Book of Common Prayer
Longing for God
A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.[a]
63 O God, you are my God;
I will seek you diligently.
My soul thirsts for you; my flesh longs for you
as in a dry and weary land without water.
2 Thus I have seen you in the sanctuary,
beholding your strength and glory.
3 Because your loyal love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you while I live.
I will lift up my hands[b] in your name.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the best and richest food,
and with joyful lips my mouth will praise.
6 When I remember you on my bed,
I meditate on you in the night watches.
7 Because you have been my help,
therefore[c] in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to[d] you;
your right hand upholds me.
9 But as for them who seek my life for ruin,
they will go into the depths of the earth.
10 They who would deliver him to the sword[e]
will become a portion for jackals.
11 However, the king will rejoice in God.
Everyone who swears an oath by him will boast,
because the mouth of the liars will be stopped.
Praise to Yahweh for His Salvation and Judgment
A psalm.[a]
98 Sing to[b] Yahweh a new song, for he has done wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm have secured his victory.
2 Yahweh has made known his salvation;[c]
to the eyes of the nations he has revealed his righteousness.
3 He has remembered his loyal love and his faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation[d] of our God.
4 Shout joyfully to Yahweh, all the earth.
Be cheerful[e] and sing for joy and sing praises.
5 Sing praises to Yahweh with lyre,
with lyre and melodious sound.
6 With trumpets and sound of horn,
shout joyfully before the king, Yahweh.
7 Let the sea with[f] its fullness roar,
the world and those who live in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands.
Let the hills sing joyfully together
9 before Yahweh, for he is coming
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with equity.
Thanksgiving for Yahweh’s Compassion
Of David.[a]
103 Bless Yahweh, O my soul,
and all within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless Yahweh, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits:
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with loyal love and mercies,
5 who satisfies your life with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 Yahweh does deeds of justice
and judgments for all who are oppressed,
7 who made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people[b] of Israel.
8 Yahweh is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger[c] and abundant in loyal love.
9 He does not dispute continually,
nor keep his anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
nor repaid us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so his loyal love prevails over those who fear him.
12 As far as east is from west,
so he has removed far from us the guilt of our transgressions.
13 As a father pities[d] his children,
so Yahweh pities[e] those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame.[f]
He remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like the grass.
As the flower of the field, so he blossoms.
16 When the wind passes over it, it is no more,
and its place knows it no longer.
17 But the loyal love of Yahweh
is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to their children’s children,
18 to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his precepts.
19 Yahweh has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless Yahweh, you his angels,
you mighty heroes who do his word
by obeying[g] the sound of his word.
21 Bless Yahweh, all you his hosts,
you his attendants who do his will.
22 Bless Yahweh, all his works,[h]
in all the places of his dominion.
Bless Yahweh, O my soul.
The Temple Lies in Ruins
1 In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day, the word of Yahweh came through[a] Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, 2 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘This people says, “The time has not come to rebuild the temple of Yahweh.’” [b] 3 And the word of Yahweh came through[c] Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your houses that have been paneled while this house[d] is desolate?” 5 And so then, thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Consider your ways![e] 6 You have sown much but have harvested little. You have eaten without being satisfied; you have drunk without being satiated;[f] you have worn clothes without being warm; the one who earns wages puts it in a pouch with holes.’[g] 7 Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Consider your ways![h] 8 Go up the mountain and bring wood and build the house[i] so that I may be pleased with it and honored,’ says Yahweh. 9 ‘You have looked for much, and look! It came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?’ declares[j] Yahweh of hosts. ‘Because my house is desolate and you are running each to your own house! 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld the dew and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 I have called for a drought on the land and the hills,[k] on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil, on what the soil produces, on human beings and wild animals,[l] and on all their labor.’”[m]
12 Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all the remnant of the people gave heed to the voice of Yahweh their God and to the words of Haggai the prophet, as Yahweh their God had sent him, and the people feared Yahweh.[n] 13 And Haggai the messenger of Yahweh spoke to the people with the message of Yahweh, saying, “‘I am with you’ declares[o] Yahweh.” 14 And Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and did the work on the house of Yahweh of hosts, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius.
A Promise to Rebuild
2 In the seventh month on the twenty-first day, the word of Yahweh came through[p] Haggai the prophet, saying, 2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying, 3 ‘Who among you is left that saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it seem like nothing to you?[q] 4 ‘But now take courage,[r] Zerubbabel,’ declares[s] Yahweh. ‘Take courage,[t] Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and take courage,[u] all the people of the land,’ declares[v] Yahweh. ‘Do the work, because I am with you,’ declares[w] Yahweh of hosts, 5 ‘according to the promise[x] that I covenanted[y] with you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit is with you;[z] do not be afraid.’ 6 For thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and dry land. 7 I will shake all the nations so that the treasure of all the nations will come, and I will fill this house[aa] with glory,’ says Yahweh of hosts. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares[ab] Yahweh of hosts. 9 ‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says Yahweh of hosts, ‘and in this place I will give peace’ declares[ac] Yahweh of hosts.’”
The Early Ministry of Apollos
24 Now a certain Jew named[a] Apollos, a native[b] Alexandrian, arrived in Ephesus—an eloquent man who was well-versed in the scriptures. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and being enthusiastic in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things about Jesus, although he[c] knew only the baptism of John. 26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when[d] Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately. 27 And when[e] he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him[f] and[g] wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he[h] arrived, he[i] assisted greatly those who had believed through grace. 28 For he was vigorously refuting the Jews in public, demonstrating through the scriptures that the Christ[j] was Jesus.
Paul Finds Disciples of John the Baptist in Ephesus
19 And it happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the inland regions and[k] came[l] to Ephesus and found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you[m] believed?” And they said to him, “But we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit!” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into the baptism of John.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the one who was to come after him—that is, in Jesus.” 5 And when they[n] heard this,[o] they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when[p] Paul laid hands[q] on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they began to speak[r] in tongues and to prophesy. 7 (Now the total number of men was about twelve.)
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 And behold, a certain legal expert stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do so that I will inherit eternal life?” 26 And he said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”[a] 27 And he answered and[b] said, “You shall love the Lord your God from all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind,[c] and your neighbor as yourself.”[d] 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 And[e] Jesus replied and[f] said, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who both stripped him and beat him.[g] After[h] inflicting blows on him,[i] they went away, leaving him[j] half dead. 31 Now by coincidence a certain priest was going down on that road, and when he[k] saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 32 And in the same way also a Levite, when he[l] came down to the place[m] and saw him,[n] passed by on the opposite side. 33 But a certain Samaritan who was traveling came up to him and, when he[o] saw him,[p] had compassion. 34 And he came up and[q] bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine, and he put him on his own animal and[r] brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And on the next day, he took out two denarii and[s] gave them[t][u] to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him, and whatever you spend in addition, I will repay to you when I return. 36 Which of these three do you suppose became a neighbor of the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 So he said, “The one who showed mercy to him.” And Jesus said to him, “You go and do likewise.”
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