Book of Common Prayer
For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah. A wedding song to the tune of “Lilies.”
45 My heart is full of beautiful words
as I say my poem for the king.
My tongue is like the pen of a skillful writer.
2 You are the most excellent of men.
Your lips have been given the ability to speak gracious words.
God has blessed you forever.
3 Mighty one, put your sword at your side.
Put on glory and majesty as if they were your clothes.
4 In your majesty ride out with power
to fight for what is true, humble and fair.
Let your right hand do wonderful things.
5 Shoot your sharp arrows into the hearts of your enemies.
Let the nations come under your control.
6 Your throne is the very throne of God.
Your kingdom will last for ever and ever.
You will rule by treating everyone fairly.
7 You love what is right and hate what is evil.
So your God has placed you above your companions.
He has filled you with joy by pouring the sacred oil on your head.
8 Myrrh and aloes and cassia make all your robes smell good.
In palaces decorated with ivory
the music played on stringed instruments makes you glad.
9 Daughters of kings are among the women you honor.
At your right hand is the royal bride dressed in gold from Ophir.
10 Royal bride, listen and pay careful attention.
Forget about your people and the home you came from.
11 Let the king be charmed by your beauty.
Honor him. He is now your master.
12 The people of Tyre will come with gifts.
Wealthy people will try to gain your favor.
13 In her room, the princess looks glorious.
Her gown has gold threads running through it.
14 Dressed in beautiful clothes, she is led to the king.
Her virgin companions follow her.
They have been brought to be with her.
15 They are led in with joy and gladness.
They enter the palace of the king.
16 Your sons will rule just as your father and grandfather did.
You will make them princes through the whole land.
17 I will make sure that people will always remember you.
The nations will praise you for ever and ever.
For the director of music. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
47 Clap your hands, all you nations.
Shout to God with cries of joy.
2 Do this because the Lord Most High is wonderful.
He is the great King over the whole earth.
3 He brought nations under our control.
He made them fall under us.
4 He chose our land for us.
The people of Jacob are proud of their land,
and God loves them.
5 God went up to his throne while his people were shouting with joy.
The Lord went up while trumpets were playing.
6 Sing praises to God. Sing praises.
Sing praises to our King. Sing praises.
7 God is the King of the whole earth.
Sing a psalm of praise to him.
8 God rules over the nations.
He is seated on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations come together.
They are now part of the people of the God of Abraham.
The kings of the earth belong to God.
He is greatly honored.
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
48 The Lord is great. He is really worthy of praise.
Praise him in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
2 Mount Zion is high and beautiful.
It brings joy to everyone on earth.
Mount Zion is like the highest parts of Mount Zaphon.
It is the city of the Great King.
3 God is there to keep it safe.
He has shown himself to be like a fort to the city.
4 Many kings joined forces.
They entered Israel together.
5 But when they saw Mount Zion, they were amazed.
They ran away in terror.
6 Trembling took hold of them.
They felt pain like a woman giving birth.
7 Lord, you destroyed them like ships of Tarshish
that were torn apart by an east wind.
8 What we heard we have also seen.
We have seen it
in the city of the Lord who rules over all.
We have seen it in the city of our God.
We have heard and seen that God makes it secure forever.
9 God, inside your temple
we think about your faithful love.
10 God, your fame reaches from one end of the earth to the other.
So people praise you from one end of the earth to the other.
You use your power to do what is right.
11 Mount Zion is filled with joy.
The villages of Judah are glad.
That’s because you judge fairly.
12 Walk all around Zion.
Count its towers.
13 Think carefully about its outer walls.
Just look at how safe it is!
Then you can tell its people that God keeps them safe.
14 This God is our God for ever and ever.
He will be our guide to the very end.
9 But there won’t be any more sadness for those who were suffering. In the past the Lord brought shame on the land of Zebulun. He also brought shame on the land of Naphtali. But in days to come he will honor Galilee, where people from other nations live. He will honor the land along the Mediterranean Sea. And he will honor the territory east of the Jordan River.
2 The people who are now living in darkness
will see a great light.
They are now living in a very dark land.
But a light will shine on them.
3 Lord, you will make our nation larger.
You will increase their joy.
They will show you how glad they are.
They will be as glad as people are at harvest time.
They will be as glad as warriors are
when they share the things they’ve taken after a battle.
4 You set Israel free from Midian long ago.
In the same way, you will break
the heavy yoke that weighs Israel down.
You will break the wooden beams that are on their shoulders.
You will break the rods of those who strike them down.
5 Every fighting man’s boot that he wore in battle will be burned up.
So will every piece of clothing covered with blood.
All of them will be thrown into the fire.
6 A child will be born to us.
A son will be given to us.
He will rule over us.
And he will be called
Wonderful Adviser and Mighty God.
He will also be called Father Who Lives Forever
and Prince Who Brings Peace.
7 There will be no limit to how great his authority is.
The peace he brings will never end.
He will rule on David’s throne
and over his kingdom.
He will make the kingdom strong and secure.
His rule will be based on what is fair and right.
It will last forever.
The Lord’s great love will make sure that happens.
He rules over all.
Prophecy of Scripture Comes From God
12 So I will always remind you of these things. I’ll do it even though you know them. I’ll do it even though you now have deep roots in the truth. 13 I think it is right for me to remind you. It is right as long as I live in this tent. I’m talking about my body. 14 I know my tent will soon be removed. Our Lord Jesus Christ has made that clear to me. 15 I hope that you will always be able to remember these things after I’m gone. I will try very hard to see that you do.
16 We told you about the time our Lord Jesus Christ came with power. But we didn’t make up clever stories when we told you about it. With our own eyes we saw him in all his majesty. 17 God the Father gave him honor and glory. The voice of the Majestic Glory came to him. It said, “This is my Son, and I love him. I am very pleased with him.” (Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35) 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven. We were with him on the sacred mountain.
19 We also have the message of the prophets. This message can be trusted completely. You must pay attention to it. The message is like a light shining in a dark place. It will shine until the day Jesus comes. Then the Morning Star will rise in your hearts. 20 Above all, here is what you must understand. No prophecy in Scripture ever came from a prophet’s own understanding of things. 21 Prophecy never came simply because a prophet wanted it to. Instead, the Holy Spirit guided the prophets as they spoke. So, although prophets are human, prophecy comes from God.
Peter Says He Does Not Know Jesus
54 Then the men arrested Jesus and led him away. They took him into the high priest’s house. Peter followed from far away. 55 Some people there started a fire in the middle of the courtyard. Then they sat down together. Peter sat down with them. 56 A female servant saw him sitting there in the firelight. She looked closely at him. Then she said, “This man was with Jesus.”
57 But Peter said he had not been with him. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.
58 A little later someone else saw Peter. “You also are one of them,” he said.
“No,” Peter replied. “I’m not!”
59 About an hour later, another person spoke up. “This fellow must have been with Jesus,” he said. “He is from Galilee.”
60 Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked right at Peter. Then Peter remembered what the Lord had spoken to him. “The rooster will crow today,” Jesus had said. “Before it does, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” 62 Peter went outside. He broke down and cried.
The Guards Make Fun of Jesus
63 There were men guarding Jesus. They began laughing at him and beating him. 64 They blindfolded him. They said, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” 65 They also said many other things to make fun of him.
Jesus Is Brought to Pilate and Herod
66 At dawn the elders of the people met together. These included the chief priests and the teachers of the law. Jesus was led to them. 67 “If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.”
Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me. 68 And if I asked you, you would not answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”
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