Book of Common Prayer
Zion, the City of God
A psalm of the sons of Korah. A song.
87 The city he founded[a] is on the holy mountains.(A)
2 The Lord loves Zion’s city gates
more than all the dwellings of Jacob.(B)
3 Glorious things are said about you,
city of God.(C) Selah
4 ‘I will make a record of those who know me:
Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush –
each one was born there.’(D)
5 And it will be said of Zion,
‘This one and that one were born in her.’
The Most High himself will establish her.(E)
6 When he registers the peoples,
the Lord will record,
‘This one was born there.’(F) Selah
7 Singers and dancers[b] alike will say,[c]
‘My whole source of joy is[d] in you.’(G)
BOOK IV
(Psalms 90–106)
Eternal God and Mortal Man
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
90 Lord, you have been our refuge[a]
in every generation.(A)
2 Before the mountains were born,
before you gave birth to the earth and the world,
from eternity to eternity, you are God.(B)
3 You return mankind to the dust,
saying, ‘Return, descendants of Adam.’(C)
4 For in your sight a thousand years
are like yesterday that passes by,
like a few hours of the night.(D)
5 You end their lives;[b] they sleep.(E)
They are like grass that grows in the morning –
6 in the morning it sprouts and grows;
by the evening it withers and dries up.(F)
7 For we are consumed by your anger;
we are terrified by your wrath.(G)
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.(H)
9 For all our days ebb away under your wrath;
we end our years like a sigh.(I)
10 Our lives last[c] for seventy years
or, if we are strong, eighty years.
Even the best of them are[d] struggle and sorrow;
indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away.(J)
11 Who understands the power of your anger?
Your wrath matches the fear that is due you.(K)
12 Teach us to number our days carefully
so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.[e](L)
13 Lord – how long?
Turn and have compassion on your servants.(M)
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your faithful love
so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days.(N)
15 Make us rejoice for as many days as you have humbled us,
for as many years as we have seen adversity.(O)
16 Let your work be seen by your servants,
and your splendour by their children.(P)
17 Let the favour of the Lord our God be on us;
establish for us the work of our hands –
establish the work of our hands!(Q)
God’s Love Is Eternal
136 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.(A)
His faithful love endures for ever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His faithful love endures for ever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords.(B)
His faithful love endures for ever.
4 He alone does great wonders.(C)
His faithful love endures for ever.
5 He made the heavens skilfully.(D)
His faithful love endures for ever.
6 He spread the land on the waters.(E)
His faithful love endures for ever.
7 He made the great lights:(F)
His faithful love endures for ever.
8 the sun to rule by day,
His faithful love endures for ever.
9 the moon and stars to rule by night.(G)
His faithful love endures for ever.
10 He struck the firstborn of the Egyptians(H)
His faithful love endures for ever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His faithful love endures for ever.
12 with a strong hand and outstretched arm.(I)
His faithful love endures for ever.
13 He divided the Red Sea(J)
His faithful love endures for ever.
14 and led Israel through,(K)
His faithful love endures for ever.
15 but hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.(L)
His faithful love endures for ever.
16 He led his people in the wilderness.(M)
His faithful love endures for ever.
17 He struck down great kings
His faithful love endures for ever.
18 and slaughtered famous kings –
His faithful love endures for ever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
His faithful love endures for ever.
20 and Og king of Bashan –
His faithful love endures for ever.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
His faithful love endures for ever.
22 an inheritance to Israel his servant.(N)
His faithful love endures for ever.
23 He remembered us in our humiliation(O)
His faithful love endures for ever.
24 and rescued us from our foes.(P)
His faithful love endures for ever.
25 He gives food to every creature.(Q)
His faithful love endures for ever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven!(R)
His faithful love endures for ever.
9 Proclaim this among the nations:(A)
Prepare for holy war;(B)
rouse the warriors;(C)
let all the men of war advance and attack!
10 Beat your ploughs into swords
and your pruning knives into spears.(D)
Let even the weakling say, ‘I am a warrior.’
11 Come quickly,[a] all you surrounding nations;
gather yourselves.(E)
Bring down your warriors there, Lord.(F)
12 Let the nations be roused
and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit down
to judge all the surrounding nations.(G)
13 Swing the sickle
because the harvest is ripe.(H)
Come and trample the grapes
because the winepress is full;(I)
the wine vats overflow
because the wickedness of the nations is extreme.(J)
14 Multitudes, multitudes(K)
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near(L)
in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will grow dark,
and the stars will cease their shining.(M)
16 The Lord will roar from Zion(N)
and make his voice heard from Jerusalem;(O)
heaven and earth will shake.(P)
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,(Q)
a stronghold for the Israelites.(R)
Israel Blessed
The Sin of Favouritism
2 My brothers and sisters, do not show favouritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.(A) 2 For if someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in, 3 if you look with favour on the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Sit here in a good place,’ and yet you say to the poor person, ‘Stand over there,’ or ‘Sit here on the floor by my footstool,’ 4 haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world(B) to be rich in faith(C) and heirs(D) of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6 Yet you have dishonoured the poor.(E) Don’t the rich oppress you and drag(F) you into court? 7 Don’t they blaspheme the good name that was invoked over you?(G)
8 Indeed, if you fulfil the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbour as yourself,[a](H) you are doing well. 9 If, however, you show favouritism,(I) you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.(J) 11 For he who said, Do not commit adultery,[b] also said, Do not murder.[c](K) So if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you are a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom.(L) 13 For judgement is without mercy to the one who has not shown mercy.(M) Mercy triumphs over judgement.
10 Whoever is faithful(A) in very little(B) is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. 11 So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will trust you with what is genuine? 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own? 13 No(C) servant can serve two masters, since either he will hate(D) one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.’
Kingdom Values
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money,(E) were listening to all these things and scoffing(F) at him. 15 And he told them, ‘You are the ones who justify(G) yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts.(H) For what is highly admired by people is revolting(I) in God’s sight.
16 ‘The(J) Law and the Prophets(K) were until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God(L) has been proclaimed, and everyone is urgently invited to enter it.[a] 17 But it is easier(M) for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter in the law to drop out.
18 ‘Everyone(N) who divorces(O) his wife and marries another woman commits adultery,(P) and everyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
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