Book of Common Prayer
To the Director: A Davidic Psalm.
A Prayer for Victory
20 May the Lord answer you in the day of distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob[a] protect you.
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary,
and may he sustain you from Zion.
3 May he remember all your gifts,
and may he accept your burnt offerings.
4 May he give you what your heart desires,
and may he fulfill all your plans.
5 May we shout for joy at your deliverance
and unfurl our banners in the name of our God.
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
6 Now I know that the Lord has delivered his anointed;
he has answered him from his sanctuary
with the strength of his right hand of deliverance.
7 Some boast[b] in chariots,
others in horses;
but we will boast in[c] the name of the Lord our God.
8 While they bowed down and fell,
we arose and stood upright.
9 Deliver us, Lord!
Answer us, our King,[d] on the day we cry out!
To the Director: A Davidic Psalm.
Praise for the Lord’s Deliverance
21 The king rejoices in your strength, Lord.
How greatly he rejoices in your deliverance.
2 You have granted him the desire of his heart,
and have not withheld what his lips requested.
3 You go before him with wonderful blessings,
and put a crown of fine gold on his head.
4 He asked life from you, and you gave it to him—
a long life for ever and ever.
5 His glory is great because of your deliverance,
you have given him honor and majesty.
6 Indeed, you have given him eternal blessings;
you will make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 The king trusts in the Lord;
because of the gracious love of the Most High,
he will stand firm.[e]
8 Your hand will find all your enemies,
your right hand will find those who hate you.
9 When you appear,
you will set them ablaze like a fire furnace.
In his wrath, the Lord will consume them,
and the fire will devour them.
10 You will destroy their descendants[f] from the earth,
even their offspring from the ranks[g] of mankind.
11 Though they plot evil against you and devise schemes,
they will not succeed.
12 Indeed, you will make them retreat,[h]
when you aim your bow[i] at their faces.
13 Rise up, Lord, because you are strong;
we will sing and praise your power.
A Davidic psalm
A Priestly Ruler
110 A declaration from the Lord[a] to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2 When the Lord extends your mighty scepter from Zion,
rule in the midst of your enemies.
3 Your soldiers[b] are willing volunteers on your day of battle;
in majestic holiness, from the womb,
from the dawn, the dew of your youth belongs to you.
4 The Lord took an oath and will never recant:
“You are a priest forever,
after the manner of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand;
he will utterly destroy kings in the time of his wrath.
6 He will execute judgment against the nations,
filling graves[c] with corpses.
He will utterly destroy leaders far and wide.
7 He will drink from a stream on the way,
then hold his head high.
God, My Deliverer
116 I love the Lord
because he has heard my prayer for mercy;[a]
2 for he listens to me whenever I call.
3 The ropes of death were wound around me
and the anguish of Sheol[b] came upon me;
I encountered distress and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord,
“Lord, please deliver me!”[c]
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is compassionate;
6 the Lord watches over the innocent;[d]
I was brought low, and he delivered me.
7 Return to your resting place, my soul,
for the Lord treated you generously.
8 Indeed, you delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from crying,[e]
and my feet from stumbling.
9 I will walk in the Lord’s presence
in the lands of the living.
10 I will continue to believe, even when I say,
“I am greatly afflicted”
11 and speak hastily,
“All people are liars!”
12 What will I return to the Lord
for all his benefits to me?
13 I will raise my cup of deliverance
and invoke the Lord’s name.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
15 In the sight of the Lord,
the death of his faithful ones is valued.
16 Lord, I am indeed your servant.
I am your servant.
I am the son of your handmaid.
You have released my bonds.
17 I will bring you a thanksgiving offering
and call on the name of the Lord!
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the Lord’s house,
in your midst, Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
A Call to Praise the Lord
117 Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Exalt him, all you peoples!
2 For great is his gracious love toward us,
and the Lord’s faithfulness is eternal.
Hallelujah!
Jerusalem is Burned and the Temple Demolished
8 On the seventh[a] day of the fifth month, which was during the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign as king of Babylon, captain of the guard Nebuzaradan, a servant of the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem 9 and set fire to the Lord’s Temple, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He even incinerated the lavish[b] homes. 10 The Chaldean army that accompanied the captain of the guard demolished the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. 11 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried the survivors of the people who remained in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude into exile. 12 However, the captain of the guard left some of the poor people of the land to work as vinedressers and farmers.
Gedaliah is Appointed Governor
22 Now as for the people who remained in the land of Judah whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had left behind, he appointed Ahikam’s son Gedaliah, the grandson of Shaphan, to rule. 23 When all the captains of the armies, along with their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, these men visited Gedaliah at Mizpah: Nethaniah’s son Ishmael, Kareah’s son Johanan, Tanhumeth the Netophathite’s son Seraiah, and Jaazaniah, who was descended from the Maacathites. 24 Gedaliah made this promise to them and to their men: “Don’t be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and things will go well with you.” 25 Nevertheless, seven months later, Nethaniah’s son Ishmael, the grandson of Elishama from the royal family, came with ten men and attacked Gedaliah. As a result, he died along with the Jews and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 Then all the people, including those who were insignificant and those who were important, fled with the captains of the armed forces to Egypt, because they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
The Resurrection of the Dead
12 Now if we preach that the Messiah[a] has been raised from the dead, how can some of you keep claiming there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then the Messiah[b] has not been raised, 14 and if the Messiah[c] has not been raised, then our message means nothing and your[d] faith means nothing. 15 In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God because we testified on God’s behalf that he raised the Messiah[e]—whom he did not raise if in fact it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then the Messiah[f] has not been raised, 17 and if the Messiah[g] has not been raised, your faith is worthless and you are still imprisoned by your sins. 18 Yes, even those who have died[h] believing[i] in the Messiah[j] are lost. 19 If we have set our hopes on the Messiah[k] in this life only, we deserve more pity than any other people.
20 But at this moment the Messiah[l] stands risen from the dead, the first one offered in the harvest[m] of those who have died.[n] 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in the Messiah[o] will all be made alive. 23 However, this will happen to each person in the proper order: first the Messiah,[p] then those who belong to the Messiah[q] when he comes. 24 Then the end will come, when after he has done away with every ruler and every authority and power, the Messiah[r] hands over the kingdom to God the Father. 25 For he must rule until God[s] puts all the Messiah’s[t] enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be done away with is death, 27 for “God[u] has put everything under his feet.”[v] Now when he says, “Everything has been put under him,” this clearly excludes the one who put everything under him. 28 But when everything has been put under him, then the Son himself will also become subject to the one who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
29 Otherwise, what will those people do who are being baptized because of those who have died? If the dead are not raised at all, why are they being baptized because of them?
7 As they were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 Really, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? See, those who wear fancy clothes live in kings’ houses. 9 Really, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and even more than a prophet! 10 This is the man about whom it is written,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’[a]
11 I tell all of you[b] with certainty, among those born of women no one has appeared who is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least important person in the kingdom from[c] heaven is greater than he.
12 “From the days of John the Baptist until the present, the kingdom from[d] heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people have been attacking it, 13 because the Law and all the Prophets prophesied up to the time of John. 14 If you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.[e] 15 Let the person who has ears[f] listen!
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