Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 20
Deliverance in Battle
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 May the Lord answer you in a day of trouble;(A)
may the name of Jacob’s God protect you.(B)
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and sustain you from Zion.(C)
3 May he remember all your offerings
and accept your burnt offering.(D)Selah
4 May he give you what your heart desires(E)
and fulfill your whole purpose.(F)
5 Let us shout for joy at your victory(G)
and lift the banner in the name of our God.(H)
May the Lord fulfill all your requests.(I)
6 Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed;(J)
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with mighty victories from his right hand.(K)
7 Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses,
but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God.(L)
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand firm.(M)
9 Lord, give victory to the king!(N)
May he[a] answer us on the day that we call.
Psalm 21
The King’s Victory
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 Lord, the king finds joy in your strength.
How greatly he rejoices in your victory!(O)
2 You have given him his heart’s desire(P)
and have not denied the request of his lips.(Q)Selah
3 For you meet him with rich blessings;
you place a crown of pure gold on his head.(R)
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days forever and ever.(S)
5 His glory is great through your victory;
you confer majesty and splendor on him.(T)
6 You give him blessings forever;(U)
you cheer him with joy in your presence.(V)
7 For the king relies on the Lord;
through the faithful love of the Most High
he is not shaken.(W)
8 Your hand will capture all your enemies;
your right hand will seize those who hate you.(X)
9 You will make them burn
like a fiery furnace when you appear;
the Lord will engulf them in his wrath,
and fire will devour them.(Y)
10 You will wipe their progeny from the earth
and their offspring from the human race.[b](Z)
11 Though they intend to harm[c] you
and devise a wicked plan, they will not prevail.(AA)
12 Instead, you will put them to flight
when you ready your bowstrings to shoot at them.(AB)
13 Be exalted, Lord, in your strength;
we will sing and praise your might.(AC)
Psalm 110
The Priestly King
A psalm of David.
1 This is the declaration of the Lord
to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool.”(A)
2 The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion.
Rule[a] over your surrounding[b] enemies.(B)
3 Your people will volunteer
on your day of battle.[c](C)
In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn,
the dew of your youth belongs to you.[d](D)
4 The Lord has sworn an oath and will not take it back:
“You are a priest forever
according to the pattern of Melchizedek.”(E)
Psalm 116
Thanks to God for Deliverance
1 I love the Lord because he has heard
my appeal for mercy.(A)
2 Because he has turned his ear to me,
I will call out to him as long as I live.(B)
3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me,
and the torments of Sheol overcame me;
I encountered trouble and sorrow.(C)
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Lord, save me!” (D)
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is compassionate.(E)
6 The Lord guards the inexperienced;
I was helpless, and he saved me.(F)
7 Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.(G)
8 For you, Lord, rescued me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.(H)
9 I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.(I)
10 I believed, even when I said,
“I am severely oppressed.”(J)
11 In my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”(K)
12 How can I repay the Lord
for all the good he has done for me?(L)
13 I will take the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.(M)
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.(N)
15 The death of his faithful ones
is valuable in the Lord’s sight.(O)
16 Lord, I am indeed your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your female servant.
You have loosened my bonds.(P)
17 I will offer you a thanksgiving sacrifice
and call on the name of the Lord.(Q)
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,(R)
19 in the courts of the Lord’s house—
within you, Jerusalem.(S)
Hallelujah!
Psalm 117
Universal Call to Praise
Jerusalem Destroyed
8 On(A) the seventh day of the fifth month—which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guards, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.(B) 9 He burned the Lord’s temple,(C) the king’s palace,(D) and all the houses of Jerusalem; he burned down(E) all the great houses. 10 The whole Chaldean army with the captain of the guards tore down the walls(F) surrounding Jerusalem. 11 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guards, deported the rest of the people who remained in the city, the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the population.(G) 12 But the captain of the guards left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.(H)
Gedaliah Made Governor
22 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon appointed Gedaliah(A) son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, over the rest of the people he left in the land of Judah.(B) 23 When all the commanders of the armies—they and their men—heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah.(C) The commanders included Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite—they and their men.(D) 24 Gedaliah swore an oath to them and their men, assuring them, “Don’t be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well for you.”(E)
25 In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down Gedaliah, and he died. Also, they killed the Judeans and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.(F) 26 Then all the people, from the youngest to the oldest, and the commanders of the army, left and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.(G)
Resurrection Essential to the Faith
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead,(A) how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”?(B) 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith.[a] 15 Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses(C) about God, because we have testified(D) wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ(E) have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.
Christ’s Resurrection Guarantees Ours
20 But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits(F) of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death(G) came through a man,(H) the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man.(I) 22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.(J)
23 But each in his own order:(K) Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end,(L) when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father,(M) when he abolishes all rule and all authority and power.(N) 25 For he must reign(O) until he puts all his enemies under his feet.(P) 26 The last enemy to be abolished is death.(Q) 27 For God has put everything under his feet.[b](R) Now when it says “everything” is put under him, it is obvious that he who puts everything under him is the exception. 28 When everything is subject to Christ, then the Son(S) himself will also be subject to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.(T)
Resurrection Supported by Christian Experience
29 Otherwise what will they do who are being baptized for the dead?[c] If the dead are not raised at all, then why are people baptized for them?[d]
7 As these men were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?(A) 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? See, those who wear soft clothes are in royal palaces. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.(B) 10 This is the one about whom it is written:
11 “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared,[b] but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been suffering violence,[c] and the violent have been seizing it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if you’re willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who is to come.(D) 15 Let anyone who has ears[d] listen.(E)
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