Book of Common Prayer
The Privileges of Citizenship in Zion.
A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.
87 His (A)foundation is in the holy mountains.
2 The Lord (B)loves the gates of Zion
More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.
3 (C)Glorious things are spoken of you,
(D)City of God. Selah
4 “I shall mention [a](E)Rahab and Babylon [b]among those who know Me;
Behold, Philistia and (F)Tyre with [c](G)Cush:
‘This one was born there.’”
5 But of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her”;
And the Most High Himself will (H)establish her.
6 The Lord will count when He (I)registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah
7 Then those who (J)sing as well as those who [d](K)play the flutes will say,
“All my (L)springs of joy are in you.”
BOOK 4
God’s Eternity and the Brevity of Human Life.
A Prayer of [a]Moses, the man of God.
90 Lord, You have been our [b](A)dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before (B)the mountains were born
[c]Or You (C)gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even (D)from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
3 You (E)turn mortals back into dust
And say, “Return, you sons of mankind.”
4 For (F)a thousand years in Your sight
Are like (G)yesterday when it passes by,
[d]Or like a (H)watch in the night.
5 You (I)have [e]swept them away like a flood, they [f](J)fall asleep;
In the morning they are like (K)grass that [g]sprouts anew.
6 In the morning it (L)flourishes and [h]sprouts anew;
Toward evening it (M)wilts and (N)withers away.
7 For we have been (O)consumed by Your anger,
And we have been terrified by Your wrath.
8 You have (P)placed our guilty deeds before You,
Our (Q)hidden sins in the light of Your presence.
9 For (R)all our days have dwindled away in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a [i]sigh.
10 As for the days of our [j]life, [k]they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, (S)eighty years,
Yet their pride is only (T)trouble and tragedy;
For it quickly passes, and we (U)disappear.
11 Who [l]understands the (V)power of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the (W)fear [m]that is due You?
12 So (X)teach us to number our days,
That we may [n](Y)present to You a heart of wisdom.
13 Do (Z)return, Lord; (AA)how long will it be?
And [o]be (AB)sorry for Your servants.
14 (AC)Satisfy us in the morning with Your graciousness,
That we may (AD)sing for joy and rejoice all our days.
15 (AE)Make us glad [p]according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the (AF)years we have seen [q]evil.
16 Let Your (AG)work appear to Your servants
And Your (AH)majesty [r]to their children.
17 May the (AI)kindness of the Lord our God be upon us;
And [s](AJ)confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, [t]confirm the work of our hands.
Thanks for the Lord’s Goodness to Israel.
136 (A)Give thanks to the Lord, for (B)He is good,
For (C)His [a]faithfulness is everlasting.
2 Give thanks to the (D)God of gods,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
3 Give thanks to the (E)Lord of lords,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
4 To Him who (F)alone does great [b]wonders,
For His faithfulness is everlasting;
5 To Him who (G)made the heavens [c](H)with skill,
For His faithfulness is everlasting;
6 To Him who (I)spread out the earth above the waters,
For His faithfulness is everlasting;
7 To Him who (J)made the great lights,
For His faithfulness is everlasting:
8 The (K)sun to rule [d]by day,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
9 The (L)moon and stars to rule [e]by night,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
10 To Him who (M)struck [f]the Egyptians, that is, their firstborn,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
11 And (N)brought Israel out from their midst,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
12 With a (O)strong hand and an (P)outstretched arm,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
13 To Him who (Q)divided the [g]Red Sea in parts,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
14 And (R)allowed Israel to pass through the midst of it,
For His faithfulness is everlasting;
15 But (S)He [h]overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the [i]Red Sea,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
16 To Him who (T)led His people through the wilderness,
For His faithfulness is everlasting;
17 To Him who (U)struck great kings,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
18 And (V)brought death to [j]mighty kings,
For His faithfulness is everlasting:
19 (W)Sihon, king of the Amorites,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
20 And (X)Og, king of Bashan,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
21 And (Y)gave their land as an inheritance,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
22 An inheritance to His (Z)servant Israel,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
23 Who (AA)remembered us in our lowliness,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
24 And has (AB)rescued us from our enemies,
For His faithfulness is everlasting;
25 Who (AC)gives food to all flesh,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
26 Give thanks to the (AD)God of heaven,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “(A)We are not able to go up against the people, because they are too strong for us.” 32 So they brought (B)a bad report of the land which they had spied out to the sons of Israel, saying, “The land through which we have gone to spy out is (C)a land that devours its inhabitants; and (D)all the people whom we saw in it are people of great stature. 33 We also saw the [a](E)Nephilim there (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and (F)we were like [b]grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
The People Rebel
14 Then all the congregation [c]raised their voices and cried out, and the people wept [d]that night. 2 And all the sons of Israel (G)grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the entire congregation said to them, “(H)If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or even if we had died in this wilderness! 3 So why is the Lord bringing us into this land (I)to fall by the sword? (J)Our wives and our little ones will become plunder! Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “(K)Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt!”
5 (L)Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel. 6 And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “(M)The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 (N)If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—(O)a land which flows with milk and honey. 9 Only (P)do not rebel against the Lord; and do not (Q)fear the people of the land, for they will be our [e]prey. Their [f]protection is gone from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” 10 (R)But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then (S)the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.
Moses Pleads for the People
11 (T)And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people be disrespectful to Me? And how long will (U)they not [g]believe in Me, despite all the signs that I have performed in their midst? 12 I will strike them with [h](V)plague and dispossess them, and I (W)will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.”
13 (X)But Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought this people up from their midst, 14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Lord, are in the midst of this people, because (Y)You, Lord, are seen eye to eye, while Your cloud stands over them; and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if You put this people to death [i]all at once, (Z)then the nations who have heard of Your fame will [j]say, 16 ‘Since the Lord (AA)could not bring this people into the land which He promised them by oath, He slaughtered them in the wilderness.’ 17 So now, please, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared, saying, 18 ‘(AB)The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in mercy, forgiving wrongdoing and violation of His Law; but (AC)He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, (AD)inflicting the [k]punishment of the fathers on the children [l]to the third and the fourth generations.’ 19 Please (AE)forgive the guilt of this people in accordance with the greatness of Your mercy, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”
The Lord Pardons and Rebukes
20 So the Lord said, “(AF)I have forgiven them in accordance with your word; 21 however, (AG)as I live, [m](AH)all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. 22 Certainly (AI)all the people who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet (AJ)have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, 23 (AK)shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who were disrespectful to Me see it. 24 But as for My servant Caleb, (AL)because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, (AM)I will bring him into the land which he [n]entered, and his [o]descendants shall take possession of it. 25 (AN)Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys; turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way of the [p]Red Sea.”
9 What then? [a](A)Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both (B)Jews and (C)Greeks are (D)all under sin; 10 as it is written:
“(E)There is no righteous person, not even one;
11 There is no one who understands,
There is no one who seeks out God;
12 They have all turned aside, together they have become [b]corrupt;
There is no one who does good,
There is not even one.”
13 “(F)Their throat is an open grave,
With their tongues they keep deceiving,”
“(G)The venom of [c]asps is under their lips”;
14 “(H)Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
15 “(I)Their feet are swift to shed blood,
16 Destruction and misery are in their paths,
17 And they have not known the way of peace.”
18 “(J)There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the (K)Law says, it speaks to (L)those who are [d]under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and (M)all the world may become accountable to God; 20 because (N)by the works [e]of the Law [f]none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for [g](O)through the Law comes [h]knowledge of sin.
Concerning Divorce
19 (A)When Jesus had finished these words, He left Galilee and (B)came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan; 2 and [a]large crowds followed Him, and (C)He healed them there.
3 Some Pharisees came to [b]Jesus, testing Him and [c]asking, “(D)Is it lawful for a man to [d]divorce his wife for any reason at all?” 4 And He answered and said, “Have you not read (E)that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘(F)For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and (G)the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no person is to separate.” 7 They *said to Him, “(H)Why, then, did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8 He *said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to [e]divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. 9 And I say to you, (I)whoever [f]divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman [g]commits adultery[h].”
10 The disciples *said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.” 11 But He said to them, “(J)Not all men can accept this statement, but (K)only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by people; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”
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