Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 85
Restoration of Favor
For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 Lord, You showed favor to Your land;(A)
You restored Jacob’s prosperity.[a](B)
2 You took away Your people’s guilt;
You covered all their sin.(C)
3 You withdrew all Your fury;
You turned from Your burning anger.(D)
4 Return to us, God of our salvation,
and abandon Your displeasure with us.(E)
5 Will You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger for all generations?(F)
6 Will You not revive us again
so that Your people may rejoice in You?(G)
7 Show us Your faithful love, Lord,
and give us Your salvation.(H)
8 I will listen to what God will say;
surely the Lord will declare peace
to His people, His godly ones,
and not let them go back to foolish ways.(I)
9 His salvation is very near those who fear Him,
so that glory may dwell in our land.(J)
10 Faithful love and truth will join together;
righteousness and peace will embrace.(K)
11 Truth will spring up from the earth,
and righteousness will look down from heaven.(L)
12 Also, the Lord will provide what is good,
and our land will yield its crops.(M)
13 Righteousness will go before Him
to prepare the way for His steps.(N)
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)
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.
14 When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant(A) ahead of the people. 15 Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season.(B) But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge 16 and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far as[a] Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah(C) (the Dead Sea) was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17 The priests carrying the ark of the Lord’s covenant stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan,(D) while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
The Memorial Stones
4 After the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan,(E) the Lord spoke to Joshua: 2 “Choose 12 men from the people, one man for each tribe,(F) 3 and command them: Take 12 stones from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests[b] are standing, carry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night.”
4 So Joshua summoned the 12 men he had selected from the Israelites, one man for each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go across to the ark of the Lord your God in the middle of the Jordan. Each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder, one for each[c] of the Israelite tribes, 6 so that this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’(G) 7 you should tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the Lord’s covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan’s waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites.”(H)
5 Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. 2 And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us,(A) a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. 3 But sexual immorality(B) and any impurity(C) or greed(D) should not even be heard of[a] among you, as is proper for saints. 4 Coarse and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. 5 For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral(E) or impure(F) or greedy(G) person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom(H) of the Messiah and of God.
Light versus Darkness
6 Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath(I) is coming on the disobedient because of these things.[b] 7 Therefore, do not become their partners. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light(J) in the Lord. Walk as children of light(K)— 9 for the fruit of the light[c] results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth(L)— 10 discerning(M) what is pleasing(N) to the Lord. 11 Don’t participate in the fruitless(O) works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. 13 Everything exposed by the light is made clear,(P) 14 for what makes everything clear is light. Therefore it is said:
Consistency in the Christian Life
15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— 16 making the most of the time,[e](T) because the days are evil. 17 So don’t be foolish, but understand(U) what the Lord’s will(V) is. 18 And don’t get drunk(W) with wine,(X) which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit:(Y)
19 speaking to one another
in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,
singing and making music
from your heart to the Lord,
20 giving thanks always for everything
to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
The Sixth Sign: Healing a Man Born Blind
9 As He was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples questioned Him: “Rabbi,(A) who sinned, this man(B) or his parents,(C) that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works(D) might be displayed in him. 4 We[a] must do the works(E) of Him who sent Me[b] while it is day.(F) Night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”(G)
6 After He said these things He spit on the ground, made some mud(H) from the saliva, and spread the mud on his eyes. 7 “Go,” He told him, “wash in the pool of Siloam”(I) (which means “Sent”). So he left, washed, and came back seeing.(J)
8 His neighbors and those who formerly had seen him as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the man who sat begging?” 9 Some said, “He’s the one.” “No,” others were saying, “but he looks like him.”
He kept saying, “I’m the one!”
10 Therefore they asked him, “Then how were your eyes opened?”
11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and told me, ‘Go to Siloam(K) and wash.’ So when I went and washed I received my sight.”(L)
12 “Where is He?” they asked.
“I don’t know,” he said.
The Blind Man’s Sight and the Pharisees’ Blindness
35 When Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, He found him and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”[a](A)
36 “Who is He, Sir,(B) that I may believe in Him?” he asked.
37 Jesus answered, “You have seen Him; in fact, He is the One speaking with you.”
38 “I believe, Lord!” he said, and he worshiped Him.
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