Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 89
Perplexity about God’s Promises
A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.(A)
1 I will sing about the Lord’s faithful love forever;(B)
I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations
with my mouth.(C)
2 For I will declare,
“Faithful love is built up forever;
you establish your faithfulness in the heavens.”(D)
3 The Lord said,
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn an oath to David my servant:
4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever
and build up your throne for all generations.’”(E)Selah
5 Lord, the heavens praise your wonders(F)—
your faithfulness also—
in the assembly of the holy ones.(G)
6 For who in the skies can compare with the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings[a] is like the Lord?(H)
7 God is greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,
more awe-inspiring than[b] all who surround him.(I)
8 Lord God of Armies,
who is strong like you, Lord?(J)
Your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule the raging sea;
when its waves surge, you still them.(K)
10 You crushed Rahab like one who is slain;(L)
you scattered your enemies with your powerful arm.(M)
11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours.
The world and everything in it—you founded them.(N)
12 North and south—you created them.(O)
Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at your name.(P)
13 You have a mighty arm;
your hand is powerful;
your right hand is lifted high.(Q)
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation
of your throne;(R)
faithful love and truth go before you.(S)
15 Happy are the people who know the joyful shout;(T)
Lord, they walk in the light from your face.(U)
16 They rejoice in your name all day long,
and they are exalted by your righteousness.(V)
17 For you are their magnificent strength;(W)
by your favor our horn is exalted.(X)
18 Surely our shield[c] belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.(Y)
19 You once spoke in a vision to your faithful ones
and said, “I have granted help to a warrior;
I have exalted one chosen[d] from the people.(Z)
20 I have found David my servant;
I have anointed him with my sacred oil.(AA)
21 My hand will always be with him,
and my arm will strengthen him.(AB)
22 The enemy will not oppress[e] him;
the wicked will not afflict him.(AC)
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike those who hate him.(AD)
24 My faithfulness and love will be with him,
and through my name
his horn will be exalted.(AE)
25 I will extend his power to the sea
and his right hand to the rivers.(AF)
26 He will call to me, ‘You are my Father,(AG)
my God, the rock of my salvation.’(AH)
27 I will also make him my firstborn,
greatest of the kings of the earth.(AI)
28 I will always preserve my faithful love for him,
and my covenant with him will endure.(AJ)
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as heaven lasts.[f](AK)
30 If his sons abandon my instruction
and do not live by my ordinances,(AL)
31 if they dishonor my statutes
and do not keep my commands,(AM)
32 then I will call their rebellion
to account with the rod,
their iniquity with blows.(AN)
33 But I will not withdraw
my faithful love from him
or betray my faithfulness.(AO)
34 I will not violate my covenant
or change what my lips have said.(AP)
35 Once and for all
I have sworn an oath by my holiness;
I will not lie to David.(AQ)
36 His offspring will continue forever,
his throne like the sun before me,(AR)
37 like the moon, established forever,
a faithful witness in the sky.”(AS)Selah
38 But you have spurned and rejected him;
you have become enraged with your anointed.(AT)
39 You have repudiated the covenant with your servant;
you have completely dishonored his crown.[g](AU)
40 You have broken down all his walls;
you have reduced his fortified cities to ruins.(AV)
41 All who pass by plunder him;(AW)
he has become an object of ridicule
to his neighbors.(AX)
42 You have lifted high the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.(AY)
43 You have also turned back his sharp sword
and have not let him stand in battle.(AZ)
44 You have made his splendor[h] cease
and have overturned his throne.(BA)
45 You have shortened the days of his youth;
you have covered him with shame.(BB)Selah
46 How long, Lord? Will you hide forever?
Will your anger keep burning like fire?(BC)
47 Remember how short my life is.
Have you created everyone for nothing?(BD)
48 What courageous person can live and never see death?
Who can save himself from the power of Sheol?(BE)Selah
49 Lord, where are the former acts of your faithful love
that you swore to David in your faithfulness?(BF)
50 Remember, Lord, the ridicule against your servants—
in my heart I carry abuse from all the peoples—
51 how your enemies have ridiculed, Lord,
how they have ridiculed every step of your anointed.(BG)
52 Blessed be the Lord forever.
Amen and amen.(BH)
Encouragement of Joshua
1 After the death of Moses(A) the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun,(B) Moses’s assistant: 2 “Moses my servant is dead.(C) Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan(D) to the land I am giving the Israelites. 3 I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads,(E) just as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon(F) to the great river, the Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites(G)—and west to the Mediterranean Sea.(H) 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live.(I) I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you.(J)
6 “Be strong and courageous,(K) for you will distribute the land I swore to their ancestors to give them as an inheritance.(L) 7 Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you.(M) Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. 8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth;(N) you are to meditate on[a] it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.(O) 9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous?(P) Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Paul’s Ministry to the Gentiles
3 For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner(A) of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that he gave me for you. 3 The mystery was made known to me by revelation,(B) as I have briefly written above. 4 By reading this you are able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ.(C) 5 This was not made known to people[a] in other generations as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets(D) by the Spirit: 6 The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise(E) in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power.(F)
8 This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches(G) of Christ, 9 and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created(H) all things. 10 This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom(I) may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens.(J) 11 This is according to his eternal purpose(K) accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him we have boldness and confident access(L) through faith in him.[b] 13 So, then, I ask you not to be discouraged(M) over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are your glory.(N)
A Centurion’s Faith
5 When he entered Capernaum,(A) a centurion came to him, pleading with him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony.”
7 He said to him, “Am I to come and heal him?”[a]
8 “Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.(B) 9 For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command.[b] I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”
10 Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith. 11 I tell you that many will come from east and west to share the banquet[c] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.(C) 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”(D) 13 Then Jesus told the centurion, “Go. As you have believed,(E) let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that very moment.[d]
Healings at Capernaum
14 Jesus went into Peter’s house(F) and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 So he touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve him. 16 When evening came, they brought to him many who were demon-possessed. He drove out the spirits(G) with a word and healed all who were sick,(H) 17 so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
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