Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 63[a]
A psalm of David, written when he was in the Judean wilderness.[b]
63 O God, you are my God. I long for you.[c]
My soul thirsts[d] for you,
my flesh yearns for you,
in a dry and parched[e] land where there is no water.
2 Yes,[f] in the sanctuary I have seen you,[g]
and witnessed[h] your power and splendor.
3 Because[i] experiencing[j] your loyal love is better than life itself,
my lips will praise you.
4 For this reason[k] I will praise you while I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.[l]
5 As with choice meat[m] you satisfy my soul.[n]
My mouth joyfully praises you,[o]
6 whenever[p] I remember you on my bed,
and think about you during the nighttime hours.
7 For you are my deliverer;[q]
under your wings[r] I rejoice.
8 My soul[s] pursues you;[t]
your right hand upholds me.
9 Enemies seek to destroy my life,[u]
but they will descend into the depths of the earth.[v]
10 Each one will be handed over to the sword;[w]
their corpses will be eaten by jackals.[x]
11 But the king[y] will rejoice in God;
everyone who takes oaths in his name[z] will boast,
for the mouths of those who speak lies will be shut up.[aa]
Psalm 98[a]
A psalm.
98 Sing to the Lord a new song,[b]
for he performs[c] amazing deeds.
His right hand and his mighty arm
accomplish deliverance.[d]
2 The Lord demonstrates his power to deliver;[e]
in the sight of the nations he reveals his justice.
3 He remains loyal and faithful to the family of Israel.[f]
All the ends of the earth see our God deliver us.[g]
4 Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth.
Break out in a joyful shout and sing!
5 Sing to the Lord accompanied by a harp,
accompanied by a harp and the sound of music.
6 With trumpets and the blaring of the ram’s horn,
shout out praises before the king, the Lord.
7 Let the sea and everything in it shout,
along with the world and those who live in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands!
Let the mountains sing in unison
9 before the Lord.
For he comes to judge the earth.
He judges the world fairly,[h]
and the nations in a just manner.
Psalm 103[a]
By David.
103 Praise the Lord, O my soul.
With all that is within me, praise[b] his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, O my soul.
Do not forget all his kind deeds.[c]
3 He is the one who forgives all your sins,
who heals all your diseases,[d]
4 who delivers[e] your life from the Pit,[f]
who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your life with good things,[g]
so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.[h]
6 The Lord does what is fair,
and executes justice for all the oppressed.[i]
7 The Lord revealed his faithful acts[j] to Moses,
his deeds to the Israelites.
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful;
he is patient[k] and demonstrates great loyal love.[l]
9 He does not always accuse,
and does not stay angry.[m]
10 He does not deal with us as our sins deserve;[n]
he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve.[o]
11 For as the skies are high above the earth,
so his loyal love towers[p] over his faithful followers.[q]
12 As far as the eastern horizon[r] is from the west,[s]
so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions[t] from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,[u]
so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers.[v]
14 For he knows what we are made of;[w]
he realizes[x] we are made of clay.[y]
15 A person’s life is like grass.[z]
Like a flower in the field it flourishes,
16 but when the hot wind[aa] blows, it disappears,
and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew.
17 But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers,[ab]
and is faithful to their descendants,[ac]
18 to those who keep his covenant,
who are careful to obey his commands.[ad]
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven;
his kingdom extends over everything.[ae]
20 Praise the Lord, you angels of his,
you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees
and obey his orders.[af]
21 Praise the Lord, all you warriors of his,[ag]
you servants of his who carry out his desires.[ah]
22 Praise the Lord, all that he has made,[ai]
in all the regions[aj] of his kingdom.
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
Introduction
1 On the first day of the sixth month[a] of King Darius’[b] second year, the Lord’s message came through[c] the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak:[d]
The Accusation of Indifference Against the People
2 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies[e] has said: “These people have said, ‘The time for rebuilding the Lord’s temple has not yet come.’”[f] 3 The Lord’s message came through the prophet Haggai as follows:[g] 4 “Is it right for you to live in richly paneled houses[h] while my temple is in ruins?[i] 5 Here then, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said: ‘Think carefully about what you are doing.[j] 6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but are never filled. You drink, but are still thirsty. You put on clothes, but are not warm. Those who earn wages end up with holes in their money bags.’”[k]
Consequences of the Failure to Rebuild the Temple
7 Moreover, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said: “Pay close attention to these things also.[l] 8 Go up to the hill country and bring back timber to build[m] the temple.[n] Then I will be pleased and honored,”[o] says the Lord. 9 “You expected a large harvest, but instead there was little.[p] And when you would bring it home, I would blow it right away.[q] Why?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Because my temple remains in ruins, thanks to each of you favoring his own house![r] 10 This is why the sky[s] has held back its dew and the earth its produce.[t] 11 Moreover, I have called for a drought that will affect the fields, the hill country, the grain, new wine, fresh olive oil, and everything that grows from the ground; it also will harm people, animals, and everything they produce.”[u]
The Response of the Leaders and the People
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak,[v] along with the whole remnant of the people,[w] obeyed[x] the Lord their God. They responded favorably to the message of the prophet Haggai, who spoke just as the Lord their God had instructed him,[y] and the people began to respect the Lord.[z] 13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, spoke the Lord’s announcement to the people:[aa] “I am with you,” decrees the Lord. 14 So the Lord energized and encouraged[ab] Zerubbabel[ac] son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak,[ad] and the whole remnant of the people.[ae] They came and worked on the temple of their God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 15 This took place on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of King Darius’ second year.[af]
The Glory to Come
2 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month,[ag] the Lord’s message came through[ah] the prophet Haggai again: 2 “Ask the following questions to[ai] Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak,[aj] and the remnant of the people: 3 ‘Who among you survivors saw the former splendor of this temple?[ak] How does it look to you now? Isn’t it nothing by comparison?’ 4 Even so, take heart, Zerubbabel,” decrees the Lord. “Take heart, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. And take heart all you citizens of the land,”[al] decrees the Lord, “and begin to work. For I am with you,” decrees the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 5 “Do not fear, because I made a promise to your ancestors when they left Egypt, and my Spirit[am] even now testifies to you.”[an] 6 Moreover, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said: “In just a little while[ao] I will once again shake the sky[ap] and the earth, the sea and the dry ground. 7 I will also shake up all the nations, and they[aq] will offer their treasures;[ar] then I will fill this temple with glory.” So the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said. 8 “The silver and gold will be mine,” decrees the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 9 “The future splendor of this temple will be greater than that of former times,”[as] the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared. “And in this place I will give peace,” decrees the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.[at]
Apollos Begins His Ministry
24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, arrived in Ephesus. He was an eloquent speaker,[a] well-versed[b] in the scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in[c] the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm[d] he spoke and taught accurately the facts[e] about Jesus, although he knew[f] only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak out fearlessly[g] in the synagogue,[h] but when Priscilla and Aquila[i] heard him, they took him aside[j] and explained the way of God to him more accurately. 27 When Apollos[k] wanted to cross over to Achaia,[l] the brothers encouraged[m] him[n] and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he[o] assisted greatly those who had believed by grace, 28 for he refuted the Jews vigorously[p] in public debate,[q] demonstrating from the scriptures that the Christ[r] was Jesus.[s]
Disciples of John the Baptist at Ephesus
19 While[t] Apollos was in Corinth, Paul went through the inland[u] regions[v] and came to Ephesus. He[w] found some disciples there[x] 2 and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”[y] They replied,[z] “No, we have not even[aa] heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 So Paul[ab] said, “Into what then were you baptized?” “Into John’s baptism,” they replied.[ac] 4 Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him,[ad] that is, in Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, 6 and when Paul placed[ae] his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came[af] upon them, and they began to speak[ag] in tongues and to prophesy.[ah] 7 (Now there were about twelve men in all.)[ai]
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 Now[a] an expert in religious law[b] stood up to test Jesus,[c] saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”[d] 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you understand it?”[e] 27 The expert[f] answered, “Love[g] the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,[h] and love your neighbor as yourself.”[i] 28 Jesus[j] said to him, “You have answered correctly;[k] do this, and you will live.”
29 But the expert,[l] wanting to justify[m] himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied,[n] “A man was going down[o] from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat[p] him up, and went off, leaving him half dead.[q] 31 Now by chance[r] a priest was going down that road, but[s] when he saw the injured man[t] he passed by[u] on the other side.[v] 32 So too a Levite, when he came up to[w] the place and saw him,[x] passed by on the other side. 33 But[y] a Samaritan[z] who was traveling[aa] came to where the injured man[ab] was, and when he saw him, he felt compassion for him.[ac] 34 He[ad] went up to him[ae] and bandaged his wounds, pouring olive oil[af] and wine on them. Then[ag] he put him on[ah] his own animal,[ai] brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The[aj] next day he took out two silver coins[ak] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever else you spend, I will repay you when I come back this way.’[al] 36 Which of these three do you think became a neighbor[am] to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 The expert in religious law[an] said, “The one who showed mercy[ao] to him.” So[ap] Jesus said to him, “Go and do[aq] the same.”
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