Book of Common Prayer
Confidence in God’s Protection.
For the music director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.
61 (A)Hear my cry, God;
(B)Give Your attention to my prayer.
2 From the (C)end of the earth I call to You when my heart is (D)faint;
Lead me to (E)the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a (F)refuge for me,
A (G)tower of strength against the enemy.
4 Let me [a](H)dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me (I)take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah
5 For You have heard my (J)vows, God;
You have given me the inheritance of those who (K)fear Your name.
6 You will [b](L)prolong the king’s [c]life;
His years will be like generations.
7 He will [d]sit enthroned (M)before God forever;
Appoint (N)faithfulness and truth that they may watch over him.
8 So I will (O)sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may (P)pay my vows day by day.
God Alone a Refuge from Treachery and Oppression.
For the music director; [e]according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
62 (Q)My soul waits in silence for God alone;
From Him (R)comes my salvation.
2 He alone is my (S)rock and my salvation,
My (T)stronghold; I will not be greatly shaken.
3 How long will you attack a man,
That you may murder him, all of you,
Like a (U)leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
4 They have planned only to thrust him down from his high position;
They (V)delight in falsehood;
They (W)bless with [f]their mouth,
But inwardly they curse. Selah
5 My soul, (X)wait in silence for God alone,
For my hope is from Him.
6 He alone is (Y)my rock and my salvation,
My refuge; I will not be shaken.
7 My (Z)salvation and my glory rest on God;
The rock of my strength, my (AA)refuge is in God.
8 (AB)Trust in Him at all times, you people;
(AC)Pour out your hearts before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah
The God of Sinai and of the Sanctuary.
For the music director. A Psalm of David. A Song.
68 [a]May (A)God arise, [b]may His enemies be scattered,
And [c]may those who hate Him flee from His presence.
2 As (B)smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
As (C)wax melts before a fire,
So the (D)wicked will perish before God.
3 But the (E)righteous will be joyful; they will rejoice before God;
Yes, they will rejoice with gladness.
4 Sing to God, (F)sing praises to His name;
[d](G)Exalt Him who (H)rides through the deserts,
Whose (I)name is [e]the Lord, and be jubilant before Him.
5 A (J)father of the fatherless and a (K)judge [f]for the widows,
Is God in His (L)holy dwelling.
6 God [g](M)makes a home for the lonely;
He (N)leads out the prisoners into prosperity,
Only (O)the rebellious live in parched lands.
7 God, when You (P)went forth before Your people,
When You (Q)marched through the desert, Selah
8 The (R)earth quaked;
The (S)heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
[h](T)Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 You (U)made plentiful rain fall, God;
You confirmed Your inheritance when it was [i]parched.
10 Your creatures settled in it;
In Your kindness You (V)provided for the poor, God.
11 The Lord gives the [j]command;
The (W)women who proclaim good news are a great army:
12 “(X)Kings of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home will (Y)divide the spoils!”
13 [k]When you lie down (Z)among the sheepfolds,
You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And its pinions with [l]glistening gold.
14 When the Almighty (AA)scattered the kings [m]there,
It was snowing in (AB)Zalmon.
15 (AC)The mountain of Bashan is a [n]mountain of God;
The mountain of Bashan is a mountain of many peaks.
16 Why do you look with envy, you mountains of many peaks,
At the mountain God has (AD)desired as His dwelling?
Indeed, (AE)the Lord will dwell there forever.
17 The (AF)chariots of God are [o]myriads, (AG)thousands upon thousands;
[p]The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.
18 You have (AH)ascended on high, You have (AI)led captive Your captives;
You have received gifts among people,
Even among the rebellious as well, that [q]the Lord God may dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily (AJ)bears our burden,
(AK)The God who is our salvation. Selah
20 God is to us a (AL)God of salvation;
And (AM)to [r]God the Lord belong ways of escape [s]from death.
21 God certainly will (AN)shatter the heads of His enemies,
The hairy [t]head of one who goes about in his guilt.
22 The Lord [u]said, “(AO)I will bring them back from Bashan.
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 So that [v](AP)your foot may shatter them in blood,
And the tongue of your (AQ)dogs may have its portion from your enemies.”
24 They have seen (AR)Your procession, God,
The procession of my God, my King, [w](AS)into the sanctuary.
25 The (AT)singers went on, the musicians after them,
[x]In the midst of the (AU)young women beating tambourines.
26 (AV)Bless God in the congregations,
Even the Lord, you who are of the (AW)fountain of Israel.
27 (AX)Benjamin, the [y]youngest, is there, [z]ruling them,
The leaders of Judah in their company,
The leaders of (AY)Zebulun, the leaders of Naphtali.
28 [aa]Your God has (AZ)commanded your strength;
Show Yourself strong, God, You (BA)who acted [ab]in our behalf.
29 [ac]Because of Your temple at Jerusalem
(BB)Kings will bring gifts to You.
30 Rebuke the (BC)animals [ad]in the reeds,
The herd of (BD)bulls with the calves of the peoples,
Trampling the pieces of silver;
He has (BE)scattered the peoples who delight in war.
31 [ae]Messengers will come from (BF)Egypt;
[af](BG)Cush will quickly stretch out her hands to God.
32 Sing to God, you (BH)kingdoms of the earth,
(BI)Sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 To Him who (BJ)rides upon the [ag](BK)highest heavens, which are from ancient times;
Behold, (BL)He [ah]speaks with His voice, a (BM)mighty voice.
34 (BN)Ascribe strength to God;
His majesty is over Israel,
And (BO)His strength is in the [ai]skies.
35 [aj]God, You are (BP)awesome from Your [ak]sanctuary.
The God of Israel Himself (BQ)gives strength and power to the people.
(BR)Blessed be God!
Cheer for Prostrate Zion
52 (A)Awake, awake,
Clothe yourself in your strength, Zion;
Clothe yourself with your (B)beautiful garments,
Jerusalem, the (C)holy city;
For the uncircumcised and the (D)unclean
Will no longer come into you.
2 Shake yourself (E)from the dust, (F)rise up,
Captive Jerusalem;
(G)Release yourself from the chains around your neck,
Captive daughter of Zion.
3 For this is what the Lord says: “You were (H)sold for nothing, and you will be (I)redeemed (J)without money.” 4 For this is what the Lord [a]God says: “My people (K)went down to Egypt first to reside there; then the Assyrian oppressed them without reason. 5 And now, what do I have here,” declares the Lord, “seeing that My people have been taken away without reason?” Again the Lord declares, “Those who rule over them howl, and My (L)name is continually reviled all day long. 6 Therefore, My people shall (M)know My name; therefore on that day I am the one who is speaking, ‘Here I am.’”
7 How delightful on the mountains
Are the feet of one who brings (N)good news,
Who announces [b]peace
And brings good news of [c]happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your (O)God [d]reigns!”
8 Listen! Your watchmen raise their (P)voices,
They shout joyfully together;
For they will see [e]with their own eyes
When the Lord restores Zion.
9 (Q)Be cheerful, shout joyfully together,
You (R)ruins of Jerusalem;
For the Lord has comforted His people,
He has (S)redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has bared His holy (T)arm
In the sight of all the nations,
[f]So that (U)all the ends of the earth may see
The salvation of our God.
11 (V)Depart, depart, go out from there,
(W)Do not touch what is unclean;
Go out of the midst of her, (X)purify yourselves,
You who carry the vessels of the Lord.
12 But you will not go out in (Y)a hurry,
Nor will you go [g]as fugitives;
For the (Z)Lord will go before you,
And (AA)the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
12 I beg of you, (A)brothers and sisters, (B)become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong; 13 but you know that it was because of a [a]bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the [b]first time; 14 and you did not despise that which was a trial to you in my [c]bodily condition, nor express contempt, but (C)you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself. 15 Where then is [d]that sense of blessing you had? For I testify about you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 So have I become your enemy (D)by [e]telling you the truth? 17 They eagerly seek you, not [f]in a commendable way, but they want to shut you out so that you will seek them. 18 But it is good always to be eagerly sought [g]in a commendable way, and (E)not only when I am present with you. 19 (F)My children, with whom (G)I am again in labor until (H)Christ is formed in you— 20 but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone of voice, for (I)I am at a loss about you!
Four Thousand Men Fed
8 In those days, (A)when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus summoned His disciples and *said to them, 2 “(B)I feel compassion for the [a]people because they have remained with Me for three days already and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance.” 4 And His disciples replied to Him, “Where will anyone be able to find enough [b]bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?” 5 And He was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.” 6 And He *directed the [c]people to recline on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve, and they served them to the [d]people. 7 They also had a few small fish; and (C)after He had blessed them, He told the disciples to serve these as well. 8 And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large (D)baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces. 9 About four thousand [e]men were there; and He dismissed them. 10 And immediately He got into the boat with His disciples and came to the region of (E)Dalmanutha.
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