Book of Common Prayer
The Reign of the Lord’s Anointed.
2 Why are (A)the [a]nations restless
And the peoples (B)plotting in vain?
2 The (C)kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers conspire together
(D)Against the Lord and against His [b](E)Anointed, saying,
3 “Let’s (F)tear their shackles apart
And throw their ropes away from us!”
4 He who [c]sits in the heavens (G)laughs,
The Lord (H)scoffs at them.
5 Then He will speak to them in His (I)anger
And (J)terrify them in His fury, saying,
6 “But as for Me, I have installed (K)My King
Upon Zion, (L)My holy mountain.”
7 “I will announce the [d]decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, ‘You are (M)My Son,
Today I have fathered You.
8 Ask it of Me, and (N)I will certainly give (O)the [e]nations as Your inheritance,
And the (P)ends of the earth as Your possession.
9 You shall [f](Q)break them with a [g]rod of iron,
You shall (R)shatter them like [h]earthenware.’”
10 Now then, you kings, (S)use insight;
Let yourselves be instructed, you [i]judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with [j](T)reverence
And rejoice with (U)trembling.
12 [k]Kiss (V)the Son, that He not be angry and you perish on the way,
For (W)His wrath may be kindled quickly.
How blessed are all who (X)take refuge in Him!
Protestation of Integrity and Prayer for Protection.
A Psalm of David.
26 [a](A)Vindicate me, Lord, for I have (B)walked in my integrity,
And I have (C)trusted in the Lord [b](D)without wavering.
2 (E)Examine me, Lord, and put me to the test;
(F)Refine my [c]mind and my heart.
3 For Your [d](G)goodness is before my eyes,
And I have (H)walked in Your truth.
4 I do not (I)sit with [e]deceitful people,
Nor will I go with [f](J)pretenders.
5 I (K)hate the assembly of evildoers,
And I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I will (L)wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go around (M)Your altar, Lord,
7 That I may proclaim with the voice of (N)thanksgiving
And declare all Your [g]wonders.
8 Lord, I (O)love the dwelling of Your house,
And the place [h]where Your (P)glory remains.
9 (Q)Do not [i]take my soul away along with sinners,
Nor my life with (R)men of bloodshed,
10 In whose hands is a (S)wicked scheme,
And whose right hand is full of (T)bribes.
11 But as for me, I will (U)walk in my integrity;
(V)Redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 (W)My foot stands on (X)level ground;
In the (Y)congregations I will bless the Lord.
13 (A)Shout for joy, you heavens! And rejoice, you earth!
Break forth into joyful shouting, mountains!
For the (B)Lord has comforted His people
And will (C)have compassion on His afflicted.
Promise to Zion
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has abandoned me,
And the Lord has forgotten me.”
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but (D)I will not forget you.
16 Behold, I have (E)inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your (F)walls are continually before Me.
17 Your [a]builders hurry;
Your (G)destroyers and devastators
Will leave you.
18 (H)Raise your eyes and look around;
(I)All of them gather together, (J)they come to you.
(K)As I live,” declares the Lord,
“You will certainly (L)put them all on as [b]jewelry and bind them on as a bride.
19 For (M)your ruins and deserted places and your destroyed land—
Now you will certainly be (N)too cramped for the inhabitants,
And those who (O)swallowed you will be far away.
20 The (P)children [c]you lost will yet say in your ears,
‘The place is too cramped for me;
Make room for me that I may live here.’
21 Then you will (Q)say in your heart,
‘Who has fathered these for me,
Since I have been bereaved of my children
And (R)cannot conceive, and I am an (S)exile, and a wanderer?
And who has raised these?
Behold, I was (T)left alone;
[d](U)Where are these from?’”
22 This is what the Lord [e]God says:
“Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations
And set up My (V)flag to the peoples;
And they will (W)bring your sons [f]in their arms,
And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
23 (X)Kings will be your guardians,
And their princesses your nurses.
They will (Y)bow down to you with their faces to the ground
And (Z)lick the dust from your feet;
And you will (AA)know that I am the Lord;
Those who hopefully (AB)wait for Me will (AC)not be put to shame.
Rank in the Kingdom
18 (A)At that [a]time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “(B)Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And He called a child to Himself and set him among them, 3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you [b]change and (C)become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 So whoever will humble himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever receives one such child in My name, receives Me; 6 but (D)whoever (E)causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to [c]sin, it is better for him that a [d]heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depths of the sea.
Stumbling Blocks
7 “Woe to the world because of its [e]stumbling blocks! For (F)it is inevitable that [f]stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person through whom the [g]stumbling block comes!
8 “And (G)if your hand or your foot is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; it is better for you to enter life maimed or without a foot, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And (H)if your eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into the [h](I)fiery hell.
10 “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones; for I say to you that (J)their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.[i]
Ninety-nine Plus One
12 “What do you think? (K)If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains, and go and search for the one that is lost? 13 And if it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that have not gone astray. 14 So it is not the will [j]of your Father who is in heaven for one of these little ones to perish.
The Works and the Word of God.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
19 The (A)heavens tell of the glory of God;
And their (B)expanse declares the work of His hands.
2 Day to (C)day pours forth speech,
And (D)night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
4 Their [a](E)line has gone out into all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has (F)placed a tent for the sun,
5 Which is like a groom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices like a strong person to run his course.
6 Its (G)rising is from [b]one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the [c]other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 (H)The Law of the Lord is [d](I)perfect, (J)restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is (K)sure, making (L)wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are (M)right, (N)rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is (O)pure, (P)enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are (Q)true; they are (R)righteous altogether.
10 They are more desirable than (S)gold, yes, than much pure gold;
(T)Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, (U)Your servant is warned by them;
In keeping them there is great (V)reward.
12 Who can (W)discern his errors? (X)Acquit me of (Y)hidden faults.
13 Also keep Your servant back (Z)from presumptuous sins;
Let them not (AA)rule over me;
Then I will be (AB)innocent,
And I will be blameless of (AC)great wrongdoing.
14 May the words of my mouth and (AD)the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
Lord, (AE)my rock and my (AF)Redeemer.
Thanksgiving for Return from Captivity.
A Song of Ascents.
126 When the Lord (A)brought back [a]the captives of Zion,
We were (B)like those who dream.
2 Then our (C)mouth was filled with laughter
And our (D)tongue with joyful shouting;
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has (E)done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
We are (F)joyful.
Jesus Blesses Little Children
13 (A)And they were bringing children to Him so that He would touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Allow the children to come to Me; do not [a]forbid them, (B)for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I say to you, (C)whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He (D)took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.
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