lord, among the sound of trumpets.(F)
6 Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our King, sing praise!(G)
7 Sing a song of wisdom,[a]
for God is King of all the earth.(H)
8 God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on His holy throne.(I)
9 The nobles of the peoples have assembled
with the people of the God of Abraham.(J)
For the leaders[b] of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted.(K)
Psalm 48
Zion Exalted
A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 The Lord is great and highly praised
in the city of our God.(L)
His holy mountain, 2 rising splendidly,
is the joy of the whole earth.
Mount Zion on the slopes of the north
is the city of the great King.(M)
3 God is known as a stronghold
in its citadels.(N)
4 Look! The kings assembled;
they advanced together.(O)
5 They looked and froze with fear;
they fled in terror.(P)
6 Trembling seized them there,
agony like that of a woman in labor,(Q)
7 as You wrecked the ships of Tarshish
with the east wind.(R)
8 Just as we heard, so we have seen
in the city of Yahweh of Hosts,
in the city of our God;
God will establish it forever.(S)
16 For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man,(A) since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise man dies just like the fool? 17 Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
The Emptiness of Work
18 I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun(B) because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.(C) 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?(D) Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile. 20 So I began to give myself over[a] to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun. 21 When there is a man whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill,(E) and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great wrong. 22 For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts(F) that he labors at under the sun? 23 For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful;(G) even at night, his mind does not rest.(H) This too is futile.
24 There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and enjoy[b][c] his work.(I) I have seen that even this is from God’s hand,(J) 25 because who can eat and who can enjoy life[d] apart from Him?[e] 26 For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy,(K) but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight.(L) This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.(M)
18 Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem(A) to get to know Cephas,[a](B) and I stayed with him 15 days. 19 But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James,(C) the Lord’s brother. 20 Now I am not lying in what I write to you. God is my witness.[b]
21 Afterward, I went to the regions of Syria(D) and Cilicia.(E) 22 I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches in Christ; 23 they simply kept hearing: “He who formerly persecuted(F) us now preaches the faith(G) he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.
Paul Defends His Gospel at Jerusalem
2 Then after 14 years I went up again(H) to Jerusalem with Barnabas,(I) taking Titus(J) along also. 2 I went up according to a revelation(K) and presented to them the gospel I preach among the Gentiles—but privately to those recognized as leaders—so that I might not be running, or have run the race, in vain. 3 But not even Titus who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 4 This issue arose because of false brothers(L) smuggled in, who came in secretly to spy on the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us. 5 But we did not give up and submit to these people for even an hour, so that the truth(M) of the gospel would be preserved for you.
6 Now from those recognized as important (what they really were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism[c](N))—they added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised,(O) just as Peter(P) was for the circumcised, 8 since the One at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in me for the Gentiles. 9 When James,(Q) Cephas,(R) and John,(S) recognized as pillars,(T) acknowledged the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to me and Barnabas, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 They asked only that we would remember the poor,(U) which I made every effort to do.
53 When Jesus had finished these parables, He left there.
Rejection at Nazareth
54 He went to His hometown(A) and began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “How did this wisdom and these miracles come to Him?(B) 55 Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?(C) Isn’t His mother called Mary, and His brothers James,(D) Joseph,[a] Simon, and Judas?(E) 56 And His sisters, aren’t they all with us? So where does He get all these things?” 57 And they were offended by Him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his household.”(F) 58 And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.
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