Book of Common Prayer
A Davidic Psalm, while he was in the Judean wilderness.
Joyful Trust in God
63 God, you are my God!
I will fervently seek you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my flesh longs for you in a dry, weary, and parched land.
2 So I have looked for you in the sanctuary,
to behold your power and glory.
3 Because your gracious love is better than life itself,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in your name.
5 Just as I am satisfied with the choicest of foods,[a]
so my lips will praise you joyfully.
6 When I think of you in bed,
I will meditate on you in the night watches.
7 For you have been my strength,
and in the shadow of your wings I will shout for joy.
8 My soul clings to you,
even as your right hand supports me.
9 But as for those who seek to destroy me,
they will go down to the depths of the earth;
10 May they be given over to the power of[b] the sword;
may they become carrion for jackals.
11 But as for the king,
he will rejoice in God.
Indeed, everyone who swears by God[c] will exult,
because the mouths of liars will be silenced.
Davidic
Praise God, who Forgives
103 Bless the Lord, my soul,
and all that is within me, bless[a] his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, my soul,
and never forget any of his benefits:
3 He continues to forgive all your sins,
he continues to heal all your diseases,
4 he continues to redeem your life from the Pit,[b]
and he continuously surrounds you
with gracious love and compassion.
5 He keeps satisfying you with good things,
and he keeps renewing your youth like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord continuously does what is right,
executing justice for all who are being oppressed.
7 He revealed his plans[c] to Moses
and his deeds to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
patient,[d] and abundantly rich in gracious love.
9 He does not maintain a dispute[e] continuously
or remain angry for all time.
10 He neither deals with us according to our sins,
nor repays us equivalent to our iniquity.
11 As high as heaven rises above earth,
so his gracious love strengthens[f] those who fear him.
12 As distant as the east is from the west,
that is how far he has removed our sins from us.
13 As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
14 For he knows how we were formed,
aware that we were made from dust.
15 A person’s life is like grass—
it blossoms like wild flowers,
16 but when the wind blows through it,
it withers away and no one remembers where it was.
17 Yet the Lord’s gracious love remains
throughout eternity for those who fear him
and his righteous acts extend to their children’s children,
18 to those who keep his covenant
and to those who remember to observe his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, you angels who belong to him,
you mighty warriors who carry out his commands,
who are obedient to the sound of his words.[g]
21 Bless the Lord, all his heavenly armies,
his ministers who do his will.
22 Bless the Lord, all his creation,[h]
in all the places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, my soul.
Bildad Speaks a Third Time
25 Bildad from Shuah responded and said:
2 “Dominion and fear belong to God;[a]
who fashions peace in his high heaven.
3 Is there any limit to his armies?
On whom does his light not shine?[b]
4 How can a human being[c] become right with God?
How can a human being[d] be pure?
5 Behold, even the moon isn’t bright,
and the stars aren’t pure in his eyes.
6 How much less is man, who is only a maggot,
or a man’s children, who are only worms!”
Job Asserts His Innocence
27 Job continued with his discussion and said:
2 “The living God has withheld justice from me;
the Almighty has made my life[a] bitter.
3 As long as I can breathe;
as long as God’s breath is in my nostrils,
4 I won’t speak lies
nor will I utter deceit.
5 Far be it from me to admit that you’re right!
I intend to maintain my integrity[b] even if it kills me!
6 I’ll retain my righteousness and not compromise it;
my conscience won’t rebuke me at any time.
The Vision of the New Song on Mount Zion
14 Then I looked, and there was the lamb, standing on Mount Zion! With him were 144,000 people who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
2 Then I heard a sound from heaven like that of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The sound I heard was like harpists playing on their harps. 3 They were singing a new song in front of the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 They have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins, and they follow the lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from among humanity as the first fruits for God and the lamb. 5 In their mouth no lie was found. They are blameless.
The Vision of Angels Sounding a Warning
6 Then I saw another angel flying overhead with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live[a] on earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 He said in a loud voice,
“Fear God and give him glory,
because the time for him to judge has arrived.
Worship the one who made heaven and earth,
the sea and springs of water.”
13 I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this:
How blessed are the dead,
that is, those who die in the Lord from now on!”
“Yes,” says the Spirit.
“Let them rest from their labors,
for their actions follow them.”
Salt and Light in the World(A)
13 “You are the salt of the world. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty again? It’s good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled on by people.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. 15 People[a] don’t light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people in such a way that they will see your good actions and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Jesus Fulfills the Law and the Prophets
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I didn’t come to destroy them, but to fulfill them, 18 because I tell all of you[b] with certainty that until heaven and earth disappear, not one letter[c] or one stroke of a letter will disappear from the Law until everything has been accomplished. 19 So whoever sets aside[d] one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom from[e] heaven. But whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom from[f] heaven 20 because I tell you, unless your righteousness greatly exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom from[g] heaven!”
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