Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 80[a]
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” Of Asaph. A psalm.
1 Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock.(A)
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,(B)
shine forth 2 before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.(C)
Awaken(D) your might;
come and save us.(E)
4 How long,(I) Lord God Almighty,
will your anger smolder(J)
against the prayers of your people?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears;(K)
you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.(L)
6 You have made us an object of derision[b] to our neighbors,
and our enemies mock us.(M)
7 Restore us, God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.(N)
8 You transplanted a vine(O) from Egypt;
you drove out(P) the nations and planted(Q) it.
9 You cleared the ground for it,
and it took root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 Its branches reached as far as the Sea,[c]
its shoots as far as the River.[d](R)
12 Why have you broken down its walls(S)
so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
13 Boars from the forest ravage(T) it,
and insects from the fields feed on it.
14 Return to us, God Almighty!
Look down from heaven and see!(U)
Watch over this vine,
15 the root your right hand has planted,
the son[e] you have raised up for yourself.
16 Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;(V)
at your rebuke(W) your people perish.
17 Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
the son of man(X) you have raised up for yourself.
18 Then we will not turn away from you;
revive(Y) us, and we will call on your name.
19 Restore us, Lord God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.
Psalm 146
1 Praise the Lord.[a]
Praise the Lord,(A) my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;(B)
I will sing praise(C) to my God as long as I live.(D)
3 Do not put your trust in princes,(E)
in human beings,(F) who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;(G)
on that very day their plans come to nothing.(H)
5 Blessed are those(I) whose help(J) is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven(K) and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful(L) forever.
7 He upholds(M) the cause of the oppressed(N)
and gives food to the hungry.(O)
The Lord sets prisoners free,(P)
8 the Lord gives sight(Q) to the blind,(R)
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,(S)
the Lord loves the righteous.(T)
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner(U)
and sustains the fatherless(V) and the widow,(W)
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The Lord reigns(X) forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 147
1 Praise the Lord.[b]
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;(AA)
he gathers the exiles(AB) of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted(AC)
and binds up their wounds.(AD)
4 He determines the number of the stars(AE)
and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord(AF) and mighty in power;(AG)
his understanding has no limit.(AH)
6 The Lord sustains the humble(AI)
but casts the wicked(AJ) to the ground.
8 He covers the sky with clouds;(AO)
he supplies the earth with rain(AP)
and makes grass grow(AQ) on the hills.
9 He provides food(AR) for the cattle
and for the young ravens(AS) when they call.
10 His pleasure is not in the strength(AT) of the horse,(AU)
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
11 the Lord delights(AV) in those who fear him,(AW)
who put their hope(AX) in his unfailing love.(AY)
12 Extol the Lord, Jerusalem;(AZ)
praise your God, Zion.
13 He strengthens the bars of your gates(BA)
and blesses your people(BB) within you.
14 He grants peace(BC) to your borders
and satisfies you(BD) with the finest of wheat.(BE)
15 He sends his command(BF) to the earth;
his word runs(BG) swiftly.
16 He spreads the snow(BH) like wool
and scatters the frost(BI) like ashes.
17 He hurls down his hail(BJ) like pebbles.
Who can withstand his icy blast?
18 He sends his word(BK) and melts them;
he stirs up his breezes,(BL) and the waters flow.
19 He has revealed his word(BM) to Jacob,(BN)
his laws and decrees(BO) to Israel.
20 He has done this for no other nation;(BP)
they do not know(BQ) his laws.[c]
Praise the Lord.(BR)
13 The Lord says:
“These people(A) come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,(B)
but their hearts are far from me.(C)
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.[a](D)
14 Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;(E)
the wisdom of the wise(F) will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.(G)”
15 Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide(H) their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us?(I) Who will know?”(J)
16 You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!(K)
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed(L) it,
“You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,(M)
“You know nothing”?(N)
17 In a very short time,(O) will not Lebanon(P) be turned into a fertile field(Q)
and the fertile field seem like a forest?(R)
18 In that day(S) the deaf(T) will hear the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness(U)
the eyes of the blind will see.(V)
19 Once more the humble(W) will rejoice in the Lord;
the needy(X) will rejoice in the Holy One(Y) of Israel.
20 The ruthless(Z) will vanish,(AA)
the mockers(AB) will disappear,
and all who have an eye for evil(AC) will be cut down—
21 those who with a word make someone out to be guilty,
who ensnare the defender in court(AD)
and with false testimony(AE) deprive the innocent of justice.(AF)
22 Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed(AG) Abraham,(AH) says to the descendants of Jacob:
“No longer will Jacob be ashamed;(AI)
no longer will their faces grow pale.(AJ)
23 When they see among them their children,(AK)
the work of my hands,(AL)
they will keep my name holy;(AM)
they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One(AN) of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who are wayward(AO) in spirit will gain understanding;(AP)
those who complain will accept instruction.”(AQ)
22 I did not see a temple(A) in the city, because the Lord God Almighty(B) and the Lamb(C) are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God(D) gives it light,(E) and the Lamb(F) is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.(G) 25 On no day will its gates(H) ever be shut,(I) for there will be no night there.(J) 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.(K) 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful,(L) but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.(M)
Eden Restored
22 Then the angel showed me the river(N) of the water of life,(O) as clear as crystal,(P) flowing(Q) from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life,(R) bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.(S) 3 No longer will there be any curse.(T) The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.(U) 4 They will see his face,(V) and his name will be on their foreheads.(W) 5 There will be no more night.(X) They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.(Y) And they will reign for ever and ever.(Z)
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,(A) 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.(B) 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women,(C) and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord(D) should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Mary’s Song(E)
46 And Mary said:
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.(A)
From now on all generations will call me blessed,(B)
49 for the Mighty One has done great things(C) for me—
holy is his name.(D)
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.(E)
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;(F)
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.(G)
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.(H)
53 He has filled the hungry with good things(I)
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful(J)
55 to Abraham and his descendants(K) forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
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