Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 24
The King of Glory
A psalm of David.
1 The earth and everything in it,
the world and its inhabitants,
belong to the Lord;(A)
2 for he laid its foundation on the seas
and established it on the rivers.(B)
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?(C)
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,(D)
who has not appealed to[a] what is false,(E)
and who has not sworn deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the Lord,(F)
and righteousness[b] from the God of his salvation.(G)
6 Such is the generation of those who inquire of him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.[c](H)Selah
7 Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.(I)
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.(J)
9 Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord of Armies,
he is the King of glory.(K)Selah
Psalm 29
The Voice of the Lord
A psalm of David.
1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,[a]
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord
in the splendor of his holiness.[b](A)
3 The voice of the Lord is above the waters.
The God of glory thunders—
the Lord, above the vast water,(B)
4 the voice of the Lord in power,
the voice of the Lord in splendor.(C)
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.(D)
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,(E)
and Sirion, like a young wild ox.(F)
7 The voice of the Lord flashes flames of fire.(G)
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.(H)
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth[c](I)
and strips the woodlands bare.(J)
In his temple all cry, “Glory!”
Psalm 8
God’s Glory, Human Dignity
For the choir director: on the Gittith.(A) A psalm of David.
1 Lord, our Lord,
how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!(B)
You have covered the heavens with your majesty.[a](C)
2 From the mouths of infants and nursing babies,(D)
you have established a stronghold[b]
on account of your adversaries
in order to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I observe your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you set in place,(E)
4 what is a human being that you remember him,
a son of man[c] that you look after him?(F)
5 You made him little less than God[d][e]
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:(G)
7 all the sheep and oxen,
as well as the animals in the wild,
8 the birds of the sky,
and the fish of the sea
that pass through the currents of the seas.(H)
9 Lord, our Lord,
how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!
Psalm 84
Longing for God’s House
For the choir director: on the Gittith.(A) A psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord of Armies.(B)
2 I long and yearn
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh cry out for[a] the living God.(C)
3 Even a sparrow finds a home,
and a swallow, a nest for herself
where she places her young—
near your altars, Lord of Armies,
my King and my God.(D)
4 How happy are those who reside in your house,
who praise you continually.(E)Selah
5 Happy are the people whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.(F)
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca,[b]
they make it a source of spring water;
even the autumn rain will cover it with blessings.[c](G)
7 They go from strength to strength;
each appears before God in Zion.(H)
8 Lord God of Armies, hear my prayer;
listen, God of Jacob.(I)Selah
9 Consider our shield,[d] God;(J)
look on the face of your anointed one.(K)
10 Better a day in your courts
than a thousand anywhere else.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
than live in the tents of wicked people.(L)
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield.(M)
The Lord grants favor and honor;
he does not withhold the good
from those who live with integrity.(N)
12 Happy is the person who trusts in you,
Lord of Armies!(O)
Social Injustice
5 There was a widespread outcry from the people and their wives against their Jewish countrymen. 2 Some were saying, “We, our sons, and our daughters are numerous. Let us get grain so that we can eat and live.” 3 Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, vineyards, and homes to get grain during the famine.”(A) 4 Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax(B) on our fields and vineyards.(C) 5 We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery.(D) Some of our daughters are already enslaved,(E) but we are powerless[a] because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”
6 I became extremely angry(F) when I heard their outcry and these complaints. 7 After seriously considering the matter, I accused the nobles and officials, saying to them, “Each of you is charging his countrymen interest.”(G) So I called a large assembly against them 8 and said, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish countrymen who were sold to foreigners, but now you sell your own countrymen, and we have to buy them back.”(H) They remained silent and could not say a word.(I) 9 Then I said, “What you are doing isn’t right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God(J) and not invite the reproach of our foreign enemies?(K) 10 Even I, as well as my brothers and my servants, have been lending them money and grain. Please, let’s stop charging this interest.[b] 11 Return their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses to them immediately, along with the percentage[c] of the money, grain, new wine, and fresh oil(L) that you have been assessing them.”
12 They responded, “We will return these things and require nothing more from them.(M) We will do as you say.”
So I summoned the priests and made everyone take an oath(N) to do this. 13 I also shook the folds of my robe and said, “May God likewise shake from his house and property everyone who doesn’t keep this promise. May he be shaken out(O) and have nothing!”
The whole assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised the Lord. Then the people did as they had promised.(P)
Good and Bad Governors
14 Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes(Q) appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah—from the twentieth year until his thirty-second year, twelve years(R)—I and my associates never ate from the food allotted to the governor. 15 The governors(S) who preceded me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them food and wine as well as a pound[d] of silver. Their subordinates also oppressed the people, but because of the fear of God, I didn’t do this.(T) 16 Instead, I devoted myself to the construction of this wall,(U) and all my subordinates were gathered there for the work. We didn’t buy any land.(V)
17 There were 150 Jews and officials, as well as guests from the surrounding nations at my table.(W) 18 Each[e] day, one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were prepared for me. An abundance of all kinds of wine was provided every ten days.(X) But I didn’t demand the food allotted to the governor, because the burden on the people was so heavy.
19 Remember me favorably, my God, for all that I have done for this people.(Y)
Eutychus Revived at Troas
7 On the first day of the week, we assembled to break bread.(A) Paul spoke to them, and since he was about to depart the next day, he kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were assembled, 9 and a young man named Eutychus was sitting on a window sill and sank into a deep sleep as Paul kept on talking. When he was overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 But Paul went down, bent over him, embraced him, and said, “Don’t be alarmed, because he’s alive.”(B) 11 After going upstairs, breaking the bread, and eating, Paul talked a long time until dawn. Then he left. 12 They brought the boy home alive and were greatly comforted.
The Cure for Anxiety
22 Then he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you,(A) don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear.(B) 23 For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens:(C) They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them.(D) Aren’t you worth much more than the birds? 25 Can any of you add one moment to his life span[a] by worrying?(E) 26 If then you’re not able to do even a little thing, why worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wildflowers grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon(F) in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 28 If that’s how God clothes the grass, which is in the field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will he do for you—you of little faith?(G) 29 Don’t strive for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don’t be anxious. 30 For the Gentile world eagerly seeks(H) all these things, and your Father(I) knows that you need them.
31 “But seek his kingdom,(J) and these things will be provided for you.(K)
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