Book of Common Prayer

Praise in Zion

87 The city God built stands on the holy mountains. ² The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other places of Jacob. ³ Great things are said about you, O city of God. ⁴ I will say that Rahab and Babylon are among those who know Me. Look, Philistia and Tyre and Ethiopia say, “This one was born there.” ⁵ But it will be said of Zion, “This one and that one were born in her.” And the Most High Himself will make her strong. ⁶ The Lord will write in the book of the people, “This one was born there.” ⁷ Then those who sing and those who play music will say, “All my wells of joy are in you.”

God Is Forever—Man’s Short Life

90 Lord, You have been the place of comfort for all people of all time. ² Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, forever and ever, You are God.

³ You change man into dust again, and say, “Return, O children of men.” ⁴ For a thousand years in Your eyes are like yesterday when it passes by, or like the hours of the night. ⁵ You carry men away as with a flood. They fall asleep. In the morning they are like the new grass that grows. ⁶ It grows well in the morning, but dries up and dies by evening.

⁷ For we are burned up by Your anger. By Your anger we are troubled and afraid. ⁸ You have set our wrong-doing before You, our secret sins in the light of Your face. ⁹ For all our days pass away in Your anger. We finish our years with a quiet cry. ¹⁰ The days of our life are seventy years, or eighty if we have the strength. Yet the best of them are only hard work and sorrow. For they are soon gone and we fly away. ¹¹ Who understands the power of Your anger? Your anger is as great as the fear that we should have for You. ¹² Teach us to understand how many days we have. Then we will have a heart of wisdom to give You.

¹³ Return, O Lord. How long will it be? Have pity upon those who work for You. ¹⁴ Fill us in the morning with Your loving-kindness. Let us sing for joy and be glad all our days. ¹⁵ Make us glad for as many days as You have made us suffer, and for the years we have seen trouble. ¹⁶ Let Your work be shown to Your servants. And let Your wonderful greatness be shown to their children. ¹⁷ Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us. And make the work of our hands stand strong. Yes, make the work of our hands stand strong.

A Song of Thanks

136 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ² Give thanks to the God of gods, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ⁴ Give thanks to Him Who alone does great works, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ⁵ Give thanks to Him Who by wisdom made the heavens, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ⁶ Give thanks to Him Who spread out the earth upon the waters, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ⁷ Give thanks to Him Who made the great lights, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ⁸ He made the sun to rule during the day, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ⁹ He made the moon and stars to rule during the night, for His loving-kindness lasts forever.

¹⁰ Give thanks to Him Who killed the first-born of Egypt, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹¹ He brought Israel out from among them, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹² He put out His arm and brought them out with a strong hand, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹³ Give thanks to Him Who divided the Red Sea in two, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹⁴ He led Israel through, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹⁵ But He caused the death of Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹⁶ Give thanks to Him Who led His people through the desert, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹⁷ Give thanks to Him Who destroyed great kings, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹⁸ He killed powerful kings, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹⁹ He put to death Sihon, king of the Amorites, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ²⁰ He put to death Og, king of Bashan, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ²¹ He gave their land as a gift, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ²² He gave it as a gift to Israel His servant, for His loving-kindness lasts forever.

²³ Give thanks to Him Who remembered us when we had nothing, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ²⁴ He took us away from those who hated us, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ²⁵ He gives food to all men, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His loving-kindness lasts forever.

The Seventy Leaders

¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy men from the leaders of Israel, whom you know to be the leaders of the people, the men who rule over them. Bring them to the meeting tent and let them stand there with you. ¹⁷ Then I will come down and speak with you there. I will take of the Spirit Who is upon you, and will put Him upon them. Then they will carry the troubles of the people with you so you will not carry them all alone.

²⁴ So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men from the leaders of the people, and had them stand around the meeting tent. ²⁵ Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him. He took of the Spirit Who was upon him and put Him upon the seventy leaders. When the Spirit rested upon them, they spoke the word of the Lord. But they did not do it again.

²⁶ But two men had stayed among the tents. Their names were Eldad and Medad, and the Spirit rested upon them. They were among those who had been chosen, but had not gone out to the meeting tent. So they spoke the word of the Lord among the tents. ²⁷ A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are speaking the word of the Lord among the tents.” ²⁸ Then Joshua the son of Nun, the helper of Moses since he was young, said, “Moses, my lord, do not let them.” ²⁹ But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my good? If only all the Lord’s people would speak for God, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!”

Followers Now Become the Body of Christ

¹¹ Do not forget that at one time you did not know God. The Jews, who had gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew by man’s hands, said you were people who do not know God. ¹² You were living without Christ then. The Jewish people who belonged to God had nothing to do with you. The promises He gave to them were not for you. You had nothing in this world to hope for. You were without God.

¹³ But now you belong to Christ Jesus. At one time you were far away from God. Now you have been brought close to Him. Christ did this for you when He gave His blood on the cross. ¹⁴ We have peace because of Christ. He has made the Jews and those who are not Jews one people. He broke down the wall that divided them. ¹⁵ He stopped the fighting between them by His death on the cross. He put an end to the Law. Then He made of the two people one new kind of people like Himself. In this way, He made peace. ¹⁶ He brought both groups together to God. Christ finished the fighting between them by His death on the cross. ¹⁷ Then Christ came and preached the Good News of peace to you who were far away from God. And He preached it to us who were near God. ¹⁸ Now all of us can go to the Father through Christ by way of the one Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ From now on you are not strangers and people who are not citizens. You are citizens together with those who belong to God. You belong in God’s family. ²⁰ This family is built on the teachings of the missionaries and the early preachers. Jesus Christ Himself is the cornerstone, which is the most important part of the building. ²¹ Christ keeps this building together and it is growing into a holy building for the Lord. ²² You are also being put together as a part of this building because God lives in you by His Spirit.

²⁸ Then Jesus finished talking. The people were surprised and wondered about His teaching. ²⁹ He was teaching them as One Who has the right and the power to teach. He did not teach as the teachers of the Law.

The Healing of a Man with a Bad Skin Disease ^(A)

8 Jesus came down from the mountain. Many people followed Him. ² A man with a bad skin disease came and got down before Him and worshiped Him. He said, “Lord, if You will, You can heal me!” ³ Then Jesus put His hand on him and said, “I will. You are healed!” At once the man was healed. ⁴ Jesus said to him, “Go now, but tell no one. Let the religious leader see you. Give the gift in worship that Moses told you to give. This will show them you have been healed.” ^(B)