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.
Exiled Men in the Cities of Samaria
24 (A)And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from [a](B)Avva and from (C)Hamath and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities. 25 Now it happened at the beginning of their settlement there, that they (D)did not fear Yahweh; therefore Yahweh sent lions among them which were killing them. 26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have taken away into exile and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so he has sent lions among them, and behold, they are putting them to death because they do not know the custom of the god of the land.”
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Take there one of the priests whom you took away into [b]exile and let [c]him go and live there; and let him instruct them the custom of the god of the land.” 28 So one of the priests whom they had taken away into exile from Samaria came and settled at Bethel, and instructed them how they should fear Yahweh.
29 But each nation was still making gods of its own and put them (E)in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, each nation in their cities in which they lived. 30 (F)And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31 and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and (G)the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to (H)Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of the (I)Sepharvaim. 32 (J)They were also fearing Yahweh and [d](K)appointed from among all of themselves priests of the high places, and they were acting for them in the houses of the high places. 33 They were fearing Yahweh and serving their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been taken away into exile.
34 To this day they are acting according to the earlier customs: they are not fearing Yahweh; they are not acting according to their statutes or their judgments or the law, or the commandment which Yahweh commanded the sons of Jacob, (L)whom He named Israel; 35 with whom Yahweh cut a covenant and commanded them, saying, “(M)You shall not fear other gods, nor (N)worship them nor (O)serve them nor sacrifice to them. 36 But Yahweh, (P)who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with (Q)an outstretched arm, (R)Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall sacrifice. 37 And the statutes and the judgments and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, (S)you shall be careful to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods. 38 And the covenant that I have cut with you, (T)you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. 39 But Yahweh your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” 40 However, they did not listen, but they were acting according to their earlier custom. 41 (U)So while these nations were fearing Yahweh, they also were serving their graven images; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers acted, so they are acting this way to this day.
25 Now concerning virgins I have (A)no command of the Lord, but I give an opinion as one who [a](B)by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy. 26 I think then that this is good because of the [b]present (C)distress, that (D)it is good for a man [c]to remain as he is. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such will have [d]trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you. 29 But this I say, brothers, (E)the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none; 30 and those who cry, as though they did not cry; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess; 31 and those who use the world, as though they did not (F)make full use of it. For (G)the form of this world is passing away.
Do Not Worry
25 “(A)For this reason I say to you, [a]do not be (B)worried about your [b]life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 (C)Look at the birds of the [c]air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And which of you by (D)worrying can (E)add a single [d]cubit to his [e]life span? 28 And why are you (F)worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even (G)Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the (H)grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? (I)You of little faith! 31 Do not (J)worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for (K)your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But [f]seek first [g]His kingdom and His righteousness, and (L)all these things will be [h]added to you.
34 “So do not (M)worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. [i]Each day has enough trouble of its own.
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