Book of Common Prayer
A psalm of the Sons of Korah. A song.
87 The Lord has built his city
on the holy mountain.
2 He loves the city of Zion
more than all the other places
where the people of Jacob live.
3 City of God,
the Lord says glorious things about you.
4 He says, “I will include Egypt and Babylon
in a list of nations who recognize me as king.
I will also include Philistia and Tyre, along with Cush.
I will say about them, ‘They were born in Zion.’ ”
5 Certainly it will be said about Zion,
“This nation and that nation were born in it.
The Most High God himself will make it secure.”
6 Here is what the Lord will write in his list of the nations.
“Each of them was born in Zion.”
7 As they make music they will sing,
“Zion, all our blessings come from you.”
Book IV
Psalms 90–106
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
90 Lord, from the very beginning
you have been like a home to us.
2 Before you created the whole world and the mountains were made,
from the beginning to the end you are God.
3 You turn human beings back to dust.
You say to them, “Return to dust.”
4 To you a thousand years
are like a day that has just gone by.
They are like a few hours of the night.
5 Yet you sweep people away, and they die.
They are like new grass that grows in the morning.
6 In the morning it springs up new,
but by evening it’s all dried up.
7 Your anger destroys us.
Your burning anger terrifies us.
8 You have put our sins right in front of you.
You have placed our secret sins where you can see them clearly.
9 You have been angry with us all of our days.
We groan as we come to the end of our lives.
10 We live to be about 70.
Or we may live to be 80, if we stay healthy.
But even our best days are filled with trouble and sorrow.
The years quickly pass, and we are gone.
11 If only we knew the power of your anger!
It’s as great as the respect we should have for you.
12 Teach us to realize how short our lives are.
Then our hearts will become wise.
13 Lord, please stop punishing us!
How long will you keep it up?
Be kind to us.
14 Satisfy us with your faithful love every morning.
Then we can sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have made us suffer.
Give us joy for as many years as we’ve had trouble.
16 Show us your mighty acts.
Let our children see your glorious power.
17 May the Lord our God always be pleased with us.
Lord, make what we do succeed.
Please make what we do succeed.
136 Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good.
His faithful love continues forever.
2 Give thanks to the greatest God of all.
His faithful love continues forever.
3 Give thanks to the most powerful Lord of all.
His faithful love continues forever.
4 Give thanks to the only one who can do great miracles.
His faithful love continues forever.
5 By his understanding he made the heavens.
His faithful love continues forever.
6 He spread out the earth on the waters.
His faithful love continues forever.
7 He made the great lights in the sky.
His faithful love continues forever.
8 He made the sun to rule over the day.
His faithful love continues forever.
9 He made the moon and stars to rule over the night.
His faithful love continues forever.
10 Give thanks to the God who killed the oldest son of each family in Egypt.
His faithful love continues forever.
11 He brought the people of Israel out of Egypt.
His faithful love continues forever.
12 He did it by reaching out his mighty hand and powerful arm.
His faithful love continues forever.
13 Give thanks to the God who parted the waters of the Red Sea.
His faithful love continues forever.
14 He brought Israel through the middle of it.
His faithful love continues forever.
15 But he swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.
His faithful love continues forever.
16 Give thanks to the God who led his people through the desert.
His faithful love continues forever.
17 He killed great kings.
His faithful love continues forever.
18 He struck down mighty kings.
His faithful love continues forever.
19 He killed Sihon, the king of the Amorites.
His faithful love continues forever.
20 He killed Og, the king of Bashan.
His faithful love continues forever.
21 He gave their land as a gift.
His faithful love continues forever.
22 He gave it as a gift to his servant Israel.
His faithful love continues forever.
23 Give thanks to the God who remembered us when things were going badly.
His faithful love continues forever.
24 He set us free from our enemies.
His faithful love continues forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.
His faithful love continues forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His faithful love continues forever.
1 A message from the Lord came to Hosea, the son of Beeri. The message came while Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. It also came while Jeroboam was king of Israel. He was the son of Jehoash. Here is what the Lord said to him.
Hosea’s Wife and Children
2 The Lord began to speak through Hosea. He said to him, “Go. Marry a woman who has sex with anyone she wants. Have children with her. Do this because the people of the land are like that kind of wife. They have not been faithful to me.” 3 So Hosea married Gomer. She was the daughter of Diblaim. Gomer became pregnant and had a son by Hosea.
4 Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Name him Jezreel. That’s because I will soon punish Jehu’s royal family. He killed many people at the city of Jezreel. So I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 5 At that time I will break their military power. It will happen in the Valley of Jezreel.”
6 Gomer became pregnant again. She had a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Name her Lo-Ruhamah.” Lo-Ruhamah means Not Loved. “That’s because I will no longer show love to the people of Israel. I will not forgive them anymore. 7 But I will show love to the people of Judah. And I will save them. I will not use bows or swords or other weapons of war to do it. I will not save them by using horses and horsemen either. Instead, I will use my own power to save them. I am the Lord their God. And I will save them.”
8 Later, Gomer stopped nursing Lo-Ruhamah. After that, she had another son. 9 Then the Lord said, “Name him Lo-Ammi.” Lo-Ammi means Not My People. “That’s because Israel is no longer my people. And I am no longer their God.
10 “But the time will come when the people of Israel will be like the sand on the seashore. It can’t be measured or counted. Now it is said about them, ‘You are not my people.’ But at that time they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ 11 The people of Judah and Israel will come together again. They will appoint one leader and come up out of the land. And Jezreel’s day will be great.
2 “People of Israel, call your brothers ‘My people.’ And call your sisters ‘My loved ones.’
Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece
20 All the trouble came to an end. Then Paul sent for the believers. After encouraging them, he said goodbye. He then left for Macedonia. 2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of hope to the people. Finally he arrived in Greece. 3 There he stayed for three months. He was just about to sail for Syria. But some Jews were making plans against him. So he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 Sopater, son of Pyrrhus, from Berea went with him. Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, and Timothy went too. Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia Minor also went with him. 5 These men went on ahead. They waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Five days later we joined the others at Troas. We stayed there for seven days.
Eutychus Is Raised From the Dead at Troas
7 On the first day of the week we met to break bread and eat together. Paul spoke to the people. He kept on talking until midnight because he planned to leave the next day. 8 There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were meeting. 9 A young man named Eutychus was sitting in a window. He sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. Sound asleep, Eutychus fell from the third floor. When they picked him up from the ground, he was dead. 10 Paul went down and threw himself on the young man. He put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he told them. “He’s alive!” 11 Then Paul went upstairs again. He broke bread and ate with them. He kept on talking until daylight. Then he left. 12 The people took the young man home. They were greatly comforted because he was alive.
Paul Says Goodbye to the Ephesian Elders
13 We went on ahead to the ship. We sailed for Assos. There we were going to take Paul on board. He had planned it this way because he wanted to go to Assos by land. 14 So he met us there. We took him on board and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we sailed from there. We arrived near Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos. We arrived at Miletus the next day. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus. He didn’t want to spend time in Asia Minor. He was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem. If he could, he wanted to be there by the day of Pentecost.
Jesus Heals Many People
38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. At that time, Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever. So they asked Jesus to help her. 39 He bent over her and commanded the fever to leave, and it left her. She got up right away and began to serve them.
40 At sunset, people brought to Jesus all who were sick. He placed his hands on each one and healed them. 41 Also, demons came out of many people. The demons shouted, “You are the Son of God!” But he commanded them to be quiet. He would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.
42 At dawn, Jesus went out to a place where he could be by himself. The people went to look for him. When they found him, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said, “I must announce the good news of God’s kingdom to the other towns also. That is why I was sent.” 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.