Book of Common Prayer
Praise to Yahweh for His Help
146 Praise Yah.[a]
Praise Yahweh, O my soul.
2 I will praise Yahweh while I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I am still alive.
3 Do not place trust in princes,
in a son of humankind with whom there is no deliverance.
4 His breath departs; he returns to his plot;[b]
on that day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is on Yahweh as his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them,
the one who keeps faith[c] forever,
7 who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food for the hungry.
Yahweh sets prisoners free;
8 Yahweh opens the eyes of the blind;
Yahweh raises up those bowed down;
Yahweh loves the righteous;
9 Yahweh protects[d] the strangers.
He helps up the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.[e]
10 Yahweh will reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.[f]
Praise Yah.[g]
Praise to Yahweh for His Providence
147 Praise Yah.[h]
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant; praise is fitting.
2 Yahweh is building Jerusalem;
he gathers the scattered ones of Israel.
3 He is the one who heals the brokenhearted,
and binds up their wounds.
4 He counts the number of the stars;
he gives names to all of them.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is unlimited.
6 Yahweh helps the afflicted up;
he brings the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing to Yahweh with thanksgiving;
sing praises to our God with lyre,
8 who covers the heavens with clouds,
who provides rain for the earth,
who causes grass to grow on the mountains.
9 He gives to the animal its food,
and to the young ravens that cry.
10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
he takes no pleasure in the legs of the man.
11 Yahweh takes pleasure in those who fear him,
the ones who hope[i] for his loyal love.
12 Laud Yahweh, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion,
13 for he strengthens the bars of your gates.
He blesses your children within you;
14 he makes your border peaceful;
he satisfies you with the finest of wheat.[j]
15 He sends out his command[k] to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes;
17 he throws his hail like crumbs.
Who can stand before his cold?[l]
18 He sends out his word and melts them;
he blows his breath, the water flows.
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
20 He has not done so for any nation,
and they do not know his ordinances.
Praise Yah.[m]
Praise to God for His Work and Commands
111 Praise Yah![a]
I will give thanks to Yahweh with all my heart,
in the assembly of the upright and the congregation.
2 The works of Yahweh are great,
studied[b] by all who delight in them.
3 Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has made his wonders to be remembered;[c]
Yahweh is gracious and compassionate.
5 He gives food to those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
6 He has declared the power of his works for his people,
by giving to them the inheritance of the nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithfulness and justice;
all his precepts are reliable.
8 They are sustained forever and ever,
done with faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He has sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever;
holy and fearful is his name.
10 The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom;
all who do them[d] have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever.
The Path of the Righteous and the Path of the Wicked
112 Praise Yah![e]
Blessed is the man who fears Yahweh;
he takes great delight in his commands.
2 His descendants[f] will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 His light rises in the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5 It goes well for a man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his business properly.[g]
6 For he will not be shaken forever;
the righteous will be remembered forever.[h]
7 He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, secure[i] in Yahweh.
8 His heart is sustained; he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his enemies.
9 He gives lavishly[j] to the needy;
his righteousness endures forever.
His horn rises high in honor.
10 The wicked[k] sees it and is vexed.
He gnashes his teeth and becomes weak.[l]
The desire of the wicked[m] perishes.
God’s Majesty and Care for the Needy
113 Praise Yah![n]
Praise, O servants of Yahweh,
praise the name of Yahweh.
2 Let the name of Yahweh be blessed,
from now until forever.
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting,
let the name of Yahweh be blessed.
4 Yahweh is high above all nations;
his glory is above the heavens.
5 Who is like Yahweh our God,
who is enthroned on high,[o]
6 who condescends to look at[p]
what is in the heavens and in the earth?
7 He raises the helpless from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 to seat them with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He causes the barren woman of the house to dwell
as the happy mother of children.
Praise Yah![q]
36 Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and let us plunder them until the morning light, and let us not leave alive a man among them.” So they said, “Do all that is good in your eyes.” But the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” 37 So Saul inquired of God, “Should I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him on that day. 38 Then Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people, so that we find out[a] what the sin was this day. 39 For as Yahweh lives, who delivers Israel, I swear that even if it is in Jonathan my son, he will certainly die!”[b] But nobody from all the army answered him. 40 Then he said to all Israel, “You will be on one side,[c] and I and my son Jonathan will be on the other.”[d] And the army said to Saul, “Do what is good in your eyes.” 41 Then Saul said to Yahweh the God of Israel, “Render a decision perfectly.”[e] Jonathan and Saul were chosen by lot and the people went out. 42 Then Saul said, “Let them cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan,” and Jonathan was chosen. 43 So Saul said, “Tell me what you have done.” So Jonathan told him and said, “I merely tasted[f] a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am, I must die.” 44 Then Saul said, “So may God do to me and more,[g] you will certainly die today, Jonathan!” 45 But the army said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die, who accomplished this great victory in Israel? Far from it! As Yahweh lives, not a hair from his head will fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the army ransomed Jonathan and he did not die.
Reconciliation with God through Faith in Christ
5 Therefore, because we[a] have been declared righteous by faith, we have[b] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we[c] know that affliction produces patient endurance, 4 and patient endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For while[d] we were still helpless, yet at the proper time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For only rarely will someone die on behalf of a righteous person (for on behalf of a good person possibly someone might even dare to die), 8 but God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while[e] we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Therefore, by much more, because we[f] have been declared righteous now by his blood, we will be saved through him from the wrath. 10 For if, while we[g] were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, by much more, having been reconciled, we will be saved by his life. 11 And not only this, but also we are boasting in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
The Parable of the Wedding Celebration
22 And continuing, Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man—a king—who gave a wedding celebration for his son. 3 And he sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the wedding celebration, and they did not want to come. 4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding celebration!”’ 5 But they paid no attention and[a] went away—this one to his own field, that one to his business. 6 And the others, seizing his slaves, mistreated them[b] and killed them.[c] 7 And the king was angry and sent his troops and[d] destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding celebration is ready, but those who had been invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore, go out to the places where the roads exit the city and invite to the wedding celebration as many people as you find.’ 10 And those slaves went out into the roads and[e] gathered everyone whom they found, both evil and good, and the wedding celebration was filled with dinner guests.[f] 11 But when[g] the king came in to see the dinner guests,[h] he saw a man there not dressed in wedding clothes. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here, not having wedding clothes?’ But he could say nothing.[i] 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot[j] and[k] throw him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!’ 14 For many are called but few are chosen.”
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