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]
Not Everyone Enjoys Life
6 Here is[a] another misfortune[b] that I have seen on earth,[c]
and it weighs heavily[d] on people:[e]
2 God gives a man riches, property, and wealth
so that he lacks nothing that his heart[f] desires,[g]
yet God does not enable[h] him to enjoy[i] the fruit of his labor[j]—
instead, someone else[k] enjoys[l] it![m]
This is fruitless and a grave misfortune.[n]
3 Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years,
even if he lives a long, long time,[o] but cannot enjoy his prosperity—
even if he were to live forever[p]—
I would say, “A stillborn child[q] is better off than he is.”[r]
4 Though the stillborn child[s] came into the world[t] for no reason[u] and departed into darkness,
though its name is shrouded in darkness,[v]
5 though it never saw the light of day[w] nor knew anything,[x]
yet it has more rest[y] than that man—
6 if he should live a thousand years twice, yet does not enjoy his prosperity.
For both of them die![z]
7 All man’s labor is for nothing more than[aa] to fill his stomach[ab]—
yet his appetite[ac] is never satisfied!
8 So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool?[ad]
And what advantage[ae] does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive?[af]
9 It is better to be content with[ag] what the eyes can see[ah]
than for one’s heart always to crave more.[ai]
This continual longing[aj] is futile—like[ak] chasing the wind.
The Futile Way Life Works
10 Whatever has happened was foreordained,[al]
and what happens to a person[am] was also foreknown.
It is useless for him to argue with God about his fate
because God is more powerful than he is.[an]
11 The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes.[ao]
How does that benefit him?[ap]
12 For no one knows what is best for a person during his life[aq]—
during the few days of his fleeting life—
for[ar] they pass away[as] like a shadow.
Nor can anyone tell him what the future will hold for him on earth.[at]
9 About noon[a] the next day, while they were on their way and approaching[b] the city, Peter went up on the roof[c] to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing the meal, a trance came over him.[d] 11 He[e] saw heaven[f] opened[g] and an object something like a large sheet[h] descending,[i] being let down to earth[j] by its four corners. 12 In it[k] were all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles[l] of the earth and wild birds.[m] 13 Then[n] a voice said[o] to him, “Get up, Peter; slaughter[p] and eat!” 14 But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything defiled and ritually unclean!”[q] 15 The voice[r] spoke to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not consider[s] ritually unclean!”[t] 16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into heaven.[u]
17 Now while Peter was puzzling over[v] what the vision he had seen could signify, the men sent by Cornelius had learned where Simon’s house was[w] and approached[x] the gate. 18 They[y] called out to ask if Simon, known as Peter,[z] was staying there as a guest. 19 While Peter was still thinking seriously about[aa] the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Look! Three men are looking for you. 20 But get up,[ab] go down, and accompany them without hesitation,[ac] because I have sent them.” 21 So Peter went down[ad] to the men and said, “Here I am,[ae] the person you’re looking for. Why have you come?” 22 They said, “Cornelius the centurion,[af] a righteous[ag] and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation,[ah] was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message[ai] from you.” 23 So Peter[aj] invited them in and entertained them as guests.
On the next day he got up and set out[ak] with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa[al] accompanied him.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well pleased[a] to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions[b] and give to the poor.[c] Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out—a treasure in heaven[d] that never decreases,[e] where no thief approaches and no moth[f] destroys. 34 For where your treasure[g] is, there your heart will be also.
Call to Faithful Stewardship
35 “Get dressed for service[h] and keep your lamps burning;[i] 36 be like people[j] waiting for their master to come back from the wedding celebration,[k] so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 Blessed are those slaves[l] whom their master finds alert[m] when he returns! I tell you the truth,[n] he will dress himself to serve,[o] have them take their place at the table,[p] and will come[q] and wait on them![r] 38 Even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night[s] and finds them alert,[t] blessed are those slaves![u] 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief[v] was coming, he would not have let[w] his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”[x]
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.