Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 87
Zion, the City of God
A psalm of the sons of Korah. A song.
1 His foundation is on the holy mountains.(A)
2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwellings of Jacob.(B)
3 Glorious things are said about you,
city of God.(C)
4 “I will mention those who know Me:
Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush—
each one was born there.”(D)
5 And it will be said of Zion,
“This one and that one were born in her.”
The Most High Himself will establish her.(E)
6 When He registers the peoples,
the Lord will record,
“This one was born there.”(F)
7 Singers and dancers alike will say,
“My whole source of joy is[a] in you.”(G)
BOOK IV
(Psalms 90–106)
Psalm 90
Eternal God and Mortal Man
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
1 Lord, You have been our refuge[a]
in every generation.(A)
2 Before the mountains were born,
before You gave birth to the earth and the world,
from eternity to eternity, You are God.(B)
3 You return mankind to the dust,
saying, “Return, descendants of Adam.”(C)
4 For in Your sight a thousand years
are like yesterday that passes by,
like a few hours of the night.(D)
5 You end their lives;[b] they sleep.(E)
They are like grass that grows in the morning—
6 in the morning it sprouts and grows;
by evening it withers and dries up.(F)
7 For we are consumed by Your anger;
we are terrified by Your wrath.(G)
8 You have set our unjust ways before You,
our secret sins in the light of Your presence.(H)
9 For all our days ebb away under Your wrath;
we end our years like a sigh.(I)
10 Our lives last[c] seventy years
or, if we are strong, eighty years.
Even the best of them are[d] struggle and sorrow;
indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away.(J)
11 Who understands the power of Your anger?
Your wrath matches the fear that is due You.(K)
12 Teach us to number our days carefully
so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.[e](L)
13 Lord—how long?
Turn and have compassion on Your servants.(M)
14 Satisfy us in the morning with Your faithful love
so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days.(N)
15 Make us rejoice for as many days as You have humbled us,
for as many years as we have seen adversity.(O)
16 Let Your work be seen by Your servants,
and Your splendor by their children.(P)
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us;
establish for us the work of our hands—
establish the work of our hands!(Q)
Psalm 136
God’s Love Is Eternal
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.(A)
His love is eternal.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love is eternal.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords.(B)
His love is eternal.
4 He alone does great wonders.(C)
His love is eternal.
5 He made the heavens skillfully.(D)
His love is eternal.
6 He spread the land on the waters.(E)
His love is eternal.
7 He made the great lights:(F)
His love is eternal.
8 the sun to rule by day,
His love is eternal.
9 the moon and stars to rule by night.(G)
His love is eternal.
10 He struck the firstborn of the Egyptians(H)
His love is eternal.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His love is eternal.
12 with a strong hand and outstretched arm.(I)
His love is eternal.
13 He divided the Red Sea(J)
His love is eternal.
14 and led Israel through,(K)
His love is eternal.
15 but hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.(L)
His love is eternal.
16 He led His people in the wilderness.(M)
His love is eternal.
17 He struck down great kings
His love is eternal.
18 and slaughtered famous kings—
His love is eternal.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
His love is eternal.
20 and Og king of Bashan—
His love is eternal.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love is eternal.
22 an inheritance to Israel His servant.(N)
His love is eternal.
23 He remembered us in our humiliation(O)
His love is eternal.
24 and rescued us from our foes.(P)
His love is eternal.
25 He gives food to every creature.(Q)
His love is eternal.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven!(R)
His love is eternal.
Linen Underwear
13 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy yourself a linen undergarment(A) and put it on,[a] but do not put it in water.” 2 So I bought underwear as the Lord instructed me and put it on.
3 Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time: 4 “Take the underwear that you bought and are wearing,[b] and go at once to the Euphrates[c] and hide it in a rocky crevice.”(B) 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me.
6 A long time later the Lord said to me, “Go at once to the Euphrates and get the underwear that I commanded you to hide there.” 7 So I went to the Euphrates and dug up the underwear and got it from the place where I had hidden it, but it was ruined—of no use at all.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “This is what the Lord says: Just like this I will ruin the great pride of both Judah and Jerusalem.(C) 10 These evil people, who refuse to listen to Me, who follow the stubbornness of their own hearts,(D) and who have followed other gods to serve and worship—they will be like this underwear, of no use at all. 11 Just as underwear clings to one’s waist, so I fastened the whole house of Israel and of Judah to Me”(E)—this is the Lord’s declaration—“so that they might be My people for My fame, praise, and glory,(F) but they would not obey.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey[a] its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts[b] of it to sin(A) as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God,(B) and all the parts[c] of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law(C) but under grace.(D)
From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God
15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace?(E) Absolutely not!(F) 16 Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone[d] as obedient slaves,(G) you are slaves of that one you obey(H)—either of sin leading to death(I) or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin,(J) you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred[e] to,(K) 18 and having been liberated from sin,(L) you became enslaved to righteousness. 19 I am using a human analogy[f](M) because of the weakness of your flesh.[g] For just as you offered the parts[h] of yourselves as slaves to moral impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from allegiance to righteousness.[i](N) 21 So what fruit was produced[j] then from the things you are now ashamed of?(O) For the end of those things is death.(P) 22 But now, since you have been liberated from sin and have become enslaved to God,(Q) you have your fruit, which results in sanctification[k](R)—and the end is eternal life!(S) 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.(T)
47 The one who is from God listens to God’s words. This is why you don’t listen, because you are not from God.”
Jesus and Abraham
48 The Jews responded to Him, “Aren’t we right in saying that You’re a Samaritan(A) and have a demon?”(B)
49 “I do not have a demon,” Jesus answered. “On the contrary, I honor My Father and you dishonor Me. 50 I do not seek My glory;(C) the One who seeks it also judges. 51 I assure you: If anyone keeps My word,(D) he will never see death—ever!”
52 Then the Jews said, “Now we know You have a demon. Abraham died and so did the prophets. You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste death—ever!’ 53 Are You greater than our father Abraham who died? Even the prophets died. Who do You pretend to be?”[a]
54 “If I glorify Myself,” Jesus answered, “My glory is nothing. My Father—you say about Him, ‘He is our God’—He is the One who glorifies Me. 55 You’ve never known Him, but I know Him. If I were to say I don’t know Him,(E) I would be a liar like you. But I do know Him,(F) and I keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham was overjoyed that he would see My day; he saw it(G) and rejoiced.”
57 The Jews replied, “You aren’t 50 years old yet, and You’ve seen Abraham?”[b]
58 Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am.”[c](H)
59 At that, they picked up stones(I) to throw at Him.(J) But Jesus was hidden[d](K) and went out of the temple complex.[e](L)
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