Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 85[a]
For the music director, written by the Korahites, a psalm.
85 O Lord, you showed favor to your land;
you restored the well-being of Jacob.[b]
2 You pardoned[c] the wrongdoing of your people;
you forgave[d] all their sin. (Selah)
3 You withdrew all your fury;
you turned back from your raging anger.[e]
4 Restore us, O God our deliverer.
Do not be displeased with us.[f]
5 Will you stay mad at us forever?
Will you remain angry throughout future generations?[g]
6 Will you not revive us once more?
Then your people will rejoice in you.
7 O Lord, show us your loyal love.
Bestow on us your deliverance.
8 I will listen to what God the Lord says.[h]
For he will make[i] peace with his people, his faithful followers.[j]
Yet they must not[k] return to their foolish ways.
9 Certainly his loyal followers will soon experience his deliverance;[l]
then his splendor will again appear in our land.[m]
10 Loyal love and faithfulness meet;[n]
deliverance and peace greet each other with a kiss.[o]
11 Faithfulness grows from the ground,
and deliverance looks down from the sky.[p]
12 Yes, the Lord will bestow his good blessings,[q]
and our land will yield[r] its crops.
13 Deliverance goes[s] before him,
and prepares[t] a pathway for him.[u]
Psalm 87[a]
Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.
87 The Lord’s city is in the holy hills.[b]
2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
3 People say wonderful things about you,[c]
O city of God. (Selah)
4 I mention Rahab[d] and Babylon to my followers.[e]
Here are[f] Philistia and Tyre, along with Ethiopia.[g]
It is said of them, “This one was born there.”[h]
5 But it is said of Zion’s residents,[i]
“Each one of these[j] was born in her,
and the Most High[k] makes her secure.”
6 The Lord writes in the census book of the nations,[l]
“This one was born there.”[m] (Selah)
7 As for the singers, as well as the pipers—
all of them sing within your walls.[n]
Psalm 89[a]
A well-written song[b] by Ethan the Ezrahite.
89 I will sing continually[c] about the Lord’s faithful deeds;
to future generations I will proclaim your faithfulness.[d]
2 For I say, “Loyal love is permanently established;[e]
in the skies you set up your faithfulness.”[f]
3 The Lord said,[g]
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have made a promise on oath to David, my servant:
4 ‘I will give you an eternal dynasty[h]
and establish your throne throughout future generations.’”[i] (Selah)
5 O Lord, the heavens[j] praise your amazing deeds,
as well as your faithfulness in the angelic assembly.[k]
6 For who in the skies can compare to the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings,[l]
7 a God who is honored[m] in the great angelic assembly,[n]
and more awesome than[o] all who surround him?
8 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies![p]
Who is strong like you, O Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the proud sea.[q]
When its waves surge,[r] you calm them.
10 You crushed the Proud One[s] and killed it;[t]
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11 The heavens belong to you, as does the earth.
You made the world and all it contains.[u]
12 You created the north and the south.
Tabor and Hermon[v] rejoice in your name.
13 Your arm is powerful,
your hand strong,
your right hand[w] victorious.[x]
14 Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne.[y]
Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule.[z]
15 How blessed are the people who worship you![aa]
O Lord, they experience your favor.[ab]
16 They rejoice in your name all day long,
and are vindicated[ac] by your justice.
17 For you give them splendor and strength.[ad]
By your favor we are victorious.[ae]
18 For our shield[af] belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.[ag]
19 Then you[ah] spoke through a vision to your faithful followers[ai] and said:
“I have placed a young hero[aj] over a warrior;
I have raised up a young man[ak] from the people.
20 I have discovered David, my servant.
With my holy oil I have anointed him as king.[al]
21 My hand will support him,[am]
and my arm will strengthen him.
22 No enemy will be able to exact tribute[an] from him;[ao]
a violent oppressor will not be able to humiliate him.[ap]
23 I will crush his enemies before him;
I will strike down those who hate him.
24 He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love,[aq]
and by my name he will win victories.[ar]
25 I will place his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.[as]
26 He will call out to me,
‘You are my father,[at] my God, and the protector who delivers me.’[au]
27 I will appoint him to be my firstborn son,[av]
the most exalted of the earth’s kings.
28 I will always extend my loyal love to him,
and my covenant with him is secure.[aw]
29 I will give him an eternal dynasty,[ax]
and make his throne as enduring as the skies above.[ay]
14 So when the people left their tents to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went[a] ahead of them. 15 When the ones carrying the ark reached the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark touched the surface[b] of the water—(the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest time)[c]— 16 the water coming downstream toward them stopped flowing.[d] It piled up far upstream[e] at Adam (the city near Zarethan); there was no water at all flowing to the sea of the rift valley (the Salt Sea).[f] The people crossed the river opposite Jericho. 17 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan. All Israel crossed over on dry ground until the entire nation was on the other side.[g]
Israel Commemorates the Crossing
4 When the entire nation was on the other side,[h] the Lord told Joshua, 2 “Select for yourselves twelve men from the people, one per tribe. 3 Instruct them, ‘Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests[i] stand firmly, and carry them over with you and put them in the place where you camp tonight.’”
4 Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one per tribe. 5 Joshua told them, “Go in front of the ark of the Lord your God to the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to put a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the Israelite tribes. 6 The stones[j] will be a reminder to you.[k] When your children ask someday, ‘Why are these stones important to you?’ 7 tell them how the water of the Jordan stopped flowing[l] before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the water of the Jordan stopped flowing.[m] These stones will be a lasting memorial for the Israelites.”
Live in Love
5 Therefore, be[a] imitators of God as dearly loved children 2 and live[b] in love, just as Christ also loved us[c] and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering[d] to God. 3 But[e] among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind,[f] or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints.[g] 4 Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting—all of which are out of character—but rather thanksgiving. 5 For you can be confident of this one thing:[h] that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Live in the Light
6 Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience.[i] 7 Therefore do not be sharers with them,[j] 8 for you were at one time darkness, but now you are[k] light in the Lord. Live[l] like children of light— 9 for the fruit of the light[m] consists in[n] all goodness, righteousness, and truth— 10 trying to learn[o] what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather[p] expose them.[q] 12 For the things they do[r] in secret are shameful even to mention. 13 But all things being exposed by the light are made visible. 14 For everything made visible is light, and for this reason it says:[s]
Live Wisely
15 Therefore consider carefully how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise[w] by understanding[x] what the Lord’s will is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, which[y] is debauchery,[z] but be filled by the Spirit,[aa] 19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music[ab] in[ac] your hearts to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for all things[ad] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Healing a Man Born Blind
9 Now as Jesus was passing by,[a] he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him,[b] “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man[c] or his parents?”[d] 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man[e] nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that[f] the acts[g] of God may be revealed[h] through what happens to him.[i] 4 We must perform the deeds[j] of the one who sent me[k] as long as[l] it is daytime. Night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”[m] 6 Having said this,[n] he spat on the ground and made some mud[o] with the saliva. He[p] smeared the mud on the blind man’s[q] eyes 7 and said to him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam”[r] (which is translated “sent”).[s] So the blind man[t] went away and washed, and came back seeing.
8 Then the neighbors and the people who had seen him previously[u] as a beggar began saying,[v] “Is this not the man[w] who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some people said,[x] “This is the man!”[y] while others said, “No, but he looks like him.”[z] The man himself[aa] kept insisting, “I am the one!”[ab] 10 So they asked him,[ac] “How then were you made to see?”[ad] 11 He replied,[ae] “The man called Jesus made mud,[af] smeared it[ag] on my eyes and told me,[ah] ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and was able to see.”[ai] 12 They said[aj] to him, “Where is that man?”[ak] He replied,[al] “I don’t know.”
The Man’s Response to Jesus
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, so he found the man[a] and said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”[b] 36 The man[c] replied,[d] “And who is he, sir, that[e] I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus told him, “You have seen him; he[f] is the one speaking with you.”[g] 38 [He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.[h]
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.