Book of Common Prayer
The Eternal Reign of the Lord
93 The (A)Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The Lord is clothed,
(B)He has girded Himself with strength.
Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be [a]moved.
2 (C)Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.
3 The floods have [b]lifted up, O Lord,
The floods have lifted up their voice;
The floods lift up their waves.
4 (D)The Lord on high is mightier
Than the noise of many waters,
Than the mighty waves of the sea.
5 Your testimonies are very sure;
Holiness adorns Your house,
O Lord, [c]forever.
A Song of Praise to God Coming in Judgment(A)
96 Oh, (B)sing to the Lord a new song!
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
3 Declare His glory among the [a]nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
4 For (C)the Lord is great and (D)greatly to be praised;
(E)He is to be feared above all gods.
5 For (F)all the gods of the peoples are idols,
(G)But the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and (H)beauty are in His sanctuary.
7 (I)Give[b] to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
8 [c]Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come into His courts.
9 Oh, worship the Lord (J)in the beauty of holiness!
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
10 Say among the [d]nations, (K)“The Lord reigns;
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be [e]moved;
(L)He shall judge the peoples righteously.”
11 (M)Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
(N)Let the sea roar, and [f]all its fullness;
12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice
13 before the Lord.
For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth.
(O)He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with His truth.
Praise to the Lord from Creation
148 Praise[a] the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
2 Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all you stars of light!
4 Praise Him, (A)you heavens of heavens,
And (B)you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For (C)He commanded and they were created.
6 (D)He also established them forever and ever;
He made a decree which shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
(E)You great sea creatures and all the depths;
8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9 (F)Mountains and all hills;
Fruitful trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and flying fowl;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and maidens;
Old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For His (G)name alone is exalted;
His glory is above the earth and heaven.
14 And He (H)has exalted the [b]horn of His people,
The praise of (I)all His saints—
Of the children of Israel,
(J)A people near to Him.
[c]Praise the Lord!
Let All Things Praise the Lord
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty [b]firmament!
2 Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent (B)greatness!
3 Praise Him with the sound of the [c]trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
5 Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
[d]Praise the Lord!
The Land of the Majestic King
17 Your eyes will see the King in His (A)beauty;
They will see the land that is very far off.
18 Your heart will meditate on terror:
(B)“Where is the scribe?
Where is he who weighs?
Where is he who counts the towers?”
19 (C)You will not see a fierce people,
(D)A people of obscure speech, beyond perception,
Of a [a]stammering tongue that you cannot understand.
20 (E)Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
Your eyes will see (F)Jerusalem, a quiet home,
A tabernacle that will not be taken down;
(G)Not one of (H)its stakes will ever be removed,
Nor will any of its cords be broken.
21 But there the majestic Lord will be for us
A place of broad rivers and streams,
In which no [b]galley with oars will sail,
Nor majestic ships pass by
22 (For the Lord is our (I)Judge,
The Lord is our (J)Lawgiver,
(K)The Lord is our King;
He will save us);
The Time Is Near
6 Then he said to me, (A)“These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the [a]holy prophets (B)sent His angel to show His servants the things which must (C)shortly take place.
7 (D)“Behold, I am coming quickly! (E)Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
8 Now I, John, [b]saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, (F)I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.
9 Then he said to me, (G)“See that you do not do that. [c]For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” 10 (H)And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, (I)for the time is at hand. 11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him [d]be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”
A Warning
18 [a]For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: (A)If anyone adds to these things, [b]God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, (B)God[c] shall take away his part from the [d]Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
I Am Coming Quickly
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Birth of John the Baptist
57 Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. 58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they (A)rejoiced with her.
Circumcision of John the Baptist
59 So it was, (B)on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. 60 His mother answered and said, (C)“No; he shall be called John.”
61 But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. 65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all those who heard them (D)kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And (E)the hand of the Lord was with him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.