Book of Common Prayer
The God of Compassion
146 Hallelujah!
My soul, praise the Lord.(A)
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing to my God as long as I live.(B)
3 Do not trust in nobles,
in a son of man,[a] who cannot save.(C)
4 When his breath[b] leaves him,
he returns to the ground;
on that day his plans die.(D)
5 Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,(E)
6 the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea and everything in them.(F)
He remains faithful for ever,(G)
7 executing justice for the exploited
and giving food to the hungry.(H)
The Lord frees prisoners.(I)
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.(J)
The Lord raises up those who are oppressed.[c](K)
The Lord loves the righteous.(L)
9 The Lord protects resident foreigners
and helps the fatherless and the widow,(M)
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.(N)
10 The Lord reigns for ever;
Zion, your God reigns for all generations.(O)
Hallelujah!
God Restores Jerusalem
147 Hallelujah!
How good it is to sing to our God,
for praise is pleasant and lovely.(P)
2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;(Q)
he gathers Israel’s exiled people.(R)
3 He heals the broken-hearted
and bandages their wounds.(S)
4 He counts the number of the stars;
he gives names to all of them.(T)
5 Our Lord is great, vast in power;
his understanding is infinite.[d](U)
6 The Lord helps the oppressed
but brings the wicked to the ground.(V)
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
play the lyre to our God,(W)
8 who covers the sky with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
and causes grass to grow on the hills.(X)
9 He provides the animals with their food,
and the young ravens what they cry for.(Y)
10 He is not impressed by the strength of a horse;
he does not value the power of a warrior.[e](Z)
11 The Lord values those who fear him,
those who put their hope in his faithful love.(AA)
12 Exalt the Lord, Jerusalem;
praise your God, Zion!(AB)
13 For he strengthens the bars of your city gates
and blesses your children within you.(AC)
14 He endows your territory with prosperity;[f](AD)
he satisfies you with the finest wheat.(AE)
15 He sends his command throughout the earth;
his word runs swiftly.(AF)
16 He spreads snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes;(AG)
17 he throws his hailstones like crumbs.
Who can withstand his cold?(AH)
18 He sends his word and melts them;
he unleashes his winds,[g] and the water flows.(AI)
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and judgements to Israel.(AJ)
20 He has not done this for every nation;
they do not know his judgements.(AK)
Hallelujah!
Praise for the Lord’s Works
111 Hallelujah![a]
I will praise the Lord with all my heart
in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.(A)
2 The Lord’s works are great,
studied by all who delight in them.(B)
3 All that he does is splendid and majestic;(C)
his righteousness endures for ever.(D)
4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered.(E)
The Lord is gracious and compassionate.(F)
5 He has provided food for those who fear him;(G)
he remembers his covenant for ever.(H)
6 He has shown his people the power of his works
by giving them the inheritance of the nations.(I)
7 The works of his hands are truth and justice;
all his instructions are trustworthy.(J)
8 They are established for ever and ever,
enacted in truth and in uprightness.(K)
9 He has sent redemption to his people.(L)
He has ordained his covenant for ever.
His name is holy and awe-inspiring.(M)
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;(N)
all who follow his instructions[b] have good insight.(O)
His praise endures for ever.(P)
The Traits of the Righteous
112 Hallelujah![c]
Happy is the person who fears the Lord,
taking great delight in his commands.(Q)
2 His descendants will be powerful in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.(R)
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,(S)
and his righteousness endures for ever.(T)
4 Light shines in the darkness for the upright.(U)
He is gracious, compassionate, and righteous.(V)
5 Good will come to the one who lends generously
and conducts his business fairly.(W)
6 He will never be shaken.(X)
The righteous one will be remembered for ever.(Y)
7 He will not fear bad news;
his heart is confident, trusting in the Lord.(Z)
8 His heart is assured; he will not fear.(AA)
In the end he will look in triumph on his foes.(AB)
9 He distributes freely to the poor;
his righteousness endures for ever.(AC)
His horn will be exalted in honour.(AD)
10 The wicked one will see it and be angry;
he will gnash his teeth in despair.(AE)
The desire of the wicked leads to ruin.(AF)
Praise to the Merciful God
113 Hallelujah!
Give praise, servants of the Lord;
praise the name of the Lord.(AG)
2 Let the name of the Lord be blessed
both now and for ever.(AH)
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting,
let the name of the Lord be praised.(AI)
4 The Lord is exalted above all the nations,(AJ)
his glory above the heavens.(AK)
5 Who is like the Lord our God –
the one enthroned on high,(AL)
6 who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?(AM)
7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the rubbish heap(AN)
8 in order to seat them with nobles –
with the nobles of his people.(AO)
9 He gives the childless woman a household,
making her the joyful mother of children.(AP)
Hallelujah!
God’s People Comforted
40 ‘Comfort, comfort my people,’(A)
says your God.
2 ‘Speak tenderly to[a] Jerusalem,
and announce to her
that her time of hard service is over,
her iniquity(B) has been pardoned,(C)
and she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.’(D)
3 A voice of one crying out:
Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness;(E)
make a straight road for our God in the desert.(F)
4 Every valley will be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill will be levelled;
the uneven ground will become smooth
and the rough places, a plain.(G)
5 And the glory of the Lord will appear,(H)
and all humanity[b] together will see it,(I)
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.(J)
6 A voice was saying, ‘Cry out! ’
Another said,[c] ‘What should I cry out? ’
‘All humanity is grass,(K)
and all its goodness is like the flower of the field.(L)
7 The grass withers, the flowers fade
when the breath[d] of the Lord blows on them;[e]
indeed, the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flowers fade,(M)
but the word of our God remains for ever.’(N)
9 Zion, herald of good news,
go up on a high mountain.(O)
Jerusalem, herald of good news,(P)
raise your voice loudly.
Raise it, do not be afraid!
Say to the cities of Judah,
‘Here is your God! ’(Q)
10 See, the Lord God comes with strength,
and his power establishes his rule.(R)
His wages are with him,(S)
and his reward accompanies him.
11 He protects his flock like a shepherd;(T)
he gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them in the fold of his garment.
He gently leads those that are nursing.
The Nature of the Son
1 Long ago God spoke(A) to our ancestors by the prophets(B) at different times and in different ways.(C) 2 In these last days,(D) he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things(E) and made the universe[a](F) through him. 3 The Son is the radiance[b] of God’s glory and the exact expression[c] of his nature,(G) sustaining all things by his powerful word.(H) After making purification for sins,[d] he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.[e](I) 4 So he became superior to the angels, just as the name he inherited is more excellent than theirs.(J)
The Son Superior to Angels
5 For to which of the angels did he ever say,
or again,
6 Again, when he[i] brings his firstborn into the world,(L) he says,
7 And about the angels he says:
8 but to[n] the Son:
Your throne, God,
is for ever and ever,
and the sceptre of your kingdom
is a sceptre of justice.(O)
9 You have loved righteousness
and hated lawlessness;
this is why God, your God,
has anointed you
with the oil of joy(P)
beyond your companions.[o][p]
10 And:
In the beginning, Lord,
you established the earth,
and the heavens are the works of your hands;(Q)
11 they will perish, but you remain.
They will all wear out like clothing;(R)
12 you will roll them up like a cloak,[q]
and they will be changed like clothing.
But you are the same,
and your years will never end.[r](S)
Prologue
1 In the beginning(A) was the Word,(B) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.(C) 2 He was with God in the beginning.(D) 3 All things were created(E) through him,(F) and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life,[a](G) and that life was the light(H) of men. 5 That light shines(I) in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome[b] it.(J)
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John.(K) 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him.[c]
The Lamb of God
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God,(A) who takes away the sin(B) of the world! 30 This is the one I told you about: “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.” 31 I didn’t know him,(C) but I came baptising with water so that he might be revealed(D) to Israel.’ 32 And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit(E) descending from heaven like a dove, and he rested on him.(F) 33 I didn’t know him, but he who sent me to baptise with water told me, “The one you see the Spirit descending and resting on – he is the one who baptises with the Holy Spirit.”(G) 34 I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.’[a](H)
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