Book of Common Prayer
The Lord’s Covenant with David, and Israel’s Afflictions.
A [a]Maskil of [b]Ethan [c]the Ezrahite.
89 I will (A)sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever;
To all generations I will (B)make known Your (C)faithfulness with my mouth.
2 For I have said, “(D)Lovingkindness will be built up forever;
In the heavens You will establish Your (E)faithfulness.”
3 “I have made a covenant with (F)My chosen;
I have (G)sworn to David My servant,
4 I will establish your (H)seed forever
And build up your (I)throne to all generations.” [d]Selah.
5 The (J)heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord;
Your faithfulness also (K)in the assembly of the (L)holy ones.
6 For (M)who in the skies is comparable to the Lord?
Who among the [e](N)sons of the mighty is like the Lord,
7 A God (O)greatly feared in the council of the (P)holy ones,
And (Q)awesome above all those who are around Him?
8 O Lord God of hosts, (R)who is like You, O mighty [f]Lord?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
9 You rule the swelling of the sea;
When its waves rise, You (S)still them.
10 You Yourself crushed [g](T)Rahab like one who is slain;
You (U)scattered Your enemies with [h]Your mighty arm.
11 The (V)heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The (W)world and [i]all it contains, You have founded them.
12 The (X)north and the south, You have created them;
(Y)Tabor and (Z)Hermon (AA)shout for joy at Your name.
13 You have [j]a strong arm;
Your hand is mighty, Your (AB)right hand is exalted.
14 (AC)Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
(AD)Lovingkindness and [k]truth go before You.
15 How blessed are the people who know the [l](AE)joyful sound!
O Lord, they walk in the (AF)light of Your countenance.
16 In (AG)Your name they rejoice all the day,
And by Your righteousness they are exalted.
17 For You are the glory of (AH)their strength,
And by Your favor [m]our (AI)horn is exalted.
18 For our (AJ)shield belongs to the Lord,
[n]And our king to the (AK)Holy One of Israel.
19 [o]Once You spoke in vision to Your godly [p]ones,
And said, “I have [q]given help to one who is (AL)mighty;
I have exalted one (AM)chosen from the people.
20 “I have (AN)found David My servant;
With My holy (AO)oil I have anointed him,
21 With whom (AP)My hand will be established;
My arm also will (AQ)strengthen him.
22 “The enemy will not [r]deceive him,
Nor the [s](AR)son of wickedness afflict him.
23 “But I shall (AS)crush his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.
24 “My (AT)faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him,
And in My name his (AU)horn will be exalted.
25 “I shall also set his hand (AV)on the sea
And his right hand on the rivers.
26 “He will cry to Me, ‘You are (AW)my Father,
My God, and the (AX)rock of my salvation.’
27 “I also shall make him My (AY)firstborn,
The (AZ)highest of the kings of the earth.
28 “My (BA)lovingkindness I will keep for him forever,
And My (BB)covenant shall be confirmed to him.
29 “So I will establish his [t](BC)descendants forever
And his (BD)throne (BE)as the days of heaven.
30 “If his sons (BF)forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,
31 If they [u]violate My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
32 Then I will punish their transgression with the (BG)rod
And their iniquity with stripes.
33 “But I will not break off (BH)My lovingkindness from him,
Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.
34 “My (BI)covenant I will not [v]violate,
Nor will I (BJ)alter [w]the utterance of My lips.
35 “[x]Once I have (BK)sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David.
36 “His [y](BL)descendants shall endure forever
And his (BM)throne (BN)as the sun before Me.
37 “It shall be established forever (BO)like the moon,
And the (BP)witness in the sky is faithful.” [z]Selah.
38 But You have (BQ)cast off and (BR)rejected,
You have been full of wrath [aa]against Your (BS)anointed.
39 You have (BT)spurned the covenant of Your servant;
You have (BU)profaned (BV)his crown [ab]in the dust.
40 You have (BW)broken down all his walls;
You have (BX)brought his strongholds to ruin.
41 (BY)All who pass along the way plunder him;
He has become a (BZ)reproach to his neighbors.
42 You have (CA)exalted the right hand of his adversaries;
You have (CB)made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You also turn back the edge of his sword
And have (CC)not made him stand in battle.
44 You have made his [ac](CD)splendor to cease
And cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have (CE)shortened the days of his youth;
You have (CF)covered him with shame. Selah.
46 (CG)How long, O Lord?
Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your (CH)wrath burn like fire?
47 (CI)Remember [ad]what my span of life is;
For what (CJ)vanity [ae]You have created all the sons of men!
48 What man can live and not (CK)see death?
Can he (CL)deliver his soul from the [af]power of [ag]Sheol? Selah.
49 Where are Your former lovingkindnesses, O Lord,
Which You (CM)swore to David in Your faithfulness?
50 Remember, O Lord, the (CN)reproach of Your servants;
[ah]How I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples,
51 With which (CO)Your enemies have reproached, O Lord,
With which they have reproached the footsteps of (CP)Your anointed.
52 (CQ)Blessed be the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
Jephthah and His Successors
12 Then the men of Ephraim were summoned, and they crossed [a]to Zaphon and (A)said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the sons of Ammon without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you.” 2 Jephthah said to them, “I and my people were at great strife with the sons of Ammon; when I called you, you did not deliver me from their hand. 3 When I saw that you would not deliver me, I [b](B)took my life in my hands and crossed over against the sons of Ammon, and the Lord gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?” 4 Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim; and the men of Gilead [c]defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, O Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.” 5 The Gileadites (C)captured the fords of the Jordan opposite Ephraim. And it happened when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” 6 then they would say to him, “Say now, ‘Shibboleth.’” But he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not [d]pronounce it correctly. Then they seized him and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. Thus there fell at that time 42,000 of Ephraim.
7 Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
12 [a]At the hands of the apostles many (A)signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in (B)Solomon’s portico. 13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, (C)the people held them in high esteem. 14 And all the more (D)believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly (E)added to their number, 15 to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by (F)at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. 16 Also the [b]people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick [c]or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.
Imprisonment and Release
17 But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is (G)the sect of (H)the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. 18 They laid hands on the apostles and (I)put them in a public jail. 19 But during the night (J)an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, 20 “Go, stand and [d]speak to the people in the temple [e](K)the whole message of this Life.” 21 Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple (L)about daybreak and began to teach.
Now when (M)the high priest and his associates came, they called (N)the [f]Council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought. 22 But (O)the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned and reported back, 23 saying, “We found the prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we had opened up, we found no one inside.” 24 Now when (P)the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what [g]would come of this. 25 But someone came and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” 26 Then (Q)the captain went along with (R)the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for (S)they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).
The New Birth
3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named (A)Nicodemus, a (B)ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “(C)Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these [a](D)signs that You do unless (E)God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one (F)is born [b]again he cannot see (G)the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of (H)water and the Spirit he cannot enter into (I)the kingdom of God. 6 (J)That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born [c]again.’ 8 (K)The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you (L)the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, (M)we speak of what we know and (N)testify of what we have seen, and (O)you do not accept our testimony. 12 If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 (P)No one has ascended into heaven, but (Q)He who descended from heaven: (R)the Son of Man. 14 As (S)Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must (T)the Son of Man (U)be lifted up; 15 so that whoever [d]believes will (V)in Him have eternal life.
16 “For God so (W)loved the world, that He (X)gave His [e](Y)only begotten Son, that whoever (Z)believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God (AA)did not send the Son into the world (AB)to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 (AC)He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of (AD)the [f]only begotten Son of God. 19 This is the judgment, that (AE)the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for (AF)their deeds were evil. 20 (AG)For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But he who (AH)practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.