Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 121
The Lord Our Protector
A song of ascents.
1 I lift my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?(A)
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.(B)
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
your Protector will not slumber.(C)
4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel
does not slumber or sleep.(D)
5 The Lord protects you;
the Lord is a shelter right by your side.[a](E)
6 The sun will not strike you by day
or the moon by night.(F)
7 The Lord will protect you from all harm;
He will protect your life.(G)
8 The Lord will protect your coming and going
both now and forever.(H)
Psalm 122
A Prayer for Jerusalem
A Davidic song of ascents.
1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”(I)
2 Our feet are standing
within your gates, Jerusalem(J)—
3 Jerusalem, built as a city should be,
solidly joined together,(K)
4 where the tribes, Yahweh’s tribes, go up
to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.(L)
(This is an ordinance for Israel.(M))
5 There, thrones for judgment are placed,
thrones of the house of David.(N)
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you prosper;(O)
7 may there be peace within your walls,
prosperity within your fortresses.”(P)
8 Because of my brothers and friends,
I will say, “Peace be with you.”(Q)
9 Because of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.(R)
Psalm 123
Looking for God’s Favor
A song of ascents.
Psalm 131
A Childlike Spirit
A Davidic song of ascents.
1 Lord, my heart is not proud;
my eyes are not haughty.(A)
I do not get involved with things
too great or too difficult for me.(B)
2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself
like a little weaned child with its mother;
I am like a little child.(C)
3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
both now and forever.(D)
Psalm 132
David and Zion Chosen
A song of ascents.
1 Lord, remember David
and all the hardships he endured,(E)
2 and how he swore an oath to the Lord,
making a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:(F)
3 “I will not enter my house[a]
or get into my bed,[b]
4 I will not allow my eyes to sleep
or my eyelids to slumber(G)
5 until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”(H)
6 We heard of the ark in Ephrathah;[c](I)
we found it in the fields of Jaar.[d](J)
7 Let us go to His dwelling place;
let us worship at His footstool.(K)
8 Rise up, Lord, come to Your resting place,
You and Your powerful ark.(L)
9 May Your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and may Your godly people shout for joy.(M)
10 Because of Your servant David,
do not reject Your anointed one.[e](N)
11 The Lord swore an oath to David,
a promise He will not abandon:
“I will set one of your descendants[f]
on your throne.(O)
12 If your sons keep My covenant
and My decrees that I will teach them,
their sons will also sit on your throne forever.”(P)
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His home:(Q)
14 “This is My resting place forever;
I will make My home here
because I have desired it.(R)
15 I will abundantly bless its food;
I will satisfy its needy with bread.(S)
16 I will clothe its priests with salvation,
and its godly people will shout for joy.(T)
17 There I will make a horn grow for David;(U)
I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one.(V)
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,(W)
but the crown he wears[g] will be glorious.”(X)
God Alone is the Savior
14 This is what the Lord says:
The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush
and the Sabeans, men of stature,(A)
will come over to you(B)
and will be yours;
they will follow you,
they will come over in chains
and bow down to you.
They will confess[a] to you:
God is indeed with you,(C) and there is no other;
there is no other God.
15 Yes, You are a God who hides Himself,(D)
God of Israel, Savior.(E)
16 All of them are put to shame, even humiliated;(F)
the makers of idols go in humiliation together.
17 Israel will be saved by the Lord
with an everlasting salvation;
you will not be put to shame or humiliated
for all eternity.(G)
18 For this is what the Lord says—
God is the Creator of the heavens.
He formed the earth and made it.
He established it;
He did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited(H)—
“I am Yahweh,
and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret,(I)
somewhere in a land of darkness.
I did not say to the descendants of Jacob:
Seek Me in a wasteland.(J)
I, Yahweh, speak truthfully;(K)
I say what is right.
Paul’s Ministry
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings(A) for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for His body,(B) that is, the church. 25 I have become its servant, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. 27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ(C) in you, the hope(D) of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 I labor for this, striving(E) with His strength that works powerfully in me.(F)
2 For I want you to know how great a struggle(G) I have for you, for those in Laodicea,(H) and for all who have not seen me in person. 2 I want their hearts to be encouraged(I) and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery(J)—Christ.[a](K) 3 All the treasures of wisdom(L) and knowledge(M) are hidden in Him.
Christ versus the Colossian Heresy
4 I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with persuasive arguments. 5 For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit,(N) rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.
6 Therefore, as you have received(O) Christ Jesus the Lord,(P) walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him(Q) and established in the faith, just as you were taught,(R) overflowing with gratitude.
The Light of the World
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again: “I am(A) the light(B) of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”(C)
13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself. Your testimony is not valid.”[a]
14 “Even if I testify about Myself,” Jesus replied, “My testimony is valid,[b] because I know where I came from and where I’m going. But you don’t know where I come from or where I’m going.(D) 15 You judge(E) by human standards.[c](F) I judge no one.(G) 16 And if I do judge, My judgment is true, because I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent Me judge(H) together.(I) 17 Even in your law it is written that the witness of two men is valid.(J) 18 I am the One who testifies(K) about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.”
19 Then they asked Him, “Where is Your Father?”
“You know neither Me nor My Father,”(L) Jesus answered. “If you knew Me, you would also know My Father.”(M)
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