Book of Common Prayer
The King of Glory Entering Zion.
A Psalm of David.
24 The (A)earth is the Lord’s, and [a]all it contains,
The (B)world, and those who dwell in it.
2 For He has (C)founded it upon the seas
And established it upon the rivers.
3 Who may (D)ascend into the (E)hill of the Lord?
And who may stand in His holy (F)place?
4 He who has (G)clean hands and a (H)pure heart,
Who has not (I)lifted up his soul [b]to falsehood
And has not (J)sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive a (K)blessing from the Lord
And [c](L)righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 [d]This is the generation of those who (M)seek Him,
Who seek Your face—even Jacob. [e]Selah.
7 (N)Lift up your heads, O gates,
And be lifted up, O [f]ancient doors,
That the King of (O)glory may come in!
8 Who is the King of glory?
The Lord (P)strong and mighty,
The Lord (Q)mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates,
And lift them up, O [g]ancient doors,
That the King of (R)glory may come in!
10 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of (S)hosts,
He is the King of glory. Selah.
The Voice of the Lord in the Storm.
A Psalm of David.
29 (A)Ascribe to the Lord, O [a]sons of the mighty,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory [b]due to His name;
Worship the Lord (B)in [c]holy array.
3 The (C)voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
The God of glory (D)thunders,
The Lord is over [d](E)many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is (F)powerful,
The voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
Yes, the Lord breaks in pieces (G)the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon (H)skip like a calf,
And (I)Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord hews out [e]flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord [f]shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the wilderness of (J)Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes (K)the deer to calve
And strips the forests bare;
And (L)in His temple everything says, “Glory!”
The Lord’s Glory and Man’s Dignity.
For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of David.
8 O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have [a](A)displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
2 (B)From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established [b](C)strength
Because of Your adversaries,
To make (D)the enemy and the revengeful cease.
3 When I [c](E)consider (F)Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The (G)moon and the stars, which You have [d]ordained;
4 (H)What is man that You [e]take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
5 Yet You have made him a (I)little lower than [f]God,
And (J)You crown him with (K)glory and majesty!
6 You make him to (L)rule over the works of Your hands;
You have (M)put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen,
And also the [g]beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.
9 (N)O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!
Longing for the Temple Worship.
For the choir director; [a]on the Gittith. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
84 How lovely are Your (A)dwelling places,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My (B)soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the (C)living God.
3 The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even Your (D)altars, O Lord of hosts,
(E)My King and my God.
4 How (F)blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are (G)ever praising You. [b]Selah.
5 How blessed is the man whose (H)strength is in You,
In [c]whose heart are the (I)highways to Zion!
6 Passing through the valley of [d]Baca they make it a [e]spring;
The (J)early rain also covers it with blessings.
7 They (K)go from strength to strength,
[f]Every one of them (L)appears before God in Zion.
8 O (M)Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O (N)God of Jacob! Selah.
9 Behold our (O)shield, O God,
And look upon the face of (P)Your anointed.
10 For (Q)a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is (R)a sun and (S)shield;
The Lord gives grace and (T)glory;
(U)No good thing does He withhold [g]from those who walk [h]uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
How (V)blessed is the man who trusts in You!
The Futility of Life
6 There is an (A)evil which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent [a]among men— 2 a man to whom God has (B)given riches and wealth and honor so that his soul (C)lacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner [b]enjoys them. This is [c]vanity and a severe affliction. 3 If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many [d]they be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper (D)burial, then I say, “Better (E)the miscarriage than he, 4 for it comes in futility and goes into obscurity; and its name is covered in obscurity. 5 It never sees the sun and it never knows anything; [e]it is better off than he. 6 Even if the other man lives a thousand years twice and does not [f]enjoy good things—(F)do not all go to one place?”
7 (G)All a man’s labor is for his mouth and yet the [g]appetite is not [h]satisfied. 8 For (H)what advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage does the poor man have, knowing how to walk before the living? 9 What the eyes (I)see is better than what the soul [i]desires. This too is (J)futility and a striving after wind.
10 Whatever (K)exists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he (L)cannot dispute with him who is stronger than he is. 11 For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a man? 12 For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few [j]years of his futile life? He will [k]spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man (M)what will be after him under the sun?
9 On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, (A)Peter went up on (B)the housetop about (C)the [a]sixth hour to pray. 10 But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he (D)fell into a trance; 11 and he *saw (E)the [b]sky opened up, and an [c]object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, 12 and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and [d]crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the [e]air. 13 A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, [f]kill and eat!” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, (F)Lord, for (G)I have never eaten anything [g]unholy and unclean.” 15 Again a voice came to him a second time, “(H)What God has cleansed, no longer consider [h]unholy.” 16 This happened three times, and immediately the [i]object was taken up into the [j]sky.
17 Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in [k]mind as to what (I)the vision which he had seen might be, behold, (J)the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate; 18 and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there. 19 While Peter was reflecting on (K)the vision, (L)the Spirit said to him, “Behold, [l]three men are looking for you. 20 But get up, go downstairs and (M)accompany them [m]without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.” 21 Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?” 22 They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and (N)God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, (O)was divinely directed by a (P)holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear [n](Q)a message from you.” 23 So he invited them in and gave them lodging.
Peter at Caesarea
And on the next day he got up and went away with them, and (R)some of (S)the brethren from (T)Joppa accompanied him.
32 (A)Do not be afraid, (B)little flock, for (C)your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
33 “(D)Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, (E)an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. 34 For (F)where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Be in Readiness
35 “[a](G)Be dressed in (H)readiness, and keep your lamps lit. 36 Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find (I)on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that (J)he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 38 (K)Whether he comes in the [b]second watch, or even in the [c]third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39 “(L)But [d]be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be [e](M)broken into. 40 (N)You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not [f]expect.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.