Book of Common Prayer
The Works and the Word of God.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
19 The (A)heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their (B)expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
2 Day to (C)day pours forth speech,
And (D)night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
4 Their [a](E)line has gone out through all the earth,
And their utterances to the end of the world.
In them He has (F)placed a tent for the sun,
5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
6 Its (G)rising is from [b]one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the [c]other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 (H)The law of the Lord is [d](I)perfect, (J)restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is (K)sure, making (L)wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are (M)right, (N)rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is (O)pure, (P)enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are (Q)true; they are (R)righteous altogether.
10 They are more desirable than (S)gold, yes, than much fine gold;
(T)Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them (U)Your servant is warned;
In keeping them there is great (V)reward.
12 Who can (W)discern his errors? (X)Acquit me of (Y)hidden faults.
13 Also keep back Your servant (Z)from presumptuous sins;
Let them not (AA)rule over me;
Then I will be [e](AB)blameless,
And I shall be acquitted of (AC)great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and (AD)the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, (AE)my rock and my (AF)Redeemer.
18 For thus says the Lord, who (A)created the heavens (He is the God who (B)formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it [a]a (C)waste place, but formed it to be (D)inhabited),
“I am the Lord, and (E)there is none else.
19 “(F)I have not spoken in secret,
In [b]some dark land;
I did not say to the [c](G)offspring of Jacob,
‘(H)Seek Me in [d]a waste place’;
I, the Lord, (I)speak righteousness,
(J)Declaring things that are upright.
20 “(K)Gather yourselves and come;
Draw near together, you fugitives of the nations;
(L)They have no knowledge,
Who (M)carry about [e]their wooden idol
And (N)pray to a god who cannot save.
21 “(O)Declare and set forth your case;
Indeed, let them consult together.
(P)Who has announced this from of old?
Who has long since declared it?
Is it not I, the Lord?
And there is (Q)no other God besides Me,
A righteous God and a (R)Savior;
There is none except Me.
22 “(S)Turn to Me and (T)be saved, all the ends of the earth;
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 “(U)I have sworn by Myself,
The (V)word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness
And will not turn back,
That to Me (W)every knee will bow, every tongue will (X)swear allegiance.
24 “They will say of Me, ‘Only (Y)in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’
Men will come to Him,
And (Z)all who were angry at Him will be put to shame.
25 “In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
Will be (AA)justified and will (AB)glory.”
4 although (A)I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 (B)circumcised the eighth day, of the (C)nation of Israel, of the (D)tribe of Benjamin, a (E)Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, (F)a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, (G)a persecutor of the church; as to the (H)righteousness which is in the Law, found (I)blameless.
7 But (J)whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss [a]in view of the surpassing value of [b](K)knowing (L)Christ Jesus my Lord, [c]for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having (M)a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, (N)the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may (O)know Him and (P)the power of His resurrection and [d](Q)the fellowship of His sufferings, being (R)conformed to His death; 11 [e]in order that I may (S)attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Lamedh.
89 (A)Forever, O Lord,
Your word [a]is settled in heaven.
90 Your (B)faithfulness continues [b]throughout all generations;
You (C)established the earth, and it (D)stands.
91 They stand this day according to Your (E)ordinances,
For (F)all things are Your servants.
92 If Your law had not been my (G)delight,
Then I would have perished (H)in my affliction.
93 I will (I)never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have [c](J)revived me.
94 I am Yours, (K)save me;
For I have (L)sought Your precepts.
95 The wicked (M)wait for me to destroy me;
I shall diligently consider Your testimonies.
96 I have seen [d]a limit to all perfection;
Your commandment is exceedingly broad.
Mem.
97 O how I (N)love Your law!
It is my (O)meditation all the day.
98 Your (P)commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
For they are ever [e]mine.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my (Q)meditation.
100 I understand (R)more than the aged,
Because I have (S)observed Your precepts.
101 I have (T)restrained my feet from every evil way,
That I may keep Your word.
102 I have not (U)turned aside from Your ordinances,
For You Yourself have taught me.
103 How (V)sweet are Your [f]words to my [g]taste!
Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 From Your precepts I (W)get understanding;
Therefore I (X)hate every false way.
Nun.
105 Your word is a (Y)lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
106 I have (Z)sworn and I will confirm it,
That I will keep Your righteous ordinances.
107 I am exceedingly (AA)afflicted;
[h](AB)Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.
108 O accept the (AC)freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord,
And (AD)teach me Your ordinances.
109 My [i](AE)life is continually [j]in my hand,
Yet I do not (AF)forget Your law.
110 The wicked have (AG)laid a snare for me,
Yet I have not (AH)gone astray from Your precepts.
111 I have (AI)inherited Your testimonies forever,
For they are the (AJ)joy of my heart.
112 I have (AK)inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, even (AL)to the end.
The Conversion of Saul
9 (A)Now [a]Saul, still (B)breathing [b]threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for (C)letters from him to (D)the synagogues at (E)Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to (F)the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and (G)suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and (H)he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but get up and enter the city, and (I)it will be told you what you must do.” 7 The men who traveled with him (J)stood speechless, (K)hearing the [c]voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and (L)though his eyes were open, he [d]could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into (M)Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10 Now there was a disciple at (N)Damascus named (O)Ananias; and the Lord said to him in (P)a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from (Q)Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, 12 and he has seen [e]in a vision a man named Ananias come in and (R)lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, (S)how much harm he did to (T)Your [f]saints at Jerusalem; 14 and here he (U)has authority from the chief priests to bind all who (V)call on Your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for (W)he is a chosen [g]instrument of Mine, to bear My name before (X)the Gentiles and (Y)kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for (Z)I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after (AA)laying his hands on him said, “(AB)Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be (AC)filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; 19 and he took food and was strengthened.
Saul Begins to Preach Christ
Now (AD)for several days he was with (AE)the disciples who were at Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus (AF)in the synagogues, [h]saying, “He is (AG)the Son of God.” 21 All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem (AH)destroyed those who (AI)called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the [i]Christ.
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