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!
14 There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are (A)righteous men to whom it [a]happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are (B)evil men to whom it [b]happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility. 15 So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for (C)a man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his [c]toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.
16 When I (D)gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the task which has been done on the earth (even though one should [d](E)never sleep day or night), 17 and I saw every work of God, I concluded that (F)man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and (G)though the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot discover.
Men Are in the Hand of God
9 For I have taken all this to my heart and explain [e]it that righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are (H)in the hand of God. (I)Man does not know whether it will be (J)love or hatred; anything [f]awaits him.
2 (K)It is the same for all. There is (L)one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who [g]is afraid to swear. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is (M)one fate for all men. Furthermore, (N)the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and (O)insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead. 4 For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know they will die; but the dead (P)do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their (Q)memory is forgotten. 6 Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a (R)share in all that is done under the sun.
7 Go then, (S)eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works. 8 Let your (T)clothes be white all the time, and let not (U)oil be lacking on your head. 9 Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your [h](V)fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun[i]; for this is your (W)reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.
Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do
10 Whatever your hand finds to do, (X)do it with all your might; for there is no (Y)activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in (Z)Sheol where you are going.
Bond and Free
21 Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not (A)listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, (B)one by the bondwoman and (C)one by the free woman. 23 But (D)the son by the bondwoman [a]was born according to the flesh, and (E)the son by the free woman through the promise. 24 [b](F)This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from (G)Mount Sinai bearing children [c]who are to be (H)slaves; [d]she is Hagar. 25 Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But (I)the Jerusalem above is free; [e]she is our mother. 27 For it is written,
“(J)Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear;
Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor;
For more numerous are the children of the desolate
Than of the one who has a husband.”
28 And you brethren, (K)like Isaac, are (L)children of promise. 29 But as at that time (M)he who was born according to the flesh (N)persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, (O)so it is now also. 30 But what does the Scripture say?
“(P)Cast out the bondwoman and her son,
For (Q)the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.”
31 So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, [f]but of the free woman.
Healing Crowds
29 (A)Departing from there, Jesus went along by (B)the Sea of Galilee, and having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there. 30 And [a]large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and (C)He healed them. 31 So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled [b]restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they (D)glorified the God of Israel.
Four Thousand Fed
32 (E)And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “(F)I feel compassion for the [c]people, because they [d]have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” 33 The disciples *said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?” 34 And Jesus *said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And He directed the [e]people to [f]sit down on the ground; 36 and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and (G)giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large (H)baskets full. 38 And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
39 And sending away the crowds, Jesus got into (I)the boat and came to the region of (J)Magadan.
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