Book of Common Prayer
The Lord’s Covenant with David and Israel’s Afflictions.
A [a]Maskil of [b]Ethan [c]the Ezrahite.
89 I will (A)sing of the graciousness of the Lord forever;
To all generations I will (B)make Your (C)faithfulness known with my mouth.
2 For I have said, “(D)Graciousness will be built up forever;
In the heavens You will establish Your (E)faithfulness.”
3 “I have made a covenant with (F)My chosen;
I have (G)sworn to My servant David,
4 I will establish your [d](H)descendants forever
And build up your (I)throne to all generations.” Selah
5 The (J)heavens will praise Your wonders, Lord;
Your faithfulness also (K)in the assembly of the (L)holy ones.
6 For (M)who in the skies is comparable to the Lord?
Who among the [e](N)sons of the mighty is like the Lord,
7 A God (O)greatly feared in the council of the (P)holy ones,
And (Q)awesome above all those who are around Him?
8 Lord God of armies, (R)who is like You, mighty [f]Lord?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
9 You rule the surging of the sea;
When its waves rise, You (S)calm them.
10 You Yourself crushed [g](T)Rahab like one who is slain;
You (U)scattered Your enemies with [h]Your mighty arm.
11 The (V)heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The (W)world and [i]all it contains, You have established them.
12 The (X)north and the south, You have created them;
(Y)Tabor and (Z)Hermon (AA)shout for joy at Your name.
13 You have [j]a strong arm;
Your hand is mighty, Your (AB)right hand is exalted.
14 (AC)Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
(AD)Mercy and [k]truth go before You.
15 Blessed are the people who know the [l](AE)joyful sound!
Lord, they walk in the (AF)light of Your face.
16 In (AG)Your name they rejoice all the day,
And by Your righteousness they are exalted.
17 For You are the glory of (AH)their strength,
And by Your favor [m]our (AI)horn is exalted.
18 For our (AJ)shield belongs to the Lord,
[n]And our king to the (AK)Holy One of Israel.
19 [o]Once You spoke in vision to Your godly [p]ones,
And said, “I have [q]given help to one who is (AL)mighty;
I have exalted one (AM)chosen from the people.
20 I have (AN)found My servant David;
With My holy (AO)oil I have anointed him,
21 With whom (AP)My hand will be established;
My arm also will (AQ)strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not [r]deceive him,
Nor will the [s](AR)son of wickedness afflict him.
23 But I will (AS)crush his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.
24 My (AT)faithfulness and My favor will be with him,
And in My name his (AU)horn will be exalted.
25 I will also place his hand (AV)on the sea,
And his right hand on the rivers.
26 He will call to Me, ‘You are (AW)my Father,
My God, and the (AX)rock of my salvation.’
27 I will also make him My (AY)firstborn,
The (AZ)highest of the kings of the earth.
28 I will maintain My (BA)favor for him forever,
And My (BB)covenant shall be confirmed to him.
29 So I will establish his [t](BC)descendants forever,
And his (BD)throne (BE)as the days of heaven.
30 “If his sons (BF)abandon My Law
And do not walk in My judgments,
31 If they [u]violate My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
32 Then I will punish their wrongdoing with the (BG)rod,
And their guilt with [v]afflictions.
33 But I will not [w]withhold (BH)My favor from him,
Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.
34 I will not [x]violate My (BI)covenant,
Nor will I (BJ)alter [y]the utterance of My lips.
35 [z]Once I have (BK)sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David.
36 His [aa](BL)descendants shall endure forever,
And his (BM)throne (BN)as the sun before Me.
37 It shall be established forever (BO)like the moon,
And a (BP)witness in the sky is faithful.” Selah
38 But You have (BQ)rejected and (BR)refused,
You have been full of wrath [ab]against Your (BS)anointed.
39 You have [ac](BT)repudiated the covenant of Your servant;
You have (BU)profaned (BV)his crown [ad]in the dust.
40 You have (BW)broken down all his walls;
You have (BX)brought his strongholds to ruin.
41 (BY)All who pass along the way plunder him;
He has become a (BZ)disgrace to his neighbors.
42 You have (CA)exalted the right hand of his adversaries;
You have (CB)made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You also turn back the edge of his sword,
And have (CC)not made him stand in battle.
44 You have put an end to his [ae](CD)splendor
And cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have (CE)shortened the days of his youth;
You have (CF)covered him with shame. Selah
46 (CG)How long, Lord?
Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your (CH)wrath burn like fire?
47 (CI)Remember [af]what my lifespan is;
For what (CJ)futility [ag]You have created all the sons of mankind!
48 What man can live and not (CK)see death?
Can he (CL)save his soul from the [ah]power of [ai]Sheol? Selah
49 Where are Your former acts of favor, Lord,
Which You (CM)swore to David in Your faithfulness?
50 Remember, Lord, the (CN)taunt against Your servants;
[aj]How I carry in my heart the taunts of all the many peoples,
51 With which (CO)Your enemies have taunted, Lord,
With which they have taunted the footsteps of (CP)Your anointed.
52 (CQ)Blessed be the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
God Answers the Prophet
2 I will (A)stand at my guard post
And station myself on the watchtower;
And I will (B)keep watch to see (C)what He will say to me,
And how I may reply [a]when I am reprimanded.
2 Then the Lord answered me and said,
“(D)Write down the vision
And inscribe it clearly on tablets,
So that one who [b]reads it may run.
3 For the vision is yet for the (E)appointed time;
It [c]hurries toward the goal and it will not [d]fail.
Though it delays, (F)wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it (G)will not delay long.
9 “Woe to him who makes (A)evil profit for his household,
To (B)put his nest on high,
To be saved from the hand of catastrophe!
10 You have planned a (C)shameful thing for your house
By bringing many peoples to an end;
So you are (D)sinning against yourself.
11 For the (E)stone will cry out from the wall,
And the rafter will answer it from the [a]framework.
12 “Woe to him who (F)builds a city with bloodshed,
And founds a town with [b]violence!
13 Is it not indeed from the Lord of armies
That peoples (G)labor merely for fire,
And nations become weary for nothing?
14 For the earth will be (H)filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea.
15 “Woe to him who makes his neighbor drink;
[c]To you who mix in your venom even to make your neighbors drunk,
So as to look at their genitalia!
16 You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor.
(I)Drink, you yourself, and [d]expose your own foreskin!
The (J)cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you,
And (K)utter disgrace will come upon your glory.
17 For the (L)violence [e]done to Lebanon will [f]overwhelm you,
And the devastation of its animals [g]by which you terrified them,
(M)Because of human bloodshed and (N)violence [h]done to the land,
To the town and all its inhabitants.
18 “What (O)benefit is a carved image when its maker has carved it,
Or a cast metal image, a (P)teacher of falsehood?
For its maker (Q)trusts in his own handiwork
When he fashions speechless idols.
19 Woe to him who (R)says to a piece of wood, ‘(S)Awake!’
To a mute stone, ‘Arise!’
That is your teacher?
Behold, it is overlaid with (T)gold and silver,
Yet there is (U)no breath at all inside it.
20 But the (V)Lord is in His holy temple.
[i]Let all the earth (W)be silent before Him.”
Faith and Works
14 (A)What use is it, (B)my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can [a]that faith save him? 15 (C)If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “(D)Go in peace, [b]be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 In the same way, (E)faith also, if it has no works, is [c]dead, being by itself.
18 (F)But someone [d]may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your (G)faith without the works, and I will (H)show you my faith (I)by my works.” 19 You believe that [e](J)God is one. (K)You do well; (L)the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to acknowledge, (M)you foolish person, that (N)faith without works is useless? 21 (O)Was our father Abraham not justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that (P)faith was working with his works, and [f]as a result of the (Q)works, faith was [g]perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “(R)And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a (S)friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was (T)Rahab the prostitute not justified by works also (U)when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also (V)faith without works is dead.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, enjoying himself in splendor every day. 20 And a poor man named Lazarus (A)was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing to be fed from the scraps which fell from the rich man’s table; not only that, the dogs also were coming and licking his sores. 22 Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to [a](B)Abraham’s arms; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 And in (C)Hades he raised his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his [b]arms. 24 And he cried out and said, ‘(D)Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in (E)this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that (F)during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 And [c]besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set, so that those who want to go over from here to you will not be able, nor will any people cross over from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I request of you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—in order that he may (G)warn them, so that they will not come to this place of torment as well.’ 29 But Abraham *said, ‘They have [d](H)Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 But he said, ‘No, (I)father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
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