Book of Common Prayer
A Davidic Psalm.
A Song for the King of Glory
24 The earth and everything in it exists for the Lord—
the world and those who live in it.
2 Indeed, he founded it upon the seas,
he established it upon deep waters.[a]
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?[b]
Who may stand in his Holy Place?
4 The one who has innocent hands and a pure heart;
the person who does not delight in what is false
and does not swear an oath deceitfully.
5 This person[c] will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation that seeks him.
Those who seek your face
are the true seed of[d] Jacob.
7 Lift up your heads,[e] gates!
Be lifted up, ancient doors,
so the King of Glory may come in.
8 Who is the King of Glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads,[f] gates!
Be lifted up, ancient doors,
so the King of Glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of Glory?
The Lord of the heavenly armies—
He is the King of Glory.
A Davidic Psalm.
Praise to the Majestic Lord
29 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings;
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord wearing holy attire.
3 The voice of the Lord was heard[a] above the waters;
the God of glory thundered;
the Lord was heard[b] over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord snaps the cedars;[c]
the Lord snaps the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes them stagger like a calf,
even Lebanon and Sirion[d] like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord shoots out flashes of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the voice of the Lord shakes[e] the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord causes deer to give birth,
and strips the forest bare.
In his Temple all of them shout, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sat enthroned over the flood,
and the Lord sits as king forever.
11 The Lord will give strength to his people;
the Lord will bless his people with peace.
To the Director: On a stringed instrument.[a] A Davidic Psalm.
Divine Glory and Human Dignity
8 Lord, our Lord,
how excellent is your name in all the earth!
You set your glory above the heavens!
2 Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies
you have established strength[b]
on account of your adversaries,
in order to silence the enemy and vengeful foe.
3 When I look at the heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you established—
4 what is man that you take notice of him,
or the son of man[c] that you pay attention to him?
5 You made him a little less than divine,[d]
but you crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You gave him dominion over the work of your hands,
you put all things under his feet:
7 Sheep and cattle—all of them,
wild creatures of the field,
8 birds in the sky,
fish in the sea—
whatever moves through the currents of the oceans.
9 Lord, our Lord,
how excellent is your name in all the earth!
To the Director: On the Gittith.
A Psalm by the descendants of Korah.
Longing for God
84 How lovely are your dwelling places,
Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
2 I desire and long
for the Temple[a] courts of the Lord.
My heart and body[b] sing for joy
to the living God.[c]
3 Even the sparrow found a house for herself
and the swallow a nest
to lay[d] her young at your altar,
Lord of the Heavenly Armies,
my king and God.
4 How happy are those who live in your Temple,
for they can praise you continuously.
5 How happy are those whose strength is in you,
whose heart is on your path.
6 They will pass through the Baca Valley
where he will prepare a spring for them;
even the early rain will cover it with blessings.
7 They will walk from strength to strength;
each will appear before God in Zion.
8 Lord God of the Heavenly Armies, hear my prayer!
Listen, God of Jacob!
9 God, look at our shield,
and show favor to your anointed,
10 for a day in your Temple[e] courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather stand
at the entrance of God’s house
than live in the tent of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord grants grace and favor;
the Lord will not withhold any good thing
from those who walk blamelessly.
12 Lord of Heavenly Armies,
how happy are those who trust in you.
The Lord Speaks to Job
38 The Lord responded to Job from the whirlwind and said:
18 Do you understand the breadth of the earth?
Tell me, since you know it all!
19 “Where is the road to where the light lives?
Or where does the darkness live?
20 Can you take it to its homeland,
since you know the path to his house?
21 You should know! After all, you had been born back then,
so the number of your days is great!
22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
or seen where the hail is stored,
23 which I’ve reserved for the tribulation to come,
for the day of battle and war?
24 Where is the lightning diffused
or the east wind scattered around the earth?
25 “Who cuts canals for storm floods,
and paths for the lightning and thunder,
26 to bring rain upon a land without inhabitants,
a desert in which no human beings live,
27 to satisfy a desolate and devastated desert,
causing it to sprout vegetation?
28 “Does the rain have a father?
Who fathered the dew?
29 Whose womb brings forth the ice?
Who gives birth to frost out of an empty[a] sky,
30 when water solidifies[b] like stone
and the surface of the deepest sea freezes?
On the Heavens
31 “Can you bind the chains of Pleiades
or loosen the cords of Orion?
32 Can you bring out constellations in their season?
Can you guide the Bear with her cubs?
33 Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you regulate their authority over the earth?
34 “Can you call out to the clouds,
so that abundant water drenches you?
35 Can you command the lightning,
so that it goes forth and calls to you, ‘Look at us!’[c]
36 “Who sets wisdom within you,
or imbues your mind with understanding?
37 Who has the wisdom to be able to count the clouds,
or to empty[d] the water jars of heaven,
38 when dust dries into a mass
and then breaks apart into clods?
On the Animal World
39 “Can you hunt prey for the lioness
to satisfy young lions
40 when they crouch in their dens
and lie in ambush in their lairs?
41 Who prepares food for the raven,
when its offspring cry out to God
as they wander for lack of food?”
The Vision of the Fall of Babylon
18 After these things, I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority,[a] and the earth was made bright by his splendor. 2 He cried out in a powerful voice,
“Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen!
She has become a home for demons.
She is a prison for every unclean spirit,
a prison for every unclean bird,
and a prison for every unclean
and hated beast.
3 For all the nations have drunk
from the wine of her sexual immorality,
and the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her.
The world’s businesses have become rich
from her luxurious excesses.”
The Warning to Leave Babylon
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,
“Come out of her, my people,
so that you don’t participate in her sins
and also suffer from her diseases.
5 For her sins are piled as high as heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Do to her as she herself has done,
and give her double for her deeds.
Mix a double drink for her in the cup she mixed.
7 Just as she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
inflict on her just as much torture and misery.
In her heart she says,
‘I am a queen on a throne, not a widow.
I will never see misery.’
8 For this reason, her diseases that result in death, misery, and famine
will come in a single day.
She will be burned up in a fire,
because powerful is the Lord God who judges her.”
Teaching about Anger
21 “You have heard that it was told those who lived long ago, ‘You are not to commit murder,’[a] and, ‘Whoever murders will be subject to punishment.’[b] 22 But I say to you, anyone who is angry with his brother without a cause[c] will be subject to punishment. And whoever says to his brother ‘Raka!’[d] will be subject to the Council.[e] And whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hell[f] fire.
23 “So if you are presenting your gift at the altar and remember there that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and first go and be reconciled to your brother. Then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your opponent while you are on the way to court,[g] or your opponent may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you[h] with certainty, you will not get out of there until you pay back the last dollar!”[i]
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