Book of Common Prayer
For the director of music. A song. A psalm.
66 Shout to God for joy, everyone on earth!
2 Sing about the glory of his name!
Give him glorious praise!
3 Say to God, “What wonderful things you do!
Your power is so great
that your enemies bow down to you in fear.
4 Everyone on earth bows down to you.
They sing praise to you.
They sing the praises of your name.”
5 Come and see what God has done.
See what wonderful things he has done for people!
6 He turned the Red Sea into dry land.
The people of Israel passed through the waters on foot.
Come, let us be full of joy because of what he did.
7 He rules by his power forever.
His eyes watch the nations.
Let no one who refuses to obey him rise up against him.
8 Praise our God, all you nations.
Let the sound of the praise you give him be heard.
9 He has kept us alive.
He has kept our feet from slipping.
10 God, you have tested us.
You put us through fire to make us like silver.
11 You put us in prison.
You placed heavy loads on our backs.
12 You let our enemies ride their chariots over our heads.
We went through fire and water.
But you brought us to a place
where we have everything we need.
13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings.
I will keep my promises to you.
14 I made them with my lips.
My mouth spoke them when I was in trouble.
15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you as burnt offerings.
I will offer rams, bulls and goats to you.
16 Come and hear, all you who have respect for God.
Let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth.
I praised him with my tongue.
18 If I had enjoyed having sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
19 But God has surely listened.
He has heard my prayer.
20 Give praise to God.
He has accepted my prayer.
He has not held back his love from me.
For the director of music. A psalm. A song to be played on stringed instruments.
67 God, have mercy on us and bless us.
May you be pleased with us.
2 Then your ways will be known on earth.
All nations will see that you have the power to save.
3 God, may the nations praise you.
May all the people on earth praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy.
You rule the people of the earth fairly.
You guide the nations of the earth.
5 God, may the nations praise you.
May all the people on earth praise you.
6 The land produces its crops.
God, our God, blesses us.
7 May God continue to bless us.
Then people from one end of the earth to the other
will have respect for him.
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
19 The heavens tell about the glory of God.
The skies show that his hands created them.
2 Day after day they speak about it.
Night after night they make it known.
3 But they don’t speak or use words.
No sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into the whole earth.
Their words go out from one end of the world to the other.
God has set up a tent in the heavens for the sun.
5 The sun is like a groom leaving the room of his wedding night.
The sun is like a great runner who takes delight in running a race.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens.
Then it moves across to the other end.
Everything enjoys its warmth.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect.
It gives us new strength.
The laws of the Lord can be trusted.
They make childish people wise.
8 The rules of the Lord are right.
They give joy to our hearts.
The commands of the Lord shine brightly.
They give light to our minds.
9 The law that brings respect for the Lord is pure.
It lasts forever.
The commands the Lord gives are true.
All of them are completely right.
10 They are more priceless than gold.
They have greater value than huge amounts of pure gold.
They are sweeter than honey
that is taken from the honeycomb.
11 Your servant is warned by them.
When people obey them, they are greatly rewarded.
12 But who can know their own mistakes?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Also keep me from the sins I want to commit.
May they not be my master.
Then I will be without blame.
I will not be guilty of any great sin against your law.
14 Lord, may these words of my mouth please you.
And may these thoughts of my heart please you also.
You are my Rock and my Redeemer.
For the director of music. A song of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.
46 God is our place of safety. He gives us strength.
He is always there to help us in times of trouble.
2 The earth may fall apart.
The mountains may fall into the middle of the sea.
But we will not be afraid.
3 The waters of the sea may roar and foam.
The mountains may shake when the waters rise.
But we will not be afraid.
4 God’s blessings are like a river. They fill the city of God with joy.
That city is the holy place where the Most High God lives.
5 Because God is there, the city will not fall.
God will help it at the beginning of the day.
6 Nations are in disorder. Kingdoms fall.
God speaks, and the people of the earth melt in fear.
7 The Lord who rules over all is with us.
The God of Jacob is like a fort to us.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done.
See the places he has destroyed on the earth.
9 He makes wars stop from one end of the earth to the other.
He breaks every bow. He snaps every spear.
He burns every shield with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be honored among the nations.
I will be honored in the earth.”
11 The Lord who rules over all is with us.
The God of Jacob is like a fort to us.
26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 27 “How long will this evil community speak against me? I have heard these Israelites talk about how unhappy they are. 28 So tell them, ‘Here is what I am announcing. I am the Lord. You can be sure that I live. And here is what you can be just as sure of. I will do to you the very thing that I heard you say. 29 You will die in this desert. Every one of you 20 years old or more will die. Every one of you who was counted in the list of the people will die. Every one of you who has spoken out against me will be wiped out. 30 I lifted up my hand and promised to make this land your home. But now not all of you will enter the land. Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, will enter it. So will Joshua, the son of Nun. They are the only ones who will enter the land. 31 You have said that your enemies would capture your children. But I will bring your children in to enjoy the land you have turned your backs on. 32 As for you, you will die in the desert. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for 40 years. They will suffer because you were not faithful. They will suffer until the last of your bodies lies here in the desert. 34 For 40 years you will suffer for your sins. That is one year for each of the 40 days you checked out the land. You will know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the Lord, have spoken. I will surely do these things to this entire evil community of Israel. They have joined together against me. They will meet their end in this desert. They will die here.”
36 So the Lord struck down the men Moses had sent to check out the land. They had returned and had spread a bad report about the land. And that had made the whole community speak out against Moses. 37 Those men were to blame for spreading the bad report. So the Lord struck them down. They died of a plague. 38 Only two of the men who went to check out the land remained alive. One of them was Joshua, the son of Nun. The other was Caleb, the son of Jephunneh.
39 Moses reported to all the Israelites what the Lord had said. And they became very sad. 40 Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country. “We have sinned,” they said. “Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised to give us.”
41 But Moses said, “Why aren’t you obeying the Lord’s command? You won’t succeed. 42 So don’t go up. The Lord isn’t with you. Your enemies will win the battle over you. 43 The Amalekites and the Canaanites will meet you on the field of battle. You have turned away from the Lord. So he won’t be with you. And you will be killed by swords.”
44 But they wouldn’t listen. They still went up toward the highest point in the hill country. They went up even though Moses didn’t move from the camp. They went even though the ark of the Lord’s covenant didn’t move from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down. They attacked the Israelites. They won the battle over them. They chased the Israelites all the way to Hormah.
Church Leaders Meet in Jerusalem
15 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch. Here is what they were teaching the believers. “Moses commanded you to be circumcised,” they said. “If you aren’t, you can’t be saved.” 2 But Paul and Barnabas didn’t agree with this. They argued strongly with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed to go up to Jerusalem. Some other believers were chosen to go with them. They were told to ask the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way. They traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria. There they told how the Gentiles had turned to God. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, the church welcomed them. The apostles and elders welcomed them too. Then Paul and Barnabas reported everything God had done through them.
5 Some of the believers were Pharisees. They stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised. They must obey the law of Moses.”
6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After they had talked it over, Peter got up and spoke to them. “Brothers,” he said, “you know that some time ago God chose me. He appointed me to take the good news to the Gentiles. He wanted them to hear the good news and believe. 8 God knows the human heart. By giving the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles, he showed that he accepted them. He did the same for them as he had done for us. 9 God showed that there is no difference between us and them. That’s because he made their hearts pure because of their faith. 10 Now then, why are you trying to test God? You test him when you put a heavy load on the shoulders of Gentiles. Our people of long ago couldn’t carry that load. We can’t either. 11 No! We believe we are saved through the grace of our Lord Jesus. The Gentiles are saved in the same way.”
12 Everyone became quiet as they listened to Barnabas and Paul. They were telling about the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.
Jesus Will Separate People From One Another
49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth. How I wish the fire had already started! 50 But I have a baptism of suffering to go through. And I must go through it. 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you. I have come to separate people. 52 From now on there will be five members in a family, each one against the other. There will be three against two and two against three. 53 They will be separated. Father will turn against son and son against father. Mother will turn against daughter and daughter against mother. Mother-in-law will turn against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Understanding the Meaning of What Is Happening
54 Jesus spoke to the crowd. He said, “You see a cloud rising in the west. Right away you say, ‘It’s going to rain.’ And it does. 55 The south wind blows. So you say, ‘It’s going to be hot.’ And it is. 56 You pretenders! You know how to understand the appearance of the earth and the sky. Why can’t you understand the meaning of what is happening right now?
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