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)
6 Here is a tragedy I have observed under the sun,(A) and it weighs heavily on humanity:[a] 2 God gives a man riches, wealth, and honor(B) so that he lacks nothing of all he desires for himself,(C) but God does not allow him to enjoy them. Instead, a stranger will enjoy them. This is futile and a sickening tragedy. 3 A man may father a hundred children and live many years. No matter how long he lives,[b] if he is not satisfied by good things and does not even have a proper burial,(D) I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.(E) 4 For he comes in futility and he goes in darkness, and his name is shrouded in darkness. 5 Though a stillborn child does not see the sun and is not conscious, it has more rest than he. 6 And if he lives a thousand years twice, but does not experience happiness, do not both go to the same place?
8 What advantage then does the wise man have over the fool?(G) What advantage is there for the poor person who knows how to conduct himself before others? 9 Better what the eyes see than wandering desire.(H) This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.(I)
10 Whatever exists was given its name long ago,[d](J) and it is known what man is. But he is not able to contend with the One stronger than he.(K) 11 For when there are many words, they increase futility.(L) What is the advantage for man? 12 For who knows what is good for man in life, in the few days of his futile life that he spends like a shadow?(M) Who can tell man what will happen after him under the sun?
Peter’s Vision
9 The(A) next day, as they were traveling and nearing the city, Peter went up to pray on the housetop(B) about noon.[a] 10 Then he became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing something, he went into a visionary state. 11 He saw heaven opened(C) and an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the earth. 12 In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky. 13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat!”
14 “No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything common[b] and ritually unclean!”(D)
15 Again, a second time, a voice said to him, “What God has made clean, you must not call common.”(E) 16 This happened three times, and then the object was taken up into heaven.
Peter Visits Cornelius
17 While Peter was deeply perplexed about what the vision he had seen might mean, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions to Simon’s house, stood at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon, who was also named Peter, was lodging there.
19 While Peter was thinking about the vision, the Spirit told him, “Three men are here looking for you.(F) 20 Get up, go downstairs, and accompany them with no doubts at all, because I have sent them.”(G)
21 Then Peter went down to the men and said, “Here I am, the one you’re looking for. What is the reason you’re here?”
22 They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who has a good reputation with the whole Jewish nation, was divinely directed by a holy angel to call you to his house and to hear a message from you.”(H) 23 Peter then invited them in and gave them lodging.
The next day he got up and set out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him.(I)
32 Don’t be afraid,(A) little flock,(B) because your Father delights(C) to give you the kingdom.(D) 33 Sell(E) your possessions and give to the poor.(F) Make money-bags(G) for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure(H) in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.(I)
Ready for the Master’s Return
35 “Be ready for service[a] and have your lamps lit.(J) 36 You must be like people waiting for their master(K) to return[b] from the wedding banquet(L) so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once.(M) 37 Those slaves the master will find alert(N) when he comes will be blessed. I assure you: He will get ready,[c] have them recline at the table, then come and serve them.(O) 38 If he comes in the middle of the night, or even near dawn,[d] and finds them alert, those slaves are blessed. 39 But know this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming,(P) he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also be ready,(Q) because the Son of Man(R) is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”(S)
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