Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 45[a]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.[b] A wedding song.(A)
1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme
as I recite my verses for the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
2 You are the most excellent of men
and your lips have been anointed with grace,(B)
since God has blessed you forever.(C)
3 Gird your sword(D) on your side, you mighty one;(E)
clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.(F)
4 In your majesty ride forth victoriously(G)
in the cause of truth, humility and justice;(H)
let your right hand(I) achieve awesome deeds.(J)
5 Let your sharp arrows(K) pierce the hearts(L) of the king’s enemies;(M)
let the nations fall beneath your feet.
6 Your throne, O God,[c] will last for ever and ever;(N)
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness(O) and hate wickedness;(P)
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing(Q) you with the oil of joy.(R)
8 All your robes are fragrant(S) with myrrh(T) and aloes(U) and cassia;(V)
from palaces adorned with ivory(W)
the music of the strings(X) makes you glad.
9 Daughters of kings(Y) are among your honored women;
at your right hand(Z) is the royal bride(AA) in gold of Ophir.(AB)
10 Listen, daughter,(AC) and pay careful attention:(AD)
Forget your people(AE) and your father’s house.
11 Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;(AF)
honor(AG) him, for he is your lord.(AH)
12 The city of Tyre(AI) will come with a gift,[d](AJ)
people of wealth will seek your favor.
13 All glorious(AK) is the princess within her chamber;
her gown is interwoven with gold.(AL)
14 In embroidered garments(AM) she is led to the king;(AN)
her virgin companions(AO) follow her—
those brought to be with her.
15 Led in with joy and gladness,(AP)
they enter the palace of the king.
16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers;
you will make them princes(AQ) throughout the land.
Psalm 47[a]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
2 For the Lord Most High(C) is awesome,(D)
the great King(E) over all the earth.
3 He subdued(F) nations under us,
peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance(G) for us,
the pride of Jacob,(H) whom he loved.[b]
5 God has ascended(I) amid shouts of joy,(J)
the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.(K)
6 Sing praises(L) to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;(M)
sing to him a psalm(N) of praise.
8 God reigns(O) over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.(P)
9 The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings[c] of the earth belong to God;(Q)
he is greatly exalted.(R)
Psalm 48[d]
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 Great is the Lord,(S) and most worthy of praise,(T)
in the city of our God,(U) his holy mountain.(V)
2 Beautiful(W) in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon[e](X) is Mount Zion,(Y)
the city of the Great King.(Z)
3 God is in her citadels;(AA)
he has shown himself to be her fortress.(AB)
4 When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,(AC)
5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.(AD)
6 Trembling seized(AE) them there,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(AF)
7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish(AG)
shattered by an east wind.(AH)
8 As we have heard,
so we have seen
in the city of the Lord Almighty,
in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
forever.[f](AI)
9 Within your temple, O God,
we meditate(AJ) on your unfailing love.(AK)
10 Like your name,(AL) O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;(AM)
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.(AN)
12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,(AO)
13 consider well her ramparts,(AP)
view her citadels,(AQ)
that you may tell of them
to the next generation.(AR)
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide(AS) even to the end.
Israel Freed
12 “Listen(A) to me, Jacob,
Israel, whom I have called:(B)
I am he;(C)
I am the first and I am the last.(D)
13 My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,(E)
and my right hand spread out the heavens;(F)
when I summon them,
they all stand up together.(G)
14 “Come together,(H) all of you, and listen:
Which of the idols has foretold(I) these things?
The Lord’s chosen ally(J)
will carry out his purpose(K) against Babylon;(L)
his arm will be against the Babylonians.[a]
15 I, even I, have spoken;
yes, I have called(M) him.
I will bring him,
and he will succeed(N) in his mission.
16 “Come near(O) me and listen(P) to this:
“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;(Q)
at the time it happens, I am there.”
17 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer,(U) the Holy One(V) of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches(W) you what is best for you,
who directs(X) you in the way(Y) you should go.
18 If only you had paid attention(Z) to my commands,
your peace(AA) would have been like a river,(AB)
your well-being(AC) like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants(AD) would have been like the sand,(AE)
your children like its numberless grains;(AF)
their name would never be blotted out(AG)
nor destroyed from before me.”
20 Leave Babylon,
flee(AH) from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy(AI)
and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends of the earth;(AJ)
say, “The Lord has redeemed(AK) his servant Jacob.”
21 They did not thirst(AL) when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow(AM) for them from the rock;
he split the rock
and water gushed out.(AN)
18 Then after three years,(A) I went up to Jerusalem(B) to get acquainted with Cephas[a] and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James,(C) the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God(D) that what I am writing you is no lie.(E)
21 Then I went to Syria(F) and Cilicia.(G) 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea(H) that are in Christ.(I) 23 They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith(J) he once tried to destroy.”(K) 24 And they praised God(L) because of me.
Paul Accepted by the Apostles
2 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem,(M) this time with Barnabas.(N) I took Titus(O) along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation(P) and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles.(Q) I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race(R) in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus,(S) who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.(T) 4 This matter arose because some false believers(U) had infiltrated our ranks to spy on(V) the freedom(W) we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel(X) might be preserved for you.
6 As for those who were held in high esteem(Y)—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism(Z)—they added nothing to my message.(AA) 7 On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task(AB) of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised,[b](AC) just as Peter(AD) had been to the circumcised.[c] 8 For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle(AE) to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle(AF) to the Gentiles. 9 James,(AG) Cephas[d](AH) and John, those esteemed as pillars,(AI) gave me and Barnabas(AJ) the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me.(AK) They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles,(AL) and they to the circumcised. 10 All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor,(AM) the very thing I had been eager to do all along.
A Prophet Without Honor(A)
6 Jesus left there and went to his hometown,(B) accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came,(C) he began to teach in the synagogue,(D) and many who heard him were amazed.(E)
“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph,[a] Judas and Simon?(F) Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.(G)
4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.”(H) 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on(I) a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve(J)
Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.(K) 7 Calling the Twelve to him,(L) he began to send them out two by two(M) and gave them authority over impure spirits.(N)
8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet(O) as a testimony against them.”
12 They went out and preached that people should repent.(P) 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil(Q) and healed them.
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