Book of Common Prayer

God’s Shining-Greatness

8 O Lord, our Lord, how great is Your name in all the earth. You have set Your shining-greatness above the heavens. ² Out of the mouth of children and babies, You have built up strength because of those who hate You, and to quiet those who fight against You.

³ When I look up and think about Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in their place, ⁴ what is man, that You think of him, the son of man that You care for him? ⁵ You made him a little less than the angels and gave him a crown of greatness and honor. ⁶ You made him to rule over the works of Your hands. You put all things under his feet: ⁷ All sheep and cattle, all the wild animals, ⁸ the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and all that pass through the sea. ⁹ O Lord, our Lord, how great is Your name in all the earth!

The Whole World Should Praise the Lord

148 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise Him on high! ² Praise Him, all His angels! Praise Him, all His army! ³ Praise Him, sun and moon! Praise Him, all you shining stars! ⁴ Praise Him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! ⁵ Let them praise the name of the Lord! For He spoke and they came into being. ⁶ He has made them last forever and ever. He has set a Law which will not pass away.

⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth, you large sea animals and all seas, ⁸ fire and hail, snow and clouds, and wind storms, obeying His Word. ⁹ Praise the Lord, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all tall trees, ¹⁰ wild animals and all cattle, small animals that move on the ground and birds that fly, ¹¹ kings of the earth and all people, princes and all leaders of the earth, ¹² both young men and women who have never had men, and old men and children.

¹³ Let them praise the name of the Lord. For His name alone is honored. His shining-greatness is above earth and heaven. ¹⁴ He has raised up a horn for His people, praise for all who belong to Him, for the people of Israel, who are near to Him. Praise the Lord!

The Lord Answers Job

38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the strong wind and said, ² “Who is this that makes words of wisdom dark by speaking without much learning? ³ Now get ready like a man, and I will ask you some questions and you answer Me. ⁴ Where were you when I began building the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. ⁵ Who decided how big it was to be, since you know? Who looked to see if it was as big as it should be? ⁶ What was it built upon? Who laid its first stone, ⁷ when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God called out for joy?

God Speaks Through His Son

1 Long ago God spoke to our early fathers in many different ways. He spoke through the early preachers. ² But in these last days He has spoken to us through His Son. God gave His Son everything. It was by His Son that God made the world. ³ The Son shines with the shining-greatness of the Father. The Son is as God is in every way. It is the Son Who holds up the whole world by the power of His Word. The Son gave His own life so we could be clean from all sin. After He had done that, He sat down on the right side of God in heaven.

The Son Was Greater Than the Angels

⁴ The Son of God was made greater and better than the angels. God gave Him a greater name than theirs. ⁵ God did not say to any of His angels, “You are My Son. Today I have become Your Father.” ^(A) And He did not say to any angel, “I will be a Father to Him. He will be a Son to Me.” ^{(B) 6} But when God brought His first-born Son, Jesus, into the world, He said, “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” ⁷ He said this about the angels, “He makes His angels to be winds. He makes His servants a burning fire.” ^{(C) 8} But about His Son, He says, “O God, Your throne will last forever. Whatever You say in Your nation is right and good. ⁹ You have loved what is right. You have hated what is wrong. That is why God, Your God, has chosen You. He has poured over You the oil of joy more than over anyone else.” ^{(D) 10} He said also, “Lord, You made the earth in the beginning. You made the heavens with Your hands. ¹¹ They will be destroyed but You will always be here. They will all become old just as clothes become old. ¹² You will roll up the heavens like a coat. They will be changed. But You are always the same. You will never grow old.” ^{(E) 13} God never said to any angel, “Sit at My right side, until I make those who hate You a place to rest Your feet.” ^{(F) 14} Are not all the angels spirits who work for God? They are sent out to help those who are to be saved from the punishment of sin.

Those Who Trust in God Are Happy

34 I will honor the Lord at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth. ² My soul will be proud to tell about the Lord. Let those who suffer hear it and be filled with joy. ³ Give great honor to the Lord with me. Let us praise His name together.

⁴ I looked for the Lord, and He answered me. And He took away all my fears. ⁵ They looked to Him and their faces shined with joy. Their faces will never be ashamed. ⁶ This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him. And He saved him out of all his troubles. ⁷ The angel of the Lord stays close around those who fear Him, and He takes them out of trouble.

⁸ O taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the man who trusts in Him! ⁹ O fear the Lord, all you who belong to Him. For those who fear Him never want for anything. ¹⁰ The young lions suffer want and hunger. But they who look for the Lord will not be without any good thing. ¹¹ Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. ¹² Who is the man who has a desire for life, and wants to live long so that he may see good things? ¹³ Keep your tongue from sin and your lips from speaking lies. ¹⁴ Turn away from what is sinful. Do what is good. Look for peace and follow it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are on those who do what is right and good. His ears are open to their cry. ¹⁶ The face of the Lord is against those who sin. He will keep the people of the earth from remembering them. ¹⁷ Those who are right with the Lord cry, and He hears them. And He takes them from all their troubles. ¹⁸ The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart. And He saves those who are broken in spirit.

¹⁹ A man who does what is right and good may have many troubles. But the Lord takes him out of them all. ²⁰ He keeps all his bones safe. Not one of them is broken. ²¹ Sin will kill the sinful. And those who hate God’s people will be held guilty and punished forever. ²² The Lord saves the soul of those who work for Him. None of those who trust in Him will be held guilty.

A Song of Praise

150 Praise the Lord! Praise God in His holy place! Praise Him in the heavens of His power! ² Praise Him for His great works! Praise Him for all His greatness!

³ Praise Him with the sound of a horn. Praise Him with harps. ⁴ Praise Him with timbrels and dancing. Praise Him with strings and horns. ⁵ Praise Him with loud sounds. Praise Him with loud and clear sounds. ⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

The Lord Watches Over All His Works

104 Praise the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great. You are dressed with great honor and wonderful power. ² He covers Himself with light as with a coat. He spreads out the heavens like a tent. ³ He makes His home on the waters. He makes the clouds His wagon. He rides on the wings of the wind. ⁴ He makes the winds carry His news. He makes His helpers a burning fire.

⁵ He set the earth in its place so that it will stay that way forever. ⁶ You covered it with the sea as with a coat. The waters stood above the mountains. ⁷ The waters left at Your strong words. They went away in a hurry at the sound of Your thunder. ⁸ The mountains went up and the valleys went down to the place that You made for them. ⁹ You set a place that they may not pass over. The waters will never cover the earth again.

¹⁰ He sends rivers into the valleys. They flow between the mountains. ¹¹ They give water to all the animals of the field. The wild donkeys drink until they are no longer thirsty. ¹² The birds of the sky nest beside them. They sing among the branches. ¹³ He waters the mountains from His home above. The earth is filled with the fruit of His works.

¹⁴ He makes the grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to use. So He may bring food from the earth, ¹⁵ wine that makes man’s heart glad, oil to make his face shine, and food to make his heart strong. ¹⁶ The tall cedar trees that the Lord planted in Lebanon drink their fill. ¹⁷ The birds make their nests there. The stork has its nest in the green trees.

¹⁸ The high mountains are for the wild goats. The rocks are a safe place for the badgers. ¹⁹ He made the moon to mark the time of year. And the sun knows when to go down. ²⁰ You make darkness and it becomes night. Then all the wild animals among the trees come out. ²¹ The young lions make a loud noise as they go after meat. And they get their food from God. ²² They go to their homes and lie down when the sun rises. ²³ Then man goes out to his work and works until evening.

²⁴ O Lord, how many are Your works! You made them all in wisdom. The earth is full of what You have made. ²⁵ There is the wide sea full of both large and small animals. There are too many for us to number. ²⁶ The ships sail there. And the very large sea animal You have made plays in it.

²⁷ They all wait for You to give them their food at the right time. ²⁸ You give it to them and they gather it up. You open Your hand and they are filled with good things. ²⁹ They are troubled and afraid when You hide Your face. And when You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. ³⁰ They are made when You send Your Spirit. And You make the land of the earth new again.

³¹ May the shining-greatness of the Lord last forever. May the Lord be glad in His works. ³² He looks at the earth and it shakes with fear. He touches the mountains and they smoke. ³³ I will sing to the Lord all my life. I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. ³⁴ May the words of my heart be pleasing to Him. As for me, I will be glad in the Lord. ³⁵ Let sinners be destroyed from the earth. And let the sinful be no more. Honor the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!

The False Religious Teachers

²¹ “If anyone says to you, ‘See! Here is the Christ,’ or, ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. ²² Some will come who will say they are Christ. False preachers will come. These people will do special things for people to see. They will do surprising things, so that if it can be, God’s people will be led to believe something wrong. ²³ See! I have told you about these things before they happen.

Jesus Will Come Again in His Greatness

²⁴ “After those days of much trouble and pain and sorrow are over, the sun will get dark. The moon will not give light. ²⁵ The stars will fall from the sky. The powers in the heavens will be shaken. ²⁶ Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and shining-greatness. ²⁷ He will send His angels. They will gather together God’s people from the four winds. They will come from one end of the earth to the other end of heaven.