Book of Common Prayer
A psalm by David.
24 The earth and everything it contains are the Lord’s.
The world and all who live in it are his.
2 He laid its foundation on the seas
and set it firmly on the rivers.
3 Who may go up the Lord’s mountain?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 ⌞The one who⌟ has clean hands and a pure heart
and does not long for what is false
or lie when he is under oath.
5 ⌞This person⌟ will receive a blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from God, his savior.
6 This is the person who seeks him,
who searches for the face of the God of Jacob.[a] Selah
7 Lift your heads, you gates.
Be lifted, you ancient doors,
so that the king of glory may come in.
8 Who is this king of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty!
The Lord, heroic in battle!
9 Lift your heads, you gates.
Be lifted, you ancient doors,
so that the king of glory may come in.
10 Who, then, is this king of glory?
The Lord of Armies is the king of glory! Selah
A psalm by David.
29 Give to the Lord, you heavenly beings.
Give to the Lord glory and power.
2 Give to the Lord the glory his name deserves.
Worship the Lord in ⌞his⌟ holy splendor.
3 The voice of the Lord rolls over the water.
The God of glory thunders.
The Lord shouts over raging water.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful.
The voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars.
The Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip along like a calf
and Mount Sirion like a wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord makes the wilderness tremble.
The Lord makes the wilderness of Kadesh tremble.
9 The voice of the Lord splits the oaks
and strips ⌞the trees of⌟ the forests bare.
Everyone in his temple is saying, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sat enthroned over the flood.
The Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11 The Lord will give power to his people.
The Lord will bless his people with peace.
For the choir director; on the gittith; [a] a psalm by David.
8 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!
Your glory is sung above the heavens.
2 From the mouths of little children and infants,
you have built a fortress against your opponents
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens,
the creation of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have set in place—
4 what is a mortal that you remember him
or the Son of Man that you take care of him?
5 You have made him a little lower than yourself.
You have crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have made him rule what your hands created.
You have put everything under his control:
7 all the sheep and cattle, the wild animals,
8 the birds, the fish,
whatever swims in the currents of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!
For the choir director; on the gittith; a psalm by Korah’s descendants.
84 Your dwelling place is lovely, O Lord of Armies!
2 My soul longs and yearns
for the Lord’s courtyards.
My whole body shouts for joy to the living God.
3 Even sparrows find a home,
and swallows find a nest for themselves.
There they hatch their young
near your altars, O Lord of Armies, my king and my God.
4 Blessed are those who live in your house.
They are always praising you. Selah
5 Blessed are those who find strength in you.
Their hearts are on the road ⌞that leads to you⌟.
6 As they pass through a valley where balsam trees grow,[a]
they make it a place of springs.
The early rains cover it with blessings.[b]
7 Their strength grows as they go along
until each one of them appears
in front of God in Zion.
8 O Lord God, commander of armies, hear my prayer.
Open your ears, O God of Jacob. Selah
9 Look at our shield, O God.
Look with favor on the face of your anointed one.
10 One day in your courtyards is better than a thousand ⌞anywhere else⌟.
I would rather stand in the entrance to my God’s house
than live inside wicked people’s homes.
11 The Lord God is a sun and shield.
The Lord grants favor and honor.
He does not hold back any blessing
from those who live innocently.
12 O Lord of Armies, blessed is the person who trusts you.
The Rich Person and the Stillborn Baby
6 There is a tragedy that I have seen under the sun. It is a terrible one for mortals. 2 God gives one person riches, wealth, and honor so that he doesn’t lack anything he wants. Yet, God doesn’t give him the power to enjoy any of them. Instead, a stranger enjoys them. This is pointless and is a painful tragedy.
3 Suppose a rich person wasn’t satisfied with good things ⌞while he was alive⌟ and didn’t even get an honorable burial ⌞after he died⌟. Suppose he had a hundred children and lived for many years. No matter how long he would have lived, it ⌞still⌟ would have been better for him to have been born dead. 4 A stillborn baby arrives in a pointless birth and goes out into the darkness. The darkness then hides its name. 5 Though it has never seen the sun or known anything, the baby finds more rest than the rich person. 6 Even if the rich person lives two thousand years without experiencing anything good—don’t we all go to the same place?
More Pointless Challenges
7 Everything that people work so hard for goes into their mouths, but their appetite is never satisfied.
8 What advantage does a wise person have over a fool? What advantage does a poor person have in knowing how to face life?
9 It is better to look at what is in front of you than to go looking for what you want. Even this is pointless. ⌞It’s like⌟ trying to catch the wind.
10 Whatever has happened ⌞in the past⌟ already has a name. Mortals are already known for what they are. Mortals cannot argue with the one who is stronger than they.
11 The more words there are, the more pointless they become. What advantage do mortals gain from this? 12 Who knows what may be good for mortals while they are alive, during the brief, pointless days they live? Mortals pass by like a shadow. Who will tell them about their future under the sun?
Peter Has a Vision
9 Around noon the next day, while Cornelius’ men were on their way and coming close to Joppa, Peter went on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted to eat. While the food was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw the sky open and something like a large linen sheet being lowered by its four corners to the ground. 12 In the sheet were all kinds of four-footed animals, reptiles, and birds.
13 A voice told him, “Get up, Peter! Kill these animals, and eat them.”
14 Peter answered, “I can’t do that, Lord! I’ve never eaten anything that is impure or unclean.” [a]
15 A voice spoke to him a second time, “Don’t say that the things which God has made clean [b] are impure.”
16 This happened three times. Then the sheet was quickly taken into the sky.
17 While Peter was puzzled by the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house and went to the gate. 18 They asked if Simon Peter was staying there. 19 Peter was still thinking about the vision when the Spirit said to him, “Three men are looking for you. 20 Get up, and go downstairs. Don’t hesitate to go with these men. I have sent them.”
21 So Peter went to the men. He said, “I’m the man you’re looking for. Why are you here?”
22 The men replied, “Cornelius, a Roman army officer, sent us. He’s a man who has God’s approval and who respects God. Also, the Jewish people respect him. A holy angel told him to summon you to his home to hear what you have to say.”
23 Peter asked the men to come into the house and had them stay overnight.
Peter Speaks with Cornelius
The next day Peter left with them. Some disciples from Joppa went along.
32 Don’t be afraid, little flock. Your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
33 “Sell your material possessions, and give the money to the poor. Make yourselves wallets that don’t wear out! Make a treasure for yourselves in heaven that never loses its value! In heaven thieves and moths can’t get close enough to destroy your treasure. 34 Your heart will be where your treasure is.
The Son of Man Will Return When You Least Expect Him
35 “Be ready for action, and have your lamps burning. 36 Be like servants waiting to open the door at their master’s knock when he returns from a wedding. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I can guarantee this truth: He will change his clothes, make them sit down at the table, and serve them. 38 They will be blessed if he comes in the middle of the night or toward morning and finds them awake.
39 “Of course, you realize that if the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let him break into his house. 40 Be ready, because the Son of Man will return when you least expect him.”
Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God’s Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.