Book of Common Prayer
God Humbles the Proud, but Exalts the Righteous.
For the music director; set to [a]Al-tashheth. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song.
75 We (A)give thanks to You, God, we give thanks,
For Your name is (B)near;
People declare (C)Your wondrous works.
2 “When I select an (D)appointed time,
It is I who (E)judge fairly.
3 The (F)earth and all who inhabit it [b]are unsteady;
It is I who have firmly set its (G)pillars. Selah
4 I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
And to the wicked, ‘(H)Do not lift up the horn;
5 Do not lift up your horn on high,
(I)Do not speak with insolent [c]pride.’”
6 For not from the east, nor from the west,
Nor from the [d](J)desert comes exaltation;
7 But (K)God is the Judge;
He (L)puts down one and exalts another.
8 For a (M)cup is in the hand of the Lord, and the wine foams;
It is [e](N)well mixed, and He pours out of this;
Certainly all the wicked of the earth must drain and (O)drink its dregs.
9 But as for me, I will (P)declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 And [f]He will cut off all the (Q)horns of the wicked,
But (R)the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.
The Victorious Power of the God of Jacob.
For the music director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song.
76 God is (S)known in Judah;
His name is (T)great in Israel.
2 His [g](U)tabernacle is in (V)Salem;
His (W)dwelling place also is in Zion.
3 There He (X)broke the [h]flaming arrows,
The shield, the sword, and the [i]weapons of war. Selah
4 You are resplendent,
[j]More majestic than the mountains of prey.
5 The (Y)stouthearted were plundered,
[k]They sank into sleep;
And none of the [l]warriors could use his hands.
6 At Your (Z)rebuke, God of Jacob,
Both [m](AA)rider and horse were cast into a dead sleep.
7 You, You indeed are (AB)to be feared,
And (AC)who may stand in Your presence, [n]once You are angry?
The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my (A)shepherd,
I will (B)not be in need.
2 He lets me lie down in (C)green pastures;
He (D)leads me beside [a](E)quiet waters.
3 He (F)restores my soul;
He (G)guides me in the [b](H)paths of righteousness
For the sake of His name.
4 Even though I (I)walk through the [c]valley of the shadow of death,
I (J)fear no [d]evil, for (K)You are with me;
Your (L)rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You (M)prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You [e]have (N)anointed my head with oil;
My (O)cup overflows.
6 [f]Certainly (P)goodness and [g]faithfulness will follow me all the days of my life,
And my (Q)dwelling will be in the house of the Lord [h]forever.
A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God.
A Psalm of David.
27 The Lord is my (A)light and my (B)salvation;
Whom should I fear?
The Lord is the [a](C)defense of my life;
(D)Whom should I dread?
2 When evildoers came upon me to (E)devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they (F)stumbled and fell.
3 If an (G)army encamps against me,
My heart will not fear;
If war arises against me,
In spite of this I am (H)confident.
4 (I)One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may (J)dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold (K)the [b]beauty of the Lord
And to [c](L)meditate in His temple.
5 For on the (M)day of trouble He will (N)conceal me in His [d]tabernacle;
He will (O)hide me in the secret place of His tent;
He will (P)lift me up on a rock.
6 And now (Q)my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
And I will offer (R)sacrifices in His tent [e]with shouts of joy;
I will (S)sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
7 (T)Hear, Lord, when I cry with my voice,
And be gracious to me and (U)answer me.
8 When You said, “(V)Seek My face,” my heart said to You,
“(W)I shall seek Your face, Lord.”
9 (X)Do not hide Your face from me,
Do not turn Your servant away in (Y)anger;
You have been (Z)my help;
(AA)Do not abandon me nor (AB)forsake me,
God of my salvation!
10 [f]For my father and (AC)my mother have forsaken me,
But (AD)the Lord will take me up.
11 (AE)Teach me Your way, Lord,
And lead me on a (AF)level path
Because of my enemies.
12 Do not turn me over to the [g](AG)desire of my enemies,
For (AH)false witnesses have risen against me,
And the violent (AI)witness.
13 I certainly believed that I would see the (AJ)goodness of the Lord
In the (AK)land of the living.
14 (AL)Wait for the Lord;
Be (AM)strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.
Elijah Taken to Heaven
2 Now it came about, when the Lord was about to (A)bring Elijah up by a [a]whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah left (B)Gilgal with (C)Elisha. 2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “(D)Stay here please, for the Lord has sent me as far as (E)Bethel.” But Elisha said, “(F)As surely as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 Then (G)the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel went out to Elisha and said to him, “Are you aware that the Lord will take away your master from over [b]you today?” And he said, “Yes, I am aware; say nothing about it.”
4 And Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please (H)stay here, for the Lord has sent me to (I)Jericho.” But he said, “(J)As surely as the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 Then (K)the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “(L)Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over [c]you today?” And he [d]answered, “Yes, I know; say nothing about it.” 6 And Elijah said to him, “Please (M)stay here, for the Lord has sent me to (N)the Jordan.” But he said, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.
7 Now (O)fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 And Elijah (P)took his coat, folded it, and (Q)struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask me what I should do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let a (R)double portion of your spirit be upon me.” 10 He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you (S)see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” 11 And as they were walking along and talking, behold, (T)a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and they separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up by a [e]whirlwind to heaven. 12 And Elisha was watching it and he was crying out, “(U)My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” And he did not see [f]Elijah again. Then (V)he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13 He also took up the coat of Elijah that had fallen from him, and he went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the coat of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the waters, and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had (W)struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.
Elisha Succeeds Elijah
15 Now when (X)the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah has settled on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him. 16 Then they said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men; please let them go and search for your master, in case (Y)the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley.” But he said, “You shall not send anyone.” 17 Yet when (Z)they urged him until he was ashamed to refuse, he said, “Send them.” So they sent fifty men; and they searched for three days, but did not find him. 18 They returned to him while he was staying in Jericho; and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”
Servants of Christ
4 This is the way any person is to regard us: as (A)servants of Christ and (B)stewards of (C)the mysteries of God. 2 In this case, moreover, it is required [a]of stewards that one be found trustworthy. 3 But to me it is an insignificant matter that I would be examined by you, or by any human [b]court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. 4 For I (D)am not aware of anything against myself; however I am not (E)vindicated by this, but the one who examines me is the Lord. 5 Therefore (F)do not go on [c]passing judgment before [d]the time, but wait (G)until the Lord comes, who will both (H)bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of human hearts; and then (I)praise will come to each person from God.
6 Now these things, brothers and sisters, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos on your account, so that in us you may learn not to exceed (J)what is written, so that no one of you will (K)become [e]arrogant (L)in behalf of one against the other. 7 For who considers you as superior? (M)What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
17 “Do not presume that I came to abolish the (A)Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, (B)until heaven and earth pass away, not [a]the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! 19 Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches [b]others to do the same, shall be called least (C)in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever [c]keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 “For I say to you that unless your (D)righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
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