Book of Common Prayer
Confidence in God’s Protection.
For the choir director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.
61 (A)Hear my cry, O God;
(B)Give heed to my prayer.
2 From the (C)end of the earth I call to You when my heart is (D)faint;
Lead me to (E)the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a (F)refuge for me,
A (G)tower of strength [a]against the enemy.
4 Let me [b](H)dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me (I)take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. [c]Selah.
5 For You have heard my (J)vows, O God;
You have given me the inheritance of those who (K)fear Your name.
6 You will [d](L)prolong the king’s [e]life;
His years will be as many generations.
7 He will [f]abide (M)before God forever;
Appoint (N)lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him.
8 So I will (O)sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may (P)pay my vows day by day.
God Alone a Refuge from Treachery and Oppression.
For the choir director; [g]according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
62 (Q)My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him (R)is my salvation.
2 He only is my (S)rock and my salvation,
My (T)stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.
3 How long will you assail a man,
That you may murder him, all of you,
Like a (U)leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
4 They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position;
They (V)delight in falsehood;
They (W)bless with [h]their mouth,
But inwardly they curse. [i]Selah.
5 My soul, (X)wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.
6 He only is (Y)my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God my (Z)salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my (AA)refuge is in God.
8 (AB)Trust in Him at all times, O people;
(AC)Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah.
The God of Sinai and of the Sanctuary.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David. A Song.
68 [a]Let (A)God arise, [b]let His enemies be scattered,
And [c]let those who hate Him flee before Him.
2 As (B)smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
As (C)wax melts before the fire,
So let the (D)wicked perish before God.
3 But let the (E)righteous be glad; let them exult before God;
Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.
4 Sing to God, (F)sing praises to His name;
[d](G)Lift up a song for Him who (H)rides through the deserts,
Whose (I)name is [e]the Lord, and exult before Him.
5 A (J)father of the fatherless and a (K)judge [f]for the widows,
Is God in His (L)holy habitation.
6 God [g](M)makes a home for the lonely;
He (N)leads out the prisoners into prosperity,
Only (O)the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
7 O God, when You (P)went forth before Your people,
When You (Q)marched through the wilderness, [h]Selah.
8 The (R)earth quaked;
The (S)heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
[i](T)Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 You (U)shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God;
You confirmed Your inheritance when it was [j]parched.
10 Your creatures settled in it;
You (V)provided in Your goodness for the poor, O God.
11 The Lord gives the [k]command;
The (W)women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host:
12 “(X)Kings of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home will (Y)divide the spoil!”
13 [l]When you lie down (Z)among the [m]sheepfolds,
You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And its pinions with glistening gold.
14 When the Almighty (AA)scattered the kings [n]there,
It was snowing in (AB)Zalmon.
15 A [o](AC)mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;
A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.
16 Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks,
At the mountain which God has (AD)desired for His abode?
Surely (AE)the Lord will dwell there forever.
17 The (AF)chariots of God are [p]myriads, (AG)thousands upon thousands;
[q]The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.
18 You have (AH)ascended on high, You have (AI)led captive Your captives;
You have received gifts among men,
Even among the rebellious also, that [r]the Lord God may dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily (AJ)bears our burden,
(AK)The God who is our salvation. Selah.
20 God is to us a (AL)God of deliverances;
And (AM)to [s]God the Lord belong escapes [t]from death.
21 Surely God will (AN)shatter the head of His enemies,
The hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds.
22 The Lord [u]said, “(AO)I will bring them back from Bashan.
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea;
23 That [v](AP)your foot may shatter them in blood,
The tongue of your (AQ)dogs may have its portion from your enemies.”
24 They have seen (AR)Your [w]procession, O God,
The [x]procession of my God, my King, [y](AS)into the sanctuary.
25 The (AT)singers went on, the musicians after them,
[z]In the midst of the (AU)maidens beating tambourines.
26 (AV)Bless God in the congregations,
Even the Lord, you who are of the (AW)fountain of Israel.
27 There is (AX)Benjamin, the [aa]youngest, [ab]ruling them,
The princes of Judah in their throng,
The princes of (AY)Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.
28 [ac]Your God has (AZ)commanded your strength;
Show Yourself strong, O God, (BA)who have acted [ad]on our behalf.
29 [ae]Because of Your temple at Jerusalem
(BB)Kings will bring gifts to You.
30 Rebuke the (BC)beasts [af]in the reeds,
The herd of (BD)bulls with the calves of the peoples,
Trampling under foot the pieces of silver;
He has (BE)scattered the peoples who delight in war.
31 Envoys will come out of (BF)Egypt;
[ag](BG)Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.
32 Sing to God, O (BH)kingdoms of the earth,
(BI)Sing praises to the Lord, Selah.
33 To Him who (BJ)rides upon the [ah](BK)highest heavens, which are from ancient times;
Behold, (BL)He [ai]speaks forth with His voice, a (BM)mighty voice.
34 (BN)Ascribe strength to God;
His majesty is over Israel
And (BO)His strength is in the [aj]skies.
35 [ak]O God, You are (BP)awesome from Your [al]sanctuary.
The God of Israel Himself (BQ)gives strength and power to the people.
(BR)Blessed be God!
Isaac Is Born
21 (A)Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had [a]promised. 2 (B)So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at (C)the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, (D)Isaac. 4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was (E)eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Now Abraham was (F)one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 Sarah said, “God has made (G)laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh [b]with me.” 7 And she said, “(H)Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
8 The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
Sarah Turns against Hagar
9 Now Sarah saw (I)the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, [c](J)mocking. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “(K)Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son [d]Isaac.” 11 (L)The matter [e]distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “[f]Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for (M)through Isaac [g]your descendants shall be named. 13 And of (N)the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your [h]descendant.” 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a [i]skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15 When the water in the skin was used up, she [j]left the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “Do not let me [k]see the boy die.” And she sat opposite him, and (O)lifted up her voice and wept. 17 God (P)heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? (Q)Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by [l]the hand, (R)for I will make a great nation of him.” 19 Then God (S)opened her eyes and she saw (T)a well of water; and she went and filled the [m]skin with water and gave the lad a drink.
20 (U)God was with the lad, and he grew; and he [n]lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21 (V)He [o]lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
13 (A)All these died in faith, (B)without receiving the promises, but (C)having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and (D)having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 And indeed if they had been [a]thinking of that country from which they went out, (E)they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a (F)heavenly one. Therefore (G)God is not [b]ashamed to be (H)called their God; for (I)He has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith (J)Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had (K)received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, “(L)In Isaac your [c]descendants shall be called.” 19 [d]He considered that (M)God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back [e]as a (N)type. 20 By faith (O)Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. 21 By faith (P)Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and (Q)worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22 By faith (R)Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.
Words to the Jews
41 (A)Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that (B)came down out of heaven.” 42 They were saying, “(C)Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother (D)we know? How does He now say, ‘(E)I have come down out of heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me (F)draws him; and I will (G)raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written (H)in the prophets, ‘(I)And they shall all be (J)taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. 46 (K)Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes (L)has eternal life. 48 (M)I am the bread of life. 49 (N)Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which (O)comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and (P)not die. 51 (Q)I am the living bread that (R)came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, (S)he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give (T)for the life of the world is (U)My flesh.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.