Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 106
Israel’s Unfaithfulness to God
1 Hallelujah!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.(A)
2 Who can declare the Lord’s mighty acts
or proclaim all the praise due him?(B)
3 How happy are those who uphold justice,
who practice righteousness at all times.(C)
4 Remember me, Lord,
when you show favor to your people.(D)
Come to me with your salvation
5 so that I may enjoy the prosperity
of your chosen ones,
rejoice in the joy of your nation,
and boast about your heritage.(E)
6 Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
we have done wrong and have acted wickedly.(F)
7 Our ancestors in Egypt did not grasp
the significance of your wondrous works
or remember your many acts of faithful love;
instead, they rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.(G)
8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
to make his power known.(H)
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
he led them through the depths as through a desert.(I)
10 He saved them from the power of the adversary;
he redeemed them from the power of the enemy.(J)
11 Water covered their foes;
not one of them remained.(K)
12 Then they believed his promises
and sang his praise.(L)
13 They soon forgot his works
and would not wait for his counsel.(M)
14 They were seized with craving in the wilderness
and tested God in the desert.(N)
15 He gave them what they asked for,
but sent a wasting disease among them.(O)
16 In the camp they were envious of Moses
and of Aaron, the Lord’s holy one.(P)
17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it covered the assembly of Abiram.(Q)
18 Fire blazed throughout their assembly;
flames consumed the wicked.(R)
19 At Horeb they made a calf
and worshiped the cast metal image.(S)
20 They exchanged their glory[a][b]
for the image of a grass-eating ox.(T)
21 They forgot God their Savior,
who did great things in Egypt,(U)
22 wondrous works in the land of Ham,[c]
awe-inspiring acts at the Red Sea.(V)
23 So he said he would have destroyed them—
if Moses his chosen one
had not stood before him in the breach
to turn his wrath away from destroying them.(W)
24 They despised the pleasant land
and did not believe his promise.(X)
25 They grumbled in their tents
and did not listen to the Lord.(Y)
26 So he raised his hand against them with an oath
that he would make them fall in the desert(Z)
27 and would disperse their descendants[d]
among the nations,
scattering them throughout the lands.(AA)
28 They aligned themselves with Baal of Peor
and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods.[e](AB)
29 They angered the Lord with their deeds,
and a plague broke out against them.(AC)
30 But Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was stopped.(AD)
31 It was credited to him as righteousness
throughout all generations to come.(AE)
32 They angered the Lord at the Waters of Meribah,
and Moses suffered[f] because of them,(AF)
33 for they embittered his spirit,[g]
and he spoke rashly with his lips.(AG)
34 They did not destroy the peoples
as the Lord had commanded them(AH)
35 but mingled with the nations
and adopted their ways.(AI)
36 They served their idols,
which became a snare to them.(AJ)
37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.(AK)
38 They shed innocent blood—
the blood of their sons and daughters
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
so the land became polluted with blood.(AL)
39 They defiled themselves by their actions
and prostituted themselves by their deeds.(AM)
40 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against his people,
and he abhorred his own inheritance.(AN)
41 He handed them over to the nations;
those who hated them ruled over them.(AO)
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
and they were subdued under their power.(AP)
43 He rescued them many times,
but they continued to rebel deliberately
and were beaten down by their iniquity.(AQ)
44 When he heard their cry,
he took note of their distress,(AR)
45 remembered his covenant with them,
and relented according to the abundance
of his faithful love.(AS)
46 He caused them to be pitied
before all their captors.(AT)
47 Save us, Lord our God,
and gather us from the nations,
so that we may give thanks to your holy name
and rejoice in your praise.(AU)
Judgment of the Nations
3 Yes, in those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,(A)
2 I will gather all the nations(B)
and take them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[a](C)
I will enter into judgment with them there(D)
because of my people, my inheritance Israel.
The nations have scattered the Israelites
in foreign countries(E)
and divided up my land.(F)
9 Proclaim this among the nations:(A)
Prepare for holy war;(B)
rouse the warriors;(C)
let all the men of war advance and attack!
10 Beat your plows into swords
and your pruning knives into spears.(D)
Let even the weakling say, “I am a warrior.”
11 Come quickly,[a] all you surrounding nations;
gather yourselves.(E)
Bring down your warriors there, Lord.(F)
12 Let the nations be roused
and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit down
to judge all the surrounding nations.(G)
13 Swing the sickle
because the harvest is ripe.(H)
Come and trample the grapes
because the winepress is full;(I)
the wine vats overflow
because the wickedness of the nations is extreme.(J)
14 Multitudes, multitudes(K)
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near(L)
in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will grow dark,
and the stars will cease their shining.(M)
16 The Lord will roar from Zion(N)
and make his voice heard from Jerusalem;(O)
heaven and earth will shake.(P)
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,(Q)
a stronghold for the Israelites.(R)
Israel Blessed
Greeting
1 Peter,(A) an apostle of Jesus Christ:
To those chosen, living as exiles(B) dispersed(C) abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,(D) chosen(E) 2 according to the foreknowledge(F) of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit,(G) to be obedient(H) and to be sprinkled with the blood(I) of Jesus Christ.
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
A Living Hope
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.(J) Because of his great mercy(K) he has given us new birth(L) into a living hope(M) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead(N) 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable,(O) undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven(P) for you. 5 You are being guarded by God’s power(Q) through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.(R) 6 You rejoice in this,[a] even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials(S) 7 so that the proven character of your faith(T)—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire(U)—may result(V) in praise, glory, and honor(W) at the revelation of Jesus Christ.(X) 8 Though you have not seen(Y) him, you love him;(Z) though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice(AA) with inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets,(AB) who prophesied about the grace that would come to you, searched and carefully investigated. 11 They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ(AC) within them was indicating when he testified in advance(AD) to the sufferings of Christ(AE) and the glories(AF) that would follow.[b] 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you(AG) by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven(AH)—angels long to catch a glimpse of these things.
The Question of Divorce
19 When Jesus had finished saying these things,(A) he departed from Galilee and went to the region of Judea across the Jordan.(B) 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.(C) 3 Some Pharisees approached him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife on any grounds?” (D)
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that he who created[a] them in the beginning made them male and female,[b](E) 5 and he also said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?[c](F) 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
7 “Why then,” they asked him, “did Moses command us to give divorce papers(G) and to send her away?”
8 He told them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of the hardness of your hearts, but it was not like that from the beginning. 9 I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another commits adultery.”[d](H)
10 His disciples(I) said to him, “If the relationship of a man with his wife is like this, it’s better not to marry.”
11 He responded, “Not everyone can accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given.(J) 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs who were made by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept it should accept it.”
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