Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 89[a]
A well-written song[b] by Ethan the Ezrahite.
89 I will sing continually[c] about the Lord’s faithful deeds;
to future generations I will proclaim your faithfulness.[d]
2 For I say, “Loyal love is permanently established;[e]
in the skies you set up your faithfulness.”[f]
3 The Lord said,[g]
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have made a promise on oath to David, my servant:
4 ‘I will give you an eternal dynasty[h]
and establish your throne throughout future generations.’”[i] (Selah)
5 O Lord, the heavens[j] praise your amazing deeds,
as well as your faithfulness in the angelic assembly.[k]
6 For who in the skies can compare to the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings,[l]
7 a God who is honored[m] in the great angelic assembly,[n]
and more awesome than[o] all who surround him?
8 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies![p]
Who is strong like you, O Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the proud sea.[q]
When its waves surge,[r] you calm them.
10 You crushed the Proud One[s] and killed it;[t]
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11 The heavens belong to you, as does the earth.
You made the world and all it contains.[u]
12 You created the north and the south.
Tabor and Hermon[v] rejoice in your name.
13 Your arm is powerful,
your hand strong,
your right hand[w] victorious.[x]
14 Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne.[y]
Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule.[z]
15 How blessed are the people who worship you![aa]
O Lord, they experience your favor.[ab]
16 They rejoice in your name all day long,
and are vindicated[ac] by your justice.
17 For you give them splendor and strength.[ad]
By your favor we are victorious.[ae]
18 For our shield[af] belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.[ag]
19 Then you[ah] spoke through a vision to your faithful followers[ai] and said:
“I have placed a young hero[aj] over a warrior;
I have raised up a young man[ak] from the people.
20 I have discovered David, my servant.
With my holy oil I have anointed him as king.[al]
21 My hand will support him,[am]
and my arm will strengthen him.
22 No enemy will be able to exact tribute[an] from him;[ao]
a violent oppressor will not be able to humiliate him.[ap]
23 I will crush his enemies before him;
I will strike down those who hate him.
24 He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love,[aq]
and by my name he will win victories.[ar]
25 I will place his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.[as]
26 He will call out to me,
‘You are my father,[at] my God, and the protector who delivers me.’[au]
27 I will appoint him to be my firstborn son,[av]
the most exalted of the earth’s kings.
28 I will always extend my loyal love to him,
and my covenant with him is secure.[aw]
29 I will give him an eternal dynasty,[ax]
and make his throne as enduring as the skies above.[ay]
30 If his sons reject my law
and disobey my regulations,
31 if they break[az] my rules
and do not keep my commandments,
32 I will punish their rebellion by beating them with a club,[ba]
their sin by inflicting them with bruises.[bb]
33 But I will not remove[bc] my loyal love from him,
nor be unfaithful to my promise.[bd]
34 I will not break[be] my covenant
or go back on what I promised.[bf]
35 Once and for all I have vowed by my own holiness,
I will never deceive[bg] David.
36 His dynasty will last forever.[bh]
His throne will endure before me, like the sun;[bi]
37 it will remain stable, like the moon.[bj]
His throne will endure like the skies.”[bk] (Selah)
38 But you have spurned[bl] and rejected him;
you are angry with your chosen king.[bm]
39 You have repudiated[bn] your covenant with your servant;[bo]
you have thrown his crown to the ground.[bp]
40 You have broken down all his[bq] walls;
you have made his strongholds a heap of ruins.
41 All who pass by[br] have robbed him;
he has become an object of disdain to his neighbors.
42 You have allowed his adversaries to be victorious,[bs]
and all his enemies to rejoice.
43 You turn back[bt] his sword from the adversary,[bu]
and have not sustained him in battle.[bv]
44 You have brought to an end his splendor,[bw]
and have knocked[bx] his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short his youth,[by]
and have covered him with shame. (Selah)
46 How long, O Lord, will this last?
Will you remain hidden forever?[bz]
Will your anger continue to burn like fire?
47 Take note of my brief lifespan.[ca]
Why do you make all people so mortal?[cb]
48 No man can live on without experiencing death,
or deliver his life from the power of Sheol.[cc] (Selah)
49 Where are your earlier faithful deeds,[cd] O Lord,[ce]
the ones performed in accordance with your reliable oath to David?[cf]
50 Take note, O Lord,[cg] of the way your servants are taunted,[ch]
and of how I must bear so many insults from people.[ci]
51 Your enemies, O Lord, hurl insults;
they insult your chosen king as they dog his footsteps.[cj]
52 [ck] The Lord deserves praise[cl] forevermore!
We agree! We agree![cm]
God Sends Trouble for the Philistines Who Have the Ark
5 Now the Philistines had captured the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 The Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the temple of Dagon, where they positioned it beside Dagon. 3 When the residents of Ashdod got up early the next day,[a] Dagon was lying on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set him back in his place. 4 But when they got up early the following day, Dagon was again lying on the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and his two hands were sheared off and were lying at the threshold. Only Dagon’s body was left intact.[b] 5 (For this reason, to this very day, neither Dagon’s priests nor anyone else who enters Dagon’s temple steps on Dagon’s threshold in Ashdod.)
6 The Lord attacked[c] the residents of Ashdod severely, bringing devastation on them. He struck the people of[d] both Ashdod and the surrounding area with sores.[e] 7 When the people[f] of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel should not remain with us, for he has attacked[g] both us and our god Dagon!”
8 So they assembled[h] all the leaders of the Philistines and asked, “What should we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They replied, “The ark of the God of Israel should be moved to Gath.” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.
9 But after it had been moved the Lord attacked[i] that city as well, causing a great deal of panic. He struck all the people of that city[j] with sores.[k] 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.
But when the ark of God arrived at Ekron, the residents of Ekron cried out saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel here[l] to kill our[m] people!” 11 So they assembled[n] all the leaders of the Philistines and said, “Get the ark of the God of Israel out of here! Let it go back to its own place so that it won’t kill us[o] and our[p] people!” The terror[q] of death was throughout the entire city; God was attacking them very severely there.[r] 12 The people[s] who did not die were struck with sores; the city’s cry for help went all the way up to heaven.
The Apostles Perform Miraculous Signs and Wonders
12 Now many miraculous signs[a] and wonders came about among the people through the hands of the apostles. By[b] common consent[c] they were all meeting together in Solomon’s Portico.[d] 13 None of the rest dared to join them,[e] but the people held them in high honor.[f] 14 More and more believers in the Lord were added to their number,[g] crowds of both men and women. 15 Thus[h] they even carried the sick out into the streets, and put them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow would fall on some of them. 16 A crowd of people from the towns around Jerusalem also came together, bringing the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits.[i] They[j] were all[k] being healed.
Further Trouble for the Apostles
17 Now the high priest rose up, and all those with him (that is, the religious party of the Sadducees[l]),[m] and they were filled with jealousy.[n] 18 They[o] laid hands on[p] the apostles and put them in a public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord[q] opened[r] the doors of the prison,[s] led them out,[t] and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple courts[u] and proclaim[v] to the people all the words of this life.” 21 When they heard this, they entered the temple courts[w] at daybreak and began teaching.[x]
Now when the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin[y]—that is, the whole high council[z] of the Israelites[aa]—and sent to the jail to have the apostles[ab] brought before them.[ac] 22 But the officers[ad] who came for them[ae] did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported,[af] 23 “We found the jail locked securely and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them,[ag] we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the commander[ah] of the temple guard[ai] and the chief priests heard this report,[aj] they were greatly puzzled concerning it,[ak] wondering what this could[al] be. 25 But someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts[am] and teaching[an] the people!” 26 Then the commander[ao] of the temple guard[ap] went with the officers[aq] and brought the apostles[ar] without the use of force[as] (for they were afraid of being stoned by the people).[at]
The Parable of the Fig Tree
29 Then[a] he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the other trees.[b] 30 When they sprout leaves, you see[c] for yourselves and know that summer is now near. 31 So also you, when you see these things happening, know[d] that the kingdom of God[e] is near. 32 I tell you the truth,[f] this generation[g] will not pass away until all these things take place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.[h]
Be Ready!
34 “But be on your guard[i] so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day close down upon you suddenly like a trap.[j] 35 For[k] it will overtake[l] all who live on the face of the whole earth.[m] 36 But stay alert at all times,[n] praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that must[o] happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
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