Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 146
The God of Compassion
1 Hallelujah!
My soul, praise the Lord.(A)
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing to my God as long as I live.(B)
3 Do not trust in nobles,
in a son of man,[a] who cannot save.(C)
4 When his breath[b] leaves him,
he returns to the ground;
on that day his plans die.(D)
5 Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,(E)
6 the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea and everything in them.(F)
He remains faithful forever,(G)
7 executing justice for the exploited
and giving food to the hungry.(H)
The Lord frees prisoners.(I)
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.(J)
The Lord raises up those who are oppressed.[c](K)
The Lord loves the righteous.(L)
9 The Lord protects resident aliens
and helps the fatherless and the widow,(M)
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.(N)
10 The Lord reigns forever;
Zion, your God reigns for all generations.(O)
Hallelujah!
Psalm 147
God Restores Jerusalem
1 Hallelujah!
How good it is to sing to our God,
for praise is pleasant and lovely.(P)
2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;(Q)
he gathers Israel’s exiled people.(R)
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds.(S)
4 He counts the number of the stars;
he gives names to all of them.(T)
5 Our Lord is great, vast in power;
his understanding is infinite.[d](U)
6 The Lord helps the oppressed
but brings the wicked to the ground.(V)
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
play the lyre to our God,(W)
8 who covers the sky with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
and causes grass to grow on the hills.(X)
9 He provides the animals with their food,
and the young ravens what they cry for.(Y)
10 He is not impressed by the strength of a horse;
he does not value the power of a warrior.[e](Z)
11 The Lord values those who fear him,
those who put their hope in his faithful love.(AA)
12 Exalt the Lord, Jerusalem;
praise your God, Zion!(AB)
13 For he strengthens the bars of your city gates
and blesses your children within you.(AC)
14 He endows your territory with prosperity;[f](AD)
he satisfies you with the finest wheat.(AE)
Psalm 111
Praise for the Lord’s Works
1 Hallelujah![a]
I will praise the Lord with all my heart
in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.(A)
2 The Lord’s works are great,
studied by all who delight in them.(B)
3 All that he does is splendid and majestic;(C)
his righteousness endures forever.(D)
4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered.(E)
The Lord is gracious and compassionate.(F)
5 He has provided food for those who fear him;(G)
he remembers his covenant forever.(H)
6 He has shown his people the power of his works
by giving them the inheritance of the nations.(I)
7 The works of his hands are truth and justice;
all his instructions are trustworthy.(J)
8 They are established forever and ever,
enacted in truth and in uprightness.(K)
9 He has sent redemption to his people.(L)
He has ordained his covenant forever.
His name is holy and awe-inspiring.(M)
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;(N)
all who follow his instructions[b] have good insight.(O)
His praise endures forever.(P)
Psalm 112
The Traits of the Righteous
1 Hallelujah![c]
Happy is the person who fears the Lord,
taking great delight in his commands.(Q)
2 His descendants will be powerful in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.(R)
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,(S)
and his righteousness endures forever.(T)
4 Light shines in the darkness for the upright.(U)
He is gracious, compassionate, and righteous.(V)
5 Good will come to the one who lends generously
and conducts his business fairly.(W)
6 He will never be shaken.(X)
The righteous one will be remembered forever.(Y)
7 He will not fear bad news;
his heart is confident, trusting in the Lord.(Z)
8 His heart is assured; he will not fear.(AA)
In the end he will look in triumph on his foes.(AB)
9 He distributes freely to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.(AC)
His horn will be exalted in honor.(AD)
10 The wicked one will see it and be angry;
he will gnash his teeth in despair.(AE)
The desire of the wicked leads to ruin.(AF)
Psalm 113
Praise to the Merciful God
1 Hallelujah!
Give praise, servants of the Lord;
praise the name of the Lord.(AG)
2 Let the name of the Lord be blessed
both now and forever.(AH)
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting,
let the name of the Lord be praised.(AI)
4 The Lord is exalted above all the nations,(AJ)
his glory above the heavens.(AK)
5 Who is like the Lord our God—
the one enthroned on high,(AL)
6 who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?(AM)
7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the trash heap(AN)
8 in order to seat them with nobles—
with the nobles of his people.(AO)
9 He gives the childless woman a household,
making her the joyful mother of children.(AP)
Hallelujah!
Jeremiah Dictates a Scroll
36 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah,(A) king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Take a scroll,(B) and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah, and all the nations from the time I first spoke to you during Josiah’s reign until today. 3 Perhaps when the house of Judah hears about all the disaster I am planning to bring on them, each one of them will turn from his evil way. Then I will forgive their iniquity(C) and their sin.”
4 So Jeremiah summoned Baruch(D) son of Neriah. At Jeremiah’s dictation,[a] Baruch wrote on a scroll all the words the Lord had spoken to Jeremiah. 5 Then Jeremiah commanded Baruch, “I am restricted;(E) I cannot enter the temple of the Lord, 6 so you must go and read from the scroll—which you wrote at my dictation[b]—the words of the Lord in the hearing of the people at the temple of the Lord on a day of fasting. Read his words in the hearing of all the Judeans who are coming from their cities. 7 Perhaps their petition will come before the Lord,(F) and each one will turn from his evil way, for the anger and fury that the Lord has pronounced against this people are intense.” 8 So Baruch son of Neriah did everything the prophet Jeremiah had commanded him. At the Lord’s temple he read the Lord’s words from the scroll.
Baruch Reads the Scroll
9 In the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month,(G) all the people of Jerusalem and all those coming in from Judah’s cities into Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the Lord.(H) 10 Then at the Lord’s temple, in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe,(I) in the upper courtyard at the opening of the New Gate(J) of the Lord’s temple, in the hearing of all the people, Baruch read Jeremiah’s words from the scroll.
Mistaken for Gods in Lystra
8 In Lystra a man was sitting who was without strength in his feet, had never walked, and had been lame from birth. 9 He listened as Paul spoke. After looking directly at him and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet!” And he jumped up and began to walk around.(A)
11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” (B) 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the town, brought bulls and wreaths to the gates because he intended, with the crowds, to offer sacrifice.
14 The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their robes when they heard this and rushed into the crowd, shouting,(C) 15 “People! Why are you doing these things? We are people also, just like you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you turn from these worthless things(D) to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.[a](E) 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations(F) to go their own way, 17 although he did not leave himself without a witness,(G) since he did what is good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons(H) and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.” 18 Even though they said these things, they barely stopped the crowds from sacrificing to them.
Much Forgiveness, Much Love
36 Then one of the Pharisees invited him to eat with him. He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.(A) 37 And a woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house.(B) She brought an alabaster jar of perfume 38 and stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the perfume.(C)
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—she’s a sinner!” (D)
40 Jesus replied to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
He said, “Say it, teacher.”
41 “A creditor had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii,[a](E) and the other fifty. 42 Since they could not pay it back,(F) he graciously forgave them both. So, which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one he forgave more.”
“You have judged correctly,” he told him. 44 Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet,(G) but she, with her tears, has washed my feet and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss,(H) but she hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in. 46 You didn’t anoint my head with olive oil,(I) but she has anointed my feet with perfume. 47 Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”(J)
49 Those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” (K)
50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you.(L) Go in peace.”(M)
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