Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 75[a]
For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;[b] a psalm of Asaph, a song.
75 We give thanks to you, O God. We give thanks.
You reveal your presence;[c]
people tell about your amazing deeds.
2 God says,[d]
“At the appointed times,[e]
I judge[f] fairly.
3 When the earth and all its inhabitants dissolve in fear,[g]
I make its pillars secure.”[h] (Selah)
4 [i] I say to the proud, “Do not be proud,”
and to the wicked, “Do not be so confident of victory.[j]
5 Do not be so certain you have won.[k]
Do not speak with your head held so high.[l]
6 For victory does not come from the east or west,
or from the wilderness.[m]
7 For God is the judge.[n]
He brings one down and exalts another.[o]
8 For the Lord holds in his hand a cup
full of foaming wine mixed with spices,[p]
and pours it out.[q]
Surely all the wicked of the earth
will slurp it up and drink it to its very last drop.”[r]
9 As for me, I will continually tell what you have done;[s]
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 God says,[t]
“I will bring down all the power of the wicked;
the godly will be victorious.”[u]
Psalm 76[v]
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of Asaph, a song.
76 God has revealed himself in Judah;[w]
in Israel his reputation[x] is great.
2 He lives in Salem;[y]
he dwells in Zion.[z]
3 There he shattered the arrows,[aa]
the shield, the sword, and the rest of the weapons of war.[ab] (Selah)
4 You shine brightly and reveal your majesty,
as you descend from the hills where you killed your prey.[ac]
5 The bravehearted[ad] were plundered;[ae]
they “fell asleep.”[af]
All the warriors were helpless.[ag]
6 At the sound of your battle cry,[ah] O God of Jacob,
both rider[ai] and horse “fell asleep.”[aj]
7 You are awesome! Yes, you!
Who can withstand your intense anger?[ak]
8 From heaven you announced what their punishment would be.[al]
The earth[am] was afraid and silent
9 when God arose to execute judgment,
and to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. (Selah)
10 Certainly[an] your angry judgment upon men will bring you praise;[ao]
you reveal your anger in full measure.[ap]
11 Make vows to the Lord your God and repay them.
Let all those who surround him[aq] bring tribute to the awesome one.
12 He humbles princes;[ar]
the kings of the earth regard him as awesome.[as]
Psalm 23[a]
A psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd,[b]
I lack nothing.[c]
2 He takes me to lush pastures,[d]
he leads me to refreshing water.[e]
3 He restores my strength.[f]
He leads me down[g] the right paths[h]
for the sake of his reputation.[i]
4 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley,[j]
I fear[k] no danger,[l]
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff reassure me.[m]
5 You prepare a feast before me[n]
in plain sight of my enemies.
You refresh[o] my head with oil;
my cup is completely full.[p]
6 Surely your goodness and faithfulness[q] will pursue[r] me all my days,[s]
and I will live in[t] the Lord’s house[u] for the rest of my life.[v]
Psalm 27[a]
By David.
27 The Lord is my light[b] and my salvation.
I fear no one.[c]
The Lord protects my life.
I am afraid of no one.[d]
2 When evil men attack me[e]
to devour my flesh,[f]
when my adversaries and enemies attack me,[g]
they stumble and fall.[h]
3 Even when an army is deployed against me,
I do not fear.[i]
Even when war is imminent,[j]
I remain confident.[k]
4 I have asked the Lord for one thing—
this is what I desire!
I want to live[l] in the Lord’s house[m] all the days of my life,
so I can gaze at the splendor[n] of the Lord
and contemplate in his temple.
5 He will surely[o] give me shelter[p] in the day of danger;[q]
he will hide me in his home.[r]
He will place me[s] on an inaccessible rocky summit.[t]
6 Now I will triumph
over my enemies who surround me.[u]
I will offer sacrifices in his dwelling place and shout for joy.[v]
I will sing praises to the Lord.
7 Hear me,[w] O Lord, when I cry out.
Have mercy on me and answer me.
8 My heart tells me to pray to you,[x]
and I do pray to you, O Lord.[y]
9 Do not reject me.[z]
Do not push your servant away in anger.
You are my deliverer.[aa]
Do not forsake or abandon me,
O God who vindicates me.
10 Even if my father and mother abandoned me,[ab]
the Lord would take me in.[ac]
11 Teach me how you want me to live,[ad] Lord;
lead me along a level path[ae] because of those who wait to ambush me.[af]
12 Do not turn me over to my enemies,[ag]
for false witnesses who want to destroy me testify against me.[ah]
13 Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience
the Lord’s favor in the land of the living?[ai]
14 Rely[aj] on the Lord!
Be strong and confident![ak]
Rely on the Lord!
19 Kings came, they fought;
the kings of Canaan fought
at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo,
but[a] they took no silver as plunder.
20 From the sky[b] the stars[c] fought,
from their paths in the heavens[d] they fought against Sisera.
21 The Kishon River carried them off;
the river confronted them[e]—the Kishon River.
Step on the necks of the strong![f]
22 The horses’[g] hooves pounded the ground;[h]
the stallions galloped madly.[i]
23 ‘Call judgment down on[j] Meroz,’ says the angel of the Lord;
‘Be sure[k] to call judgment down on[l] those who live there,
because they did not come to help in the Lord’s battle,[m]
to help in the Lord’s battle against the warriors.’[n]
24 The most rewarded[o] of women should be Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite!
She should be the most rewarded of women who live in tents.
25 He asked for water,
and she gave him milk;
in a bowl fit for a king,[p]
she served him curds.
26 Her left[q] hand reached for the tent peg,
her right hand for the workmen’s hammer.
She “hammered”[r] Sisera,
she shattered his skull,[s]
she smashed his head,[t]
she drove the tent peg through his temple.[u]
27 Between her feet he collapsed,
he fell limp and was lifeless;[v]
between her feet he collapsed and fell,
in the spot where he collapsed,
there he fell—violently killed![w]
28 Through the window she looked;
Sisera’s mother cried out through the lattice:
‘Why is his chariot so slow to return?
Why are the hoofbeats of his chariot horses[x] delayed?’
29 The wisest of her ladies[y] answer;
indeed she even thinks to herself,
30 ‘No doubt they are gathering and dividing the plunder[z]—
a girl or two for each man to rape![aa]
Sisera is grabbing up colorful cloth,[ab]
he is grabbing up colorful embroidered cloth,[ac]
two pieces of colorful embroidered cloth,
for the neck of the plunderer!’[ad]
31 May all your enemies perish like this, O Lord!
But may those who love you shine
like the rising sun at its brightest.”[ae]
And the land had rest for forty years.
22 “Men of Israel,[a] listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds,[b] wonders, and miraculous signs[c] that God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know— 23 this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed[d] by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles.[e] 24 But God raised him up,[f] having released[g] him from the pains[h] of death, because it was not possible for him to be held in its power.[i] 25 For David says about him,
‘I saw the Lord always in front of me,[j]
for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced;
my body[k] also will live in hope,
27 because you will not leave my soul in Hades,[l]
nor permit your Holy One to experience[m] decay.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of joy with your presence.’[n]
29 “Brothers,[o] I can speak confidently[p] to you about our forefather[q] David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 So then, because[r] he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants[s] on his throne,[t] 31 David by foreseeing this[u] spoke about the resurrection of the Christ,[v] that he was neither abandoned to Hades,[w] nor did his body[x] experience[y] decay.[z] 32 This Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses of it.[aa] 33 So then, exalted[ab] to the right hand[ac] of God, and having received[ad] the promise of the Holy Spirit[ae] from the Father, he has poured out[af] what you both see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says,
‘The Lord said to my lord,
“Sit[ag] at my right hand
35 until I make your enemies a footstool[ah] for your feet.”’[ai]
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt[aj] that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified[ak] both Lord[al] and Christ.”[am]
The Guards’ Report
11 While[a] they were going, some[b] of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 After[c] they had assembled with the elders and formed a plan, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came at night and stole his body[d] while we were asleep.’ 14 If[e] this matter is heard before the governor,[f] we will satisfy him[g] and keep you out of trouble.”[h] 15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story is told among the Jews to this day.[i]
The Great Commission
16 So[j] the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain Jesus had designated. 17 When[k] they saw him, they worshiped him,[l] but some doubted.[m] 18 Then Jesus came up and said to them,[n] “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go[o] and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,[p] 20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember,[q] I am with you[r] always, to the end of the age.”[s]
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