Book of Common Prayer
For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah. A wedding song to the tune of “Lilies.”
45 My heart is full of beautiful words
as I say my poem for the king.
My tongue is like the pen of a skillful writer.
2 You are the most excellent of men.
Your lips have been given the ability to speak gracious words.
God has blessed you forever.
3 Mighty one, put your sword at your side.
Put on glory and majesty as if they were your clothes.
4 In your majesty ride out with power
to fight for what is true, humble and fair.
Let your right hand do wonderful things.
5 Shoot your sharp arrows into the hearts of your enemies.
Let the nations come under your control.
6 Your throne is the very throne of God.
Your kingdom will last for ever and ever.
You will rule by treating everyone fairly.
7 You love what is right and hate what is evil.
So your God has placed you above your companions.
He has filled you with joy by pouring the sacred oil on your head.
8 Myrrh and aloes and cassia make all your robes smell good.
In palaces decorated with ivory
the music played on stringed instruments makes you glad.
9 Daughters of kings are among the women you honor.
At your right hand is the royal bride dressed in gold from Ophir.
10 Royal bride, listen and pay careful attention.
Forget about your people and the home you came from.
11 Let the king be charmed by your beauty.
Honor him. He is now your master.
12 The people of Tyre will come with gifts.
Wealthy people will try to gain your favor.
13 In her room, the princess looks glorious.
Her gown has gold threads running through it.
14 Dressed in beautiful clothes, she is led to the king.
Her virgin companions follow her.
They have been brought to be with her.
15 They are led in with joy and gladness.
They enter the palace of the king.
16 Your sons will rule just as your father and grandfather did.
You will make them princes through the whole land.
17 I will make sure that people will always remember you.
The nations will praise you for ever and ever.
For the director of music. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
47 Clap your hands, all you nations.
Shout to God with cries of joy.
2 Do this because the Lord Most High is wonderful.
He is the great King over the whole earth.
3 He brought nations under our control.
He made them fall under us.
4 He chose our land for us.
The people of Jacob are proud of their land,
and God loves them.
5 God went up to his throne while his people were shouting with joy.
The Lord went up while trumpets were playing.
6 Sing praises to God. Sing praises.
Sing praises to our King. Sing praises.
7 God is the King of the whole earth.
Sing a psalm of praise to him.
8 God rules over the nations.
He is seated on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations come together.
They are now part of the people of the God of Abraham.
The kings of the earth belong to God.
He is greatly honored.
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
48 The Lord is great. He is really worthy of praise.
Praise him in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
2 Mount Zion is high and beautiful.
It brings joy to everyone on earth.
Mount Zion is like the highest parts of Mount Zaphon.
It is the city of the Great King.
3 God is there to keep it safe.
He has shown himself to be like a fort to the city.
4 Many kings joined forces.
They entered Israel together.
5 But when they saw Mount Zion, they were amazed.
They ran away in terror.
6 Trembling took hold of them.
They felt pain like a woman giving birth.
7 Lord, you destroyed them like ships of Tarshish
that were torn apart by an east wind.
8 What we heard we have also seen.
We have seen it
in the city of the Lord who rules over all.
We have seen it in the city of our God.
We have heard and seen that God makes it secure forever.
9 God, inside your temple
we think about your faithful love.
10 God, your fame reaches from one end of the earth to the other.
So people praise you from one end of the earth to the other.
You use your power to do what is right.
11 Mount Zion is filled with joy.
The villages of Judah are glad.
That’s because you judge fairly.
12 Walk all around Zion.
Count its towers.
13 Think carefully about its outer walls.
Just look at how safe it is!
Then you can tell its people that God keeps them safe.
14 This God is our God for ever and ever.
He will be our guide to the very end.
Joseph Is Sold by His Brothers
12 Joseph’s brothers had gone to take care of their father’s flocks near Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are taking care of the flocks near Shechem. Come. I’m going to send you to them.”
“All right,” Joseph replied.
14 So Israel said to him, “Go to your brothers. See how they are doing. Also see how the flocks are doing. Then come back and tell me.” So he sent him away from the Hebron Valley.
Joseph arrived at Shechem. 15 A man found him wandering around in the fields. He asked Joseph, “What are you looking for?”
16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are taking care of their flocks?”
17 “They’ve moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’ ”
So Joseph went to look for his brothers. He found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him a long way off. Before he reached them, they made plans to kill him.
19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another. 20 “Come. Let’s kill him. Let’s throw him into one of these empty wells. Let’s say that a wild animal ate him up. Then we’ll see whether his dreams will come true.”
21 Reuben heard them talking. He tried to save Joseph from them. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22 “Don’t spill any of his blood. Throw him into this empty well here in the desert. But don’t harm him yourselves.” Reuben said that to save Joseph from them. He was hoping he could take him back to his father.
23 When Joseph came to his brothers, he was wearing his beautiful robe. They took it away from him. 24 And they threw him into the well. The well was empty. There wasn’t any water in it.
20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where are the great thinkers of our time? Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world foolish? 21 God wisely planned that the world would not know him through its own wisdom. It pleased God to use the foolish things we preach to save those who believe. 22 Jews require signs. Greeks look for wisdom. 23 But we preach about Christ and his death on the cross. That is very hard for Jews to accept. And everyone else thinks it’s foolish. 24 But there are those God has chosen, both Jews and Greeks. To them Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom. 25 The foolish things of God are wiser than human wisdom. The weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when God chose you. Not many of you were considered wise by human standards. Not many of you were powerful. Not many of you belonged to important families. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the things of this world that are common and looked down on. God chose things considered unimportant to do away with things considered important. 29 So no one can boast to God. 30 Because of what God has done, you belong to Christ Jesus. He has become God’s wisdom for us. He makes us right with God. He makes us holy and sets us free. 31 It is written, “The one who boasts should boast about what the Lord has done.” (Jeremiah 9:24)
Jesus Preaches the Good News
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee. He preached the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Turn away from your sins and believe the good news!”
Jesus Chooses His First Disciples
16 One day Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee. There he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the lake. They were fishermen. 17 “Come and follow me,” Jesus said. “I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
19 Then Jesus walked a little farther. As he did, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat preparing their nets. 20 Right away he called out to them. They left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men. Then they followed Jesus.
Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit
21 Jesus and those with him went to Capernaum. When the Sabbath day came, he went into the synagogue. There he began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching. That’s because he taught them like one who had authority. He did not talk like the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue cried out. He was controlled by an evil spirit. He said, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are the Holy One of God!”
25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus firmly. “Come out of him!” 26 The evil spirit shook the man wildly. Then it came out of him with a scream.
27 All the people were amazed. So they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching! And with so much authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits, and they obey him.” 28 News about Jesus spread quickly all over Galilee.
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