Book of Common Prayer
To the director: To the tune “Shoshanim.”[a] A maskil from the Korah family. A love song.
45 Beautiful thoughts fill my mind
as I speak these lines for the king.
These words come from my tongue
as from the pen of a skilled writer.
2 You are more handsome than anyone,
and you say such pleasant things.
So God will always bless you.
3 Put on your sword, mighty warrior,
so impressive in your splendid uniform.
4 Go out in your greatness to win the victory for what is true and right.
Let us see the amazing things you can do with your powerful right arm.[b]
5 Your sharp arrows will go deep into the hearts of your enemies,
who will fall to the ground in front of you.
6 God,[c] your kingdom will last forever.
You use your authority for justice.
7 You love what is right and hate what is wrong.
So God, your God, chose you to be king,
giving you more joy and honor than anyone like you.[d]
8 From your clothes comes the wonderful smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
In palaces decorated with ivory, you enjoy the music of stringed instruments.
9 Here are ladies of honor, daughters of kings.
Your bride[e] stands at your right side, wearing a gown decorated with the finest gold.
10 My lady,[f] listen to me.
Listen carefully and understand me.
Forget your people and your father’s family,
11 so that the king will be pleased with your beauty.
He will be your new husband,[g]
so you must honor him.
12 People from Tyre will bring you gifts.
Their richest people will try to win your friendship.
13 The princess is so beautiful in her gown,
like a pearl set in gold.
14 Clothed in beauty, she is led to the king,
followed by her bridesmaids.
15 Filled with joy and excitement,
they enter into the king’s palace.
16 Your sons will be kings like their ancestors.
You will make them rulers throughout the land.
17 You will be famous for generations.
People will praise you forever and ever.
To the director: A song from the Korah family.
47 Everyone, clap your hands.
Shout with joy to God!
2 The Lord Most High is awesome.
He is the great King over all the earth.
3 He helped us defeat other nations.
He put those people under our control.
4 He chose our land for us.
He chose that wonderful land for Jacob, the one he loved. Selah
5 The Lord God goes up to his throne
at the sound of the trumpet and horn.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 God is the King of the whole world.
Sing songs of praise![a]
8 God sits on his holy throne;
he rules all the nations.
9 The leaders of the nations have come together
with the people of the God of Abraham.
All the rulers of the world belong to God.
He is over them all!
A song of praise from the Korah family.
48 The Lord is great!
He is praised throughout the city of our God, his holy mountain.
2 His city is such a pleasant place.
It brings joy to people from around the world.
Mount Zion is the true mountain of God.[b]
It is the city of the great King.
3 In the palaces of that city,
God is known as the fortress.
4 Once some kings met together
and planned an attack against this city.
They marched toward the city,
5 but when they saw it, they were amazed.
They all panicked and ran away.
6 Fear grabbed them;
they trembled like a woman giving birth.
7 God, with a strong east wind,
you wrecked their big ships.
8 Yes, we heard the stories about your power.
But we also saw it in the city of our God, the city of the Lord All-Powerful.
God makes that city strong forever. Selah
9 God, in your Temple we remember your loving kindness.
10 Your name is known everywhere, God,
and people throughout the earth praise you.
You have shown that you do what is right.
11 Mount Zion is happy,
and the towns of Judah rejoice, because your decisions are fair.
12 Walk around Jerusalem,
and count its towers.
13 Look at the tall walls,
and see the palaces.
Then you can tell the next generation about them.
14 This God is our God forever and ever.
He will lead us from now to the end of time!
Job Continues His Speech
29 Job continued to speak:
2 “I wish my life could be the same as it was a few months ago,
when God watched over me and cared for me.
3 God’s light shined above me,
so I could walk through the darkness.
4 I wish for the days when I was successful,
when I enjoyed God’s friendship and blessing in my home.
5 God All-Powerful was still with me then,
and my children were all around me.
6 Life was so good that I washed my feet in cream
and had plenty of the finest oils.[a]
7 “Those were the days when I went to the city gate
and sat in the public meeting of the elders.
8 When the young men saw me coming, they stepped out of my way.
And the old men stood up to show they respected me.
9 The leaders of the people stopped talking
and put their hands over their mouths.
10 Even the most important leaders were quiet,
as if their tongues were stuck to the roof of their mouths.
11 All who heard me said good things about me.
Those who saw what I did praised me,
12 because I helped the poor when they cried out.
I helped the orphans who had no one to care for them.
13 People who were dying asked God to bless me.
My help brought joy to widows in need.
14 Right living was my clothing.
Fairness was my robe and turban.
15 I was like eyes for the blind,
like feet for the crippled.
16 I was like a father to the poor.
I helped people I didn’t even know win their case in court.
17 I stopped evil people from abusing their power
and saved innocent people from them.[b]
18 “I always thought I would live a long life,
growing old with my family around me.
19 I was like a healthy plant with roots that have plenty of water
and branches that are wet with dew.
20 I thought each new day would bring more honor
and be full of new possibilities.[c]
Paul and Barnabas in Iconium
14 Paul and Barnabas went to the city of Iconium. As they did in Antioch, they entered the Jewish synagogue. They spoke to the people there. They spoke so well that many Jews and Greeks believed what they said. 2 But some of the Jews did not believe. They said things that caused the non-Jewish people to be angry and turn against the believers.
3 So Paul and Barnabas stayed in Iconium a long time, and they spoke bravely for the Lord. They told the people about God’s grace. The Lord proved that what they said was true by causing miraculous signs and wonders to be done through them. 4 But some of the people in the city agreed with the Jews who did not believe Paul and Barnabas. Others followed the apostles. So the city was divided.
5 Some of the Jews there, as well as their leaders and some of the non-Jewish people, were determined to hurt Paul and Barnabas. They wanted to stone them to death. 6 When Paul and Barnabas learned about this, they left the city. They went to Lystra and Derbe, cities in Lycaonia, and to the surrounding areas. 7 They told the Good News there too.
Paul in Lystra and Derbe
8 In Lystra there was a man who had something wrong with his feet. He had been born crippled and had never walked. 9 He was sitting and listening to Paul speak. Paul looked straight at him and saw that the man believed God could heal him. 10 So Paul shouted, “Stand up on your feet!” The man jumped up and began walking around.
11 When the people saw what Paul did, they shouted in their own Lycaonian language. They said, “The gods have come down to us in the form of humans!” 12 The people began to call Barnabas “Zeus,” and they called Paul “Hermes,” because he was the main speaker. 13 The temple of Zeus was near the city. The priest of this temple brought some bulls and flowers to the city gates. The priest and the people wanted to offer a sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas.
14 But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, understood what the people were doing, they tore their own clothes.[a] Then they ran in among the people and shouted to them: 15 “Men, why are you doing this? We are not gods. We are human just like you. We came to tell you the Good News. We are telling you to turn away from these worthless things. Turn to the true living God, the one who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them.
16 “In the past God let all the nations do what they wanted. 17 But God was always there doing the good things that prove he is real. He gives you rain from heaven and good harvests at the right times. He gives you plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
18 Even after saying all this, Paul and Barnabas still could hardly stop the people from offering sacrifices to them.
31 Again the Jews there picked up stones to kill Jesus. 32 But he said to them, “The many wonderful things you have seen me do are from the Father. Which of these good things are you killing me for?”
33 They answered, “We are not killing you for any good thing you did. But you say things that insult God. You are only a man, but you say you are the same as God! That is why we are trying to kill you!”
34 Jesus answered, “It is written in your law that God said, ‘I said you are gods.’[a] 35 This Scripture called those people gods—the people who received God’s message. And Scripture is always true. 36 So why do you accuse me of insulting God for saying, ‘I am God’s Son’? I am the one God chose and sent into the world. 37 If I don’t do what my Father does, then don’t believe what I say. 38 But if I do what my Father does, you should believe in what I do. You might not believe in me, but you should believe in the things I do. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
39 They tried to get Jesus again, but he escaped from them.
40 Then he went back across the Jordan River to the place where John began his work of baptizing people. Jesus stayed there, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “John never did any miraculous signs, but everything John said about this man is true.” 42 And many people there believed in Jesus.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International