Book of Common Prayer
God’s Guidance of His People in Spite of Their Unfaithfulness.
A [a]Maskil of Asaph.
78 (A)Listen, my people, to my [b]instruction;
(B)Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will (C)open my mouth in a parable;
I will tell (D)riddles of old,
3 Which we have heard and known,
And (E)our fathers have told us.
4 We will (F)not conceal them from their children,
But we will (G)tell the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His power and His (H)wondrous works that He has done.
5 For He established a (I)testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a (J)law in Israel,
Which He (K)commanded our fathers
That they were to [c](L)teach them to their children,
6 (M)So that the generation to come would know, (N)the children yet to be born,
That they would arise and (O)tell them to their children,
7 So that they would put their confidence in God
And (P)not forget the works of God,
But (Q)comply with His commandments,
8 And (R)not be like their fathers,
A (S)stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that (T)did not [d]prepare its heart
And whose spirit was not (U)faithful to God.
9 The sons of Ephraim [e]were (V)archers equipped with bows,
Yet (W)they turned back on the day of battle.
10 They (X)did not keep the covenant of God
And refused to (Y)walk in His Law;
11 They (Z)forgot His deeds
And His [f]miracles that He had shown them.
12 (AA)He performed wonders before their fathers
In the land of Egypt, in the (AB)field of Zoan.
13 He (AC)divided the sea and caused them to pass through,
And He made the waters stand (AD)up like a heap.
14 Then He led them with the cloud by (AE)day
And all the night with a (AF)light of fire.
15 He (AG)split the rocks in the wilderness
And gave them plenty to drink like the ocean depths.
16 He (AH)brought forth streams from the rock
And made waters run down like rivers.
17 Yet they still continued to sin against Him,
To (AI)rebel against the Most High in the desert.
18 And in their heart they (AJ)put God to the test
By asking for (AK)food [g]that suited their taste.
19 Then they spoke against God;
They said, “(AL)Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 Behold, He (AM)struck the rock so that waters gushed out,
And streams were overflowing;
Can He also provide bread?
Will He prepare (AN)meat for His people?”
21 Therefore the Lord heard and [h]was (AO)full of wrath;
And a fire was kindled against Jacob,
And anger also mounted against Israel,
22 Because they (AP)did not believe in God
And did not trust in His salvation.
23 Yet He commanded the clouds above
And (AQ)opened the doors of heaven;
24 He (AR)rained down manna upon them to eat,
And gave them [i](AS)food from heaven.
25 Man ate the bread of [j]angels;
He sent them [k]food [l](AT)in abundance.
26 He (AU)made the east wind blow in the sky
And by His [m]power He directed the south wind.
27 When He rained meat upon them like the dust,
Even (AV)winged fowl like the sand of the seas,
28 He let them fall in the midst of [n]their camp,
All around their dwellings.
29 So they (AW)ate and were well filled,
And He [o]satisfied their longing.
30 [p]Yet before they had abandoned their longing,
(AX)While their food was in their mouths,
31 The (AY)anger of God rose against them
And killed [q]some of their (AZ)strongest ones,
And [r]subdued the choice men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this they (BA)still sinned
And (BB)did not believe in His wonderful works.
33 So He brought (BC)their days to an end in futility,
And their years to an end in sudden terror.
34 When He killed them, then they (BD)sought Him,
And they returned and searched (BE)diligently for God;
35 And they remembered that God was their (BF)rock,
And the Most High God their (BG)Redeemer.
36 But they (BH)flattered Him with their mouth
And (BI)lied to Him with their tongue.
37 For their heart was not (BJ)steadfast toward Him,
Nor were they faithful with His covenant.
38 But He, being (BK)compassionate, [s](BL)forgave their wrongdoing and did not destroy them;
And often He [t](BM)restrained His anger
And did not stir up all His wrath.
39 So (BN)He remembered that they were only (BO)flesh,
A [u](BP)wind that passes and does not return.
40 How often they (BQ)rebelled against Him in the wilderness
And (BR)grieved Him in the (BS)desert!
41 Again and again they [v](BT)tempted God,
And pained the (BU)Holy One of Israel.
42 They (BV)did not remember (BW)His [w]power,
The day when He (BX)redeemed them from the enemy,
43 When He performed His (BY)signs in Egypt
And His (BZ)marvels in the field of Zoan,
44 And (CA)turned their rivers to blood,
And their streams, so that they could not drink.
45 He sent swarms of (CB)flies among them that devoured them,
And (CC)frogs that destroyed them.
46 He also gave their crops to the (CD)grasshopper
And the product of their labor to the (CE)locust.
47 He [x]destroyed their vines with (CF)hailstones
And their sycamore trees with frost.
48 He also turned their (CG)cattle over to the hailstones,
And their herds to bolts of lightning.
49 He (CH)sent His burning anger upon them,
Fury and indignation and trouble,
A band of [y]destroying angels.
50 He leveled a path for His anger;
He did not spare their souls from death,
But (CI)turned their lives over to the plague,
51 And (CJ)struck all the firstborn in Egypt,
The (CK)first and best of their vigor in the tents of (CL)Ham.
52 But He (CM)led His own people out like sheep,
And guided them in the wilderness (CN)like a flock;
53 He led them (CO)safely, so that they did not fear;
But (CP)the sea engulfed their enemies.
54 So (CQ)He brought them to His holy [z]land,
To this [aa](CR)hill country (CS)which His right hand had gained.
55 He also (CT)drove out the nations from them
And (CU)apportioned them as an inheritance by measurement,
And had the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.
56 Yet they [ab](CV)tempted and (CW)rebelled against the Most High God
And did not keep His testimonies,
57 But turned back and (CX)acted treacherously like their fathers;
They (CY)turned aside like a treacherous bow.
58 For they (CZ)provoked Him with their (DA)high places
And (DB)moved Him to jealousy with their (DC)carved images.
59 When God heard them, He [ac]was filled with (DD)wrath
And He utterly (DE)rejected Israel;
60 So that He (DF)abandoned the (DG)dwelling place at Shiloh,
The tent [ad]which He had pitched among people,
61 And He gave up His (DH)strength to captivity
And His glory (DI)into the hand of the enemy.
62 He also (DJ)turned His people over to the sword,
And [ae]was filled with wrath at His inheritance.
63 (DK)Fire devoured [af]His young men,
And [ag]His (DL)virgins had no wedding songs.
64 [ah]His (DM)priests fell by the sword,
And [ai]His (DN)widows could not weep.
65 Then the Lord (DO)awoke as if from sleep,
Like a (DP)warrior [aj]overcome by wine.
66 He [ak](DQ)drove His adversaries backward;
He put on them an everlasting disgrace.
67 He also (DR)rejected the tent of Joseph,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount (DS)Zion, which He loved.
69 And He (DT)built His sanctuary like the heights,
Like the earth which He has established forever.
70 He also (DU)chose His servant David
And took him from the sheepfolds;
71 From [al](DV)the care of the [am]ewes (DW)with nursing lambs He brought him
To (DX)shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel (DY)His inheritance.
72 So he shepherded them according to the (DZ)integrity of his heart,
And guided them with his skillful hands.
21 Then the man Elkanah (A)went up with all his household to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “I will not go until the child is weaned; then I will (B)bring him, so that he may appear before the Lord and (C)stay there for life.” 23 (D)Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do [a]what seems best to you. Stay until you have weaned him; only (E)may the Lord confirm His word.” So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24 Now when she had weaned him, (F)she took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull, one ephah of flour, and a jug of wine, and brought him to (G)the house of the Lord in Shiloh, although the child was young. 25 Then (H)they [b]slaughtered the bull, and (I)brought the boy to Eli. 26 And she said, “Pardon me, my lord! (J)As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. 27 (K)For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my request which I asked of Him. 28 (L)So I have also [c]dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is [d]dedicated to the Lord.” And (M)he worshiped the Lord there.
Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving
2 Then Hannah (N)prayed and said,
“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
(O)My [e]horn is exalted in the Lord,
My mouth [f]speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because (P)I rejoice in Your salvation.
2 (Q)There is no one holy like the Lord,
Indeed, (R)there is no one besides You,
(S)Nor is there any rock like our God.
3 Do not go on [g]boasting so very proudly,
(T)Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
(U)For the Lord is a God of knowledge,
(V)And [h]with Him actions are weighed.
4 (W)The bows of the mighty are broken to pieces,
(X)But those who have stumbled strap on strength.
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for bread,
But those who were hungry cease to be hungry.
(Y)Even the infertile woman gives birth to seven,
But (Z)she who has many children languishes.
6 (AA)The Lord puts to death and makes alive;
(AB)He brings down to [i]Sheol and brings up.
7 (AC)The Lord makes poor and rich;
(AD)He humbles, He also exalts.
8 (AE)He raises the poor from the dust,
(AF)He lifts the needy from the garbage heap
(AG)To seat them with nobles,
And He gives them a seat of honor as an inheritance;
(AH)For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
And He set the world on them.
9 (AI)He watches over the feet of His godly ones,
(AJ)But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness;
(AK)For not by might shall a person prevail.
10 (AL)Those who contend with the Lord will be terrified;
(AM)Against them He will thunder in the heavens,
(AN)The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
(AO)And He will give strength to His king,
(AP)And will exalt the [j]horn of His anointed.”
11 Then Elkanah went to his home at (AQ)Ramah. (AR)But the boy continued to attend to the service of the Lord before Eli the priest.
15 [a]At this time Peter stood up among (A)the brothers and sisters (a group of about 120 [b]people was there together), and said, 16 “[c]Brothers, (B)the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, (C)who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was (D)counted among us and received his share in (E)this ministry.” 18 (Now this man (F)acquired a field with (G)the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out. 19 And it became known to all the residents of Jerusalem; as a result that field was called Hakeldama in (H)their own language, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms:
‘(I)May his residence be made desolate,
And may there be none living in it’;
and,
21 Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that (K)the Lord Jesus went in and out [e]among us— 22 (L)beginning [f]with the baptism of John until the day that He (M)was taken up from us—one of these must become a (N)witness with us of His resurrection.” 23 So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and (O)Matthias. 24 And they (P)prayed and said, “You, Lord, who (Q)know the hearts of all people, show which one of these two You have chosen 25 to [g]occupy (R)this ministry and (S)apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they [h](T)drew lots for them, and the lot fell [i]to (U)Matthias; and he was added to (V)the eleven apostles.
Paying Taxes to Caesar
19 The scribes and the chief priests (A)tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and yet they feared the people; for they were aware that He had spoken this parable against them. 20 (B)And so they watched Him [a]closely, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order (C)that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could hand Him over to the jurisdiction and authority of (D)the governor. 21 And the spies questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You [b]are not partial to anyone, but You teach the way of God on the basis of truth. 22 Is it [c]permissible for us (E)to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 23 But He saw through their trickery and said to them, 24 “Show Me a [d]denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25 And He said to them, “Then (F)pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 26 And they were unable to (G)catch Him in a statement in the presence of the people; and they were amazed at His answer, and said nothing.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.