Book of Common Prayer
The Lord's Chosen King
1 (A) Why do the nations plot,[a]
and why do their people
make useless plans?[b]
2 The kings of this earth
have all joined together
to turn against the Lord
and his chosen king.
3 They say, “Let's cut the ropes
and set ourselves free!”
4 In heaven the Lord laughs
as he sits on his throne,
making fun of the nations.
5 The Lord becomes furious
and threatens them.
His anger terrifies them
as he says,
6 “I've put my king on Zion,
my sacred hill.”
7 (B) I will tell the promise
that the Lord made to me:
“You are my son, because today
I have become your father.
8 Ask me for the nations,
and every nation on earth
will belong to you.
9 (C) You will smash them
with an iron rod
and shatter them
like dishes of clay.”
10 Be smart, all you rulers,
and pay close attention.
11 Serve and honor the Lord;
be glad and tremble.
12 Show respect to his son
because if you don't,
the Lord might become furious
and suddenly destroy you.[c]
But he blesses and protects
everyone who runs to him.
(A psalm by David.)
Who Can Enter the Lord's Temple?
1 (A) The earth and everything on it,
including its people,
belong to the Lord.
The world and its people
belong to him.
2 The Lord placed it all
on the oceans and rivers.
3 Who may climb the Lord's hill[a]
or stand in his holy temple?
4 (B) Only those who do right
for the right reasons,
and don't worship idols
or tell lies under oath.
5 The Lord God, who saves them,
will bless and reward them,
6 because they worship and serve
the God of Jacob.[b]
7 Open the ancient gates,
so that the glorious king
may come in.
8 Who is this glorious king?
He is our Lord, a strong
and mighty warrior.
9 Open the ancient gates,
so that the glorious king
may come in.
10 Who is this glorious king?
He is our Lord,
the All-Powerful!
Moses on Mount Sinai
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up on the mountain and stay here for a while. I will give you the two flat stones on which I have written the laws that my people must obey.” 13 Moses and Joshua his assistant got ready, then Moses started up the mountain to meet with God.
14 Moses had told the leaders, “Wait here until we come back. Aaron and Hur will be with you, and they can settle any arguments while we are away.”
15 When Moses went up on Mount Sinai, a cloud covered it, 16 and the bright glory of the Lord came down and stayed there. The cloud covered the mountain for six days, and on the seventh day the Lord told Moses to come into the cloud. 17-18 (A) Moses did so and stayed there 40 days and nights. To the people, the Lord's glory looked like a blazing fire on top of the mountain.
Treasure in Clay Jars
4 God has been kind enough to trust us with this work. This is why we never give up. 2 We don't do shameful things that must be kept secret. And we don't try to fool anyone or twist God's message around. God is our witness that we speak only the truth, so others will be sure we can be trusted. 3 If there is anything hidden about our message, it is hidden only to someone who is lost.
4 The god who rules this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like. 5 We are not preaching about ourselves. Our message is that Jesus Christ is Lord. He also sent us to be your servants. 6 (A) The Scriptures say, “God commanded light to shine in the dark.” Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ.
(By Solomon.)
A Prayer for God To Guide and Help the King
1 Please help the king
to be honest and fair
just like you, our God.
2 Let him be honest and fair
with all your people,
especially the poor.
3 Let peace and justice rule
every mountain and hill.
4 Let the king defend the poor,
rescue the homeless, and crush
everyone who hurts them.
5 Let the king live[a] forever
like the sun and the moon.
6 Let him be as helpful as rain
that refreshes the meadows
and the ground.
7 Let the king be fair
with everyone,
and let there be peace
until the moon
falls from the sky.
8 (A) Let his kingdom reach
from sea to sea,
from the Euphrates River
across all the earth.
9 Force the desert tribes
to accept his rule,
and make his enemies
crawl in the dirt.
10 Force the rulers of Tarshish[b]
and of the islands
to pay taxes to him.
Make the kings of Sheba
and of Seba[c] bring gifts.
11 Make other rulers bow down
and all nations serve him.
12 Do this because the king
rescues the homeless
when they cry out,
and he helps everyone
who is poor and in need.
13 The king has pity
on the weak and the helpless
and protects those in need.
14 He cares when they hurt,
and he saves them from cruel
and violent deaths.
15 Long live the king!
Give him gold from Sheba.
Always pray for the king
and praise him each day.
16 Let cities overflow with food
and hills be covered with grain,
just like Mount Lebanon.
Let the people in the cities
prosper like wild flowers.
17 May the glory of the king
shine brightly forever
like the sun in the sky.
Let him make nations prosper
and learn to praise him.
18 Lord God of Israel,
we praise you.
Only you can work miracles.
19 We will always praise
your glorious name.
Let your glory be seen
everywhere on earth.
Amen and amen.
20 This ends the prayers
of David, the son of Jesse.
27 Now I am deeply troubled, and I don't know what to say. But I must not ask my Father to keep me from this time of suffering. In fact, I came into the world to suffer. 28 So Father, bring glory to yourself.
A voice from heaven then said, “I have already brought glory to myself, and I will do it again!” 29 When the crowd heard the voice, some of them thought it was thunder. Others thought an angel had spoken to Jesus.
30 Then Jesus told the crowd, “That voice spoke to help you, not me. 31 This world's people are now being judged, and the ruler of this world[a] is already being thrown out! 32 If I am lifted up above the earth, I will make everyone want to come to me.” 33 Jesus was talking about the way he would be put to death.
34 (A) The crowd said to Jesus, “The Scriptures teach that the Messiah will live forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”
35 Jesus answered, “The light will be with you for only a little longer. Walk in the light while you can. Then you won't be caught walking blindly in the dark. 36 Have faith in the light while it is with you, and you will be children of the light.”
The People Refuse To Have Faith in Jesus
After Jesus had said these things, he left and went into hiding.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.