Book of Common Prayer
Sing of the Lovingkindness of Yahweh Forever
A [a]Maskil of [b]Ethan [c]the Ezrahite.
89 I will (A)sing of the lovingkindnesses of Yahweh forever;
From generation to generation I will (B)make known Your (C)faithfulness with my mouth.
2 For I have said, “(D)Lovingkindness will be built up forever;
In the heavens You will establish Your (E)faithfulness.”
3 “I have cut a covenant with (F)My chosen;
I have (G)sworn to David My [d]servant,
4 I will establish your (H)seed forever
And build up your (I)throne from generation to generation.” [e]Selah.
5 The (J)heavens will praise Your wonders, O Yahweh;
Your faithfulness also (K)in the assembly of the (L)holy ones.
6 For (M)who in the sky is comparable to Yahweh?
Who among the [f](N)sons of the mighty is like Yahweh,
7 A God (O)greatly dreaded in the council of the (P)holy ones,
And [g](Q)fearsome above all those who are around Him?
8 O Yahweh God of hosts, (R)who is like You, O mighty Yah?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
9 You rule the swelling of the sea;
When its waves rise, You (S)still them.
10 You Yourself crushed [h](T)Rahab like one who is slain;
You (U)scattered Your enemies with Your strong arm.
11 The (V)heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The (W)world and its fullness, You have founded them.
12 The (X)north and the south, You have created them;
(Y)Tabor and (Z)Hermon (AA)sing with joy at Your name.
13 You have a mighty arm;
Your hand is strong, Your (AB)right hand is exalted.
14 (AC)Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
(AD)Lovingkindness and [i]truth go before You.
15 How blessed are the people who know the (AE)loud shout of joy!
O Yahweh, they walk in the (AF)light of Your face.
16 In (AG)Your name they rejoice all the day,
And by Your righteousness they are exalted.
17 For You are the beauty of (AH)their strength,
And by Your favor [j]our (AI)horn is exalted.
18 For our (AJ)shield belongs to Yahweh,
[k]And our king to the (AK)Holy One of Israel.
19 Formerly You spoke in vision to Your [l]holy [m]ones,
And said, “I have bestowed help to a (AL)mighty one;
I have exalted one (AM)chosen from the people.
20 I have (AN)found David My [n]servant;
With My holy (AO)oil I have anointed him,
21 With whom (AP)My hand will be established;
My arm also will (AQ)strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not [o]deceive him,
Nor the [p](AR)son of unrighteousness afflict him.
23 But I shall (AS)crush his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.
24 My (AT)faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him,
And in My name his (AU)horn will be exalted.
25 I shall also set his hand (AV)on the sea
And his right hand on the rivers.
26 He will call to Me, ‘You are (AW)my Father,
My God, and the (AX)rock of my salvation.’
27 I also shall make him My (AY)firstborn,
The (AZ)highest of the kings of the earth.
28 My (BA)lovingkindness I will keep for him forever,
And My (BB)covenant shall be confirmed to him.
29 So I will set up his (BC)seed to endure forever
And his (BD)throne (BE)as the days of heaven.
30 “If his sons (BF)forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,
31 If they profane My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
32 Then I will punish their transgression with the (BG)rod
And their iniquity with striking.
33 But I will not break off (BH)My lovingkindness from him,
Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.
34 My (BI)covenant I will not profane,
Nor will I (BJ)alter what comes forth from My lips.
35 [q]Once I have (BK)sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David.
36 His (BL)seed shall endure forever
And his (BM)throne (BN)as the sun before Me.
37 It shall be established forever (BO)like the moon,
And the (BP)witness in the sky is faithful.” [r]Selah.
38 But You have (BQ)cast off and (BR)rejected,
You have been full of wrath [s]against Your (BS)anointed.
39 You have (BT)spurned the covenant of Your [t]slave;
You have (BU)profaned (BV)his crown to the ground.
40 You have (BW)broken down all his walls;
You have (BX)beset his strongholds with ruin.
41 (BY)All who pass along the way plunder him;
He has become a (BZ)reproach to his neighbors.
42 You have (CA)exalted the right hand of his adversaries;
You have (CB)made all his enemies be glad.
43 You also turn back the edge of his sword
And have (CC)not made him arise in battle.
44 You have made his [u](CD)splendor to cease
And cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have (CE)shortened the days of his youth;
You have (CF)wrapped him up with shame. Selah.
46 (CG)How long, O Yahweh?
Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your (CH)wrath burn like fire?
47 (CI)Remember [v]what my span of life is;
For what (CJ)vanity [w]You have created all the sons of men!
48 What man can live and not (CK)see death?
Can he (CL)provide his soul escape from the [x]power of Sheol? Selah.
49 Where are Your former lovingkindnesses, O Lord,
Which You (CM)swore to David in Your faithfulness?
50 Remember, O Lord, the (CN)reproach of Your [y]slaves;
[z]How I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples,
51 With which (CO)Your enemies have reproached, O Yahweh,
With which they have reproached the footsteps of (CP)Your anointed.
52 (CQ)Blessed be Yahweh forever!
Amen and Amen.
Yahweh’s Hand Against the Philistines
5 Now the Philistines took the ark of God and (A)brought it from Ebenezer to (B)Ashdod. 2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to (C)the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. 3 Then the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, and behold, (D)Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh. So they took Dagon and (E)set him in his place again. 4 But they arose early the next morning, and behold, (F)Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; [a]only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor all who enter Dagon’s house (G)tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
6 Now (H)the hand of Yahweh was glorious against the Ashdodites, and (I)He made them desolate and struck them with (J)tumors, both Ashdod and its territories. 7 Thus the men of Ashdod saw that it was so and said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is severe on us and on Dagon our god.” 8 So they sent and (K)gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” And they said, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” And they brought the ark of the God of Israel around. 9 Now it happened after they had brought it around, that (L)the hand of Yahweh was against the city with very great confusion; and He struck the men of the city, both young and old, so that (M)tumors broke out on them. 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And as the ark of God came to Ekron the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel around to [b]us, to put [c]us and [d]our people to death.” 11 They (N)sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, so that it will not put [e]us and [f]our people to death.” For there was a deadly confusion throughout the city; (O)the hand of God was very glorious there. 12 Now the men who did not die were struck with tumors and (P)the cry of the city went up to heaven.
12 Now [a]at the hands of the apostles many (A)signs and wonders were happening among the people, and they were all with one accord in (B)Solomon’s Portico. 13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, (C)the people were holding them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever (D)believers in the Lord were (E)added to their number, multitudes of men and women, 15 to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, so that when Peter came by (F)at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. 16 Also the multitude from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick [b]or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.
The Apostles Jailed and Freed
17 But the high priest rose up and those with him (that is (G)the sect of (H)the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. 18 And they laid hands on the apostles and (I)put them in a public jail. 19 But during the night (J)an angel of the [c]Lord opened the doors of the prison, and taking them out, he said, 20 “Go, stand and [d]speak to the people in the temple [e](K)the whole message of this Life.” 21 Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple (L)about daybreak and began to teach.
Now when (M)the high priest and those with him came, they called (N)the Sanhedrin together, even all the Council of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the jailhouse for them to be brought. 22 But (O)the officers who came did not find them in the prison, and they returned and reported back, 23 saying, “We found the jailhouse locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors, but we opened it and found no one inside.” 24 Now when (P)the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what [f]would come of this. 25 But someone came and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” 26 Then (Q)the captain went along with (R)the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for (S)they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).
The Parable of the Fig Tree
29 Then He told them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees; 30 as soon as they put forth leaves and you see it for yourselves, (A)know that summer is now near. 31 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that (B)the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I say to you, this [a]generation will not pass away until all things take place. 33 (C)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
34 “(D)But be on guard, so that your hearts will not be overcome with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; 35 for it will come upon all those who inhabit the face of all the earth. 36 But (E)keep on the alert at all times, praying earnestly that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to (F)stand before the Son of Man.”
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