Book of Common Prayer
106 Praise the Lord.
Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good.
His faithful love continues forever.
2 Who can speak enough about the mighty acts of the Lord?
Who can praise him as much as he should be praised?
3 Blessed are those who always do what is fair.
Blessed are those who keep doing what is right.
4 Lord, remember me when you bless your people.
Help me when you save them.
5 Then I will enjoy the good things you give your chosen ones.
I will be joyful together with your people.
I will join them when they praise you.
6 We have sinned, just as our people of long ago did.
We too have done what is evil and wrong.
7 When our people were in Egypt,
they forgot about the Lord’s miracles.
They didn’t remember his many kind acts.
At the Red Sea they refused to obey him.
8 But he saved them for the honor of his name.
He did it to make his mighty power known.
9 He ordered the Red Sea to dry up, and it did.
He led his people through it as if it were a desert.
10 He saved them from the power of their enemies.
He set them free from their control.
11 The waters covered their enemies.
Not one of them escaped alive.
12 Then his people believed his promises
and sang praise to him.
13 But they soon forgot what he had done.
They didn’t wait for what he had planned to happen.
14 In the desert they longed for food.
In that dry and empty land they tested God.
15 So he gave them what they asked for.
But he also sent a sickness that killed many of them.
16 In their camp some of them became jealous of Moses and Aaron.
Aaron had been set apart to serve the Lord.
17 The ground opened up and swallowed Dathan.
It buried Abiram and his followers.
18 Fire blazed among all of them.
Flames destroyed those evil people.
19 At Mount Horeb they made a metal statue of a bull calf.
They worshiped that statue of a god.
20 They traded their glorious God
for a statue of a bull that eats grass.
21 They forgot the God who saved them.
They forgot the God who had done great things in Egypt.
22 They forgot the miracles he did in the land of Ham.
They forgot the wonderful things he did by the Red Sea.
23 So he said he would destroy them.
But Moses, his chosen one,
stood up for them.
He kept God’s anger from destroying them.
24 Later on, they refused to enter the pleasant land of Canaan.
They didn’t believe God’s promise.
25 In their tents they told the Lord how unhappy they were.
They didn’t obey him.
26 So he lifted up his hand and promised
that he would make them die in the desert.
27 He promised he would scatter their children’s children among the nations.
He would make them die in other lands.
28 They joined in worshiping the Baal that was worshiped at Peor.
They ate food that had been offered to gods that aren’t even alive.
29 Their evil ways made the Lord angry.
So a plague broke out among them.
30 But Phinehas stood up and took action.
Then the plague stopped.
31 What Phinehas did made him right with the Lord.
It will be remembered for all time to come.
32 By the waters of Meribah the Lord’s people made him angry.
Moses got in trouble because of them.
33 They refused to obey the Spirit of God.
So Moses spoke without thinking.
34 They didn’t destroy the nations in Canaan
as the Lord had commanded them.
35 Instead, they mixed with those nations
and adopted their ways.
36 They worshiped statues of their gods.
That became a trap for them.
37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters
as offerings to false gods.
38 They killed those who weren’t guilty of doing anything wrong.
They killed their own sons and daughters.
They sacrificed them as offerings to statues of the gods of Canaan.
The land became “unclean” because of the blood of their children.
39 The people made themselves impure by what they had done.
They weren’t faithful to the Lord.
40 So the Lord became angry with his people.
He turned away from his own children.
41 He handed them over to the nations.
Their enemies ruled over them.
42 Their enemies treated them badly
and kept them under their power.
43 Many times the Lord saved them.
But they refused to obey him.
So he destroyed them because of their sins.
44 Yet he heard them when they cried out.
He paid special attention to their suffering.
45 Because they were his people, he remembered his covenant.
Because of his great love, he felt sorry for them.
46 He made all those who held them as prisoners
have mercy on them.
47 Lord our God, save us.
Bring us back from among the nations.
Then we will give thanks to you, because your name is holy.
We will celebrate by praising you.
48 Give praise to the Lord, the God of Israel,
for ever and ever.
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord.
The Lord Will Take Care of Judah
10 People of Judah, ask the Lord
to send rain in the spring.
He is the one who sends the thunderstorms.
He sends down showers of rain on all people.
He gives everyone the plants in the fields.
2 Other gods tell lies.
Those who practice magic
see visions that aren’t true.
They tell dreams that fool people.
They give comfort that doesn’t do any good.
So the people wander around like sheep.
They are crushed because they don’t have a shepherd.
3 The Lord who rules over all says,
“I am very angry with the shepherds.
I will punish the leaders.
The Lord will take care of his flock.
They are the people of Judah.
He will make them like a proud horse in battle.
4 The most important building stone
will come from the tribe of Judah.
The tent stake will also come from it.
And the bow that is used in battle will come from it.
In fact, every ruler will come from it.
5 Together they will be like warriors in battle.
They will stomp their enemies
into the mud of the streets.
The Lord will be with them.
So they will fight against the horsemen
and put them to shame.
6 “I will make the family of Judah strong.
I will save the tribes of Joseph.
I will bring them back
because I have tender love for them.
It will be as if
I had not sent them away.
I am the Lord their God.
I will help them.
7 The people of Ephraim will become like warriors.
Their hearts will be glad
as if they were drinking wine.
Their children will see it
and be filled with joy.
I will make their hearts glad.
8 I will signal for my people to come,
and I will gather them in.
I will set them free.
There will be as many of them as before.
9 I have scattered them among the nations.
But in lands far away they will remember me.
They and their children will be kept alive.
And they will return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt.
I will gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon.
There will not be enough room for them.
11 They will pass through a sea of trouble.
The stormy sea will calm down.
All the deep places in the Nile River will dry up.
Assyria’s pride will be brought down.
Egypt’s right to rule will disappear.
12 I will make my people strong.
They will live in safety because of me,”
announces the Lord.
Do Good to Everyone
6 Brothers and sisters, what if someone is caught in a sin? Then you who live by the Spirit should correct that person. Do it in a gentle way. But be careful. You could be tempted too. 2 Carry one another’s heavy loads. If you do, you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are somebody when they are nobody, they are fooling themselves. 4 Each person should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves. They won’t be comparing themselves to someone else. 5 Each person should carry their own load. 6 But those who are taught the word should share all good things with their teacher.
7 Don’t be fooled. You can’t outsmart God. A man gathers a crop from what he plants. 8 Some people plant to please their desires controlled by sin. From these desires they will harvest death. Others plant to please the Holy Spirit. From the Spirit they will harvest eternal life. 9 Let us not become tired of doing good. At the right time we will gather a crop if we don’t give up. 10 So when we can do good to everyone, let us do it. Let’s try even harder to do good to the family of believers.
Little Children Are Brought to Jesus
15 People were also bringing babies to Jesus. They wanted him to place his hands on the babies. When the disciples saw this, they told the people to stop. 16 But Jesus asked the children to come to him. “Let the little children come to me,” he said. “Don’t keep them away. God’s kingdom belongs to people like them. 17 What I’m about to tell you is true. Anyone who will not receive God’s kingdom like a little child will never enter it.”
Rich People and the Kingdom of God
18 A certain ruler asked Jesus a question. “Good teacher,” he said, “what must I do to receive eternal life?”
19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good except God. 20 You know what the commandments say. ‘Do not commit adultery. Do not commit murder. Do not steal. Do not be a false witness. Honor your father and mother.’ ” (Exodus 20:12–16; Deuteronomy 5:16–20)
21 “I have obeyed all those commandments since I was a boy,” the ruler said.
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You are still missing one thing. Sell everything you have. Give the money to those who are poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”
23 When the ruler heard this, he became very sad. He was very rich. 24 Jesus looked at him. Then he said, “How hard it is for rich people to enter God’s kingdom! 25 Is it hard for a camel to go through the eye of a needle? It is even harder for someone who is rich to enter God’s kingdom!”
26 Those who heard this asked, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Jesus replied, “Things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”
28 Peter said to him, “We have left everything we had in order to follow you!”
29 “What I’m about to tell you is true,” Jesus said to them. “Has anyone left home or wife or husband or brothers or sisters or parents or children for God’s kingdom? 30 They will receive many times as much in this world. In the world to come they will receive eternal life.”
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