Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 87
A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.
1 The city of His foundation is on the holy mountain.
2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are spoken of you,
O city of God. Selah.
4 I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon
to those who know Me;
look, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia;
“This man was born there.”
5 But of Zion it shall be said,
“This one and that one were born in her,”
for the Most High shall make her secure.
6 The Lord shall count when He registers the people,
“This one was born there.” Selah
7 As well the singers and the players of instruments say,
“All my springs are in you.”
BOOK FOUR
Psalms 90–106
Psalm 90
A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.
1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or You had formed the earth and the world,
even from everlasting to everlasting You are God.
3 You return man to the dust
and say, “Return, you children of men.”
4 For a thousand years in Your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a night watch in the night time.
5 You carry them away as with a flood;
they are as a dream, like renewed grass in the morning:
6 In the morning it flourishes and grows up;
in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are consumed by Your anger,
and by Your wrath we are terrified.
8 You have set our iniquities before You,
even our secret sins in the light of Your presence.
9 For all our days pass away in your wrath;
we end our years with a groan.
10 The years of our life are seventy,
and if by reason of strength eighty;
yet their length is toil and sorrow,
for they soon end, and we fly away.
11 Who knows the power of Your anger?
Or Your wrath according to Your fear?
12 So teach us to number our days,
that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.
13 Return, O Lord, how long?
Have mercy on Your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the early morning with Your mercy,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad according to the days that You have afflicted us,
and the years that we have seen evil.
16 Let Your work be displayed to Your servants
and Your glory to their children.
17 Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands among us;
yes, establish the work of our hands.
Psalm 136
1 Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good,
for His mercy endures forever.
2 Oh, give thanks unto the God of gods,
for His mercy endures forever.
3 Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for His mercy endures forever:
4 to Him who alone does great wonders,
for His mercy endures forever;
5 to Him who by wisdom made the heavens,
for His mercy endures forever;
6 to Him who stretched out the earth above the waters,
for His mercy endures forever;
7 to Him who made the great heavenly lights,
for His mercy endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for His mercy endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for His mercy endures forever;
10 to Him who struck down in Egypt their firstborn,
for His mercy endures forever;
11 and brought out Israel from among them,
for His mercy endures forever;
12 with a strong hand and a stretched-out arm,
for His mercy endures forever;
13 to Him who divided the Red Sea into two,
for His mercy endures forever;
14 and made Israel to pass through the midst of it,
for His mercy endures forever;
15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
for His mercy endures forever;
16 to Him who led His people through the wilderness,
for His mercy endures forever;
17 to Him who struck down great kings,
for His mercy endures forever;
18 and slew mighty kings,
for His mercy endures forever;
19 Sihon king of the Amorites,
for His mercy endures forever;
20 and Og king of Bashan,
for His mercy endures forever;
21 and gave their land for a possession,
for His mercy endures forever;
22 even an inheritance to Israel His servant,
for His mercy endures forever.
23 Who remembered us in our low place,
for His mercy endures forever;
24 and has redeemed us from our enemies,
for His mercy endures forever;
25 who gives food to all people,
for His mercy endures forever.
26 Give thanks unto the God of heaven,
for His mercy endures forever.
A Linen Sash
13 Thus says the Lord to me, “Go and buy yourself a linen waistband and put it upon your loins, and do not put it in water.” 2 So I bought a waistband according to the word of the Lord and put it on my loins.
3 The word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying, 4 “Take the waistband that you have, which is upon your loins, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a hole of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord had commanded me.
6 After many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take the waistband from there, which I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and took the waistband from the place where I had hidden it. But the waistband was destroyed. It was profitable for nothing.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 Thus says the Lord: After this manner I will destroy the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, who walk in the imagination of their hearts, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall be even as this waistband which is good for nothing. 11 For as the waistband cleaves to the loins of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cleave to Me, says the Lord, so that they might be to Me a people for renown, and for a praise, and for a glory; but they would not listen.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but yield yourselves to God, as those who are alive from the dead, and your bodies to God as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace.
Slaves of Righteousness
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid! 16 Do you not know that to whom you yield yourselves as slaves to obey, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, for you were slaves of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of teaching to which you were entrusted, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became the slaves of righteousness.
19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for just as you have yielded your members as slaves to impurity and iniquity leading to more iniquity, even so now yield your members as slaves to righteousness unto holiness. 20 For when you were the slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then from the things of which you are now ashamed? The result of those things is death. 22 But now, having been freed from sin and having become slaves of God, you have fruit unto holiness, and the end is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
47 He who is of God hears God’s words. Therefore, you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
The Preexistence of Jesus
48 The Jews answered Him, “Do we not rightly say that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon. But I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 I do not seek glory for Myself. There is One who seeks it and judges. 51 Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, he shall never see death.”
52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham and the prophets died, and You say, ‘If a man keeps My word, he shall never taste death.’ 53 “Are You greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets are dead! Who do You make Yourself out to be?”
54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say that He is your God. 55 Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. If I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you. But I know Him and keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day. He saw it and was glad.”
57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old. Have You seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.” 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. Going through their midst, He passed by.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.