Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 72
A Prayer for the King
Of Solomon.(A)
1 God, give your justice to the king
and your righteousness to the king’s son.(B)
2 He will judge your people with righteousness
and your afflicted ones with justice.(C)
3 May the mountains bring well-being[a] to the people
and the hills, righteousness.(D)
4 May he vindicate the afflicted among the people,
help the poor,
and crush the oppressor.(E)
5 May they fear you[b] while the sun endures
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.(F)
6 May the king be like rain that falls on the cut grass,
like spring showers that water the earth.(G)
7 May the righteous[c] flourish in his days
and well-being abound
until the moon is no more.(H)
8 May he rule from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates
to the ends of the earth.(I)
9 May desert tribes kneel before him
and his enemies lick the dust.(J)
10 May the kings of Tarshish
and the coasts and islands bring tribute,
the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.(K)
11 Let all kings bow in homage to him,
all nations serve him.(L)
12 For he will rescue the poor who cry out
and the afflicted who have no helper.(M)
13 He will have pity on the poor and helpless
and save the lives of the poor.(N)
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their lives are[d] precious[e] in his sight.(O)
15 May he live long!
May gold from Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be offered for him continually,
and may he be blessed all day long.(P)
16 May there be plenty of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains.
May its crops be like Lebanon.
May people flourish in the cities
like the grass of the field.(Q)
17 May his name endure forever;
as long as the sun shines,
may his fame increase.
May all nations be blessed by him
and call him blessed.(R)
Psalm 111
Praise for the Lord’s Works
1 Hallelujah![a]
I will praise the Lord with all my heart
in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.(A)
2 The Lord’s works are great,
studied by all who delight in them.(B)
3 All that he does is splendid and majestic;(C)
his righteousness endures forever.(D)
4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered.(E)
The Lord is gracious and compassionate.(F)
5 He has provided food for those who fear him;(G)
he remembers his covenant forever.(H)
6 He has shown his people the power of his works
by giving them the inheritance of the nations.(I)
7 The works of his hands are truth and justice;
all his instructions are trustworthy.(J)
8 They are established forever and ever,
enacted in truth and in uprightness.(K)
9 He has sent redemption to his people.(L)
He has ordained his covenant forever.
His name is holy and awe-inspiring.(M)
Psalm 113
Praise to the Merciful God
1 Hallelujah!
Give praise, servants of the Lord;
praise the name of the Lord.(A)
2 Let the name of the Lord be blessed
both now and forever.(B)
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting,
let the name of the Lord be praised.(C)
4 The Lord is exalted above all the nations,(D)
his glory above the heavens.(E)
5 Who is like the Lord our God—
the one enthroned on high,(F)
6 who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?(G)
7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the trash heap(H)
8 in order to seat them with nobles—
with the nobles of his people.(I)
9 He gives the childless woman a household,
making her the joyful mother of children.(J)
Hallelujah!
The Lord’s Covenant with David
7 When the king had settled into his palace(A) and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, 2 the king said to the prophet Nathan,(B) “Look, I am living in a cedar house while the ark of God sits inside tent curtains.”(C)
3 So Nathan told the king, “Go and do all that is on your mind, for the Lord is with you.”
4 But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: 5 “Go to my servant David and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you to build me a house to dwell in?(D) 6 From the time I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until today I have not dwelt in a house; instead, I have been moving around with a tent as my dwelling.(E) 7 In all my journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever spoken a word to one of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, asking: Why haven’t you built me a house of cedar?’
8 “So now this is what you are to say to my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, to be ruler over my people Israel.(F) 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. I will make a great name(G) for you like that of the greatest on the earth.(H) 10 I will designate a place(I) for my people Israel and plant them,(J) so that they may live there and not be disturbed again. Evildoers will not continue to oppress them as they have done 11 ever since the day I ordered judges to be over my people Israel.(K) I will give you rest from all your enemies.
“‘The Lord declares to you: The Lord himself will make a house for you. 12 When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.(L) 13 He is the one who will build a house for my name,(M) and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.(N) 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son.(O) When he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and blows from mortals. 15 But my faithful love will never leave him(P) as it did when I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.(Q) 16 Your house and kingdom will endure before me[a] forever,(R) and your throne will be established forever.’”(S)
17 Nathan reported all these words and this entire vision to David.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation[a] for all people,(A) 12 instructing us to deny godlessness(B) and worldly lusts(C) and to live in a sensible, righteous,(D) and godly(E) way in the present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope,(F) the appearing of the glory(G) of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14 He gave himself for us(H) to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession,(I) eager to do good works.
15 Proclaim these things; encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard[b] you.
Christian Living among Outsiders
3 Remind them to submit(J) to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness(K) to all people. 3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions(L) and pleasures,(M) living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.
4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared,(N) 5 he saved us(O)—not by works of righteousness that we had done,(P) but according to his mercy(Q)—through the washing of regeneration(R) and renewal by the Holy Spirit.(S) 6 He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly(T) through Jesus Christ our Savior 7 so that, having been justified by his grace,(U) we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.(V) 8 This saying is trustworthy.(W) I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works. These are good and profitable for everyone.
Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth
39 In those days Mary set out and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah 40 where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.(A) 42 Then she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and your child will be blessed![a] 43 How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her!”
Mary’s Praise
46 And Mary said:
48 because he has looked with favor
on the humble condition of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations
will call me blessed,(A)
49 because the Mighty One(B)
has done great things for me,(C)
and his name(D) is holy.
50 His mercy is from generation to generation(E)
on those who fear him.
51 He has done a mighty deed with his arm;(F)
he has scattered the proud
because of the thoughts of their hearts;(G)
52 he has toppled the mighty from their thrones
and exalted the lowly.(H)
53 He has satisfied the hungry with good things(I)
and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering his mercy
55 to Abraham and his descendants[a] forever,(J)
just as he spoke to our ancestors.
56 And Mary stayed with her about three months; then she returned to her home.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.