Book of Common Prayer
BOOK 4
God’s Eternity and the Brevity of Human Life.
A Prayer of [a]Moses, the man of God.
90 Lord, You have been our [b](A)dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before (B)the mountains were born
[c]Or You (C)gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even (D)from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
3 You (E)turn mortals back into dust
And say, “Return, you sons of mankind.”
4 For (F)a thousand years in Your sight
Are like (G)yesterday when it passes by,
[d]Or like a (H)watch in the night.
5 You (I)have [e]swept them away like a flood, they [f](J)fall asleep;
In the morning they are like (K)grass that [g]sprouts anew.
6 In the morning it (L)flourishes and [h]sprouts anew;
Toward evening it (M)wilts and (N)withers away.
7 For we have been (O)consumed by Your anger,
And we have been terrified by Your wrath.
8 You have (P)placed our guilty deeds before You,
Our (Q)hidden sins in the light of Your presence.
9 For (R)all our days have dwindled away in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a [i]sigh.
10 As for the days of our [j]life, [k]they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, (S)eighty years,
Yet their pride is only (T)trouble and tragedy;
For it quickly passes, and we (U)disappear.
11 Who [l]understands the (V)power of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the (W)fear [m]that is due You?
12 So (X)teach us to number our days,
That we may [n](Y)present to You a heart of wisdom.
13 Do (Z)return, Lord; (AA)how long will it be?
And [o]be (AB)sorry for Your servants.
14 (AC)Satisfy us in the morning with Your graciousness,
That we may (AD)sing for joy and rejoice all our days.
15 (AE)Make us glad [p]according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the (AF)years we have seen [q]evil.
16 Let Your (AG)work appear to Your servants
And Your (AH)majesty [r]to their children.
17 May the (AI)kindness of the Lord our God be upon us;
And [s](AJ)confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, [t]confirm the work of our hands.
15 You will leave your name as a (A)curse to My chosen ones,
And the Lord [a]God will put you to death.
But [b]My servants will be called by (B)another name.
16 Because the one who [c]is blessed on the earth
Will [d]be blessed by the (C)God of truth;
And the one who swears an oath on the earth
Will (D)swear by the God of truth;
Because the former troubles are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My sight!
New Heavens and a New Earth
17 “For behold, I create (E)new heavens and a new earth;
And the (F)former things will not be remembered or come to [e]mind.
18 But be (G)glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing
And her people for gladness.
19 I will also (H)rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people;
And there will no longer be heard in her
The voice of (I)weeping and the sound of crying.
20 No longer will there be [f]in it an infant who lives only a few days,
Or an old person who does (J)not [g]live out his days;
For the youth will die at the age of a hundred,
And the [h](K)one who does not reach the age of a hundred
Will be thought accursed.
21 They will (L)build houses and inhabit them;
They will also (M)plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They will not build and (N)another inhabit,
They will not plant and another eat;
For (O)as the [i]lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people,
And My chosen ones will (P)fully enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They will (Q)not labor in vain,
Or give birth to children for disaster;
For they are the [j](R)descendants of those blessed by the Lord,
And their descendants with them.
24 It will also come to pass that before they call, I will (S)answer; while they are still speaking, I will listen. 25 The (T)wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the (U)lion will eat straw like the ox; and (V)dust will be the serpent’s food. They will (W)do no evil or harm on all My (X)holy mountain,” says the Lord.
The New Heaven and Earth
21 Then I saw (A)a new heaven and a new earth; for (B)the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw (C)the holy city, (D)new Jerusalem, (E)coming down out of heaven from God, (F)prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, (G)the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will (H)dwell among them, and they shall be His [a]people, and God Himself will be among them[b], 4 and He will (I)wipe away every tear from their eyes; and (J)there will no longer be any death; (K)there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; (L)the first things have passed away.”
5 And (M)He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am (N)making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for (O)these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then He said to me, “[c](P)It is done. I am the (Q)Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. (R)I will give water to the one who thirsts from the spring of the (S)water of life, without cost.
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