Book of Common Prayer
The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the Lord.
148 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
Praise the Lord (A)from the heavens;
Praise Him (B)in the heights!
2 Praise Him, (C)all His angels;
Praise Him, (D)all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all stars of light!
4 Praise Him, [c](E)highest heavens,
And the (F)waters that are above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For (G)He commanded and they were created.
6 He has also (H)established them forever and ever;
He has made a (I)decree which will not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
(J)Sea monsters and all (K)deeps;
8 (L)Fire and hail, (M)snow and (N)clouds;
(O)Stormy wind, (P)fulfilling His word;
9 (Q)Mountains and all hills;
Fruit (R)trees and all cedars;
10 (S)Beasts and all cattle;
(T)Creeping things and winged fowl;
11 (U)Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and virgins;
Old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For His (V)name alone is exalted;
His (W)glory is above earth and heaven.
14 And He has (X)lifted up a horn for His people,
(Y)Praise for all His godly ones;
Even for the sons of Israel, a people (Z)near to Him.
[d]Praise [e]the Lord!
Israel Invoked to Praise the Lord.
149 [f]Praise [g]the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a (AA)new song,
And His praise (AB)in the congregation of the godly ones.
2 Let Israel be glad in (AC)his Maker;
Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their (AD)King.
3 Let them praise His name with (AE)dancing;
Let them sing praises to Him with (AF)timbrel and lyre.
4 For the Lord (AG)takes pleasure in His people;
He will (AH)beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.
5 Let the (AI)godly ones exult in glory;
Let them (AJ)sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the (AK)high praises of God be in their [h]mouth,
And a (AL)two-edged (AM)sword in their hand,
7 To (AN)execute vengeance on the nations
And punishment on the peoples,
8 To bind their kings (AO)with chains
And their (AP)nobles with fetters of iron,
9 To (AQ)execute on them the judgment written;
This is an (AR)honor for all His godly ones.
[i]Praise [j]the Lord!
A Psalm of Praise.
150 [k]Praise [l]the Lord!
Praise God in His (AS)sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty [m](AT)expanse.
2 Praise Him for His (AU)mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent (AV)greatness.
3 Praise Him with (AW)trumpet sound;
Praise Him with (AX)harp and lyre.
4 Praise Him with (AY)timbrel and dancing;
Praise Him with (AZ)stringed instruments and (BA)pipe.
5 Praise Him with loud (BB)cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let (BC)everything that has breath praise [n]the Lord.
[o]Praise [p]the Lord!
God’s Deliverance of Israel from Egypt.
114 When Israel went forth (A)from Egypt,
The house of Jacob from a people of (B)strange language,
2 Judah became (C)His sanctuary,
Israel, (D)His dominion.
3 The (E)sea looked and fled;
The (F)Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains (G)skipped like rams,
The hills, like lambs.
5 What (H)ails you, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?
7 (I)Tremble, O earth, before the Lord,
Before the God of Jacob,
8 Who (J)turned the rock into a (K)pool of water,
The (L)flint into a fountain of water.
Heathen Idols Contrasted with the Lord.
115 (M)Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
But (N)to Your name give glory
Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your [a]truth.
2 (O)Why should the nations say,
“(P)Where, now, is their God?”
3 But our (Q)God is in the heavens;
He (R)does whatever He pleases.
4 Their (S)idols are silver and gold,
The (T)work of man’s hands.
5 They have mouths, but they (U)cannot speak;
They have eyes, but they cannot see;
6 They have ears, but they cannot hear;
They have noses, but they cannot smell;
7 [b]They have hands, but they cannot feel;
[c]They have feet, but they cannot walk;
They cannot make a sound with their throat.
8 (V)Those who make them [d]will become like them,
Everyone who trusts in them.
9 O (W)Israel, (X)trust in the Lord;
He is their (Y)help and their shield.
10 O house of (Z)Aaron, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who [e](AA)fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord (AB)has been mindful of us; He will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will (AC)bless those who [f]fear the Lord,
(AD)The small together with the great.
14 May the Lord (AE)give you increase,
You and your children.
15 May you be blessed of the Lord,
(AF)Maker of heaven and earth.
Obey God and Prosper
6 “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, 2 so that you and your son and your grandson might (A)fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, (B)all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 O Israel, you should listen and [a]be careful to do it, that (C)it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in (D)a land flowing with milk and honey.
4 “(E)Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the (F)Lord is one! 5 (G)You shall love the Lord your God (H)with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 (I)These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 (J)You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 (K)You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as [b]frontals [c]on your forehead. 9 (L)You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Contrast of Sinai and Zion
18 (A)For you have not come to (B)a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19 and to the (C)blast of a trumpet and the (D)sound of words which sound was such that those who heard (E)begged that no further word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not bear the command, “(F)If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.” 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “(G)I am full of fear and trembling.” 22 But (H)you have come to Mount Zion and to (I)the city of (J)the living God, (K)the heavenly Jerusalem, and to (L)myriads of [a]angels, 23 to the general assembly and (M)church of the firstborn who (N)are enrolled in heaven, and to God, (O)the Judge of all, and to the (P)spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the (Q)mediator of a new covenant, and to the (R)sprinkled blood, which speaks better than (S)the blood of Abel.
The Unshaken Kingdom
25 (T)See to it that you do not refuse Him who is (U)speaking. For (V)if those did not escape when they (W)refused him who (X)warned them on earth, [b]much less will we escape who turn away from Him who (Y)warns from heaven. 26 And (Z)His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “(AA)Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” 27 This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes (AB)the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we receive a (AC)kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us [c]show gratitude, by which we may (AD)offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for (AE)our God is a consuming fire.
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, (A)unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 (B)He who loves his [a]life loses it, and he who (C)hates his [b]life in this world will keep it to life eternal. 26 If anyone [c]serves Me, he must follow Me; and (D)where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone [d]serves Me, the Father will (E)honor him.
Jesus Foretells His Death
27 “(F)Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘(G)Father, save Me from (H)this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 (I)Father, glorify Your name.” Then a (J)voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “(K)An angel has spoken to Him.” 30 Jesus answered and said, “(L)This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. 31 (M)Now judgment is upon this world; now (N)the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I (O)am lifted up from the earth, will (P)draw all men to Myself.”
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