Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 63[a]
Thirst for God
1 A psalm of David. When he was in the wilderness of Judah.[b]
2 O God, you are my God,
for whom I have been searching earnestly.[c]
My soul yearns for you
and my body thirsts for you,
like the earth when it is parched,
arid and without water.
3 I have gazed upon you in the sanctuary
so that I may behold your power[d] and your glory.
4 Your kindness[e] is a greater joy than life itself;
thus my lips will speak your praise.
5 I will bless you all my life;
with uplifted hands[f] I will call on your name.
6 My soul[g] will be satisfied as at a banquet
and with rejoicing lips my mouth will praise you.
7 I think of you while I lie upon my bed,[h]
and I meditate on you during the watches of the night.
8 For you are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.[i]
9 My soul clings tightly to you;
your right hand holds me fast.
10 [j]Those who seek my life will incur ruin;
they will sink down into the depths of the earth.
11 They will be slain by the sword
and their flesh will become food for jackals.[k]
12 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by him[l] will exult,
for the mouths of liars will be silenced.
Psalm 98[a]
Praise of the Lord, King and Judge
1 A psalm.
Sing to the Lord a new song,[b]
for he has accomplished marvelous deeds.
His right hand and his holy arm
have made him victorious.
2 The Lord has made known his salvation;
he has manifested his righteousness for all the nations to see.[c]
3 He has remembered his kindness[d] and his fidelity
to the house of Israel.
The farthest ends of the earth have witnessed
the salvation of our God.
4 Sing joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
raise your voices in songs of praise.
5 Sing praise to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and melodious singing.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully to the King, the Lord.[e]
7 [f]Let the sea resound and everything in it,
the world[g] and all its inhabitants.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands
and the mountains shout for joy.
9 Let them sing before the Lord, who is coming,
coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice
and the nations with fairness.[h]
Psalm 103[a]
Praise of God’s Providence
1 Of David.
Bless the Lord, O my soul;[b]
my entire being, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits.
3 He forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases.[c]
4 He redeems[d] your life from the pit
and crowns you with kindness and mercy.
5 He satisfies your years with good things
and renews your youth like an eagle’s.[e]
6 The Lord performs acts of righteousness
and administers justice for all who are oppressed.
7 [f]He made known his ways[g] to Moses,
his wondrous deeds to the people of Israel.
8 [h]The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
9 He will not always rebuke,
nor will he remain angry forever.
10 He does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our offenses.
11 As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his kindness toward those who fear him.[i]
12 As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.[j]
13 [k]As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
14 For he knows how we were formed;
he remembers that we are only dust.[l]
15 The days of mortal man are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field.
16 The wind sweeps over him, and he is gone,
and his place never sees him again.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the kindness[m] of the Lord is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children,
18 with those who keep his covenant
and diligently observe his commandments.[n]
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.[o]
20 [p]Bless the Lord, O you his angels,[q]
you mighty in strength who do his bidding,
who obey his spoken word.
21 Bless the Lord, O you his hosts,
his ministers who do his will.
22 Bless the Lord, all his works,
everywhere in his domain.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.[r]
Consider Your Situation[a]
Chapter 1
1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord was communicated by the prophet Haggai to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest Joshua, the son of Jehozadak: 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘This people says that the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.’ ” 3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Is this a time for you to live in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins?”
5 Now the Lord of hosts has this to say:
Reflect on your way of life.
6 You have sown much but harvested little;
you have eaten, but never enough to satisfy you.
You drink, but never enough to cheer you;
you are clothed, but never experience warmth.
And the one who earns wages
puts them into a bag with a hole in it.
7 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts:
Consider carefully how you have fared.
8 Go up into the hill country,
collect timber, and build the house
so that I may take pleasure in it
and manifest my glory,
says the Lord.
9 You expected much,
but it proved to be little.
When you brought in the harvest,
I blew it away.
And why did I do this?
asks the Lord of hosts.
Because my house lies in ruins,
while each of you is concerned
only about your own house.
10 Therefore, the heavens have withheld their rain
and the earth has withheld its crops.
11 And I have called for a drought
to afflict the land and the mountains,
the grain, the new wine, and the oil,
and everything that the soil produces,
and to afflict, as well, men and animals,
and all the products of their labor.
12 Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and the high priest Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, and the entire remnant of the people listened to the voice of the Lord, their God, and to the words of the prophet Haggai that the Lord, their God, had sent him to deliver. As a result, the people were filled with fear because of the Lord.
13 Thereupon Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, proclaimed to the people the Lord’s message: “I am with you,” declares the Lord. 14 Then the Lord stirred up the spirit of the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and the spirit of the high priest Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.
Courage, I Am with You[b]
Chapter 2
In the second year of King Darius, 1 on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 2 Speak to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, and to the remnant of the people, and say:
3 Is there anyone left among you
who beheld this house in its former glory?
How does it appear to you now?
Does it not seem to you
as though it were not even there?
4 But now take courage, Zerubbabel,
says the Lord.
Take courage, Joshua, the high priest,
son of Jehozadak.
Take courage, all you people of the land,
says the Lord.
Begin the work,
for I am with you,
says the Lord of hosts.
5 This is the promise that I made to you
when you came out of Egypt.
My Spirit is present among you.
Do not be afraid.
6 For thus says the Lord of hosts:
In a little while from now
I will shake the heavens and the earth,
the sea and the dry land.
7 I will shake all the nations,
and the treasures of all the nations will flow in.
And I will fill this house with glory,
says the Lord of hosts.
8 Mine is the silver, mine is the gold,
says the Lord of hosts.
9 The glory of this new house
will surpass that of the former,
says the Lord of hosts.
And in this place I will grant peace,
says the Lord of hosts.
24 Apollos.[a] Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria and an eloquent speaker, came to Ephesus. He was well-versed in the Scriptures, 25 and he had been instructed in the Way of the Lord. Filled with spiritual fervor, he spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, although he had experienced only the baptism of John.
26 He then began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him more accurately the Way. 27 And when he expressed a wish to cross over to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there, asking that they make him welcome. From the time of his arrival, he was of great help to those who by the grace of God had become believers. 28 For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, establishing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
Chapter 19
Paul in Ephesus.[b] 1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No. We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 He asked, “Then how were you baptized?” They answered, “With the baptism of John.”
4 Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve of them in all.
25 The Greatest Commandment.[a]And behold, a lawyer came forward to test Jesus by asking, “Teacher, what must I do to gain eternal life?” 26 Jesus said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 Jesus then said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”
29 The Parable of the Good Samaritan. But because the man wished to justify himself, he asked, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down[b] from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him and beat him, and then went off leaving him half-dead. 31 A priest happened to be traveling along that same road, but when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 A Levite[c] likewise came to that spot and saw him, but he too passed by on the other side.
33 “But a Samaritan who was traveling along that road came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. 34 He went up to him and bandaged his wounds after having poured oil and wine on them. Then he brought him upon his own animal to an inn and looked after him.
35 “The next day, he took out two denarii[d] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Look after him, and when I return I will repay you for anything more you might spend.’
36 “Which of those three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He answered, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”[e]
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