Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 93[a]
93 The Lord reigns.
He is robed in majesty.
The Lord is robed;
he wears strength around his waist.[b]
Indeed, the world is established; it cannot be moved.
2 Your throne has been secure from ancient times;
you have always been king.[c]
3 The waves[d] roar, O Lord,
the waves roar,
the waves roar and crash.[e]
4 Above the sound of the surging water,[f]
and the mighty waves of the sea,
the Lord sits enthroned in majesty.[g]
5 The rules you set down[h] are completely reliable.[i]
Holiness[j] aptly adorns your house, O Lord, forever.[k]
Psalm 96[a]
96 Sing to the Lord a new song.[b]
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord. Praise his name.
Announce every day how he delivers.[c]
3 Tell the nations about his splendor.
Tell[d] all the nations about his amazing deeds.
4 For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise;
he is more awesome than all gods.[e]
5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless,[f]
but the Lord made the sky.
6 Majestic splendor emanates from him;[g]
his sanctuary is firmly established and beautiful.[h]
7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations,
ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves.[i]
Bring an offering and enter his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in holy attire.[j]
Tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
The world is established; it cannot be moved.
He judges the nations fairly.”
11 Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy.
Let the sea and everything in it shout.
12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate.
Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy
13 before the Lord, for he comes.
For he comes to judge the earth.
He judges the world fairly,[k]
and the nations in accordance with his justice.[l]
Psalm 34[a]
By David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, causing the king to send him away.[b]
34 I will praise[c] the Lord at all times;
my mouth will continually praise him.[d]
2 I will boast[e] in the Lord;
let the oppressed hear and rejoice.[f]
3 Magnify the Lord with me.
Let us praise[g] his name together.
4 I sought the Lord’s help[h] and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Look to him and be radiant;
do not let your faces be ashamed.[i]
6 This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;
he saved him[j] from all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord camps around
the Lord’s[k] loyal followers[l] and delivers them.[m]
8 Taste[n] and see that the Lord is good.
How blessed[o] is the one[p] who takes shelter in him.[q]
9 Fear the Lord, you chosen people of his,[r]
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 Even young lions sometimes lack food and are hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come children. Listen to me.
I will teach you what it means to fear the Lord.[s]
12 Do you want to really live?[t]
Would you love to live a long, happy life?[u]
13 Then make sure you don’t speak evil words[v]
or use deceptive speech.[w]
14 Turn away from evil and do what is right.[x]
Strive for peace and promote it.[y]
15 The Lord pays attention to the godly
and hears their cry for help.[z]
16 But the Lord opposes evildoers
and wipes out all memory of them from the earth.[aa]
17 The godly[ab] cry out and the Lord hears;
he saves them from all their troubles.[ac]
18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he delivers[ad] those who are discouraged.[ae]
19 The godly[af] face many dangers,[ag]
but the Lord saves[ah] them[ai] from each one of them.
20 He protects[aj] all his bones;[ak]
not one of them is broken.[al]
21 Evil people self-destruct;[am]
those who hate the godly are punished.[an]
22 The Lord rescues his servants;[ao]
all who take shelter in him escape punishment.[ap]
Elisha Gives Life to a Boy
8 One day Elisha traveled to Shunem, where a prominent[a] woman lived. She insisted that he stop for a meal.[b] So whenever he was passing through, he would stop in there for a meal.[c] 9 She said to her husband, “Look, I’m sure[d] that the man who regularly passes through here is a very special prophet.[e] 10 Let’s make a small, private upper room[f] and furnish it with[g] a bed, table, chair, and lamp. When he visits us, he can stay there.”
11 One day Elisha[h] came for a visit; he went[i] into the upper room and rested.[j] 12 He told his servant Gehazi, “Ask the Shunammite woman to come here.”[k] So he did so and she came to him.[l] 13 Elisha said to Gehazi,[m] “Tell her, ‘Look, you have treated us with such great respect.[n] What can I do for you? Can I put in a good word for you with the king or the commander of the army?’” She replied, “I’m quite secure.”[o] 14 So he asked Gehazi,[p] “What can I do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She has no son, and her husband is old.” 15 Elisha told him, “Ask her to come here.”[q] So he did so[r] and she came and stood in the doorway.[s] 16 He said, “About this time next year[t] you will be holding a son.” She said, “No, my master! O prophet, do not lie to your servant!” 17 The woman did conceive, and at the specified time the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.
18 The boy grew and one day he went out to see his father who was with the harvest workers.[u] 19 He said to his father, “My head! My head!” His father[v] told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 So he picked him up and took him to his mother. He sat on her lap[w] until noon and then died. 21 She went up and laid him down on the prophet’s[x] bed. She shut the door behind her and left. 22 She called to her husband, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can go see the prophet quickly and then return.” 23 He said, “Why do you want to go see him today? It is not the new moon[y] or the Sabbath.” She said, “Everything’s fine.”[z] 24 She saddled the donkey and told her servant, “Lead on.[aa] Do not stop unless I say so.”[ab]
25 So she went to visit[ac] the prophet at Mount Carmel. When he[ad] saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, it’s the Shunammite woman. 26 Now, run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you well? Are your husband and the boy well?’” She told Gehazi,[ae] “Everything’s fine.” 27 But when she reached the prophet on the mountain, she grabbed hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the prophet said, “Leave her alone, for she is very upset.[af] The Lord has kept the matter hidden from me; he didn’t tell me about it.” 28 She said, “Did I ask my master for a son? Didn’t I say, ‘Don’t mislead me?’” 29 Elisha[ag] told Gehazi, “Tuck your robes into your belt, take my staff,[ah] and go! Don’t stop to exchange greetings with anyone![ai] Place my staff on the child’s face.” 30 The mother of the child said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So Elisha[aj] got up and followed her back.
31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them. He placed the staff on the child’s face, but there was no sound or response. When he came back to Elisha[ak] he told him, “The child did not wake up.” 32 When Elisha arrived at the house, there was[al] the child lying dead on his bed. 33 He went in by himself and closed the door.[am] Then he prayed to the Lord. 34 He got up on the bed and spread his body out over[an] the boy; he put his mouth on the boy’s[ao] mouth, his eyes over the boy’s eyes, and the palms of his hands against the boy’s palms. As he bent down across him, the boy’s skin[ap] grew warm. 35 Elisha[aq] went back and walked around in the house.[ar] Then he got up on the bed again[as] and bent down over him. The child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. 36 Elisha[at] called to Gehazi and said, “Get the Shunammite woman.” So he did so[au] and she came to him. He said to her, “Take your son.” 37 She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed down. Then she picked up her son and left.
10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The[a] Lord[b] said to him in a vision, “Ananias,” and he replied, “Here I am,[c] Lord.” 11 Then the Lord told him, “Get up and go to the street called ‘Straight,’[d] and at Judas’ house look for a man from Tarsus named Saul. For he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision[e] a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he may see again.” 13 But Ananias replied,[f] “Lord, I have heard from many people[g] about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison[h] all who call on your name!”[i] 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument[j] to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel.[k] 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”[l] 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, placed[m] his hands on Saul[n] and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came here,[o] has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”[p] 18 Immediately[q] something like scales[r] fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He[s] got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, his strength returned.
For several days[t] he was with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,[u] saying, “This man is the Son of God.”[v] 21 All[w] who heard him were amazed and were saying, “Is this not[x] the man who in Jerusalem was ravaging[y] those who call on this name, and who had come here to bring them as prisoners[z] to the chief priests?” 22 But Saul became more and more capable,[aa] and was causing consternation[ab] among the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving[ac] that Jesus[ad] is the Christ.[ae]
Saul’s Escape from Damascus
23 Now after some days had passed, the Jews plotted[af] together to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plot against him.[ag] They were also watching[ah] the city gates[ai] day and night so that they could kill him. 25 But his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening[aj] in the wall by lowering him in a basket.[ak]
Saul Returns to Jerusalem
26 When he arrived in Jerusalem, he attempted to associate[al] with the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe[am] that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took[an] Saul,[ao] brought[ap] him to the apostles, and related to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, that[aq] the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly[ar] in the name of Jesus. 28 So he was staying with them, associating openly with them[as] in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He was speaking and debating[at] with the Greek-speaking Jews,[au] but they were trying to kill him. 30 When the brothers found out about this, they brought him down to Caesarea[av] and sent him away to Tarsus.
31 Then[aw] the church throughout Judea, Galilee,[ax] and Samaria experienced[ay] peace and thus was strengthened.[az] Living[ba] in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, the church[bb] increased in numbers.
7 So John[a] said to the crowds[b] that came out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers![c] Who warned you to flee[d] from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce[e] fruit[f] that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say[g] to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’[h] For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones![i] 9 Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees,[j] and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be[k] cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 So[l] the crowds were asking[m] him, “What then should we do?” 11 John[n] answered them,[o] “The person who has two tunics[p] must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.” 12 Tax collectors[q] also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He told them, “Collect no more[r] than you are required to.”[s] 14 Then some soldiers[t] also asked him, “And as for us—what should we do?”[u] He told them, “Take money from no one by violence[v] or by false accusation,[w] and be content with your pay.”
15 While the people were filled with anticipation[x] and they all wondered[y] whether perhaps John[z] could be the Christ,[aa] 16 John answered them all,[ab] “I baptize you with water,[ac] but one more powerful than I am is coming—I am not worthy[ad] to untie the strap[ae] of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.[af] 17 His winnowing fork[ag] is in his hand to clean out his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse,[ah] but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire.”[ai]
18 And in this way,[aj] with many other exhortations, John[ak] proclaimed good news to the people.
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