Book of Common Prayer
The Lord Has Chosen Zion
A Song of (A)Ascents.
132 Remember, O Lord, in David's favor,
all (B)the hardships he endured,
2 how he swore to the Lord
and (C)vowed to (D)the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
4 I will not (E)give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I (F)find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for (G)the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 Behold, we heard of it in (H)Ephrathah;
we found it in (I)the fields of Jaar.
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us (J)worship at his (K)footstool!”
8 (L)Arise, O Lord, and go to your (M)resting place,
you and the ark of your (N)might.
9 Let your (O)priests be (P)clothed with righteousness,
and let your (Q)saints shout for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
(R)do not turn away the face of (S)your anointed one.
11 (T)The Lord swore to David a sure oath
(U)from which he will not turn back:
(V)“One of the sons of your body[a]
I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
shall (W)sit on your throne.”
13 For the Lord has (X)chosen Zion;
he has (Y)desired it for his dwelling place:
14 “This is my (Z)resting place forever;
here I will (AA)dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly (AB)bless her provisions;
I will (AC)satisfy her poor with bread.
16 Her (AD)priests I will clothe with salvation,
and her (AE)saints will shout for joy.
17 There I will make (AF)a horn to sprout for David;
I have prepared (AG)a lamp for (AH)my anointed.
18 His enemies I will (AI)clothe with shame,
but on him his crown will shine.”
The Lord's Mercy Remembered
7 I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord,
the praises of the Lord,
according to all that the Lord has granted us,
(A)and the great goodness to the house of Israel
that he has granted them according to his compassion,
according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
8 For he said, “Surely they are my people,
children who will not deal falsely.”
And he became their Savior.
9 (B)In all their affliction he was afflicted,[a]
and the angel of his presence saved them;
(C)in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
(D)he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
10 (E)But they rebelled
(F)and grieved his Holy Spirit;
therefore he turned to be their enemy,
and himself fought against them.
11 Then he remembered (G)the days of old,
of Moses and his people.[b]
(H)Where is he who brought them up out of the sea
with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is he who put in the midst of them
his Holy Spirit,
12 who caused his glorious arm
to go at the right hand of Moses,
(I)who divided the waters before them
(J)to make for himself an everlasting name,
13 who led them through the depths?
Like a horse in the desert,
they did not stumble.
14 Like livestock that go down into the valley,
(K)the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.
So you led your people,
(L)to make for yourself a glorious name.
Prayer for Mercy
15 (M)Look down from heaven and see,
(N)from your holy and beautiful[c] habitation.
Where are (O)your zeal and your might?
The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion
are held back from me.
16 For (P)you are our Father,
though Abraham does not know us,
and Israel does not acknowledge us;
you, O Lord, are our Father,
(Q)our Redeemer from of old is your name.
The Birth of Jesus Christ
18 Now the birth of (A)Jesus Christ[a] took place in this way. (B)When his mother Mary had been betrothed[b] to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child (C)from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling (D)to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, (E)an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and (F)you shall call his name Jesus, (G)for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 (H)All this took place (I)to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
(which means, God (L)with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And (M)he called his name Jesus.
Taste and See That the Lord Is Good
[a] Of David, when he (A)changed his behavior before (B)Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
34 I will bless the Lord (C)at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul (D)makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and (E)be glad.
3 Oh, (F)magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
4 I (G)sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are (H)radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 (I)This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and (J)saved him out of all his troubles.
7 (K)The angel of the Lord (L)encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 Oh, (M)taste and see that (N)the Lord is good!
(O)Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
10 (P)The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who (Q)seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 (R)Come, O children, listen to me;
(S)I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 (T)What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may (U)see good?
13 (V)Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from (W)speaking deceit.
14 (X)Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and (Y)pursue it.
15 (Z)The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
(AA)and his ears toward their cry.
16 (AB)The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to (AC)cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 (AD)When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to (AE)the brokenhearted
and saves (AF)the crushed in spirit.
19 (AG)Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
(AH)but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
(AI)not one of them is broken.
21 (AJ)Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord (AK)redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be (AL)condemned.
Prayer for Spiritual Strength
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom (A)every family[a] in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to (B)the riches of his glory (C)he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit (D)in your inner being, 17 (E)so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being (F)rooted and (G)grounded in love, 18 may have strength to (H)comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and (I)height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ (J)that surpasses knowledge, that (K)you may be filled with all (L)the fullness of God.
20 (M)Now to (N)him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, (O)according to the power at work within us, 21 (P)to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.