Book of Common Prayer
The Privileges of Citizenship in Zion.
A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.
87 His (A)foundation is in the holy mountains.
2 The Lord (B)loves the gates of Zion
More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.
3 (C)Glorious things are spoken of you,
O (D)city of God. [a]Selah.
4 “I shall mention [b](E)Rahab and Babylon [c]among those who know Me;
Behold, Philistia and (F)Tyre with [d](G)Ethiopia:
‘This one was born there.’”
5 But of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her”;
And the Most High Himself will (H)establish her.
6 The Lord will count when He (I)registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah.
7 Then those who (J)sing as well as those who [e](K)play the flutes shall say,
“All my (L)springs of joy are in you.”
BOOK 4
God’s Eternity and Man’s Transitoriness.
A Prayer of [a]Moses, the man of God.
90 Lord, You have been our [b](A)dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before (B)the mountains were born
[c]Or You (C)gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even (D)from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
3 You (E)turn man back into dust
And say, “Return, O children of men.”
4 For (F)a thousand years in Your sight
Are like (G)yesterday when it passes by,
[d]Or as a (H)watch in the night.
5 You (I)have [e]swept them away like a flood, they [f](J)fall asleep;
In the morning they are like (K)grass which [g]sprouts anew.
6 In the morning it (L)flourishes and [h]sprouts anew;
Toward evening it (M)fades and (N)withers away.
7 For we have been (O)consumed by Your anger
And by Your wrath we have been [i]dismayed.
8 You have (P)placed our iniquities before You,
Our (Q)secret sins in the light of Your presence.
9 For (R)all our days have declined in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a [j]sigh.
10 As for the days of our [k]life, [l]they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, (S)eighty years,
Yet their pride is but (T)labor and sorrow;
For soon it is gone and we (U)fly away.
11 Who [m]understands the (V)power of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the (W)fear [n]that is due You?
12 So (X)teach us to number our days,
That we may [o](Y)present to You a heart of wisdom.
13 Do (Z)return, O Lord; (AA)how long will it be?
And [p]be (AB)sorry for Your servants.
14 O (AC)satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness,
That we may (AD)sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 (AE)Make us glad [q]according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the (AF)years we have seen [r]evil.
16 Let Your (AG)work appear to Your servants
And Your (AH)majesty [s]to their children.
17 Let the (AI)favor of the Lord our God be upon us;
And [t](AJ)confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, [u]confirm the work of our hands.
Thanks for the Lord’s Goodness to Israel.
136 (A)Give thanks to the Lord, for (B)He is good,
For (C)His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Give thanks to the (D)God of gods,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
3 Give thanks to the (E)Lord of lords,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
4 To Him who (F)alone does great [a]wonders,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
5 To Him who (G)made the heavens [b](H)with skill,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
6 To Him who (I)spread out the earth above the waters,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
7 To Him who (J)made the great lights,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting:
8 The (K)sun to rule [c]by day,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
9 The (L)moon and stars to rule [d]by night,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
10 To Him who (M)smote [e]the Egyptians in their firstborn,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
11 And (N)brought Israel out from their midst,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
12 With a (O)strong hand and an (P)outstretched arm,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
13 To Him who (Q)divided the [f]Red Sea [g]asunder,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
14 And (R)made Israel pass through the midst of it,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
15 But (S)He [h]overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the [i]Red Sea,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
16 To Him who (T)led His people through the wilderness,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
17 To Him who (U)smote great kings,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
18 And (V)slew [j]mighty kings,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting:
19 (W)Sihon, king of the Amorites,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
20 And (X)Og, king of Bashan,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
21 And (Y)gave their land as a heritage,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
22 Even a heritage to Israel His (Z)servant,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
23 Who (AA)remembered us in our low estate,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
24 And has (AB)rescued us from our adversaries,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
25 Who (AC)gives food to all flesh,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
26 Give thanks to the (AD)God of heaven,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
The Ruined Waistband
13 Thus the Lord said to me, “Go and (A)buy yourself a linen waistband and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water.” 2 So I bought the waistband in accordance with the (B)word of the Lord and put it around my waist. 3 Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, 4 “Take the waistband that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to [a]the (C)Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, (D)as the Lord had commanded me. 6 After many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the waistband which I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the waistband from the place where I had hidden it; and lo, the waistband was ruined, it was totally worthless.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “Thus says the Lord, ‘Just so will I destroy the (E)pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This wicked people, who (F)refuse to listen to My words, who (G)walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have gone after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this waistband which is totally worthless. 11 For as the waistband clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah (H)cling to Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for [b](I)renown, for (J)praise and for glory; but they (K)did not listen.’
12 Therefore do not let sin (A)reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on (B)presenting [a]the members of your body to sin as [b]instruments of unrighteousness; but (C)present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as [c]instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For (D)sin shall not (E)be master over you, for (F)you are not under law but (G)under grace.
15 What then? (H)Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? (I)May it never be! 16 Do you not (J)know that when you present yourselves to someone as (K)slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of (L)sin [d]resulting in death, or of obedience [e]resulting in righteousness? 17 But (M)thanks be to God that [f]though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that (N)form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been (O)freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 (P)I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just (Q)as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, [g]resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, [h]resulting in sanctification.
20 For (R)when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 Therefore what [i](S)benefit were you then [j]deriving [k]from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is (T)death. 22 But now having been (U)freed from sin and (V)enslaved to God, you [l]derive your [m](W)benefit, [n]resulting in sanctification, and (X)the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of (Y)sin is death, but the free gift of God is (Z)eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
47 (A)He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
48 (B)The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a (C)Samaritan and (D)have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not (E)have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 But (F)I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone (G)keeps My word he will never (H)see death.” 52 (I)The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You (J)have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone (K)keeps My word, he will never (L)taste of death.’ 53 Surely You (M)are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “(N)If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; (O)it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; 55 and (P)you have not come to know Him, (Q)but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be (R)a liar like you, (S)but I do know Him and (T)keep His word. 56 (U)Your father Abraham (V)rejoiced [a]to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 (W)So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham [b]was born, (X)I am.” 59 Therefore they (Y)picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus [c](Z)hid Himself and went out of the temple.
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