Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 137[a]
137 By the rivers of Babylon
we sit down and weep[b]
when we remember Zion.
2 On the poplars in her midst
we hang our harps,
3 for there our captors ask us to compose songs;[c]
those who mock us demand that we be happy, saying:[d]
“Sing for us a song about Zion!”[e]
4 How can we sing a song to the Lord
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may my right hand be crippled.[f]
6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
and do not give Jerusalem priority
over whatever gives me the most joy.[g]
7 Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did
on the day Jerusalem fell.[h]
They said, “Tear it down, tear it down,[i]
right to its very foundation!”
8 O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated,[j]
how blessed will be the one who repays you
for what you dished out to us.[k]
9 How blessed will be the one who grabs your babies
and smashes them on a rock.[l]
Psalm 144[a]
By David.
144 The Lord, my Protector,[b] deserves praise[c]—
the one who trains my hands for battle,[d]
and my fingers for war,
2 who loves me[e] and is my stronghold,
my refuge[f] and my deliverer,
my shield and the one in whom I take shelter,
who makes nations submit to me.[g]
3 O Lord, of what importance is the human race,[h] that you should notice them?
Of what importance is mankind,[i] that you should be concerned about them?[j]
4 People[k] are like a vapor,
their days like a shadow that disappears.[l]
5 O Lord, make the sky sink[m] and come down.[n]
Touch the mountains and make them smolder.[o]
6 Hurl lightning bolts and scatter the enemy.
Shoot your arrows and rout them.[p]
7 Reach down[q] from above.
Grab me and rescue me from the surging water,[r]
from the power of foreigners,[s]
8 who speak lies,
and make false promises.[t]
9 O God, I will sing a new song to you.
Accompanied by a ten-stringed instrument, I will sing praises to you,
10 the one who delivers[u] kings,
and rescued David his servant from a deadly[v] sword.
11 Grab me and rescue me from the power of foreigners,[w]
who speak lies,
and make false promises.[x]
12 Then[y] our sons will be like plants,
that quickly grow to full size.[z]
Our daughters will be like corner pillars,[aa]
carved like those in a palace.[ab]
13 Our storehouses[ac] will be full,
providing all kinds of food.[ad]
Our sheep will multiply by the thousands
and fill[ae] our pastures.[af]
14 Our cattle will be weighted down with produce.[ag]
No one will break through our walls,
no one will be taken captive,
and there will be no terrified cries in our city squares.[ah]
15 How blessed are the people who experience these things.[ai]
How blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.
Psalm 104[a]
104 Praise the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, you are magnificent.[b]
You are robed in splendor and majesty.
2 He covers himself with light as if it were a garment.
He stretches out the skies like a tent curtain,
3 and lays the beams of the upper rooms of his palace on the rain clouds.[c]
He makes the clouds his chariot,
and travels on the wings of the wind.[d]
4 He makes the winds his messengers,
and the flaming fire his attendant.[e]
5 He established the earth on its foundations;
it will never be moved.
6 The watery deep covered it[f] like a garment;
the waters reached[g] above the mountains.[h]
7 Your shout made the waters retreat;
at the sound of your thunderous voice they hurried off—
8 as the mountains rose up,
and the valleys went down—
to the place you appointed for them.[i]
9 You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross,
so that they would not cover the earth again.[j]
10 He turns springs into streams;[k]
they flow between the mountains.
11 They provide water for all the animals in the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the sky live beside them;
they chirp among the bushes.[l]
13 He waters the mountains from the upper rooms of his palace;[m]
the earth is full of the fruit you cause to grow.[n]
14 He provides grass[o] for the cattle,
and crops for people to cultivate,[p]
so they can produce food from the ground,[q]
15 as well as wine that makes people glad,[r]
and olive oil to make their faces shine,[s]
as well as bread that sustains them.[t]
16 The trees of the Lord[u] receive all the rain they need,[v]
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted,
17 where the birds make nests,
near the evergreens in which the herons live.[w]
18 The wild goats live in the high mountains;[x]
the rock badgers find safety in the cliffs.
19 He made the moon to mark the months,[y]
and the sun sets according to a regular schedule.[z]
20 You make it dark and night comes,[aa]
during which all the beasts of the forest prowl around.
21 The lions roar for prey,
seeking their food from God.[ab]
22 When the sun rises, they withdraw
and sleep[ac] in their dens.
23 People then go out to do their work,
and they labor until evening.[ad]
24 How many living things you have made, O Lord![ae]
You have exhibited great skill in making all of them;[af]
the earth is full of the living things you have made.
25 Over here is the deep, wide sea,[ag]
which teems with innumerable swimming creatures,[ah]
living things both small and large.
26 The ships travel there,
and over here swims the whale[ai] you made to play in it.
27 All your creatures[aj] wait for you
to provide them with food on a regular basis.[ak]
28 You give food to them and they receive it;
you open your hand and they are filled with food.[al]
29 When you ignore them, they panic.[am]
When you take away their life’s breath,
they die and return to dust.
30 When you send your life-giving breath, they are created,
and you replenish the surface of the ground.
31 May the splendor of the Lord endure.[an]
May the Lord find pleasure in the living things he has made.[ao]
32 He looks down on the earth and it shakes;
he touches the mountains and they start to smolder.
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I exist.[ap]
34 May my thoughts[aq] be pleasing to him.
I will rejoice in the Lord.
35 May sinners disappear[ar] from the earth,
and the wicked vanish.
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord.
11 It will be a day for rebuilding your walls;
in that day your boundary will be extended.[a]
A Closing Prayer
12 In that day people[b] will come to you[c]
from Assyria as far as[d] Egypt,
from Egypt as far as the Euphrates River,[e]
from the seacoasts[f] and the mountains.[g]
13 The earth will become desolate
because of what its inhabitants have done.[h]
14 Shepherd your people with your rod,[i]
the flock that belongs to you,[j]
the one that lives alone in a thicket,
in the midst of a pastureland.[k]
Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead,[l]
as they did in the old days.[m]
15 “As in the days when you departed from the land of Egypt,
I will show you[n] miraculous deeds.”[o]
16 Nations will see this and be disappointed by[p] all their strength;
they will put their hands over their mouths
and act as if they were deaf.[q]
17 They will lick the dust like a snake,
like serpents crawling on the ground.[r]
They will come trembling from their strongholds
to the Lord our God;[s]
they will be terrified[t] of you.[u]
18 Who is a God like you?[v]
Who[w] forgives sin
and pardons[x] the rebellion
of those who remain among his people?[y]
Who does not stay angry forever,
but delights in showing loyal love?
19 Who[z] will once again[aa] have mercy on us?
Who will conquer[ab] our evil deeds?
Who will hurl[ac] all our[ad] sins into the depths of the sea?[ae]
20 You will be loyal to Jacob
and extend your loyal love to Abraham,[af]
which you promised on oath to our ancestors[ag] in ancient times.[ah]
Service, Suffering, and Judgment
7 For the culmination of all things is near. So be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of prayer.[a] 8 Above all keep[b] your love for one another fervent,[c] because love covers a multitude of sins.[d] 9 Show hospitality[e] to one another without complaining. 10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another[f] as good stewards of the varied grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, let it be with[g] God’s words.[h] Whoever serves, do so with the strength[i] that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong[j] the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
12 Dear friends, do not be astonished[k] that a trial by fire is occurring among you,[l] as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice in the degree that you have shared in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed[m] you may also rejoice and be glad.[n] 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory,[o] who is the Spirit of God,[p] rests[q] on you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or thief or criminal or as a troublemaker.[r] 16 But if you suffer as a Christian,[s] do not be ashamed, but glorify[t] God that you bear such a name.[u] 17 For it is time for judgment to begin, starting with the house[v] of God. And if it starts with us, what will be the fate[w] of those who are disobedient to the gospel of God? 18 And if the righteous are barely saved, what will become of[x] the ungodly and sinners?[y] 19 So then let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator as they do good.[z]
Two Blind Men Healed
29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed them. 30 Two[a] blind men were sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted,[b] “Have mercy[c] on us, Lord, Son of David!”[d] 31 The[e] crowd scolded[f] them to get them to be quiet. But they shouted even more loudly, “Lord, have mercy on us,[g] Son of David!” 32 Jesus stopped, called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
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