Book of Common Prayer
How Awesome Your Deeds
Psalm 66
1 For the music director, a song, a psalm.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth!
2 Sing the glory of His Name—
make His praise glorious.
3 Say to God:
“How awesome are Your deeds!
Because of Your great power,
Your enemies cringe before You.
4 All the earth bows down to You,
and sings praises to You.
All sing praises to Your Name.” Selah
5 Come and see the works of God.
How awesome His deeds for the children of Adam!
6 He turned the sea into dry land.
They crossed the river on foot.
There let us rejoice in Him!
7 He rules by His might forever.
His eyes keep watch on the nations.
Let no rebels exalt themselves. Selah
8 Bless our God, O peoples!
Let the sound of His praise be heard.
9 Keeping our soul in life,
He has not let our foot slip.
10 For You have tested us, O God—
You have purified us, as silver is refined.
11 You brought us into a net.
You laid a burden on our backs.
12 You caused men to ride over our heads.
We went through fire and water.
Yet You brought us out to superabundance.
13 With burnt offerings I will come to Your House,
fulfilling my vows to You
14 that my lips uttered and mouth spoke,
when I was in trouble.
15 To You I will present burnt offerings of fat animals,
with the sweet smoke of rams.
I will offer bulls with goats. Selah
16 Come and listen, all you who fear God.
I will tell what He has done for my soul.
17 I cried out to Him with my mouth,
and exaltation was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
19 But surely God has heard.
He has listened to my voice in prayer.
20 Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer,
nor His lovingkindness from me.
Let All Peoples Praise You
Psalm 67
1 For the music director, with stringed instruments, a psalm, a song.
2 May God be gracious to us and bless us.
May He cause His face to shine upon us—Selah
3 so that Your way may be known on earth,
and Your salvation among all nations.
4 Let the peoples praise You, O God.
Let all the peoples praise You.
5 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for You will judge the peoples fairly,
and guide the nations on the earth. Selah
6 Let the peoples praise You, O God.
Let all the peoples praise You.
7 The earth has yielded its harvest—
God, our God will bless us.
8 God will bless us,
and all the ends of the earth will fear Him.
Glory from Heaven and Torah
Psalm 19
1 For the music director, a psalm of David.
2 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky shows His handiwork.
3 Day to day they speak,
night to night they reveal knowledge.
4 There is no speech, no words,
where their voice goes unheard.
5 Their voice has gone out to all the earth
and their words to the end of the world.[a]
In the heavens He pitched a tent for the sun.
6 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his bridal chamber.
It is like a strong man rejoicing to run his course.
7 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other end.
Nothing is hidden from its heat.
8 The Torah of Adonai is perfect,
restoring the soul.
The testimony of Adonai is trustworthy,
making the simple wise.
9 The precepts of Adonai are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The mitzvot of Adonai are pure,
giving light to the eyes.
10 The fear of Adonai is clean,
enduring forever.
The judgments of Adonai are true
and altogether righteous.
11 They are more desirable than gold,
yes, more than much pure gold!
They are sweeter than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
12 Moreover by them Your servant is warned.
In keeping them there is great reward.
13 Who can discern his errors?
Cleanse me of hidden faults.
14 Also keep Your servant from willful sins.
May they not have dominion over me.
Then I will be blameless,
free from great transgression.
15 May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable before You,
Adonai, my Rock and my Redeemer.
He Makes Wars Cease
Psalm 46
1 For the music director, of the sons of Korah, according to Alamoth, a song.
2 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
3 Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth change,
though the mountains topple into the heart of the seas,
4 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains quake at their swelling. Selah
5 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God—
the holy dwelling place of Elyon.[a]
6 God is in the midst of her, she will not be shaken.
God will help her when morning dawns.
7 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms totter,
He utters His voice, the earth melts!
8 Adonai-Tzva’ot is with us.
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah
9 Come, see the works of Adonai,
who brings devastations on the earth.
10 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear.
He burns chariots with fire.
11 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I am exalted among the nations.
I am exalted in the earth.”
12 Adonai-Tzva’ot is with us.
The God of Jacob is our strong tower. Selah
Physical and Spiritual Drought
14 The word of Adonai that came to Jeremiah concerning the droughts:
2 Judah will mourn, and her gates languish.
They will bow in black to the ground
And Jerusalem’s wail will go up.
3 Their nobles will send their lads for water.
They come to the cisterns,
but find no water.
Their jars return empty.
They are ashamed and humiliated;
they cover their heads.
4 Because the ground is cracked,
since there has been no rain in the land,
the farmers are ashamed—
they cover their heads.
5 For even the doe in the field
abandons her newborn fawn,
because there is no grass.
6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren hills,
as they pant for air like jackals.
Their eyes fail,
since there is no foliage.
7 Though our iniquities testify against us,
Adonai, act for Your Name’s sake.
For our backslidings are many.
We have sinned against You.
8 O hope of Israel,
Savior in time of trouble,
why are You like a stranger in the land,
or like a traveler who stays for a night?
9 Why are You like a man overcome,
like a champion who cannot save?
Yet you, Adonai, are in our midst,
and we are called by Your Name.
Do not forsake us!
17 You will say this word to them:
“Let my eyes overflow with tears.
Night and day, may they never stop.
For the virgin daughter of my people
is crushed with a great blow,
with a sorely infected wound.”
Intercessory Confession
18 If I go out into the field,
see, those slain by the sword!
And if I enter into the city,
see, the sick with famine!
For both prophet and kohen
will travel to a land they do not know.
19 Have You utterly rejected Judah?
Has Your soul loathed Zion?
Why have You smitten us,
and there is no healing for us?
We looked for shalom,
but nothing good came,
and for a time of healing,
but suddenly, terror![a]
20 We acknowledge our wickedness, Adonai,
the iniquity of our fathers,
for we have sinned against You.
21 Do not despise us, for Your Name’s sake.
Do not dishonor Your glorious throne.
Remember Your covenant with us—
do not break it!
22 Can any of the idols of the nations bring rain?
Or can the skies grant showers?
Is it not You, Adonai our God?
Do we not wait for You?
For You have done all these things.
Midrash on Abraham’s Two Sons
21 Tell me, you who want to be under Torah, don’t you understand[a] the Torah? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and one by the free woman. [b] 23 But one—the son by the slave woman—was born naturally;[c] while the other—the son by the free woman—was through the promise. 24 Now these things are being treated allegorically, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, giving birth to slavery—this is Hagar. 25 But this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery along with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free—she is our mother. 27 For it is written:
“Rejoice, O barren woman
who bears no children.
Break forth and shout,
you who suffer no labor pains.
For more are the children of the desolate
than of the one who has a husband.”[d]
28 Now you, brothers and sisters—like Isaac, you are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time the one born according to the flesh persecuted the one born according to the Ruach, so it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Drive out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son”[e] of the free woman. 31 So then, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman but of the free woman.
Freedom Based on Favor
5 For freedom, Messiah set us free—so stand firm, and do not be burdened by a yoke of slavery again.
11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with Him, demanding a sign from heaven, to test Him. 12 Sighing deeply in His spirit, Yeshua said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Amen, I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Leaving them, He got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.
The Un-Seeing Disciples
14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they had only one loaf in the boat. 15 Yeshua was warning them, “Watch out! Beware of the hametz of the Pharisees and the hametz of Herod.”
16 They began to discuss with each other that they had no bread. 17 And Yeshua, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you discuss that you have no bread? You still don’t get it? Don’t you understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes, don’t you see? And having ears, don’t you hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they say to Him.
20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up?”
“Seven,” they say to Him.
21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.