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.
4 1 And Samuel’s words came to all Israel.
The Ark Captured by the Philistines
Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and[a] camped at Ebenezer(A) while the Philistines camped at Aphek.(B) 2 The Philistines lined up in battle formation against Israel, and as the battle intensified, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about 4,000 men on the battlefield.
3 When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord let us be defeated today by the Philistines?(C) Let’s bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh. Then it[b] will go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.”(D) 4 So the people sent men to Shiloh to bring back the ark of the covenant of the Lord of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim.(E) Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 5 When the ark of the covenant of the Lord entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a loud shout that the ground shook.(F)
6 The Philistines heard the sound of the war cry and asked, “What’s this loud shout in the Hebrews’ camp?” When the Philistines discovered that the ark of the Lord had entered the camp, 7 they panicked. “The gods have entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, nothing like this has happened before.[c] 8 Woe to us, who will rescue us from the hand of these magnificent gods? These are the gods that slaughtered the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. 9 Show some courage and be men, Philistines!(G) Otherwise, you’ll serve the Hebrews just as they served you.(H) Now be men and fight!”
10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated,(I) and each man fled to his tent.(J) The slaughter was severe—30,000 of the Israelite foot soldiers fell. 11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.(K)
Believers Sharing
32 Now the large group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common.(A) 33 And the apostles were giving testimony with great power to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them.(B) 34 For there was not a needy person among them, because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,(C) 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet. This was then distributed for each person’s basic needs.[a](D)
36 Joseph, a Levite and a Cypriot by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas, which is translated Son of Encouragement,(E) 37 sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.(F)
Lying to the Holy Spirit
5 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. 2 However, he kept back part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge, and brought a portion of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.(G)
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart(H) to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds from the field? 4 Wasn’t it yours while you possessed it? And after it was sold, wasn’t it at your disposal? Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God!” 5 When he heard these words, Ananias dropped dead, and a great fear came on all who heard.(I) 6 The young men got up, wrapped his body, carried him out, and buried him.(J)
7 There was an interval of about three hours; then his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 “Tell me,” Peter asked her, “did you sell the field for this price?”
“Yes,” she said, “for that price.”
9 Then Peter said to her, “Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out!”(K)
10 Instantly she dropped dead at his feet. When the young men came in, they found her dead, carried her out, and buried her beside her husband. 11 Then great fear came on the whole church and on all who heard these things.
The Destruction of Jerusalem
20 “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,(A) then recognize that its desolation(B) has come near. 21 Then those in Judea must flee(C) to the mountains!(D) Those inside the city[a] must leave it, and those who are in the country must not enter it, 22 because these are days of vengeance(E) to fulfill all the things that are written. 23 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days,(F) for there will be great distress in the land[b] and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword(G) and be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles[c](H) until the times of the Gentiles(I) are fulfilled.
The Coming of the Son of Man
25 “Then there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars;(J) and there will be anguish on the earth among nations bewildered by the roaring sea and waves.(K) 26 People will faint from fear and expectation of the things that are coming on the world, because the celestial powers will be shaken.(L) 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud(M) with power and great glory.(N) 28 But when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near!”(O)
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