Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 148
Creation’s Praise of the Lord
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise Him in the heights.(A)
2 Praise Him, all His angels;
praise Him, all His hosts.(B)
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
praise Him, all you shining stars.(C)
4 Praise Him, highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens.(D)
5 Let them praise the name of Yahweh,
for He commanded, and they were created.(E)
6 He set them in position forever and ever;
He gave an order that will never pass away.(F)
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
all sea monsters and ocean depths,(G)
8 lightning[a] and hail, snow and cloud,
powerful wind that executes His command,(H)
9 mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,(I)
10 wild animals and all cattle,
creatures that crawl and flying birds,(J)
11 kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all judges of the earth,(K)
12 young men as well as young women,
old and young together.(L)
13 Let them praise the name of Yahweh,
for His name alone is exalted.
His majesty covers heaven and earth.(M)
14 He has raised up a horn for His people,
resulting in praise to all His godly ones,
to the Israelites, the people close to Him.(N)
Hallelujah!
Psalm 149
Praise for God’s Triumph
1 Hallelujah!
Sing to the Lord a new song,(O)
His praise in the assembly of the godly.(P)
2 Let Israel celebrate its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.(Q)
3 Let them praise His name with dancing
and make music to Him with tambourine and lyre.(R)
4 For Yahweh takes pleasure in His people;(S)
He adorns the humble with salvation.(T)
5 Let the godly celebrate in triumphal glory;
let them shout for joy on their beds.(U)
6 Let the exaltation of God be in their mouths[b]
and a double-edged sword in their hands,(V)
7 inflicting vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,(W)
8 binding their kings with chains
and their dignitaries with iron shackles,(X)
9 carrying out the judgment decreed against them.
This honor is for all His godly people.(Y)
Hallelujah!
Psalm 150
Praise the Lord
1 Hallelujah!
Praise God in His sanctuary.
Praise Him in His mighty heavens.(Z)
2 Praise Him for His powerful acts;(AA)
praise Him for His abundant greatness.(AB)
3 Praise Him with trumpet blast;(AC)
praise Him with harp and lyre.(AD)
4 Praise Him with tambourine and dance;(AE)
praise Him with flute and strings.(AF)
5 Praise Him with resounding cymbals;
praise Him with clashing cymbals.(AG)
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.(AH)
Hallelujah!
Psalm 114
God’s Deliverance of Israel
1 When Israel came out of Egypt—
the house of Jacob from a people
who spoke a foreign language(A)—
2 Judah became His sanctuary,
Israel, His dominion.(B)
3 The sea looked and fled;(C)
the Jordan turned back.(D)
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills, like lambs.(E)
5 Why was it, sea, that you fled?
Jordan, that you turned back?(F)
6 Mountains, that you skipped like rams?
Hills, like lambs?(G)
7 Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,(H)
8 who turned the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.(I)
Psalm 115
Glory to God Alone
1 Not to us, Yahweh, not to us,
but to Your name give glory
because of Your faithful love, because of Your truth.(J)
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”(K)
3 Our God is in heaven
and does whatever He pleases.(L)
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.(M)
5 They have mouths but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.(N)
7 They have hands but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk.(O)
They cannot make a sound with their throats.(P)
8 Those who make them are[a] just like them,
as are all who trust in them.(Q)
9 Israel,[b] trust in the Lord!(R)
He is their help and shield.(S)
10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord!(T)
He is their help and shield.(U)
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!(V)
He is their help and shield.
12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us.
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron;(W)
13 He will bless those who fear the Lord—
small and great alike.(X)
14 May the Lord add to your numbers,
both yours and your children’s.(Y)
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.(Z)
16 The heavens are the Lord’s,[c]
but the earth He has given to the human race.(AA)
17 It is not the dead who praise the Lord,
nor any of those descending into the silence of death.(AB)
18 But we will praise the Lord,
both now and forever.(AC)
Hallelujah!
Nebuchadnezzar’s Proclamation
4 [a]King Nebuchadnezzar,
To those of every people, nation, and language, who live in all the earth:(A)
May your prosperity increase.(B) 2 I am pleased to tell you about the miracles and wonders(C) the Most High God has done for me.
3 How great are His miracles,
and how mighty His wonders!(D)
His kingdom is an eternal kingdom,(E)
and His dominion is from generation to generation.
The Dream
4 [b]I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace.(F) 5 I had a dream, and it frightened me; while in my bed, the images and visions in my mind alarmed me.(G) 6 So I issued a decree(H) to bring all the wise men of Babylon to me in order that they might make the dream’s interpretation known to me.(I) 7 When the diviner-priests, mediums, Chaldeans, and astrologers came in, I told them the dream, but they could not make its interpretation known to me.(J)
8 Finally Daniel, named Belteshazzar(K) after the name of my god—and the spirit of the holy gods is in him(L)—came before me. I told him the dream: 9 “Belteshazzar, head of the diviners, because I know that you have a spirit of the holy gods(M) and that no mystery puzzles you,(N) explain to me the visions of my dream that I saw, and its interpretation. 10 In the visions of my mind as I was lying in bed, I saw this:
There was a tree in the middle of the earth,
and its height was great.
11 The tree grew large and strong;
its top reached to the sky,
and it was visible to the ends of the[c] earth.
12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant,
and on it was food for all.
Wild animals found shelter under it,
the birds of the air(O) lived in its branches,
and every creature was fed from it.(P)
13 “As I was lying in my bed, I also saw in the visions of my mind an observer, a holy one,[d](Q) coming down from heaven. 14 He called out loudly:
Cut down the tree and chop off its branches;
strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.
Let the animals flee from under it,
and the birds from its branches.(R)
15 But leave the stump with its roots in the ground,(S)
and with a band of iron and bronze around it,
in the tender grass of the field.
Let him be drenched with dew from the sky
and share the plants of the earth(T)
with the animals.
16 Let his mind be changed from that of a man,
and let him be given the mind of an animal
for seven periods of time.[e][f](U)
17 This word is by decree of the observers;
the matter is a command from the holy ones.
This is so the living will know
that the Most High is ruler
over the kingdom of men.
He gives it to anyone He wants
and sets the lowliest of men over it.(V)
18 This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because none of the wise men of my kingdom can make the interpretation known to me.(W) But you can, because you have the spirit of the holy gods.”
End-Time Ethics
7 Now the end of all things is near;(A) therefore, be serious and disciplined(B) for prayer. 8 Above all, maintain an intense love(C) for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins.(D)[a] 9 Be hospitable(E) to one another without complaining. 10 Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others,(F) as good managers of the varied grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, it should be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, it should be from the strength God provides,(G) so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
Jesus’ Threefold Restoration of Peter
15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John,[a] do you love[b] Me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.”
“Feed(A) My lambs,”(B) He told him.
16 A second time He asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love(C) Me?”(D)
“Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.”
“Shepherd(E) My sheep,”(F) He told him.
17 He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love(G) Me?”
Peter was grieved(H) that He asked him the third time, “Do you love Me?” He said, “Lord, You know everything!(I) You know that I love You.”
“Feed(J) My sheep,” Jesus said. 18 “I assure you:(K) When you were young, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” 19 He said this to signify by what kind of death(L) he would glorify God.[c](M) After saying this, He told him, “Follow Me!”(N)
Correcting a False Report
20 So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved(O) following them. That disciple was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is the one that’s going to betray You?”(P) 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord—what about him?”
22 “If I want him to remain until I come,”(Q) Jesus answered, “what is that to you? As for you, follow Me.”
23 So this report[d] spread to the brothers[e](R) that this disciple would not die.(S) Yet Jesus did not tell him that he would not die, but, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”
Epilogue
24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.
25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if they were written one by one, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books[f] that would be written.(T)
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