Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 20[a]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
20 May the Lord answer[b] you[c] when you are in trouble;[d]
may the God of Jacob[e] make you secure.
2 May he send you help from his temple;[f]
from Zion may he give you support.
3 May he take notice of[g] all your offerings;
may he accept[h] your burnt sacrifice. (Selah)
4 May he grant your heart’s desire;[i]
may he bring all your plans to pass.[j]
5 Then we will shout for joy over your[k] victory;
we will rejoice[l] in the name of our God.
May the Lord grant all your requests.
6 Now I am sure[m] that the Lord will deliver[n] his chosen king;[o]
he will intervene for him[p] from his holy, heavenly temple,[q]
and display his mighty ability to deliver.[r]
7 Some trust in chariots and others in horses,[s]
but we[t] depend on[u] the Lord our God.
8 They will fall down,[v]
but we[w] will stand firm.[x]
9 The Lord will deliver the king;[y]
he will answer us[z] when we call to him for help![aa]
Psalm 21[ab]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
21 O Lord, the king rejoices in the strength you give;[ac]
he takes great delight in the deliverance you provide.[ad]
2 You grant[ae] him his heart’s desire;
you do not refuse his request.[af] (Selah)
3 For you bring him[ag] rich[ah] blessings;[ai]
you place a golden crown on his head.
4 He asked you to sustain his life,[aj]
and you have granted him long life and an enduring dynasty.[ak]
5 Your deliverance brings him great honor;[al]
you give him majestic splendor.[am]
6 For you grant him lasting blessings;
you give him great joy by allowing him into your presence.[an]
7 For the king trusts[ao] in the Lord,
and because of the Most High’s[ap] faithfulness he is not shaken.[aq]
8 You[ar] prevail over[as] all your enemies;
your power is too great for those who hate you.[at]
9 You burn them up like a fiery furnace[au] when you appear.[av]
The Lord angrily devours them;[aw]
the fire consumes them.
10 You destroy their offspring[ax] from the earth,
their descendants[ay] from among the human race.[az]
11 Yes,[ba] they intend to do you harm;[bb]
they dream up a scheme,[bc] but they do not succeed.[bd]
12 For you make them retreat[be]
when you aim your arrows at them.[bf]
13 Rise up, O Lord, in strength![bg]
We will sing and praise[bh] your power.
Psalm 110[a]
A psalm of David.
110 Here is the Lord’s proclamation[b] to my lord:[c]
“Sit down at my right hand[d] until I make your enemies your footstool.”[e]
2 The Lord[f] extends[g] your dominion[h] from Zion.
Rule in the midst of your enemies.
3 Your people willingly follow you[i] when you go into battle.[j]
On the holy hills[k] at sunrise[l] the dew of your youth[m] belongs to you.[n]
4 The Lord makes this promise on oath[o] and will not revoke it:[p]
“You are an eternal priest[q] after the pattern of[r] Melchizedek.”[s]
5 O Lord,[t] at your right hand
he strikes down[u] kings in the day he unleashes his anger.[v]
6 He executes judgment[w] against[x] the nations.
He fills the valleys with corpses;[y]
he shatters their heads over the vast battlefield.[z]
7 From the stream along the road he drinks;
then he lifts up his head.[aa]
Psalm 116[a]
116 I love the Lord
because he heard my plea for mercy,[b]
2 and listened to me.[c]
As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help.[d]
3 The ropes of death tightened around me,[e]
the snares[f] of Sheol confronted me.
I was confronted[g] with trouble and sorrow.
4 I called on the name of the Lord,
“Please, Lord, rescue my life!”
5 The Lord is merciful and fair;
our God is compassionate.
6 The Lord protects[h] the untrained;[i]
I was in serious trouble[j] and he delivered me.
7 Rest once more, my soul,[k]
for the Lord has vindicated you.[l]
8 Yes,[m] Lord,[n] you rescued my life from death,
kept my eyes from tears
and my feet from stumbling.
9 I will serve[o] the Lord
in the land[p] of the living.
10 I had faith when I said,
“I am severely oppressed.”
11 I rashly declared,[q]
“All men are liars.”
12 How can I repay the Lord
for all his acts of kindness to me?
13 I will celebrate my deliverance,[r]
and call on the name of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
before all his people.
15 The Lord values
the lives of his faithful followers.[s]
16 Yes, Lord! I am indeed your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your female servant.[t]
You saved me from death.[u]
17 I will present a thank offering to you,
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
before all his people,
19 in the courts of the Lord’s temple,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 117[v]
The Branch of the Lord
2 At that time[a]
the crops given by the Lord will bring admiration and honor;[b]
the produce of the land will be a source of pride and delight
to those who remain in Israel.[c]
3 Those remaining in Zion,[d] those left in Jerusalem,
will be called “holy,”[e]
all in Jerusalem who are destined to live.[f]
4 At that time[g] the Lord will wash the excrement[h] from Zion’s women,
he will rinse the bloodstains from Jerusalem’s midst,[i]
as he comes to judge
and to bring devastation.[j]
5 Then the Lord will create
over all Mount Zion[k]
and over its convocations
a cloud and smoke by day
and a bright flame of fire by night;[l]
indeed a canopy will accompany the Lord’s glorious presence.[m]
6 By day it will be a shelter to provide shade from the heat,
as well as safety and protection from the heavy downpour.[n]
The Lord Returns for Believers
13 Now we do not want you to be uninformed,[a] brothers and sisters,[b] about those who are asleep,[c] so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that[d] God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians.[e] 15 For we tell you this by the word of the Lord,[f] that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel,[g] and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left,[h] will be suddenly caught up[i] together[j] with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The Signs of the End of the Age
5 Now[a] while some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned[b] with beautiful stones and offerings,[c] Jesus[d] said, 6 “As for these things that you are gazing at, the days will come when not one stone will be left on another.[e] All will be torn down!”[f] 7 So[g] they asked him,[h] “Teacher, when will these things[i] happen? And what will be the sign that[j] these things are about to take place?” 8 He[k] said, “Watch out[l] that you are not misled. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’[m] and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them! 9 And when you hear of wars and rebellions,[n] do not be afraid.[o] For these things must happen first, but the end will not come at once.”[p]
Persecution of Disciples
10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise up in arms[q] against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and famines[r] and plagues in various places, and there will be terrifying sights[s] and great signs[t] from heaven. 12 But before all this,[u] they will seize[v] you and persecute you, handing you over to the synagogues[w] and prisons. You[x] will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13 This will be a time for you to serve as witnesses.[y] 14 Therefore be resolved[z] not to rehearse[aa] ahead of time how to make your defense. 15 For I will give you the words[ab] along with the wisdom[ac] that none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents,[ad] brothers, relatives,[ae] and friends, and they will have some of you put to death. 17 You will be hated by everyone because of my name.[af] 18 Yet[ag] not a hair of your head will perish.[ah] 19 By your endurance[ai] you will gain[aj] your lives.[ak]
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