Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 137[a]
137 By the rivers of Babylon
we sit down and weep[b]
when we remember Zion.
2 On the poplars in her midst
we hang our harps,
3 for there our captors ask us to compose songs;[c]
those who mock us demand that we be happy, saying:[d]
“Sing for us a song about Zion!”[e]
4 How can we sing a song to the Lord
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may my right hand be crippled.[f]
6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
and do not give Jerusalem priority
over whatever gives me the most joy.[g]
7 Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did
on the day Jerusalem fell.[h]
They said, “Tear it down, tear it down,[i]
right to its very foundation!”
8 O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated,[j]
how blessed will be the one who repays you
for what you dished out to us.[k]
9 How blessed will be the one who grabs your babies
and smashes them on a rock.[l]
Psalm 144[a]
By David.
144 The Lord, my Protector,[b] deserves praise[c]—
the one who trains my hands for battle,[d]
and my fingers for war,
2 who loves me[e] and is my stronghold,
my refuge[f] and my deliverer,
my shield and the one in whom I take shelter,
who makes nations submit to me.[g]
3 O Lord, of what importance is the human race,[h] that you should notice them?
Of what importance is mankind,[i] that you should be concerned about them?[j]
4 People[k] are like a vapor,
their days like a shadow that disappears.[l]
5 O Lord, make the sky sink[m] and come down.[n]
Touch the mountains and make them smolder.[o]
6 Hurl lightning bolts and scatter the enemy.
Shoot your arrows and rout them.[p]
7 Reach down[q] from above.
Grab me and rescue me from the surging water,[r]
from the power of foreigners,[s]
8 who speak lies,
and make false promises.[t]
9 O God, I will sing a new song to you.
Accompanied by a ten-stringed instrument, I will sing praises to you,
10 the one who delivers[u] kings,
and rescued David his servant from a deadly[v] sword.
11 Grab me and rescue me from the power of foreigners,[w]
who speak lies,
and make false promises.[x]
12 Then[y] our sons will be like plants,
that quickly grow to full size.[z]
Our daughters will be like corner pillars,[aa]
carved like those in a palace.[ab]
13 Our storehouses[ac] will be full,
providing all kinds of food.[ad]
Our sheep will multiply by the thousands
and fill[ae] our pastures.[af]
14 Our cattle will be weighted down with produce.[ag]
No one will break through our walls,
no one will be taken captive,
and there will be no terrified cries in our city squares.[ah]
15 How blessed are the people who experience these things.[ai]
How blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.
Psalm 104[a]
104 Praise the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, you are magnificent.[b]
You are robed in splendor and majesty.
2 He covers himself with light as if it were a garment.
He stretches out the skies like a tent curtain,
3 and lays the beams of the upper rooms of his palace on the rain clouds.[c]
He makes the clouds his chariot,
and travels on the wings of the wind.[d]
4 He makes the winds his messengers,
and the flaming fire his attendant.[e]
5 He established the earth on its foundations;
it will never be moved.
6 The watery deep covered it[f] like a garment;
the waters reached[g] above the mountains.[h]
7 Your shout made the waters retreat;
at the sound of your thunderous voice they hurried off—
8 as the mountains rose up,
and the valleys went down—
to the place you appointed for them.[i]
9 You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross,
so that they would not cover the earth again.[j]
10 He turns springs into streams;[k]
they flow between the mountains.
11 They provide water for all the animals in the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the sky live beside them;
they chirp among the bushes.[l]
13 He waters the mountains from the upper rooms of his palace;[m]
the earth is full of the fruit you cause to grow.[n]
14 He provides grass[o] for the cattle,
and crops for people to cultivate,[p]
so they can produce food from the ground,[q]
15 as well as wine that makes people glad,[r]
and olive oil to make their faces shine,[s]
as well as bread that sustains them.[t]
16 The trees of the Lord[u] receive all the rain they need,[v]
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted,
17 where the birds make nests,
near the evergreens in which the herons live.[w]
18 The wild goats live in the high mountains;[x]
the rock badgers find safety in the cliffs.
19 He made the moon to mark the months,[y]
and the sun sets according to a regular schedule.[z]
20 You make it dark and night comes,[aa]
during which all the beasts of the forest prowl around.
21 The lions roar for prey,
seeking their food from God.[ab]
22 When the sun rises, they withdraw
and sleep[ac] in their dens.
23 People then go out to do their work,
and they labor until evening.[ad]
24 How many living things you have made, O Lord![ae]
You have exhibited great skill in making all of them;[af]
the earth is full of the living things you have made.
25 Over here is the deep, wide sea,[ag]
which teems with innumerable swimming creatures,[ah]
living things both small and large.
26 The ships travel there,
and over here swims the whale[ai] you made to play in it.
27 All your creatures[aj] wait for you
to provide them with food on a regular basis.[ak]
28 You give food to them and they receive it;
you open your hand and they are filled with food.[al]
29 When you ignore them, they panic.[am]
When you take away their life’s breath,
they die and return to dust.
30 When you send your life-giving breath, they are created,
and you replenish the surface of the ground.
31 May the splendor of the Lord endure.[an]
May the Lord find pleasure in the living things he has made.[ao]
32 He looks down on the earth and it shakes;
he touches the mountains and they start to smolder.
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I exist.[ap]
34 May my thoughts[aq] be pleasing to him.
I will rejoice in the Lord.
35 May sinners disappear[ar] from the earth,
and the wicked vanish.
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord.
5 (4:14)[a] But now slash yourself,[b] daughter surrounded by soldiers![c]
We are besieged!
With a scepter[d] they strike Israel’s ruler[e]
on the side of his face.
A King Will Come and a Remnant Will Prosper
2 (5:1) As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,[f]
seemingly insignificant[g] among the clans of Judah—
from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf,[h]
one whose origins[i] are in the distant past.[j]
3 So the Lord[k] will hand the people of Israel[l] over to their enemies[m]
until the time when the woman in labor[n] gives birth.[o]
Then the rest of the king’s[p] countrymen will return
to be reunited with the people of Israel.[q]
4 He will assume his post[r] and shepherd the people[s] by the Lord’s strength,
by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God.[t]
They will live securely,[u] for at that time he will be honored[v]
even in the distant regions of[w] the earth.
The Lord Will Purify His People
10 “In that day,” says the Lord,
“I will destroy[a] your horses from your midst
and smash your chariots.
11 I will destroy the cities of your land
and tear down all your fortresses.
12 I will remove the sorcery[b] that you practice,[c]
and you will no longer have omen readers living among you.[d]
13 I will remove your idols and sacred pillars from your midst;
you will no longer worship what your own hands made.
14 I will uproot your images of Asherah[e] from your midst
and destroy your idols.[f]
15 With furious anger I will carry out vengeance
on the nations that do not obey me.”
Festus Asks King Agrippa for Advice
13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa[a] and Bernice arrived at Caesarea[b] to pay their respects[c] to Festus.[d] 14 While[e] they were staying there many days, Festus[f] explained Paul’s case to the king to get his opinion,[g] saying, “There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix. 15 When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed[h] me about him,[i] asking for a sentence of condemnation[j] against him. 16 I answered them[k] that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone[l] before the accused had met his accusers face-to-face[m] and had been given[n] an opportunity to make a defense against the accusation.[o] 17 So after they came back here with me,[p] I did not postpone the case,[q] but the next day I sat[r] on the judgment seat[s] and ordered the man to be brought. 18 When his accusers stood up, they did not charge[t] him with any of the evil deeds I had suspected.[u] 19 Rather they had several points of disagreement[v] with him about their own religion[w] and about a man named Jesus[x] who was dead, whom Paul claimed[y] to be alive. 20 Because I was at a loss[z] how I could investigate these matters,[aa] I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried[ab] there on these charges.[ac] 21 But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor,[ad] I ordered him to be kept under guard until I could send him to Caesar.”[ae] 22 Agrippa[af] said to Festus,[ag] “I would also like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he replied,[ah] “you will hear him.”
Paul Before King Agrippa and Bernice
23 So the next day Agrippa[ai] and Bernice came with great pomp[aj] and entered the audience hall,[ak] along with the senior military officers[al] and the prominent men of the city. When Festus[am] gave the order,[an] Paul was brought in. 24 Then Festus[ao] said, “King Agrippa,[ap] and all you who are present here with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish populace[aq] petitioned[ar] me both in Jerusalem and here,[as] shouting loudly[at] that he ought not to live any longer. 25 But I found that he had done nothing that deserved death,[au] and when he appealed[av] to His Majesty the Emperor,[aw] I decided to send him.[ax] 26 But I have nothing definite[ay] to write to my lord[az] about him.[ba] Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa,[bb] so that after this preliminary hearing[bc] I may have something to write. 27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating[bd] the charges against him.”
Showing the Light
16 “No one lights[a] a lamp[b] and then covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in can see the light.[c] 17 For nothing is hidden[d] that will not be revealed,[e] and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light. 18 So listen carefully,[f] for whoever has will be given more, but[g] whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has[h] will be taken from him.”
Jesus’ True Family
19 Now Jesus’[i] mother and his brothers[j] came to him, but[k] they could not get near him because of the crowd. 20 So[l] he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 But he replied[m] to them, “My mother and my brothers are those[n] who hear the word of God and do it.”[o]
Stilling of a Storm
22 One[p] day Jesus[q] got into a boat[r] with his disciples and said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” So[s] they set out, 23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. Now a violent windstorm[t] came down on the lake,[u] and the boat[v] started filling up with water, and they were in danger. 24 They[w] came[x] and woke him, saying, “Master, Master,[y] we are about to die!” So[z] he got up and rebuked[aa] the wind and the raging waves;[ab] they died down, and it was calm. 25 Then[ac] he said to them, “Where is your faith?”[ad] But they were afraid and amazed,[ae] saying to one another, “Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the water,[af] and they obey him!”
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