Book of Common Prayer
The Privileges of Citizenship in Zion.
A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.
87 His (A)foundation is in the holy mountains.
2 The Lord (B)loves the gates of Zion
More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.
3 (C)Glorious things are spoken of you,
(D)City of God. Selah
4 “I shall mention [a](E)Rahab and Babylon [b]among those who know Me;
Behold, Philistia and (F)Tyre with [c](G)Cush:
‘This one was born there.’”
5 But of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her”;
And the Most High Himself will (H)establish her.
6 The Lord will count when He (I)registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah
7 Then those who (J)sing as well as those who [d](K)play the flutes will say,
“All my (L)springs of joy are in you.”
BOOK 4
God’s Eternity and the Brevity of Human Life.
A Prayer of [a]Moses, the man of God.
90 Lord, You have been our [b](A)dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before (B)the mountains were born
[c]Or You (C)gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even (D)from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
3 You (E)turn mortals back into dust
And say, “Return, you sons of mankind.”
4 For (F)a thousand years in Your sight
Are like (G)yesterday when it passes by,
[d]Or like a (H)watch in the night.
5 You (I)have [e]swept them away like a flood, they [f](J)fall asleep;
In the morning they are like (K)grass that [g]sprouts anew.
6 In the morning it (L)flourishes and [h]sprouts anew;
Toward evening it (M)wilts and (N)withers away.
7 For we have been (O)consumed by Your anger,
And we have been terrified by Your wrath.
8 You have (P)placed our guilty deeds before You,
Our (Q)hidden sins in the light of Your presence.
9 For (R)all our days have dwindled away in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a [i]sigh.
10 As for the days of our [j]life, [k]they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, (S)eighty years,
Yet their pride is only (T)trouble and tragedy;
For it quickly passes, and we (U)disappear.
11 Who [l]understands the (V)power of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the (W)fear [m]that is due You?
12 So (X)teach us to number our days,
That we may [n](Y)present to You a heart of wisdom.
13 Do (Z)return, Lord; (AA)how long will it be?
And [o]be (AB)sorry for Your servants.
14 (AC)Satisfy us in the morning with Your graciousness,
That we may (AD)sing for joy and rejoice all our days.
15 (AE)Make us glad [p]according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the (AF)years we have seen [q]evil.
16 Let Your (AG)work appear to Your servants
And Your (AH)majesty [r]to their children.
17 May the (AI)kindness of the Lord our God be upon us;
And [s](AJ)confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, [t]confirm the work of our hands.
Thanks for the Lord’s Goodness to Israel.
136 (A)Give thanks to the Lord, for (B)He is good,
For (C)His [a]faithfulness is everlasting.
2 Give thanks to the (D)God of gods,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
3 Give thanks to the (E)Lord of lords,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
4 To Him who (F)alone does great [b]wonders,
For His faithfulness is everlasting;
5 To Him who (G)made the heavens [c](H)with skill,
For His faithfulness is everlasting;
6 To Him who (I)spread out the earth above the waters,
For His faithfulness is everlasting;
7 To Him who (J)made the great lights,
For His faithfulness is everlasting:
8 The (K)sun to rule [d]by day,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
9 The (L)moon and stars to rule [e]by night,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
10 To Him who (M)struck [f]the Egyptians, that is, their firstborn,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
11 And (N)brought Israel out from their midst,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
12 With a (O)strong hand and an (P)outstretched arm,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
13 To Him who (Q)divided the [g]Red Sea in parts,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
14 And (R)allowed Israel to pass through the midst of it,
For His faithfulness is everlasting;
15 But (S)He [h]overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the [i]Red Sea,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
16 To Him who (T)led His people through the wilderness,
For His faithfulness is everlasting;
17 To Him who (U)struck great kings,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
18 And (V)brought death to [j]mighty kings,
For His faithfulness is everlasting:
19 (W)Sihon, king of the Amorites,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
20 And (X)Og, king of Bashan,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
21 And (Y)gave their land as an inheritance,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
22 An inheritance to His (Z)servant Israel,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
23 Who (AA)remembered us in our lowliness,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
24 And has (AB)rescued us from our enemies,
For His faithfulness is everlasting;
25 Who (AC)gives food to all flesh,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
26 Give thanks to the (AD)God of heaven,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
9 (A)Proclaim this among the nations:
(B)Prepare for holy war; (C)stir up the warriors!
Have all the soldiers come forward, have them come up!
10 (D)Beat your plowshares into swords,
And your pruning hooks into spears;
(E)Let the weak man say, “I am a warrior.”
11 [a](F)Hurry and come, all you surrounding nations,
And gather yourselves there.
Bring down, Lord, Your (G)warriors.
12 Let the nations be awakened
And come up to the (H)Valley of [b]Jehoshaphat,
For there I will sit to (I)judge
All the surrounding nations.
13 (J)Put in the sickle, for the (K)harvest is ripe.
Come, (L)tread the grapes, for the (M)wine press is full;
The vats overflow, for their (N)wickedness is great.
14 (O)Multitudes, multitudes in the (P)valley of [c]decision!
For the (Q)day of the Lord is near in the valley of [d]decision.
15 The (R)sun and moon have become dark,
And the stars have lost their brightness.
16 The Lord (S)roars from Zion
And (T)utters His voice from Jerusalem,
And the (U)heavens and the earth quake.
But the Lord is a (V)refuge for His people,
And a (W)stronghold for the sons of Israel.
17 Then you will (X)know that I am the Lord your God,
Dwelling on Zion, My (Y)holy mountain.
So Jerusalem will be (Z)holy,
And (AA)strangers will no longer pass through it.
The Sin of Partiality
2 (A)My brothers and sisters, (B)do not hold your faith in our (C)glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of (D)personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your [a]assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in (E)bright clothes, and a poor man in (F)dirty clothes also comes in, 3 and you [b]pay special attention to the one who is wearing the (G)bright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges (H)with evil [c]motives? 5 Listen, (I)my beloved brothers and sisters: did (J)God not choose the poor [d]of this world to be (K)rich in faith and (L)heirs of the kingdom which He (M)promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and [e]personally (N)drag you into [f]court? 7 (O)Do they not blaspheme the good name [g]by which you have been called?
8 If, however, you (P)are fulfilling the [h]royal law according to the Scripture, “(Q)You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you (R)show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as violators. 10 For whoever keeps the whole Law, yet (S)stumbles in one point, has become (T)guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “(U)Do not commit adultery,” also said, “(V)Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do murder, you have become a violator of the Law. 12 So speak, and so act, as those who are to be judged by (W)the law of freedom. 13 For (X)judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy [i]triumphs over judgment.
10 “(A)The one who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and the one who is unrighteous in a very little thing is also unrighteous in much. 11 Therefore if you have not [a]been faithful in the use of unrighteous [b](B)wealth, who will entrust the true wealth to you? 12 And if you have not [c]been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 (C)No [d]servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and [e](D)wealth.”
14 Now the Pharisees, who were (E)lovers of money, were listening to all these things and (F)were [f]ridiculing Him. 15 And He said to them, “You are the ones who (G)justify yourselves in the sight of people, but (H)God knows your hearts; because that which is highly esteemed among people is detestable in the sight of God.
16 “(I)The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John came; since that time (J)the gospel of the kingdom of God [g]has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17 (K)But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one [h]stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
18 “(L)Everyone who [i]divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is [j]divorced from a husband commits adultery.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.