Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 132[a]
The Divine Promises Made to David
1 A song of ascents.
Remember, O Lord, for David’s sake,
all the difficulties he endured.[b]
2 [c]He swore an oath to the Lord
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 “I will not enter the house I live in
or lie down on the bed where I sleep,
4 neither will I allow myself to fall asleep
or even to close my eyes,
5 until I find a home for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 We heard of it in Ephrathah;
we came upon it[d] in the fields of Jaar.
7 [e]Let us enter his dwelling place,
let us worship at his footstool.
8 Arise, O Lord, and go up to your resting place,
you and the Ark of your might.
9 Let your priests clothe themselves with righteousness,[f]
and let your saints shout for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.[g]
11 The Lord swore this oath[h] to David,
an oath that he will not renounce:
“One of your own descendants
I will place on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and the statutes that I will teach them,
their sons will also rule
on your throne from age to age.”[i]
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has designated it for his home:
14 “This will be my resting place forever;
here I will reside, for such is my wish.
15 [j]“I will bless it with abundant provisions
and satisfy its poor with their fill of bread.
16 I will clothe its priests with salvation,
and its saints will shout for joy.
17 “There I will raise up a horn for David[k]
and prepare a lamp for my anointed one.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but on his head there will be a resplendent crown.”[l]
A Plea for Deliverance[a]
7 I will recount the favors of the Lord,
the glorious deeds of the Lord,
because of all that the Lord has done for us
and the great kindness he has shown
to the house of Israel.
He has favored us with his mercy
and the abundance of his steadfast love.
8 For he said, “These are indeed my people,
children who will not betray me,”
and he became their Savior.
9 In all their difficulties
it was no messenger or an angel
but he himself who saved them.
In his love and his pity he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them
through all the days of old.
10 However, they rebelled
and grieved his Holy Spirit.
Therefore, he became their enemy
and he himself fought against them.
11 Then they remembered the days of old
and Moses his servant.
Where is he who brought up from the water
the shepherd of his flock?
Where is he who put his Holy Spirit
in their midst,
12 whose glorious arm led them
to march at the right hand of Moses,
who divided the waters before them
to win for himself everlasting renown,
13 and who led them through the depths?
Like horses in open country,
they did not stumble.
14 Like cattle descending into a valley,
the Spirit of the Lord afforded them rest.
15 Look down from heaven and see,
from your holy and glorious dwelling.
Where are your zeal and your might,
your compassion and your tender mercy?
Do not withhold them from me.
16 For you are our Father.
Although Abraham does not know us
and Israel[b] does not acknowledge us,
you, O Lord, are our Father;
forever you have been called our Redeemer.
18 The Birth of Jesus.[a] The birth of Jesus Christ occurred in this way. When his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they came to live together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph was a just man and did not wish to expose her to the ordeal of public disgrace; therefore, he resolved to divorce her quietly.
20 After he had decided to follow this course of action, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to receive Mary into your home as your wife. For this child has been conceived in her womb through the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you shall name him Jesus,[b] for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place in order to fulfill what the Lord had announced through the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and give birth to a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
a name that means “God is with us.”[c]
24 When Joseph rose from sleep, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him. He took Mary into his home as his wife, 25 but he engaged in no marital relations[d] with her until she gave birth to a son, whom he named Jesus.
Psalm 34[a]
Presence of God, Protector of the Righteous
1 Of David. When he pretended to be mad before Abimelech, who forced him to depart.[b]
2 [c]I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise will be continually on my lips.
3 My soul[d] will glory in the Lord;
let the lowly hear and be glad.
4 Magnify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
5 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he set me free from all my fears.
6 Look to him and you will be radiant;
your faces will never be covered with shame.
7 In my anguish[e] I cried out;
the Lord heard my plea,
and I was saved from all my troubles.
8 The angel of the Lord[f] encamps around those who fear God,
and he delivers them.
9 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed[g] is the man who takes refuge in him.
10 Fear the Lord,[h] you his saints;
nothing is lacking for those who fear him.
11 The powerful[i] suffer want and go hungry,
but those who seek the Lord want for no good thing.
12 [j]Come, my children,[k] and listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
13 Who among you delights in life
and desires many years to enjoy prosperity?[l]
14 Then keep your tongue[m] from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
15 Shun evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
16 [n]The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
17 The face of the Lord is turned against those who do evil,
to erase all memory of them from the earth.
18 [o]The righteous call out, and the Lord hears them;
he rescues them from all their troubles.
19 The Lord remains close to the brokenhearted,
and he saves those whose spirit is crushed.
20 [p]The misfortunes of the righteous man are many,
but the Lord delivers him,[q] from all of them.
21 He watches with care over all his bones;
not a single one will be broken.
22 [r]Evil will bring death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
23 The Lord redeems the lives of those who serve him;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.
14 Prayer for a Deeper Faith. This is the reason why I kneel in prayer before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth takes its name. 16 I ask that from the riches of his glory he may grant through his Spirit that you be strengthened with power in your inner being 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that, rooted and grounded in love, 18 you may have the power to comprehend with all the saints its breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and know Christ’s love even though it is beyond knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 To him who in all things is able
through the power
that is at work within us
to accomplish abundantly far more
than all we can ask or imagine,
21 to him be glory in the Church
and in Christ Jesus
through all generations,
forever and ever. Amen.
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