Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 61
Security in God
For the choir director: on stringed instruments. Davidic.
1 God, hear my cry;
pay attention to my prayer.(A)
2 I call to You from the ends of the earth
when my heart is without strength.(B)
Lead me to a rock that is high above me,(C)
3 for You have been a refuge for me,
a strong tower(D) in the face of the enemy.
4 I will live in Your tent forever
and take refuge under the shelter of Your wings.(E)
5 God, You have heard my vows;(F)
You have given a heritage
to those who fear Your name.(G)
6 Add days to the king’s life;
may his years span many generations.(H)
7 May he sit enthroned before God forever;(I)
appoint faithful love and truth to guard him.(J)
8 Then I will continually sing of Your name,(K)
fulfilling my vows day by day.(L)
Psalm 62
Trust in God Alone
For the choir director: according to Jeduthun.(M) A Davidic psalm.
1 I am at rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from Him.(N)
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,(O)
my stronghold; I will never be shaken.(P)
3 How long will you threaten a man?
Will all of you attack[a]
as if he were a leaning wall
or a tottering stone fence?(Q)
4 They only plan to bring him down
from his high position.
They take pleasure in lying;
they bless with their mouths,
but they curse inwardly.(R)
5 Rest in God alone, my soul,
for my hope comes from Him.(S)
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,(T)
my stronghold; I will not be shaken.(U)
7 My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock.
My refuge is in God.(V)
8 Trust in Him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts before Him.
God is our refuge.(W)
Psalm 68
God’s Majestic Power
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm. A song.
1 God arises. His enemies scatter,
and those who hate Him flee from His presence.(A)
2 As smoke is blown away,
so You blow them away.
As wax melts before the fire,
so the wicked are destroyed before God.(B)
3 But the righteous are glad;
they rejoice before God and celebrate with joy.(C)
4 Sing to God! Sing praises to His name.
Exalt Him who rides on the clouds[a] —
His name is Yahweh[b]—and rejoice before Him.(D)
5 God in His holy dwelling is
a father of the fatherless
and a champion of widows.(E)
6 God provides homes for those who are deserted.
He leads out the prisoners to prosperity,[c]
but the rebellious live in a scorched land.(F)
7 God, when You went out before Your people,
when You marched through the desert,
8 the earth trembled and the skies poured down rain
before God, the God of Sinai,[d]
before God, the God of Israel.(G)
9 You, God, showered abundant rain;
You revived Your inheritance when it languished.(H)
10 Your people settled in it;
God, You provided for the poor by Your goodness.(I)
11 The Lord gave the command;
a great company of women brought the good news:(J)
12 “The kings of the armies flee—they flee!”
She who stays at home divides the spoil.(K)
13 While[e] you lie among the sheepfolds,[f]
the wings of a dove are covered with silver,
and its feathers with glistening gold.(L)
14 When the Almighty scattered kings in the land,
it snowed on Zalmon.[g](M)
15 Mount Bashan is God’s towering mountain;
Mount Bashan is a mountain of many peaks.(N)
16 Why gaze with envy, you mountain peaks,
at the mountain[h] God desired for His dwelling?
The Lord will live there forever!(O)
17 God’s chariots are tens of thousands,
thousands and thousands;(P)
the Lord is among them in the sanctuary[i]
as He was at Sinai.(Q)
18 You ascended to the heights, taking away captives;
You received gifts from[j] people,
even from the rebellious,
so that the Lord God might live there.[k](R)
19 May the Lord be praised!
Day after day He bears our burdens;
God is our salvation.(S)
20 Our God is a God of salvation,
and escape from death belongs to the Lord God.(T)
21 Surely God crushes the heads of His enemies,
the hairy head of one who goes on in his guilty acts.(U)
22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan;
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea(V)
23 so that your foot may wade[l] in blood
and your dogs’ tongues may have their share
from the enemies.”(W)
24 People have seen Your procession, God,
the procession of my God,
my King, in the sanctuary.[m](X)
25 Singers[n] lead the way,
with musicians following;
among them are young women
playing tambourines.(Y)
26 Praise God in the assemblies;
praise the Lord from the fountain of Israel.(Z)
27 There is Benjamin, the youngest, leading them,
the rulers of Judah in their assembly,[o]
the rulers of Zebulun, the rulers of Naphtali.(AA)
28 Your God has decreed your strength.
Show Your strength, God,
You who have acted on our behalf.(AB)
29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem,
kings will bring tribute to You.(AC)
30 Rebuke the beast[p] in the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.(AD)
Trample underfoot those with bars of silver.[q]
Scatter the peoples who take pleasure in war.(AE)
31 Ambassadors will come[r] from Egypt;
Cush will stretch out its hands[s] to God.(AF)
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;
sing praise to the Lord,(AG)
33 to Him who rides in the ancient, highest heavens.(AH)
Look, He thunders with His powerful voice!(AI)
34 Ascribe power to God.
His majesty is over Israel,
His power among the clouds.(AJ)
35 God, You are awe-inspiring in Your sanctuaries.
The God of Israel gives power and strength to His people.
May God be praised!(AK)
Dedication of the Wall
27 At the dedication of the wall(A) of Jerusalem, they sent for the Levites wherever they lived and brought them to Jerusalem to celebrate the joyous dedication with thanksgiving and singing accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.(B) 28 The singers gathered from the region around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites,(C) 29 from Beth-gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for they had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem. 30 After the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.(D)
31 Then I brought the leaders of Judah up on top of the wall, and I appointed two large processions that gave thanks. One went to the right on the wall, toward the Dung Gate.(E)
42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar,
Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer.
Then the singers sang, with Jezrahiah as the leader. 43 On that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy.(A) The women and children also celebrated, and Jerusalem’s rejoicing was heard far away.(B)
Support of the Levites’ Ministry
44 On that same day men were placed in charge of the rooms(C) that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and tenths.(D) The legally required portions for the priests and Levites(E) were gathered from the village fields, because Judah was grateful to the priests and Levites who were serving.(F) 45 They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers,(G) as David and his son Solomon had prescribed.(H) 46 For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph,(I) there were leaders[a] of the singers and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.(J) 47 So in the days of Zerubbabel(K) and Nehemiah,(L) all Israel contributed the daily portions(M) for the singers and gatekeepers. They also set aside daily portions for the Levites, and the Levites set aside daily portions(N) for the descendants of Aaron.
The Two Witnesses
11 Then I was given a measuring reed(A) like a rod,[a] with these words: “Go[b] and measure God’s sanctuary and the altar, and count those who worship there. 2 But exclude the courtyard outside the sanctuary. Don’t measure it, because it is given to the nations,[c] and they will trample the holy city for 42 months. 3 I will empower[d] my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,[e](B) dressed in sackcloth.”[f] 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord[g] of the earth.(C) 5 If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies;(D) if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. 6 These men have the power to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy.(E) They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood(F) and to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.
The Witnesses Martyred
7 When they finish their testimony, the beast[h](G) that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, conquer them, and kill them. 8 Their dead bodies[i](H) will lie in the public square[j] of the great city, which prophetically[k] is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 And representatives from[l] the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations(I) will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb. 10 Those who live on the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets brought judgment to those who live on the earth.
The Witnesses Resurrected
11 But after 3½ days, the breath[m] of life(J) from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. So great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard[n] a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.(K) 13 At that moment a violent earthquake took place,(L) a tenth of the city fell, and 7,000 people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe(M) has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming quickly!
The Seventh Trumpet
15 The seventh angel blew his trumpet,(N) and there were loud voices in heaven saying:
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom
of our Lord and of His Messiah,
and He will reign forever and ever!(O)
16 The 24 elders, who were seated before God on their thrones, fell facedown and worshiped God, 17 saying:
We thank You, Lord God, the Almighty,
who is and who was,[o](P)
because You have taken Your great power
and have begun to reign.(Q)
18 The nations were angry,(R)
but Your wrath has come.
The time has come
for the dead to be judged
and to give the reward
to Your servants the prophets,(S)
to the saints, and to those who fear Your name,
both small and great,(T)
and the time has come to destroy
those who destroy the earth.
19 God’s sanctuary in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant[p] appeared in His sanctuary. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings of thunder,(U) an earthquake,[q] and severe hail.
The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and of the Priceless Pearl
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.(A)
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one priceless[a] pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it.(B)
The Parable of the Net
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind of fish,(C) 48 and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but threw out the worthless ones. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous,(D) 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(E)
The Storehouse of Truth
51 “Have you understood all these things?”[b]
“Yes,” they told Him.
52 “Therefore,” He said to them, “every student of Scripture[c] instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who brings out of his storeroom what is new and what is old.”(F)
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