Book of Common Prayer
Sing of the Lovingkindness of Yahweh Forever
A [a]Maskil of [b]Ethan [c]the Ezrahite.
89 I will (A)sing of the lovingkindnesses of Yahweh forever;
From generation to generation I will (B)make known Your (C)faithfulness with my mouth.
2 For I have said, “(D)Lovingkindness will be built up forever;
In the heavens You will establish Your (E)faithfulness.”
3 “I have cut a covenant with (F)My chosen;
I have (G)sworn to David My [d]servant,
4 I will establish your (H)seed forever
And build up your (I)throne from generation to generation.” [e]Selah.
5 The (J)heavens will praise Your wonders, O Yahweh;
Your faithfulness also (K)in the assembly of the (L)holy ones.
6 For (M)who in the sky is comparable to Yahweh?
Who among the [f](N)sons of the mighty is like Yahweh,
7 A God (O)greatly dreaded in the council of the (P)holy ones,
And [g](Q)fearsome above all those who are around Him?
8 O Yahweh God of hosts, (R)who is like You, O mighty Yah?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
9 You rule the swelling of the sea;
When its waves rise, You (S)still them.
10 You Yourself crushed [h](T)Rahab like one who is slain;
You (U)scattered Your enemies with Your strong arm.
11 The (V)heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The (W)world and its fullness, You have founded them.
12 The (X)north and the south, You have created them;
(Y)Tabor and (Z)Hermon (AA)sing with joy at Your name.
13 You have a mighty arm;
Your hand is strong, Your (AB)right hand is exalted.
14 (AC)Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
(AD)Lovingkindness and [i]truth go before You.
15 How blessed are the people who know the (AE)loud shout of joy!
O Yahweh, they walk in the (AF)light of Your face.
16 In (AG)Your name they rejoice all the day,
And by Your righteousness they are exalted.
17 For You are the beauty of (AH)their strength,
And by Your favor [j]our (AI)horn is exalted.
18 For our (AJ)shield belongs to Yahweh,
[k]And our king to the (AK)Holy One of Israel.
19 Formerly You spoke in vision to Your [l]holy [m]ones,
And said, “I have bestowed help to a (AL)mighty one;
I have exalted one (AM)chosen from the people.
20 I have (AN)found David My [n]servant;
With My holy (AO)oil I have anointed him,
21 With whom (AP)My hand will be established;
My arm also will (AQ)strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not [o]deceive him,
Nor the [p](AR)son of unrighteousness afflict him.
23 But I shall (AS)crush his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.
24 My (AT)faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him,
And in My name his (AU)horn will be exalted.
25 I shall also set his hand (AV)on the sea
And his right hand on the rivers.
26 He will call to Me, ‘You are (AW)my Father,
My God, and the (AX)rock of my salvation.’
27 I also shall make him My (AY)firstborn,
The (AZ)highest of the kings of the earth.
28 My (BA)lovingkindness I will keep for him forever,
And My (BB)covenant shall be confirmed to him.
29 So I will set up his (BC)seed to endure forever
And his (BD)throne (BE)as the days of heaven.
30 “If his sons (BF)forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,
31 If they profane My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
32 Then I will punish their transgression with the (BG)rod
And their iniquity with striking.
33 But I will not break off (BH)My lovingkindness from him,
Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.
34 My (BI)covenant I will not profane,
Nor will I (BJ)alter what comes forth from My lips.
35 [q]Once I have (BK)sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David.
36 His (BL)seed shall endure forever
And his (BM)throne (BN)as the sun before Me.
37 It shall be established forever (BO)like the moon,
And the (BP)witness in the sky is faithful.” [r]Selah.
38 But You have (BQ)cast off and (BR)rejected,
You have been full of wrath [s]against Your (BS)anointed.
39 You have (BT)spurned the covenant of Your [t]slave;
You have (BU)profaned (BV)his crown to the ground.
40 You have (BW)broken down all his walls;
You have (BX)beset his strongholds with ruin.
41 (BY)All who pass along the way plunder him;
He has become a (BZ)reproach to his neighbors.
42 You have (CA)exalted the right hand of his adversaries;
You have (CB)made all his enemies be glad.
43 You also turn back the edge of his sword
And have (CC)not made him arise in battle.
44 You have made his [u](CD)splendor to cease
And cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have (CE)shortened the days of his youth;
You have (CF)wrapped him up with shame. Selah.
46 (CG)How long, O Yahweh?
Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your (CH)wrath burn like fire?
47 (CI)Remember [v]what my span of life is;
For what (CJ)vanity [w]You have created all the sons of men!
48 What man can live and not (CK)see death?
Can he (CL)provide his soul escape from the [x]power of Sheol? Selah.
49 Where are Your former lovingkindnesses, O Lord,
Which You (CM)swore to David in Your faithfulness?
50 Remember, O Lord, the (CN)reproach of Your [y]slaves;
[z]How I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples,
51 With which (CO)Your enemies have reproached, O Yahweh,
With which they have reproached the footsteps of (CP)Your anointed.
52 (CQ)Blessed be Yahweh forever!
Amen and Amen.
23 Now it happened after two full years that Absalom (A)had sheepshearers in Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons.
Absalom Strikes Down Amnon
24 And Absalom came to the king and said, “Behold now, your servant has sheepshearers; please let the king and his servants go with your servant.” 25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, we should not all go, for we will be burdensome to you.” Although he [a]urged him, he was not willing to go, but blessed him. 26 Then (B)Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom [b]urged him, so he sent Amnon and all the king’s sons with him.
28 Then Absalom commanded his young men, saying, “See now, (C)when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then put him to death. Do not fear; have not I myself commanded you? Be strong and be [c]valiant.” 29 Thus the young men of Absalom did to Amnon just as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose and each mounted (D)his mule and fled.
30 Now it was while they were on the way that the report came to David, saying, “Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left.” 31 Then the king arose, (E)tore his clothes and (F)lay on the ground; and all his servants were standing by with clothes torn. 32 (G)But Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, answered and said, “Do not let my lord [d]suppose they have put to death all the young men, the king’s sons, for Amnon alone has died; because by the [e]intent of Absalom this has been set since the day that he violated his sister Tamar. 33 So now, do not let my lord the king (H)take the report to [f]heart, saying, ‘all the king’s sons have died,’ for only Amnon has died.”
34 Then (I)Absalom fled. And (J)the young man who was the watchman raised his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him by the side of the mountain. 35 And Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king’s sons have come; according to your servant’s word, so it happened.” 36 As soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king’s sons came and lifted their voices and wept; and also the king and all his servants wept [g]very bitterly.
37 Now (K)Absalom had fled and went to (L)Talmai the son of Ammihud, the king of (M)Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. 38 (N)So Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, and was there three years. 39 And the heart of King David was consumed with going out to Absalom; for (O)he was comforted concerning Amnon, since he had died.
17 Now from Miletus he sent to (A)Ephesus and called to him (B)the elders of the church. 18 And when they had come to him, he said to them,
“You yourselves know, (C)from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me [a]through (D)the plots of the Jews; 20 how I (E)did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and [b]from house to house, 21 solemnly (F)testifying to both Jews and Greeks about (G)repentance toward God and (H)faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, bound by the [c]Spirit, (I)I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that (J)the Holy Spirit solemnly (K)testifies to me in every city, saying that (L)chains and afflictions await me. 24 But (M)I do not make my life of any account nor dear to myself, so that I may (N)finish my course and (O)the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to (P)testify solemnly of the gospel of (Q)the grace of God.
25 “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about (R)preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. 26 Therefore, I [d]testify to you this day that (S)I am [e]innocent of the blood of all. 27 For I (T)did not shrink from declaring to you the whole (U)purpose of God. 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all (V)the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you [f]overseers, to shepherd (W)the church of God which (X)He [g]purchased [h]with His own blood. 29 I know that after my departure (Y)savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing (Z)the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away (AA)the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be watchful, remembering that night and day for a period of (AB)three years I did not cease to admonish each one (AC)with tears. 32 And now I (AD)commend you to God and to (AE)the word of His grace, which is able to (AF)build you up and to give you (AG)the inheritance among all those who have been sanctified. 33 (AH)I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. 34 You yourselves know that (AI)these hands ministered to my own needs and to those (AJ)who were with me. 35 In everything I showed you that by laboring in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
36 And when he had said these things, he (AK)knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And [i]they began to weep aloud and (AL)falling on Paul’s neck, they were kissing him, 38 being in agony especially over (AM)the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were (AN)accompanying him to the ship.
42 “(A)And whoever causes one of these [a]little ones who believe to stumble, it [b]would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he [c]had been cast into the sea. 43 (B)And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into [d](C)hell, into the (D)unquenchable fire, 44 [e][and where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into [f](E)hell, 46 [g][and where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] 47 (F)And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into [h](G)hell, 48 (H)where their worm does not die, and (I)the fire is not quenched.
49 “For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good; but (J)if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you [i]make it salty again? (K)Have salt in yourselves, and (L)be at peace with one another.”
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