Book of Common Prayer
Praise for God’s Mighty Deeds and for His Answer to Prayer.
For the choir director. A Song. A Psalm.
66 (A)Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
2 Sing the (B)glory of His name;
Make His (C)praise glorious.
3 Say to God, “How (D)awesome are Your works!
Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will [a](E)give feigned obedience to You.
4 “(F)All the earth will worship You,
And will (G)sing praises to You;
They will sing praises to Your name.” [b]Selah.
5 (H)Come and see the works of God,
Who is (I)awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men.
6 He (J)turned the sea into dry land;
They passed through (K)the river on foot;
There let us (L)rejoice in Him!
7 He (M)rules by His might forever;
His (N)eyes keep watch on the nations;
Let not the rebellious (O)exalt themselves. Selah.
8 Bless our God, O peoples,
And [c](P)sound His praise abroad,
9 Who [d](Q)keeps us in life
And (R)does not allow our feet to [e]slip.
10 For You have (S)tried us, O God;
You have (T)refined us as silver is refined.
11 You (U)brought us into the net;
You laid an oppressive burden upon our loins.
12 You made men (V)ride over our heads;
We went through (W)fire and through water,
Yet You (X)brought us out into a place of abundance.
13 I shall (Y)come into Your house with burnt offerings;
I shall (Z)pay You my vows,
14 Which my lips uttered
And my mouth spoke when I was (AA)in distress.
15 I shall (AB)offer to You burnt offerings of fat beasts,
With the smoke of (AC)rams;
I shall make an offering of [f]bulls with male goats. Selah.
16 (AD)Come and hear, all who [g]fear God,
And I will (AE)tell of what He has done for my soul.
17 I cried to Him with my mouth,
And [h]He was (AF)extolled with my tongue.
18 If I [i](AG)regard wickedness in my heart,
The (AH)Lord [j]will not [k]hear;
19 But certainly (AI)God has heard;
He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.
20 (AJ)Blessed be God,
Who (AK)has not turned away my prayer
Nor His lovingkindness from me.
4 Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the [a]Red Sea, to (A)go around the land of Edom; and the [b]people became impatient because of the journey. 5 The people spoke against God and Moses, “(B)Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no [c]food and no water, and [d](C)we loathe this miserable food.”
The Bronze Serpent
6 (D)The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and (E)they bit the people, so that (F)many people of Israel died. 7 (G)So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; (H)intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people. 8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “[e]Make a (I)fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” 9 And Moses made a (J)bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.
11 Truly, truly, I say to you, (A)we speak of what we know and (B)testify of what we have seen, and (C)you do not accept our testimony. 12 If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 (D)No one has ascended into heaven, but (E)He who descended from heaven: (F)the Son of Man. 14 As (G)Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must (H)the Son of Man (I)be lifted up; 15 so that whoever [a]believes will (J)in Him have eternal life.
16 “For God so (K)loved the world, that He (L)gave His [b](M)only begotten Son, that whoever (N)believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God (O)did not send the Son into the world (P)to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Saving Goodness.
118 (A)Give thanks to the Lord, for (B)He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Oh let (C)Israel say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
3 Oh let the (D)house of Aaron say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
4 Oh let those (E)who [a]fear the Lord say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
5 From my (F)distress I called upon [b]the Lord;
[c]The Lord answered me and (G)set me in a large place.
6 The Lord is (H)for me; I will (I)not fear;
(J)What can man do to me?
7 The Lord is for me (K)among those who help me;
Therefore I will (L)look with satisfaction on those who hate me.
8 It is (M)better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in man.
9 It is (N)better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in princes.
10 All nations (O)surrounded me;
In the name of the Lord I will surely (P)cut them off.
11 They (Q)surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
12 They surrounded me (R)like bees;
They were extinguished as a (S)fire of thorns;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
13 You (T)pushed me violently so that I [d]was falling,
But the Lord (U)helped me.
14 [e](V)The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become (W)my salvation.
15 The sound of (X)joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The (Y)right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
16 The (Z)right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
17 I (AA)will not die, but live,
And (AB)tell of the works of [f]the Lord.
18 [g]The Lord has (AC)disciplined me severely,
But He has (AD)not given me over to death.
19 (AE)Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to [h]the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
The (AF)righteous will enter through it.
21 I shall give thanks to You, for You have (AG)answered me,
And You have (AH)become my salvation.
22 The (AI)stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
23 This is [i]the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us (AJ)rejoice and be glad in it.
25 O Lord, (AK)do save, we beseech You;
O Lord, we beseech You, do send (AL)prosperity!
26 (AM)Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord;
We have (AN)blessed you from the house of the Lord.
27 (AO)The Lord is God, and He has given us (AP)light;
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords [j]to the (AQ)horns of the altar.
28 (AR)You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
You are my God, (AS)I extol You.
29 (AT)Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
17 For (A)it is better, (B)if [a]God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. 18 For (C)Christ also died for sins (D)once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might (E)bring us to God, having been put to death (F)in the flesh, but made alive (G)in the [b]spirit; 19 in [c]which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the (H)patience of God (I)kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of (J)the ark, in which a few, that is, (K)eight (L)persons, were brought safely through the [d]water. 21 (M)Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—(N)not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God [e]for a (O)good conscience—through (P)the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 (Q)who is at the right hand of God, (R)having gone into heaven, (S)after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.
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