Book of Common Prayer
God the Judge
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A song of Asaph.
75 God, we thank you.
We thank you because you are near.
We tell about the wonderful things you do.
2 You say, “I set the time for trial.
I will judge fairly.
3 The earth with all its people may shake.
I am the one who holds it steady. Selah
4 I say to those who are proud, ‘Don’t brag.’
I say to the wicked, ‘Don’t show your power.
5 Don’t try to use your power against heaven.
Don’t be stubborn.’”
6 No one from the east or the west
or the desert can judge you.
7 God is the judge.
He judges one person as guilty, and another as innocent.
8 The Lord holds a cup of anger in his hand.
It is full of wine mixed with spices.
He pours it out even to the last drop.
And the wicked drink it all.
9 I will tell about this forever.
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
10 He will take all power away from the wicked.
But the power of good people will grow.
The God Who Always Wins
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A song of Asaph.
76 People in Judah know God.
People in Israel know he is great.
2 He lives in Jerusalem.
His home is on Mount Zion.
3 There God broke the flaming arrows,
the shields and swords of war. Selah
4 God, how wonderful you are!
You are more wonderful than the hills full of animals.
5 The brave soldiers were stripped
as they lay asleep in death.
Not one warrior
had the strength to stop it.
6 God of Jacob, when you spoke strongly,
horses and riders fell dead.
7 You should be feared.
Who can stand against you when you are angry?
8 From heaven you gave the decision.
And the earth was afraid and silent.
9 God, you stood up to judge
and to save the people of the earth who were not proud. Selah
10 People praise you for your anger against evil.
Those who live through your anger are stopped from doing more evil.
11 Keep your promises to the Lord your God.
From all around gifts should come to the God we worship.
12 God defeats great leaders.
The kings on earth fear him.
The Lord the Shepherd
A song of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd.
I have everything I need.
2 He gives me rest in green pastures.
He leads me to calm water.
3 He gives me new strength.
For the good of his name,
he leads me on paths that are right.
4 Even if I walk
through a very dark valley,
I will not be afraid
because you are with me.
Your rod and your shepherd’s staff comfort me.
5 You prepare a meal for me
in front of my enemies.
You pour oil of blessing on my head.[a]
You give me more than I can hold.
6 Surely your goodness and love will be with me
all my life.
And I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
A Song of Trust in God
Of David.
27 The Lord is my light and the one who saves me.
So why should I fear anyone?
The Lord protects my life.
So why should I be afraid?
2 Evil people may try to destroy my body.
My enemies and those who hate me attack me.
But they are overwhelmed and defeated.
3 If an army surrounds me,
I will not be afraid.
If war breaks out,
I will trust the Lord.
4 I ask only one thing from the Lord.
This is what I want:
Let me live in the Lord’s house
all my life.
Let me see the Lord’s beauty.
Let me look around in his Temple.
5 During danger he will keep me safe in his shelter.
He will hide me in his Holy Tent.
Or he will keep me safe on a high mountain.
6 My head is higher
than my enemies around me.
I will offer joyful sacrifices in his Holy Tent.
I will sing and praise the Lord.
7 Lord, hear me when I call.
Be kind and answer me.
8 My heart said of you, “Go, worship him.”
So I come to worship you, Lord.
9 Do not turn away from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger.
You have helped me.
Do not push me away or leave me alone,
God, my Savior.
10 If my father and mother leave me,
the Lord will take me in.
11 Lord, teach me your ways.
Guide me to do what is right
because I have enemies.
12 Do not let my enemies defeat me.
They tell lies about me.
They say they will hurt me.
13 I truly believe
I will live to see the Lord’s goodness.
14 Wait for the Lord’s help.
Be strong and brave
and wait for the Lord’s help.
22 Once again the Philistines came and camped at the Valley of Rephaim. 23 David prayed to the Lord. This time the Lord told David, “Don’t attack the Philistines from the front. Instead, go around them. Attack them opposite the balsam trees. 24 You will hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees. Then you must act quickly. I, the Lord, will have gone ahead of you and defeated the Philistine army.” 25 So David did what the Lord commanded. He defeated the Philistines and chased them all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
The Ark of the Covenant Is Brought to Jerusalem
6 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel. There were 30,000 of them. 2 Then David and all his people went to Baalah in Judah.[a] They took the Ark of the Covenant of God from Baalah in Judah and moved it to Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant is called by the Name, the name of the Lord of heaven’s armies. His throne is between the gold creatures with wings that are on the Ark of the Covenant. 3 David’s men put the Ark of the Covenant of God on a new cart. Then they brought the Ark of the Covenant out of Abinadab’s house on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, led the new cart. 4 This cart had the Ark of the Covenant of God on it. Ahio was walking in front of it. 5 David and all the Israelites were playing all kinds of musical instruments before the Lord. They were made of pine wood. There were lyres, harps, tambourines, rattles and cymbals.
6 When David’s men came to the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled. The Ark of the Covenant of God began to fall off the cart. So Uzzah reached out and took hold of it. 7 The Lord was angry with Uzzah and killed him. Uzzah had not honored God when he touched the Ark of the Covenant. So Uzzah died there beside it. 8 David was angry because the Lord had killed Uzzah. So that place is called The Punishment of Uzzah even today.
9 David was afraid of the Lord that day. He said, “How can the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord come to me now?” 10 So David would not move the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to be with him in Jerusalem. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom, a man from Gath. 11 The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord stayed in Obed-Edom’s house for three months. And the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his family.
Paul in Athens
16 Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens. He was troubled because he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 In the synagogue, he talked with the Jews and the Greeks who worshiped the true God. He also talked every day with people in the marketplace.
18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers[a] argued with him. Some of them said, “This man doesn’t know what he is talking about. What is he trying to say?” Paul was telling them the Good News of Jesus’ rising from death. They said, “He seems to be telling us about some other gods.” 19 They got Paul and took him to a meeting of the Areopagus.[b] They said, “Please explain to us this new idea that you have been teaching. 20 The things you are saying are new to us. We want to know what this teaching means.” 21 (All the people of Athens and those from other countries always used their time talking about all the newest ideas.)
22 Then Paul stood before the meeting of the Areopagus. He said, “Men of Athens, I can see that you are very religious in all things. 23 I was going through your city, and I saw the things you worship. I found an altar that had these words written on it: “TO A GOD WHO IS NOT KNOWN.” You worship a god that you don’t know. This is the God I am telling you about! 24 He is the God who made the whole world and everything in it. He is the Lord of the land and the sky. He does not live in temples that men build! 25 This God is the One who gives life, breath, and everything else to people. He does not need any help from them. He has everything he needs. 26 God began by making one man. From him came all the different people who live everywhere in the world. He decided exactly when and where they must live. 27 God wanted them to look for him and perhaps search all around for him and find him. But he is not far from any of us: 28 ‘By his power we live and move and exist.’ Some of your own poets have said: ‘For we are his children.’ 29 We are God’s children. So, you must not think that God is like something that people imagine or make. He is not like gold, silver, or rock. 30 In the past, people did not understand God, but God ignored this. But now, God tells everyone in the world to change his heart and life. 31 God has decided on a day that he will judge all the world. He will be fair. He will use a man to do this. God chose that man long ago. And God has proved this to everyone by raising that man from death!”
32 When the people heard about Jesus being raised from death, some of them laughed. They said, “We will hear more about this from you later.” 33 So Paul went away from them. 34 But some of the people believed Paul and joined him. One of those who believed was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus. Also a woman named Damaris and some others believed.
More Than 4,000 People Fed
8 Another time there was a great crowd with Jesus. They had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his followers to him. He said, 2 “I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat. 3 I cannot send them home hungry. If they leave without eating, they will faint on the way home. Some of them live a long way from here.”
4 Jesus’ followers answered, “But we are far away from any towns. Where can we get enough bread to feed all these people?”
5 Jesus asked, “How many loaves of bread do you have?”
They answered, “We have seven loaves.”
6 Jesus told the people to sit on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and gave thanks to God. Jesus divided the bread and gave the pieces to his followers. He told them to pass out the bread to the people, and they did so. 7 The followers also had a few small fish. Jesus gave thanks for the fish and told his followers to give the fish to the people. 8 All the people ate and were satisfied. Then the followers filled seven baskets with the pieces of food that were not eaten. 9 There were about 4,000 men who ate. After they had eaten, Jesus told them to go home. 10 Then he went in a boat with his followers to the area of Dalmanutha.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.