Book of Common Prayer
The Happiness of Those Whose Help Is the Lord
146 Praise[a] the Lord!
(A)Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 (B)While I live I will praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 (C)Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in [b]a son of man, in whom there is no [c]help.
4 (D)His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day (E)his plans perish.
5 (F)Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 (G)Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
7 (H)Who executes justice for the oppressed,
(I)Who gives food to the hungry.
(J)The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.
8 (K)The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
(L)The Lord raises those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.
9 (M)The Lord watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
(N)But the way of the wicked He [d]turns upside down.
10 (O)The Lord shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Praise to God for His Word and Providence
147 Praise[e] the Lord!
For (P)it is good to sing praises to our God;
(Q)For it is pleasant, and (R)praise is beautiful.
2 The Lord (S)builds up Jerusalem;
(T)He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
3 (U)He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their [f]wounds.
4 (V)He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
5 (W)Great is our Lord, and (X)mighty in power;
(Y)His understanding is infinite.
6 (Z)The Lord lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises on the harp to our God,
8 (AA)Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who prepares rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
9 (AB)He gives to the beast its food,
And (AC)to the young ravens that cry.
10 (AD)He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your children within you.
14 (AE)He makes peace in your borders,
And (AF)fills you with [g]the finest wheat.
15 (AG)He sends out His command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.
16 (AH)He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes;
17 He casts out His hail like [h]morsels;
Who can stand before His cold?
18 (AI)He sends out His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
19 (AJ)He declares His word to Jacob,
(AK)His statutes and His judgments to Israel.
20 (AL)He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His judgments, they have not known them.
[i]Praise the Lord!
Praise to God for His Faithfulness and Justice
111 Praise[a] the Lord!
(A)I will praise the Lord with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
2 (B)The works of the Lord are great,
(C)Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
3 His work is (D)honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
(E)The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
5 He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will ever be mindful of His covenant.
6 He has declared to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the [b]heritage of the nations.
7 The works of His hands are (F)verity[c] and justice;
All His precepts are sure.
8 (G)They stand fast forever and ever,
And are (H)done in truth and uprightness.
9 (I)He has sent redemption to His people;
He has commanded His covenant forever:
(J)Holy and awesome is His name.
10 (K)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.
The Blessed State of the Righteous
112 Praise[d] the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who (L)delights greatly in His commandments.
2 (M)His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 (N)Wealth and riches will be in his house,
And his righteousness [e]endures forever.
4 (O)Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;
He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
5 (P)A good man deals graciously and lends;
He will guide his affairs (Q)with discretion.
6 Surely he will never be shaken;
(R)The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.
7 (S)He will not be afraid of evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
8 His (T)heart is established;
(U)He will not be afraid,
Until he (V)sees his desire upon his enemies.
9 He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever;
His [f]horn will be exalted with honor.
10 The wicked will see it and be grieved;
He will gnash his teeth and melt away;
The desire of the wicked shall perish.
The Majesty and Condescension of God
113 Praise[g] the Lord!
(W)Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord!
2 (X)Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore!
3 (Y)From the rising of the sun to its going down
The Lord’s name is to be praised.
4 The Lord is (Z)high above all nations,
(AA)His glory above the heavens.
5 (AB)Who is like the Lord our God,
Who dwells on high,
6 (AC)Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?
7 (AD)He raises the poor out of the dust,
And lifts the (AE)needy out of the ash heap,
8 That He may (AF)seat him with princes—
With the princes of His people.
9 (AG)He grants the [h]barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children.
Praise the Lord!
The Lord Reveals His Omnipotence to Job(A)
38 Then the Lord answered Job (B)out of the whirlwind, and said:
2 “Who(C) is this who darkens counsel
By (D)words without knowledge?
3 (E)Now [a]prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
4 “Where(F) were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the [b]line upon it?
6 To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together,
And all (G)the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “Or(H) who shut in the sea with doors,
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
9 When I made the clouds its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling band;
10 When (I)I fixed My limit for it,
And set bars and doors;
11 When I said,
‘This far you may come, but no farther,
And here your proud waves (J)must stop!’
Job’s Repentance and Restoration
42 Then Job answered the Lord and said:
2 “I know that You (A)can do everything,
And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.
3 You asked, (B)‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
(C)Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
4 Listen, please, and let me speak;
You said, (D)‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’
5 “I have (E)heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
But now my eye sees You.
4 And (A)the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, (B)“Amen! Alleluia!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, (C)“Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, (D)both[a] small and great!”
6 (E)And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For (F)the[b] Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for (G)the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And (H)to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, (I)for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
9 Then he said to me, “Write: (J)‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, (K)“These are the true sayings of God.” 10 And (L)I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, (M)“See that you do not do that! I am your (N)fellow servant, and of your brethren (O)who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the (P)testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Christ on a White Horse
11 (Q)Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, (R)a white horse. And He who sat on him was called (S)Faithful and True, and (T)in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 (U)His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. (V)He [c]had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 (W)He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called (X)The Word of God. 14 (Y)And the armies in heaven, (Z)clothed in [d]fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now (AA)out of His mouth goes a [e]sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And (AB)He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. (AC)He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And (AD)He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
(AE)KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.
The Lamb of God(A)
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! (B)The Lamb of God (C)who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who [a]is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, (D)therefore I came baptizing with water.”
32 (E)And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, (F)this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the (G)Son of God.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.