Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 24[a]
A psalm of David.
24 The Lord owns the earth and all it contains,
the world and all who live in it.
2 For he set its foundation upon the seas,
and established[b] it upon the ocean currents.[c]
3 Who is allowed to ascend[d] the mountain of the Lord?[e]
Who may go up to his holy dwelling place?
4 The one whose deeds are blameless
and whose motives are pure,[f]
who does not lie,[g]
or make promises with no intention of keeping them.[h]
5 Such godly people are rewarded by the Lord,[i]
and vindicated by the God who delivers them.[j]
6 Such purity characterizes the people who seek his favor,
Jacob’s descendants, who pray to him.[k] (Selah)
7 Look up,[l] you gates.
Rise up,[m] you eternal doors.
Then the majestic king[n] will enter.[o]
8 Who is this majestic king?[p]
The Lord who is strong and mighty.
The Lord who is mighty in battle.
9 Look up, you gates.
Rise up, you eternal doors.
Then the majestic king will enter.
10 Who is this majestic king?
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies.[q]
He is the majestic king. (Selah)
Psalm 29[a]
A psalm of David.
29 Acknowledge the Lord, you heavenly beings,[b]
acknowledge the Lord’s majesty and power.[c]
2 Acknowledge the majesty of the Lord’s reputation.[d]
Worship the Lord in holy attire.[e]
3 The Lord’s shout is heard over the water;[f]
the majestic God thunders,[g]
the Lord appears over the surging water.[h]
4 The Lord’s shout is powerful,[i]
the Lord’s shout is majestic.[j]
5 The Lord’s shout breaks[k] the cedars,
the Lord shatters[l] the cedars of Lebanon.[m]
6 He makes them skip like a calf,
Lebanon and Sirion[n] like a young ox.[o]
7 The Lord’s shout strikes[p] with flaming fire.[q]
8 The Lord’s shout shakes[r] the wilderness,
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.[s]
9 The Lord’s shout bends[t] the large trees[u]
and strips[v] the leaves from the forests.[w]
Everyone in his temple says, “Majestic!”[x]
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the engulfing waters,[y]
the Lord sits enthroned[z] as the eternal king.
11 The Lord gives[aa] his people strength;[ab]
the Lord grants his people security.[ac]
Psalm 8[a]
For the music director, according to the gittith style;[b] a psalm of David.
8 O Lord, our Lord,[c]
how magnificent[d] is your reputation[e] throughout the earth!
You reveal your majesty in the heavens above.[f]
2 From the mouths of children and nursing babies
you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries,[g]
so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy.[h]
3 When I look up at the heavens, which your fingers made,
and see the moon and the stars, which you set in place,[i]
4 Of what importance is the human race,[j] that you should notice[k] them?
Of what importance is mankind,[l] that you should pay attention to them?[m]
5 You made them[n] a little less than[o] the heavenly beings.[p]
You crowned mankind[q] with honor and majesty.[r]
6 you appoint them to rule over your creation;[s]
you have placed[t] everything under their authority,[u]
7 including all the sheep and cattle,
as well as the wild animals,[v]
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that moves through the currents[w] of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord,[x]
how magnificent[y] is your reputation[z] throughout the earth![aa]
Psalm 84[a]
For the music director, according to the gittith style;[b] written by the Korahites, a psalm.
84 How lovely is the place where you live,[c]
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies![d]
2 I desperately want to be[e]
in the courts of the Lord’s temple.[f]
My heart and my entire being[g] shout for joy
to the living God.
3 Even the birds find a home there,
and the swallow[h] builds a nest,
where she can protect her young[i]
near your altars, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
my King and my God.
4 How blessed[j] are those who live in your temple
and praise you continually. (Selah)
5 How blessed are those who[k] find their strength in you,
and long to travel the roads that lead to your temple.[l]
6 As they pass through the Baca Valley,[m]
he provides a spring for them.[n]
The rain[o] even covers it with pools of water.[p]
7 They are sustained as they travel along;[q]
each one appears[r] before God in Zion.
8 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,[s]
hear my prayer.
Listen, O God of Jacob. (Selah)
9 O God, take notice of our shield.[t]
Show concern for your chosen king.[u]
10 Certainly[v] spending just one day in your temple courts is better
than spending a thousand elsewhere.[w]
I would rather stand at the entrance[x] to the temple of my God
than live[y] in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is our sovereign protector.[z]
The Lord bestows favor[aa] and honor;
he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity.[ab]
12 O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,[ac]
how blessed are those who trust in you.[ad]
Ordination of the Priests
8 Then the Lord spoke to Moses:[a] 2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, the anointing oil, the sin offering bull, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread, 3 and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.”[b] 4 So Moses did just as the Lord commanded him, and the congregation assembled at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. 5 Then Moses said to the congregation: “This is what the Lord has commanded to be done.”
Clothing Aaron
6 So Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water. 7 Then he[c] put the tunic[d] on Aaron,[e] wrapped the sash around him,[f] and clothed him with the robe.[g] Next he put the ephod on him[h] and placed on him[i] the decorated band of the ephod, and fastened the ephod closely to him with the band.[j] 8 He then set the breastpiece[k] on him and put the Urim and Thummim[l] into the breastpiece. 9 Finally, he set the turban[m] on his head and attached the gold plate, the holy diadem,[n] to the front of the turban just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Anointing the Tabernacle and Aaron, and Clothing Aaron’s Sons
10 Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, and so consecrated them.[o] 11 Next he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times and so anointed the altar, all its vessels, and the washbasin and its stand to consecrate them. 12 He then poured some of the anointing oil on the head of Aaron and anointed him to consecrate him. 13 Moses also brought forward Aaron’s sons, clothed them with tunics, wrapped sashes around them,[p] and wrapped headbands on them[q] just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Anointing Aaron, his Sons, and their Garments
30 Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons’ garments. So he consecrated Aaron, his garments, and his sons and his sons’ garments. 31 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the meat at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and there you are to eat it and the bread which is in the ordination offering basket, just as I have commanded,[a] saying, ‘Aaron and his sons are to eat it,’ 32 but the remainder of the meat and the bread[b] you must burn with fire. 33 And you must not go out from the entrance of the Meeting Tent for seven days, until the day when your days of ordination are completed, because you must be ordained over a seven-day period.[c] 34 What has been done[d] on this day the Lord has commanded to be done[e] to make atonement for you. 35 You must reside at the entrance of the Meeting Tent day and night for seven days and keep the charge of the Lord so that you will not die, for this is what I have been commanded.” 36 So Aaron and his sons did all the things the Lord had commanded through[f] Moses.
The Lord’s Discipline
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,[a] we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us, 2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For[b] the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.[c] 3 Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed[d] in your struggle against sin. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons?
“My son, do not scorn[e] the Lord’s discipline
or give up when he corrects[f] you.
6 “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son he accepts.”[g]
7 Endure your suffering[h] as discipline;[i] God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? 8 But if you do not experience discipline,[j] something all sons[k] have shared in, then you are illegitimate and are not sons. 9 Besides, we have experienced discipline from[l] our earthly fathers[m] and we respected them; shall we not submit ourselves all the more to the Father of spirits and receive life?[n] 10 For they disciplined us for a little while as seemed good to them, but he does so for our benefit, that we may share his holiness. 11 Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful.[o] But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness[p] for those trained by it. 12 Therefore, strengthen[q] your listless hands and your weak knees,[r] 13 and make straight paths for your feet,[s] so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.
Do Not Reject God’s Warning
14 Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness,[t] for without it no one will see the Lord.
Rejection at Nazareth
16 Now[a] Jesus[b] came to Nazareth,[c] where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue[d] on the Sabbath day, as was his custom.[e] He[f] stood up to read,[g] 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He[h] unrolled[i] the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed[j] me to proclaim good news[k] to the poor.[l]
He has sent me[m] to proclaim release[n] to the captives
and the regaining of sight[o] to the blind,
to set free[p] those who are oppressed,[q]
19 to proclaim the year[r] of the Lord’s favor.”[s]
20 Then[t] he rolled up[u] the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on[v] him. 21 Then[w] he began to tell them, “Today[x] this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.”[y] 22 All[z] were speaking well of him, and were amazed at the gracious words coming out of his mouth. They[aa] said, “Isn’t this[ab] Joseph’s son?” 23 Jesus[ac] said to them, “No doubt you will quote to me the proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself!’[ad] and say, ‘What we have heard that you did in Capernaum,[ae] do here in your hometown too.’” 24 And he added,[af] “I tell you the truth,[ag] no prophet is acceptable[ah] in his hometown. 25 But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days,[ai] when the sky[aj] was shut up three and a half years, and[ak] there was a great famine over all the land. 26 Yet[al] Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to a woman who was a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.[am] 27 And there were many lepers[an] in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha,[ao] yet[ap] none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”[aq] 28 When they heard this, all the people[ar] in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, forced[as] him out of the town,[at] and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that[au] they could throw him down the cliff.[av] 30 But he passed through the crowd[aw] and went on his way.[ax]
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