Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 87
Zion, the City of God
A psalm of the sons of Korah. A song.
1 The city he founded[a] is on the holy mountains.(A)
2 The Lord loves Zion’s city gates
more than all the dwellings of Jacob.(B)
3 Glorious things are said about you,
city of God.(C)Selah
4 “I will make a record of those who know me:
Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush—
each one was born there.”(D)
5 And it will be said of Zion,
“This one and that one were born in her.”
The Most High himself will establish her.(E)
6 When he registers the peoples,
the Lord will record,
“This one was born there.”(F)Selah
7 Singers and dancers[b] alike will say,[c]
“My whole source of joy is[d] in you.”(G)
BOOK IV
(Psalms 90–106)
Psalm 90
Eternal God and Mortal Man
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
1 Lord, you have been our refuge[a]
in every generation.(A)
2 Before the mountains were born,
before you gave birth to the earth and the world,
from eternity to eternity, you are God.(B)
3 You return mankind to the dust,
saying, “Return, descendants of Adam.”(C)
4 For in your sight a thousand years
are like yesterday that passes by,
like a few hours of the night.(D)
5 You end their lives;[b] they sleep.(E)
They are like grass that grows in the morning—
6 in the morning it sprouts and grows;
by evening it withers and dries up.(F)
7 For we are consumed by your anger;
we are terrified by your wrath.(G)
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.(H)
9 For all our days ebb away under your wrath;
we end our years like a sigh.(I)
10 Our lives last[c] seventy years
or, if we are strong, eighty years.
Even the best of them are[d] struggle and sorrow;
indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away.(J)
11 Who understands the power of your anger?
Your wrath matches the fear that is due you.(K)
12 Teach us to number our days carefully
so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.[e](L)
13 Lord—how long?
Turn and have compassion on your servants.(M)
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your faithful love
so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days.(N)
15 Make us rejoice for as many days as you have humbled us,
for as many years as we have seen adversity.(O)
16 Let your work be seen by your servants,
and your splendor by their children.(P)
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us;
establish for us the work of our hands—
establish the work of our hands!(Q)
Psalm 136
God’s Love Is Eternal
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.(A)
His faithful love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His faithful love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords.(B)
His faithful love endures forever.
4 He alone does great wonders.(C)
His faithful love endures forever.
5 He made the heavens skillfully.(D)
His faithful love endures forever.
6 He spread the land on the waters.(E)
His faithful love endures forever.
7 He made the great lights:(F)
His faithful love endures forever.
8 the sun to rule by day,
His faithful love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to rule by night.(G)
His faithful love endures forever.
10 He struck the firstborn of the Egyptians(H)
His faithful love endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His faithful love endures forever.
12 with a strong hand and outstretched arm.(I)
His faithful love endures forever.
13 He divided the Red Sea(J)
His faithful love endures forever.
14 and led Israel through,(K)
His faithful love endures forever.
15 but hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.(L)
His faithful love endures forever.
16 He led his people in the wilderness.(M)
His faithful love endures forever.
17 He struck down great kings
His faithful love endures forever.
18 and slaughtered famous kings—
His faithful love endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
His faithful love endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan—
His faithful love endures forever.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
His faithful love endures forever.
22 an inheritance to Israel his servant.(N)
His faithful love endures forever.
23 He remembered us in our humiliation(O)
His faithful love endures forever.
24 and rescued us from our foes.(P)
His faithful love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.(Q)
His faithful love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven!(R)
His faithful love endures forever.
Abimelech’s Punishment
22 When Abimelech had ruled over Israel three years, 23 God sent an evil spirit(A) between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem. They treated Abimelech deceitfully, 24 so that the crime against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood would be avenged on their brother Abimelech, who killed them, and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him kill his brothers. 25 The citizens of Shechem rebelled against him by putting men in ambush(B) on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed everyone who passed by them on the road. So this was reported to Abimelech.
50 Abimelech went to Thebez,(A) camped against it, and captured it. 51 There was a strong tower inside the city,(B) and all the men, women, and citizens of the city fled there. They locked themselves in and went up to the roof of the tower. 52 When Abimelech came to attack the tower, he approached its entrance to set it on fire. 53 But a woman threw the upper portion of a millstone on Abimelech’s head and fractured his skull. 54 He quickly called his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, or they’ll say about me, ‘A woman killed him.’” So his armor-bearer ran him through, and he died. 55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they all went home.
56 In this way, God brought back Abimelech’s evil—the evil that Abimelech had done to his father when he killed his seventy brothers. 57 God also brought back to the men of Shechem all their evil.(C) So the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came upon them.(D)
All Things in Common
32 Now the entire group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common.(A) 33 With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them.(B) 34 For there was not a needy person among them because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of what was sold,(C) 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet. This was then distributed to each person as any had need.(D)
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas (which is translated Son of Encouragement),(E) 37 sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.(F)
Lying to the Holy Spirit
5 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. 2 However, he kept back part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge, and brought a portion of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.(G)
3 “Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart(H) to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds of the land? 4 Wasn’t it yours while you possessed it? And after it was sold, wasn’t it at your disposal? Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God.” 5 When he heard these words, Ananias dropped dead, and a great fear came on all who heard.(I) 6 The young men got up, wrapped his body, carried him out, and buried him.(J)
7 About three hours later, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 “Tell me,” Peter asked her, “did you sell the land for this price?”
“Yes,” she said, “for that price.”
9 Then Peter said to her, “Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”(K)
10 Instantly she dropped dead at his feet. When the young men came in, they found her dead, carried her out, and buried her beside her husband. 11 Then great fear came on the whole church and on all who heard these things.
Cleansing the Temple
13 The Jewish Passover(A) was near, and so Jesus went up to Jerusalem.(B) 14 In the temple(C) he found people selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and he also found the money changers sitting there. 15 After making a whip out of cords,(D) he drove everyone out of the temple with their sheep(E) and oxen. He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables. 16 He told those who were selling doves, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s(F) house(G) into a marketplace!”[a](H)
17 And his disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal(I) for your house will consume(J) me.[b](K)
18 So the Jews replied to him, “What sign will you show us for doing these things?”
19 Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple,[c](L) and I will raise it up in three days.”(M)
20 Therefore the Jews said, “This temple took forty-six years to build,[d] and will you raise it up in three days?” (N)
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.(O) 22 So when he was raised from the dead,(P) his disciples remembered that he had said this,(Q) and they believed the Scripture(R) and the statement Jesus had made.
23 While he was in Jerusalem(S) during the Passover Festival,(T) many believed in his name(U) when they saw the signs he was doing. 24 Jesus, however, would not entrust himself to them, since he knew them all 25 and because he did not need anyone to testify about man; for he himself knew what was in man.(V)
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