Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 72[a]
The Kingdom of the Messiah
1 Of Solomon.
O God, endow the king with your judgment,
the son of kings with your righteousness.
2 [b]He will govern your people fairly
and deal justly with your poor ones.
3 The mountains will yield peace for the people,
and the hills, righteousness.
4 He will defend the afflicted among the people,
save the children of the poor,
and overwhelm the oppressor.
5 He will reign as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
6 He will descend like rain on the meadow,
like showers that water the earth.
7 Justice will reign in his days,
and peace will abound
until the moon is no more.
8 His rule will extend from sea to sea,[c]
and from the river to the ends of the earth.
9 His foes[d] will bow down before him,
and his enemies will lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish[e] and the Islands
will offer him tribute;
the kings of Sheba and Seba
will present him with gifts.
11 All kings will pay him homage,
and all nations will serve him.
12 For he will save the poor who cry out
and the needy who have no one to help them.
13 He will have pity on the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the needy he will save.
14 He will free them from oppression and violence,
for their blood is precious in his sight.
15 [f]Long may he live!
May the gold of Sheba be given to him.
May people pray for him unceasingly
and invoke blessings[g] on him all day long.
16 May grain abound throughout the land,
even growing abundantly on the mountain tops.
May its crops[h] be as plenteous as those of Lebanon,
and may its people flourish like the grass of the field.
17 May his name[i] be blessed forever;
may it endure as long as the sun.
May all peoples be blessed in him;
may all the nations proclaim his greatness.
18 [j]Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone can perform such wondrous deeds.
19 May his glorious name be blessed forever,
and may the whole world be filled with his glory.
Amen. Amen.
20 The end of the psalms of David, son of Jesse.[k]
73 [a]Your hands have created and formed me;[b]
grant me understanding so that I may learn your precepts.
74 Those who fear you will rejoice when they see me
because I place my hope in your word.
75 I know, O Lord, that your judgments are righteous
and in your fidelity you have humbled me.
76 May your kindness[c] bring consolation to me
as you have promised your servant.
77 Grant me your compassion so that I may live,
for your law is my delight.
78 May the arrogant[d] who oppress me without cause be put to shame;
I will meditate on your commands.
79 May those turn to me who fear you,
those who understand your statutes.
80 May my heart[e] be without blame toward your decrees
so that I may not be put to shame.
Kaph
81 [f]My soul[g] pines for your salvation without ceasing;
I place my hope in your word.
82 My eyes fail,[h] looking for your word,
and I cry out, “When will you comfort me?”
83 I am shriveled like a smoke-filled wineskin,[i]
but I do not forget your decrees.
84 How long must your servant wait?[j]
When will you pass judgment on my persecutors?
85 The arrogant[k] dig pits to entrap me,
which is not in keeping with your law.
86 All of your precepts are true;
come to my aid, for I am persecuted unjustly.
87 My enemies almost took away my life,
but I have not forsaken your commands.
88 In your kindness[l] spare my life,
and I will obey the statutes of your mouth.
Lamedh
89 [m]Your word, O Lord, is everlasting;
it is firmly fixed in the heavens.[n]
90 Your faithfulness lasts through all generations;
you established the earth, and it endures.
91 By your judgments all creatures continue to exist,
for they are all your servants.
92 [o]If your law had not been my delight,
I would have already perished in my misery.
93 Never will I forget your commands,
for through them you have given me life.
94 I am yours; save me,
for I seek your commandments.
95 The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,
but I continue to ponder your decrees.
96 I have seen that every perfection is limited,
but your precept is unlimited.[p]
Mem
Chapter 54[a]
The New Zion[b]
1 Sing with happiness,
you barren woman who never bore a child.
Burst forth in shouts of joy,
you who never have been in labor.
For more numerous are the children of the deserted wife
than are the children of the wedded wife,
says the Lord.
2 Enlarge the site for your dwelling
and stretch out your tent curtains
to the greatest possible extent.
Lengthen your ropes
and strengthen your tent stakes.
3 For you will spread out
to the right and to the left;
your descendants will dispossess the nations
and settle in the desolate cities.
4 Have no fear, for you will not be put to shame;
do not be discouraged, for you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth,
and you will no longer remember
the reproach of your widowhood.
5 For your Creator has now become your husband;
his name is the Lord of hosts.
The Holy One of Israel is your redeemer;
he is called the God of the entire world.
6 The Lord has called you back
like a forsaken wife grieved in spirit,
like the repudiated wife of a man’s youth,
says your God.
7 For a brief moment I did forsake you,
but with great compassion I will take you back.
8 In an outburst of anger
I hid my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting love
I will have compassion on you,
says the Lord, your Redeemer.
9 This for me is like the days of Noah.
Just as I swore that the waters of Noah
would never again flood the earth,
so I have sworn that I never will be angry with you
and that I will never rebuke you.
10 Although the mountains may be shaken
and the hills may totter,
my steadfast love will not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace will never be shaken,
says the Lord who has compassion on you.
11 O afflicted city, storm-battered and not comforted,
I will build you with precious stones
and lay your foundations with sapphires.
12 I will use rubies to make your battlements,
jewels for your gates,
and precious stones for all your walls.
13 All of your sons will be taught by the Lord,
and great will be their prosperity.
14 With justice you will be established;
you will be free from the fear of oppression,
and no terror will afflict you.
15 Should anyone attack you,
it will not be my doing,
and anyone who does stir up strife
will fall before you.
16 It was I who created the blacksmith
to blow on the coals in the fire
and produce a weapon suitable for its purpose.
I also created the ravager
to destroy and wreak havoc.
17 No weapon used against you will prevail,
and you will refute every accusation
that is raised in court against you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
their vindication from me, says the Lord.
21 Sarah and Hagar Foreshadow the Two Covenants.[a] And so tell me, you who are so eager to be subject to the Law: why do you not listen to the Law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 The son by the slave woman was born through the flesh. The son by the free woman was born through a promise.
24 Now this is an allegory. These women represent two covenants. One covenant is given on Mount Sinai and bears children who are born into slavery; this is Hagar. 25 Hagar stands for Sinai, a mountain in Arabia, and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, for she is in slavery together with her children. 26 However, the Jerusalem that is above is the free woman, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,
“Rejoice, you barren woman
who never bore a child;
break forth in song and shout with joy,
you who never were in labor.
For more numerous are the children of the deserted wife
than the children of the one who has a husband.”
28 Now you, brethren, are, like Isaac, the children of the promise. 29 But just as in those days the child who was born through the flesh persecuted the child who was born through the Spirit, so is it now also. 30 However, what does Scripture say?
“Drive out the slave woman and her son!
For the son of the slave woman shall not share the inheritance
with the son of the free woman.”
31 Therefore, brethren, we are the children not of the slave woman but of the free woman.
11 The Demand for a Sign.[a] The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with him. To put him to the test they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 12 Sighing from the depths of his spirit, he said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Then he left them, got into the boat again, and sailed across to the other side.
14 The Yeast of the Pharisees.[b] They had forgotten to bring any bread with them, and they had only one loaf in the boat. 15 Jesus then gave them this warning, “Be careful, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” 16 They talked about this to one another and concluded: “It is because we have no bread.”
17 Becoming aware of what they were discussing, he said to them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes and fail to see? Do you have ears and fail to hear?
“And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets filled with fragments did you collect?” They answered, “Twelve.” 20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets filled with fragments did you collect?” They answered, “Seven.” 21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
22 Jesus Heals a Blind Man.[c] They arrived at Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged that he touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Then, putting saliva on his eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything?” 24 Looking up, the man responded, “I can see people, but they look like trees walking around.” 25 Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and the man looked around intently. His sight was restored, and he was able to see everything clearly. 26 Then he sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even go into the village.”
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