Book of Common Prayer
The Lord an Abundant Helper.
146 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
(A)Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord (B)while I live;
I will (C)sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 (D)Do not trust in princes,
In [c]mortal (E)man, in whom there is (F)no salvation.
4 His (G)spirit departs, he (H)returns to [d]the earth;
In that very day his (I)thoughts perish.
5 How (J)blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose (K)hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who (L)made heaven and earth,
The (M)sea and all that is in them;
Who (N)keeps [e]faith forever;
7 Who (O)executes justice for the oppressed;
Who (P)gives food to the hungry.
The Lord (Q)sets the prisoners free.
8 The Lord (R)opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord (S)raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord (T)loves the righteous;
9 The Lord [f](U)protects the [g]strangers;
He [h](V)supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He [i]thwarts (W)the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord will (X)reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
[j]Praise [k]the Lord!
Praise for Jerusalem’s Restoration and Prosperity.
147 [l]Praise [m]the Lord!
For (Y)it is good to sing praises to our God;
For [n]it is pleasant and praise is (Z)becoming.
2 The Lord (AA)builds up Jerusalem;
He (AB)gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the (AC)brokenhearted
And (AD)binds up their [o]wounds.
4 He (AE)counts the number of the stars;
He [p](AF)gives names to all of them.
5 (AG)Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His (AH)understanding is [q]infinite.
6 The Lord [r](AI)supports the afflicted;
He brings down the wicked to the ground.
7 (AJ)Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre,
8 Who (AK)covers the heavens with clouds,
Who (AL)provides rain for the earth,
Who (AM)makes grass to [s]grow on the mountains.
9 He (AN)gives to the beast its food,
And to the (AO)young ravens which cry.
10 He does not delight in the strength of the (AP)horse;
He (AQ)does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord (AR)favors those who fear Him,
(AS)Those who wait for His lovingkindness.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the (AT)bars of your gates;
He has (AU)blessed your sons within you.
14 He (AV)makes [t]peace in your borders;
He (AW)satisfies you with (AX)the [u]finest of the wheat.
15 He sends forth His (AY)command to the earth;
His (AZ)word runs very swiftly.
16 He gives (BA)snow like wool;
He scatters the (BB)frost like ashes.
17 He casts forth His (BC)ice as fragments;
Who can stand before His (BD)cold?
18 He (BE)sends forth His word and melts them;
He (BF)causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.
19 He (BG)declares His words to Jacob,
His (BH)statutes and His ordinances to Israel.
20 He (BI)has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His ordinances, they have (BJ)not known them.
[v]Praise [w]the Lord!
The Lord Praised for His Goodness.
111 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
I (A)will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart,
In the (B)company of the upright and in the assembly.
2 (C)Great are the works of the Lord;
They are [c](D)studied by all who delight in them.
3 [d](E)Splendid and majestic is His work,
And (F)His righteousness endures forever.
4 He has made His [e]wonders [f]to be remembered;
The Lord is (G)gracious and compassionate.
5 He has (H)given [g]food to those who [h]fear Him;
He will (I)remember His covenant forever.
6 He has made known to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the heritage of the nations.
7 The works of His hands are [i](J)truth and justice;
All His precepts (K)are [j]sure.
8 They are (L)upheld forever and ever;
They are performed in [k](M)truth and uprightness.
9 He has sent (N)redemption to His people;
He has [l]ordained His covenant forever;
(O)Holy and [m]awesome is His name.
10 The [n](P)fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A (Q)good understanding have all those who [o]do His commandments;
His (R)praise endures forever.
Prosperity of the One Who Fears the Lord.
112 [p]Praise [q]the Lord!
How (S)blessed is the man who [r]fears the Lord,
Who greatly (T)delights in His commandments.
2 His [s](U)descendants will be mighty [t]on earth;
The generation of the (V)upright will be blessed.
3 (W)Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light arises in the darkness (X)for the upright;
He is (Y)gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who (Z)is gracious and lends;
He will [u]maintain his cause in judgment.
6 For he will (AA)never be shaken;
The (AB)righteous will be [v]remembered forever.
7 He will not fear (AC)evil tidings;
His (AD)heart is steadfast, (AE)trusting in the Lord.
8 His (AF)heart is upheld, he (AG)will not fear,
Until he (AH)looks with satisfaction on his adversaries.
9 [w]He (AI)has given freely to the poor,
His righteousness endures forever;
His (AJ)horn will be exalted in honor.
10 The (AK)wicked will see it and be [x]vexed,
He will (AL)gnash his teeth and (AM)melt away;
The (AN)desire of the wicked will perish.
The Lord Exalts the Humble.
113 [y]Praise [z]the Lord!
(AO)Praise, O (AP)servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord.
2 (AQ)Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
3 (AR)From the rising of the sun to its setting
The (AS)name of the Lord is to be praised.
4 The Lord is (AT)high above all nations;
His (AU)glory is above the heavens.
5 (AV)Who is like the Lord our God,
Who (AW)is enthroned on high,
6 Who [aa](AX)humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in heaven and in the earth?
7 He (AY)raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 To make them (AZ)sit with [ab]princes,
With the [ac]princes of His people.
9 He (BA)makes the barren woman abide in the house
As a joyful mother of children.
[ad]Praise [ae]the Lord!
The Greatness of God
40 “(A)Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.
2 “(B)Speak [a]kindly to Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that her [b](C)warfare has ended,
That her [c](D)iniquity has been removed,
That she has received of the Lord’s hand
(E)Double for all her sins.”
3 (F)A voice [d]is calling,
“(G)Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
4 “Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
5 [e]Then the (H)glory of the Lord will be revealed,
And (I)all flesh will see it together;
For the (J)mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Call out.”
Then [f]he answered, “What shall I call out?”
(K)All flesh is grass, and all its [g]loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The (L)grass withers, the flower fades,
[h]When the (M)breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But (N)the word of our God stands forever.
9 Get yourself up on a (O)high mountain,
O Zion, bearer of (P)good news,
Lift up your voice mightily,
O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;
Lift it up, do not fear.
Say to the (Q)cities of Judah,
“(R)Here is your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord [i]God will come (S)with might,
With His (T)arm ruling for Him.
Behold, His (U)reward is with Him
And His recompense before Him.
11 Like a shepherd He will (V)tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.
God’s Final Word in His Son
1 God, after He (A)spoke long ago to the fathers in (B)the prophets in many portions and (C)in many ways, 2 [a](D)in these last days (E)has spoken to us [b]in (F)His Son, whom He appointed (G)heir of all things, (H)through whom also He made the [c](I)world. 3 [d]And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact (J)representation of His nature, and [e](K)upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made (L)purification of sins, He (M)sat down at the right hand of the (N)Majesty on high, 4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent (O)name than they.
5 For to which of the angels did He ever say,
“(P)You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You”?
And again,
“(Q)I will be a Father to Him
And He shall be a Son to Me”?
6 And [f]when He again (R)brings the firstborn into [g](S)the world, He says,
“(T)And let all the angels of God worship Him.”
7 And of the angels He says,
“(U)Who makes His angels winds,
And His ministers a flame of fire.”
8 But of the Son He says,
“(V)Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
And the righteous scepter is the scepter of [h]His kingdom.
9 “(W)You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
(X)Therefore God, Your God, has (Y)anointed You
With the oil of gladness above Your companions.”
10 And,
“(Z)You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the works of Your hands;
11 (AA)They will perish, but You remain;
(AB)And they all will become old like a garment,
12 (AC)And like a mantle You will roll them up;
Like a garment they will also be changed.
But You are (AD)the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.”
The Deity of Jesus Christ
1 (A)In the beginning was (B)the Word, and the Word was (C)with God, and (D)the Word was God. 2 [a]He was in the beginning with God. 3 (E)All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 (F)In Him was life, and the life was (G)the Light of men. 5 (H)The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not [b]comprehend it.
The Witness John
6 There [c]came a man sent from God, whose name was (I)John. 7 [d]He came [e](J)as a witness, to testify about the Light, (K)so that all might believe through him.
29 The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, (A)the Lamb of God who (B)takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘(C)After me comes a Man who [a]has a higher rank than I, (D)for He existed before me.’ 31 I did not recognize [b]Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing [c]in water.” 32 John (E)testified saying, “(F)I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not recognize [d]Him, but He who sent me to baptize [e]in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, (G)this is the One who baptizes [f]in the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I myself have seen, and have testified that this is (H)the Son of God.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.