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)
Korah Incites Rebellion
16 Now Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi,(A) with Dathan and Abiram,(B) sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took 2 two hundred fifty prominent Israelite men who were leaders of the community and representatives in the assembly, and they rebelled against Moses. 3 They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, “You have gone too far! Everyone in the entire community is holy, and the Lord is among them.(C) Why then do you exalt yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”
4 When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. 5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will reveal who belongs to him, who is set apart, and the one he will let come near(D) him. He will let the one he chooses(E) come near him. 6 Korah, you and all your followers are to do this: take firepans,(F) and tomorrow 7 place fire in them and put incense on them before the Lord.(G) Then the man the Lord chooses will be the one who is set apart.(H) It is you Levites who have gone too far!”
8 Moses also told Korah, “Now listen, Levites! 9 Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the Israelite community to bring you near to himself,(I) to perform the work at the Lord’s tabernacle, and to stand before the community to minister to them?(J) 10 He has brought you near, and all your fellow Levites who are with you, but you are pursuing the priesthood(K) as well. 11 Therefore, it is you and all your followers who have conspired against the Lord!(L) As for Aaron, who is he[a] that you should complain about him?”
12 Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come! 13 Is it not enough that you brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness?(M) Do you also have to appoint yourself as ruler over us? 14 Furthermore, you didn’t bring us to a land flowing with milk and honey or give us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men?(N) We will not come!”
15 Then Moses became angry and said to the Lord, “Don’t respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them.” 16 So Moses told Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow—you, they, and Aaron. 17 Each of you is to take his firepan, place incense on it, and present his firepan before the Lord—250 firepans. You and Aaron are each to present your firepan also.”
18 Each man took his firepan, placed fire in it, put incense on it, and stood at the entrance to the tent of meeting along with Moses and Aaron. 19 After Korah assembled the whole community against them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord(O) appeared to the whole community.
The Righteousness of God through Faith
21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed,(A) attested by the Law and the Prophets.[a](B) 22 The righteousness of God is through faith(C) in Jesus Christ[b](D) to all who believe,(E) since there is no distinction.(F) 23 For all have sinned(G) and fall short of the[c] glory of God; 24 they are justified freely by his grace(H) through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.(I) 25 God presented him as the mercy seat[d](J) by his blood,(K) through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God(L) passed over the sins previously committed.(M) 26 God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
Boasting Excluded
27 Where, then, is boasting?(N) It is excluded. By what kind of law?[e](O) By one of works? No, on the contrary, by a law[f] of faith. 28 For we conclude that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.(P) 29 Or is God the God of Jews only?(Q) Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is one God(R) who will justify the circumcised by faith(S) and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not!(T) On the contrary, we uphold the law.(U)
Blessing the Children
13 Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.(A) 14 Jesus said, “Leave the little children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to me, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”[a](B) 15 After placing his hands on them, he went on from there.
The Rich Young Ruler
16 Just then someone came up and asked him,(C) “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?” (D)
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?”[b] he said to him. “There is only one who is good.[c] If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”(E)
18 “Which ones?” he asked him.
Jesus answered: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness;(F) 19 honor your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as yourself.[d](G)
20 “I have kept all these,”[e] the young man told him. “What do I still lack?”
21 “If you want to be perfect,”[f] Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor,(H) and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 When the young man heard that, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.
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