Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 106(A)
1 Praise the Lord!
Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good,
for His mercy endures forever.
2 Who can recount the mighty acts of the Lord
or declare all His praise?
3 Blessed are those who keep justice
and who do righteousness at all times.
4 Remember me, O Lord, when You give favor to Your people;
visit me with Your deliverance,
5 that I may see the goodness over Your chosen ones,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
that I may glory with Your inheritance.
6 We have sinned with our fathers;
we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedly.
7 Our fathers did not consider
Your wonders in Egypt;
they did not remember the greatness of Your mercy,
but rebelled against Him at the sea, by the Red Sea.
8 Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake,
that He might make His mighty power known.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it was dried up,
so He led them through the depths as through the wilderness.
10 He saved them from the hand of him who hated them
and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11 The waters covered their enemies;
there was not one of them left.
12 Then they believed His words;
they sang His praise.
13 But they soon forgot His works;
they did not wait for His counsel,
14 but they lusted exceedingly in the wilderness
and tested God in the desert.
15 He gave them their request,
but He sent a wasting disease on them.
16 They envied in the camp Moses
and Aaron, the holy priest of the Lord.
17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan
and engulfed those led by Abiram.
18 A fire broke out among their company;
the flame burned up the wicked.
19 They made a calf at Horeb,
and worshipped the molded image.
20 Thus they changed the glory of God
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They forgot God, their Deliverer,
who had done great things in Egypt,
22 wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and marvelous deeds by the Red Sea.
23 Therefore He said that He would destroy them,
had not Moses, His chosen one,
stood before Him to intercede,
to turn away His wrath from destroying them.
24 Then they despised the pleasant land;
they did not believe His promise,
25 but they grumbled in their tents,
and did not listen to the voice of the Lord.
26 Therefore He lifted up His hand against them
and swore to overthrow them in the wilderness,
27 and to overthrow their offspring among the nations,
and to scatter them in the lands.
28 They joined themselves to Baal of Peor
and ate the sacrifices given for the dead.
29 Thus they provoked Him to anger with their acts,
and a plague broke out upon them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and interceded,
and so the plague ceased.
31 That was counted unto him for righteousness
unto all generations forever.
32 They angered Him also at the waters of Meribah,
so that Moses suffered because of them,
33 because they provoked his temper,
so that he spoke impulsively with his lips.
34 They did not destroy the nations
as the Lord commanded them,
35 but they mixed among the nations
and learned their deeds;
36 they served their idols,
which were a snare to them.
37 Yes, they sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demons,
38 and poured out innocent blood,
even the blood of their sons and of their daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was polluted with blood.
39 Thus were they defiled by their acts
and acted like whores with these actions.
40 Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against His people,
and He abhorred His own inheritance.
41 He gave them into the hand of the nations,
and those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies also oppressed them,
and Israel was brought into subjection under their powerful hand.
43 Many times He delivered them,
but they were rebellious against Him with their counsel,
and were afflicted for their iniquity.
44 Nevertheless, He regarded their affliction,
when He heard their cry:
45 and He remembered on their behalf His covenant
and relented according to the greatness of His mercies.
46 He made them pitied
among all those who held them captive.
47 Save us, O Lord our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
to give thanks unto Your holy name
and to boast in Your praise.
48 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting,
and let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord!
The Restoration of Judah and Israel
10 Ask for rain from the Lord
during the season of the latter spring rains.
And the Lord will make the storm winds;
and He will give them showers of rain;
all will have vegetation in the field.
2 For the household Teraphim idols speak wickedness,
and the diviners envision lies.
They utter false dreams,
and provide comfort that does not last.
So the people wander about like sheep;
they are afflicted because there is no shepherd.
3 My anger burns against the shepherds,
and I will visit judgment on the male goats.
For the Lord of Hosts will visit His flock, the house of Judah,
and will make them like His majestic horse in battle.
4 From him comes the cornerstone,
and from him the tent peg.
From him comes the bow for battle,
and from him every ruler goes out, all these together.
5 And they will be as mighty men,
who trample down in the muddy streets in battle.
They will fight because the Lord is with them,
and He will put to shame those riding on horses.
6 I will make strong the house of Judah,
and will deliver the house of Joseph.
I will restore them
because I have compassion on them.
They will be like
I had never rejected them;
for I am the Lord their God,
and I will respond to them.
7 Then Ephraim shall be like a mighty man,
and their hearts shall rejoice as with wine.
Their children shall see this and be glad;
their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord.
8 I will whistle to them
and gather them in,
for I have ransomed them;
they will be numerous as they were numerous before.
9 When I scatter them among the nations,
they will remember Me in the distant lands;
they will live with their children
and then return.
10 I will bring them home from the land of Egypt,
and gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon,
until there is no room for them.
11 He will pass through the sea of distress,
and will put down the waves in the sea:
All the depths of the Nile will be dried up;
and the arrogance of Assyria will be brought down,
and the scepter of Egypt will turn away.
12 I will make them strong in the Lord,
and they will go to and fro in His name,
says the Lord.
Bear One Another’s Burdens
6 Brothers, if a man is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, watching yourselves, lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if someone thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For each one shall bear his own burden. 6 Let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches.
7 Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Little Children Blessed(A)
15 They also brought infants to Him that He might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Permit the little children to come to Me, and do not hinder them. For to such belongs the kingdom of God. 17 Truly, I say to you, whoever will not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will in no wise enter it.”
The Rich Ruler(B)
18 A certain ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good, except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother.[a]”
21 He said, “All these I have kept since my youth.”
22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “Yet you lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow Me.”
23 When he heard this he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. 24 When Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 Those who heard this said, “Who then can be saved?”
27 He said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”
28 Peter said, “Look, we have left everything and followed You.”
29 He said to them, “Truly, I tell you, there is no man who has left his home or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who shall not receive many times more in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.