Book of Common Prayer
A Davidic Psalm.
A Song for the King of Glory
24 The earth and everything in it exists for the Lord—
the world and those who live in it.
2 Indeed, he founded it upon the seas,
he established it upon deep waters.[a]
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?[b]
Who may stand in his Holy Place?
4 The one who has innocent hands and a pure heart;
the person who does not delight in what is false
and does not swear an oath deceitfully.
5 This person[c] will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation that seeks him.
Those who seek your face
are the true seed of[d] Jacob.
7 Lift up your heads,[e] gates!
Be lifted up, ancient doors,
so the King of Glory may come in.
8 Who is the King of Glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads,[f] gates!
Be lifted up, ancient doors,
so the King of Glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of Glory?
The Lord of the heavenly armies—
He is the King of Glory.
A Davidic Psalm.
Praise to the Majestic Lord
29 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings;
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord wearing holy attire.
3 The voice of the Lord was heard[a] above the waters;
the God of glory thundered;
the Lord was heard[b] over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord snaps the cedars;[c]
the Lord snaps the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes them stagger like a calf,
even Lebanon and Sirion[d] like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord shoots out flashes of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the voice of the Lord shakes[e] the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord causes deer to give birth,
and strips the forest bare.
In his Temple all of them shout, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sat enthroned over the flood,
and the Lord sits as king forever.
11 The Lord will give strength to his people;
the Lord will bless his people with peace.
To the Director: On a stringed instrument.[a] A Davidic Psalm.
Divine Glory and Human Dignity
8 Lord, our Lord,
how excellent is your name in all the earth!
You set your glory above the heavens!
2 Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies
you have established strength[b]
on account of your adversaries,
in order to silence the enemy and vengeful foe.
3 When I look at the heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you established—
4 what is man that you take notice of him,
or the son of man[c] that you pay attention to him?
5 You made him a little less than divine,[d]
but you crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You gave him dominion over the work of your hands,
you put all things under his feet:
7 Sheep and cattle—all of them,
wild creatures of the field,
8 birds in the sky,
fish in the sea—
whatever moves through the currents of the oceans.
9 Lord, our Lord,
how excellent is your name in all the earth!
To the Director: On the Gittith.
A Psalm by the descendants of Korah.
Longing for God
84 How lovely are your dwelling places,
Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
2 I desire and long
for the Temple[a] courts of the Lord.
My heart and body[b] sing for joy
to the living God.[c]
3 Even the sparrow found a house for herself
and the swallow a nest
to lay[d] her young at your altar,
Lord of the Heavenly Armies,
my king and God.
4 How happy are those who live in your Temple,
for they can praise you continuously.
5 How happy are those whose strength is in you,
whose heart is on your path.
6 They will pass through the Baca Valley
where he will prepare a spring for them;
even the early rain will cover it with blessings.
7 They will walk from strength to strength;
each will appear before God in Zion.
8 Lord God of the Heavenly Armies, hear my prayer!
Listen, God of Jacob!
9 God, look at our shield,
and show favor to your anointed,
10 for a day in your Temple[e] courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather stand
at the entrance of God’s house
than live in the tent of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord grants grace and favor;
the Lord will not withhold any good thing
from those who walk blamelessly.
12 Lord of Heavenly Armies,
how happy are those who trust in you.
The Servant of the Lord
42 “Here is my servant, whom I support,
my chosen one, in whom I delight.[a]
I’ve placed my Spirit upon him;
and[b] he’ll deliver his[c] justice throughout the world.[d]
2 He won’t shout,
or raise his voice,
or make it heard in the street.
3 A crushed reed he will not break,
and a fading candle[e] he won’t snuff out.[f]
He’ll bring forth[g] justice for the truth.
4 And[h] he won’t grow faint or be crushed
until he establishes justice on the mainland,
and the coastlands take ownership of[i] his Law.”
God Speaks about the Servant
5 This is what God says—
the God[j] who created the heavens
and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and its produce,
who gives breath to the people on it
and life[k] to those who walk in it:
6 “I’ve[l] called you in righteousness.
I’ll take hold of your hand.
I’ll preserve you and appoint you
as a covenant to the people,[m]
as a light for the nations,
7 to open blind eyes
and to bring out those who are bound[n] from their cells,
and[o] those sitting in darkness from prison.
8 I, the Lord, am the one,
and I won’t give my name and[p] glory to another,
nor my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have taken place,
and I’m announcing the[q] new things—
before they spring into being
I’m telling you about them.”
Praise in Song to God
10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
and[r] his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who sail down the sea and by everything in it,
you coastlands and their inhabitants.
11 Let the desert cry out,[s]
its towns and the[t] villages where Kedar lives;
and[u] let those who live in Sela sing for joy.
Let them shout aloud[v] from the mountaintops.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord,
and declare his praise in the islands.
Putting on the Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, relying on his mighty strength. 11 Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the Devil’s strategies.[a] 12 For our[b] struggle is not against human opponents,[c] but against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers in the darkness around us,[d] and evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realm. 13 For this reason, take up the whole armor of God so that you may be able to take a stand whenever evil comes. And when you have done everything you could, you will be able to stand firm.
14 Stand firm, therefore, having fastened the belt of truth around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and being firm-footed in the gospel of peace.[e] 16 In addition to having clothed yourselves with these things, having taken up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one, 17 also take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times with every kind of prayer and request. Likewise, be alert with your most diligent efforts and pray for all the saints. 19 Pray[f] also for me, so that, when I begin to speak, the right words will come to me. Then I will boldly make known the secret of the gospel, 20 for whose sake I am an ambassador in chains, desiring to declare the gospel[g] as boldly as I should.[h]
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his uniquely existing Son so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life. 17 Because God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world would be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s uniquely existing Son. 19 And this is the basis for judgment: The light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light because their actions were evil. 20 Everyone who practices wickedness hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his actions may not be exposed.[a] 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may become evident that his actions have God’s approval.”[b]
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