Book of Common Prayer
Confidence in God’s Protection.
For the choir director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.
61 (A)Hear my cry, O God;
(B)Give heed to my prayer.
2 From the (C)end of the earth I call to You when my heart is (D)faint;
Lead me to (E)the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a (F)refuge for me,
A (G)tower of strength [a]against the enemy.
4 Let me [b](H)dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me (I)take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. [c]Selah.
5 For You have heard my (J)vows, O God;
You have given me the inheritance of those who (K)fear Your name.
6 You will [d](L)prolong the king’s [e]life;
His years will be as many generations.
7 He will [f]abide (M)before God forever;
Appoint (N)lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him.
8 So I will (O)sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may (P)pay my vows day by day.
God Alone a Refuge from Treachery and Oppression.
For the choir director; [g]according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
62 (Q)My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him (R)is my salvation.
2 He only is my (S)rock and my salvation,
My (T)stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.
3 How long will you assail a man,
That you may murder him, all of you,
Like a (U)leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
4 They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position;
They (V)delight in falsehood;
They (W)bless with [h]their mouth,
But inwardly they curse. [i]Selah.
5 My soul, (X)wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.
6 He only is (Y)my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God my (Z)salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my (AA)refuge is in God.
8 (AB)Trust in Him at all times, O people;
(AC)Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah.
The God of Sinai and of the Sanctuary.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David. A Song.
68 [a]Let (A)God arise, [b]let His enemies be scattered,
And [c]let those who hate Him flee before Him.
2 As (B)smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
As (C)wax melts before the fire,
So let the (D)wicked perish before God.
3 But let the (E)righteous be glad; let them exult before God;
Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.
4 Sing to God, (F)sing praises to His name;
[d](G)Lift up a song for Him who (H)rides through the deserts,
Whose (I)name is [e]the Lord, and exult before Him.
5 A (J)father of the fatherless and a (K)judge [f]for the widows,
Is God in His (L)holy habitation.
6 God [g](M)makes a home for the lonely;
He (N)leads out the prisoners into prosperity,
Only (O)the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
7 O God, when You (P)went forth before Your people,
When You (Q)marched through the wilderness, [h]Selah.
8 The (R)earth quaked;
The (S)heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
[i](T)Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 You (U)shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God;
You confirmed Your inheritance when it was [j]parched.
10 Your creatures settled in it;
You (V)provided in Your goodness for the poor, O God.
11 The Lord gives the [k]command;
The (W)women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host:
12 “(X)Kings of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home will (Y)divide the spoil!”
13 [l]When you lie down (Z)among the [m]sheepfolds,
You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And its pinions with glistening gold.
14 When the Almighty (AA)scattered the kings [n]there,
It was snowing in (AB)Zalmon.
15 A [o](AC)mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;
A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.
16 Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks,
At the mountain which God has (AD)desired for His abode?
Surely (AE)the Lord will dwell there forever.
17 The (AF)chariots of God are [p]myriads, (AG)thousands upon thousands;
[q]The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.
18 You have (AH)ascended on high, You have (AI)led captive Your captives;
You have received gifts among men,
Even among the rebellious also, that [r]the Lord God may dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily (AJ)bears our burden,
(AK)The God who is our salvation. Selah.
20 God is to us a (AL)God of deliverances;
And (AM)to [s]God the Lord belong escapes [t]from death.
21 Surely God will (AN)shatter the head of His enemies,
The hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds.
22 The Lord [u]said, “(AO)I will bring them back from Bashan.
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea;
23 That [v](AP)your foot may shatter them in blood,
The tongue of your (AQ)dogs may have its portion from your enemies.”
24 They have seen (AR)Your [w]procession, O God,
The [x]procession of my God, my King, [y](AS)into the sanctuary.
25 The (AT)singers went on, the musicians after them,
[z]In the midst of the (AU)maidens beating tambourines.
26 (AV)Bless God in the congregations,
Even the Lord, you who are of the (AW)fountain of Israel.
27 There is (AX)Benjamin, the [aa]youngest, [ab]ruling them,
The princes of Judah in their throng,
The princes of (AY)Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.
28 [ac]Your God has (AZ)commanded your strength;
Show Yourself strong, O God, (BA)who have acted [ad]on our behalf.
29 [ae]Because of Your temple at Jerusalem
(BB)Kings will bring gifts to You.
30 Rebuke the (BC)beasts [af]in the reeds,
The herd of (BD)bulls with the calves of the peoples,
Trampling under foot the pieces of silver;
He has (BE)scattered the peoples who delight in war.
31 Envoys will come out of (BF)Egypt;
[ag](BG)Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.
32 Sing to God, O (BH)kingdoms of the earth,
(BI)Sing praises to the Lord, Selah.
33 To Him who (BJ)rides upon the [ah](BK)highest heavens, which are from ancient times;
Behold, (BL)He [ai]speaks forth with His voice, a (BM)mighty voice.
34 (BN)Ascribe strength to God;
His majesty is over Israel
And (BO)His strength is in the [aj]skies.
35 [ak]O God, You are (BP)awesome from Your [al]sanctuary.
The God of Israel Himself (BQ)gives strength and power to the people.
(BR)Blessed be God!
17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, (A)who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where he has gone down to take possession of it. 19 You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “(B)Have you murdered and also taken possession?”’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “(C)In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours.”’”
20 Ahab said to Elijah, “(D)Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he [a]answered, “I have found you, (E)because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord. 21 Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and (F)will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel; 22 and (G)I will make your house (H)like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you (I)have made Israel sin. 23 Of Jezebel also has the Lord spoken, saying, ‘(J)The dogs will eat Jezebel in the [b]district of Jezreel.’ 24 (K)The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and the one who dies in the field the birds of heaven will eat.”
25 (L)Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord, [c]because Jezebel his wife incited him. 26 (M)He acted very abominably in following idols, (N)according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the sons of Israel.
27 It came about when Ahab heard these words, that (O)he tore his clothes and put [d]on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about [e]despondently. 28 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house (P)in his son’s days.”
20 (A)Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of (B)this age? Has not God (C)made foolish the wisdom of (D)the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God (E)the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, (F)God was well-pleased through the (G)foolishness of the [a]message preached to (H)save those who believe. 22 For indeed (I)Jews ask for [b]signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach [c](J)Christ crucified, (K)to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles (L)foolishness, 24 but to those who are (M)the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ (N)the power of God and (O)the wisdom of God. 25 Because the (P)foolishness of God is wiser than men, and (Q)the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For [d]consider your (R)calling, brethren, that there were (S)not many wise according to [e]the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but (T)God has chosen the foolish things of (U)the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of (V)the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of (W)the world and the despised God has chosen, (X)the things that are not, so that He may (Y)nullify the things that are, 29 so that (Z)no [f]man may boast before God. 30 But [g]by His doing you are in (AA)Christ Jesus, who became to us (AB)wisdom from God, [h]and (AC)righteousness and (AD)sanctification, and (AE)redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “(AF)Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Jesus Begins His Ministry
12 Now when Jesus heard that (A)John had been taken into custody, (B)He withdrew into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and (C)settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
15 “(D)The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
[a]By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the [b]Gentiles—
16 “(E)The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light,
And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death,
Upon them a Light dawned.”
17 (F)From that time Jesus began to [c]preach and say, “(G)Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
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