Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 45
A Royal Wedding Song
For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.”(A) A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song.
1 My heart is moved by a noble theme
as I recite my verses to the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.(B)
2 You are the most handsome of men;[a]
grace flows from your lips.(C)
Therefore God has blessed you forever.(D)
3 Mighty warrior, strap your sword at your side.
In your majesty and splendor(E)—
4 in your splendor ride triumphantly
in the cause of truth, humility, and justice.
May your right hand show your awe-inspiring acts.(F)
5 Your sharpened arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;
the peoples fall under you.(G)
6 Your throne,(H) God, is[b] forever and ever;
the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.(I)
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;(J)
therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy
more than your companions.
8 Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume all your garments;
from ivory palaces harps bring you joy.(K)
9 Kings’ daughters are among your honored women;(L)
the queen, adorned with gold from Ophir,
stands at your right hand.(M)
10 Listen, daughter, pay attention and consider:
Forget your people and your father’s house,(N)
11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Bow down to him, for he is your lord.(O)
12 The daughter of Tyre, the wealthy people,
will seek your favor with gifts.(P)
Psalm 47
God Our King
For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 Clap your hands, all you peoples;(A)
shout to God with a jubilant cry.(B)
2 For the Lord, the Most High, is awe-inspiring,
a great King over the whole earth.(C)
3 He subdues peoples under us
and nations under our feet.(D)
4 He chooses for us our inheritance—
the pride of Jacob, whom he loves.(E)Selah
5 God ascends among shouts of joy,
the Lord, with the sound of a ram’s horn.(F)
6 Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our King, sing praise!(G)
7 Sing a song of wisdom,[a]
for God is King of the whole earth.(H)
8 God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.(I)
9 The nobles of the peoples have assembled
with the people of the God of Abraham.(J)
For the leaders[b] of the earth belong to God;
he is greatly exalted.(K)
Psalm 48
Zion Exalted
A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 The Lord is great and highly praised
in the city of our God.(L)
His holy mountain, 2 rising splendidly,
is the joy of the whole earth.
Mount Zion—the summit of Zaphon—
is the city of the great King.(M)
3 God is known as a stronghold
in its citadels.(N)
4 Look! The kings assembled;
they advanced together.(O)
5 They looked and froze with fear;
they fled in terror.(P)
6 Trembling seized them there,
agony like that of a woman in labor,(Q)
7 as you wrecked the ships of Tarshish
with the east wind.(R)
8 Just as we heard, so we have seen
in the city of the Lord of Armies,
in the city of our God;
God will establish it forever.(S)Selah
21 Then Moses asked Aaron, “What did these people do to you that you have led them into such a grave sin?”
22 “Don’t be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil.(A) 23 They said to me, ‘Make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’ 24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off,’ and they gave it to me. When I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!”
25 Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them get out of control, making them a laughingstock to their enemies.[a] 26 And Moses stood at the camp’s entrance and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him. 27 He told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man fasten his sword to his side; go back and forth through the camp from entrance to entrance, and each of you kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”(B) 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand men fell dead that day among the people. 29 Afterward Moses said, “Today you have been dedicated[b] to the Lord, since each man went against his son and his brother. Therefore you have brought a blessing on yourselves today.”(C)
30 The following day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a grave sin. Now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I will be able to atone for your sin.”(D)
31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a grave sin; they have made a god of gold for themselves.(E) 32 Now if you would only forgive their sin. But if not, please erase me from the book you have written.”(F)
33 The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will erase from my book.(G) 34 Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about; see, my angel will go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will hold them accountable for their sin.”(H)
Greeting
1 Paul, Silvanus,[a](A) and Timothy:(B)
To the church of the Thessalonians(C) in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace to you and peace.[b]
Thanksgiving
2 We always thank God for all of you, making mention of you constantly in our prayers. 3 We recall, in the presence of our God and Father,(D) your work produced by faith,(E) your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.(F) 4 For we know, brothers and sisters loved(G) by God,(H) that he has chosen you,(I) 5 because our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit,(J) and with full assurance. You know how we lived among you(K) for your benefit, 6 and you yourselves became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message(L) with joy from the Holy Spirit. 7 As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia(M) and Achaia.(N) 8 For the word of the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith[c](O) in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything, 9 for they themselves report[d] what kind of reception(P) we had from you: how you turned(Q) to God from idols(R) to serve the living(S) and true(T) God 10 and to wait(U) for his Son(V) from heaven, whom he raised from the dead(W)—Jesus, who rescues us(X) from the coming wrath.(Y)
11 “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted(A) the prophets who were before you.(B)
Believers Are Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty?[a] It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.(C)
14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.(D) 15 No one lights a lamp(E) and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.(F) 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.(G)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.