Book of Common Prayer

The Joy of Living in Zion

A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. A Song.

BOOK IV

God’s Eternity and Human Frailty

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.

God’s Work in Creation and in History

¹⁵ Then Nathan went to his house.

Bathsheba’s Child Dies

And the Lord struck the child that Uri′ah’s wife bore to David, and it became sick. ¹⁶ David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the ground. ¹⁷ And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground; but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. ¹⁸ On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us; how then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” ¹⁹ But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; and David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” ²⁰ Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord, and worshiped; he then went to his own house; and when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. ²¹ Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while it was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” ²² He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ ²³ But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

Solomon Is Born

²⁴ Then David comforted his wife, Bathshe′ba, and went in to her, and lay with her; and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the Lord loved him, ²⁵ and sent a message by Nathan the prophet; so he called his name Jedidi′ah,^[a] because of the Lord.

The Ammonites Crushed

²⁶ Now Jo′ab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites, and took the royal city. ²⁷ And Jo′ab sent messengers to David, and said, “I have fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have taken the city of waters. ²⁸ Now, then, gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it; lest I take the city, and it be called by my name.” ²⁹ So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, and fought against it and took it. ³⁰ And he took the crown of their king^[b] from his head; the weight of it was a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone; and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city, a very great amount. ³¹ And he brought forth the people who were in it, and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and iron axes, and made them toil at^[c] the brickkilns; and thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

Paul Goes to Macedonia and Greece

20 After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples and having exhorted them took leave of them and departed for Macedo′nia. ² When he had gone through these parts and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. ³ There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he determined to return through Macedo′nia. ⁴ Sop′ater of Beroe′a, the son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalo′nians, Aristar′chus and Secun′dus; and Ga′ius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tych′icus and Troph′imus. ⁵ These went on and were waiting for us at Tro′as, ⁶ but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Tro′as, where we stayed for seven days.

Paul’s Farewell Visit to Troas

⁷ On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread,^[a] Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and he prolonged his speech until midnight. ⁸ There were many lights in the upper chamber where we were gathered. ⁹ And a young man named Eu′tychus was sitting in the window. He sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer; and being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. ¹⁰ But Paul went down and bent over him, and embracing him said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” ¹¹ And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. ¹² And they took the lad away alive, and were not a little comforted.

The Voyage from Troas to Miletus

¹³ But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there; for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. ¹⁴ And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mityle′ne. ¹⁵ And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chi′os; the next day we touched at Samos; and^[b] the day after that we came to Mile′tus. ¹⁶ For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.

Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection

³⁰ They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it; ³¹ for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” ³² But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him.

Who Is the Greatest?

³³ And they came to Caper′na-um; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” ³⁴ But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest. ³⁵ And he sat down and called the twelve; and he said to them, “If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶ And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

Another Exorcist

³⁸ John said to him, “Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name,^[a] and we forbade him, because he was not following us.” ³⁹ But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. ⁴⁰ For he that is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ, will by no means lose his reward.