Book of Common Prayer
The Lord’s Covenant with David and Israel’s Afflictions.
A [a]Maskil of [b]Ethan [c]the Ezrahite.
89 I will (A)sing of the graciousness of the Lord forever;
To all generations I will (B)make Your (C)faithfulness known with my mouth.
2 For I have said, “(D)Graciousness will be built up forever;
In the heavens You will establish Your (E)faithfulness.”
3 “I have made a covenant with (F)My chosen;
I have (G)sworn to My servant David,
4 I will establish your [d](H)descendants forever
And build up your (I)throne to all generations.” Selah
5 The (J)heavens will praise Your wonders, Lord;
Your faithfulness also (K)in the assembly of the (L)holy ones.
6 For (M)who in the skies is comparable to the Lord?
Who among the [e](N)sons of the mighty is like the Lord,
7 A God (O)greatly feared in the council of the (P)holy ones,
And (Q)awesome above all those who are around Him?
8 Lord God of armies, (R)who is like You, mighty [f]Lord?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
9 You rule the surging of the sea;
When its waves rise, You (S)calm them.
10 You Yourself crushed [g](T)Rahab like one who is slain;
You (U)scattered Your enemies with [h]Your mighty arm.
11 The (V)heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The (W)world and [i]all it contains, You have established them.
12 The (X)north and the south, You have created them;
(Y)Tabor and (Z)Hermon (AA)shout for joy at Your name.
13 You have [j]a strong arm;
Your hand is mighty, Your (AB)right hand is exalted.
14 (AC)Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
(AD)Mercy and [k]truth go before You.
15 Blessed are the people who know the [l](AE)joyful sound!
Lord, they walk in the (AF)light of Your face.
16 In (AG)Your name they rejoice all the day,
And by Your righteousness they are exalted.
17 For You are the glory of (AH)their strength,
And by Your favor [m]our (AI)horn is exalted.
18 For our (AJ)shield belongs to the Lord,
[n]And our king to the (AK)Holy One of Israel.
19 [o]Once You spoke in vision to Your godly [p]ones,
And said, “I have [q]given help to one who is (AL)mighty;
I have exalted one (AM)chosen from the people.
20 I have (AN)found My servant David;
With My holy (AO)oil I have anointed him,
21 With whom (AP)My hand will be established;
My arm also will (AQ)strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not [r]deceive him,
Nor will the [s](AR)son of wickedness afflict him.
23 But I will (AS)crush his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.
24 My (AT)faithfulness and My favor will be with him,
And in My name his (AU)horn will be exalted.
25 I will also place his hand (AV)on the sea,
And his right hand on the rivers.
26 He will call to Me, ‘You are (AW)my Father,
My God, and the (AX)rock of my salvation.’
27 I will also make him My (AY)firstborn,
The (AZ)highest of the kings of the earth.
28 I will maintain My (BA)favor for him forever,
And My (BB)covenant shall be confirmed to him.
29 So I will establish his [t](BC)descendants forever,
And his (BD)throne (BE)as the days of heaven.
30 “If his sons (BF)abandon My Law
And do not walk in My judgments,
31 If they [u]violate My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
32 Then I will punish their wrongdoing with the (BG)rod,
And their guilt with [v]afflictions.
33 But I will not [w]withhold (BH)My favor from him,
Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.
34 I will not [x]violate My (BI)covenant,
Nor will I (BJ)alter [y]the utterance of My lips.
35 [z]Once I have (BK)sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David.
36 His [aa](BL)descendants shall endure forever,
And his (BM)throne (BN)as the sun before Me.
37 It shall be established forever (BO)like the moon,
And a (BP)witness in the sky is faithful.” Selah
38 But You have (BQ)rejected and (BR)refused,
You have been full of wrath [ab]against Your (BS)anointed.
39 You have [ac](BT)repudiated the covenant of Your servant;
You have (BU)profaned (BV)his crown [ad]in the dust.
40 You have (BW)broken down all his walls;
You have (BX)brought his strongholds to ruin.
41 (BY)All who pass along the way plunder him;
He has become a (BZ)disgrace to his neighbors.
42 You have (CA)exalted the right hand of his adversaries;
You have (CB)made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You also turn back the edge of his sword,
And have (CC)not made him stand in battle.
44 You have put an end to his [ae](CD)splendor
And cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have (CE)shortened the days of his youth;
You have (CF)covered him with shame. Selah
46 (CG)How long, Lord?
Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your (CH)wrath burn like fire?
47 (CI)Remember [af]what my lifespan is;
For what (CJ)futility [ag]You have created all the sons of mankind!
48 What man can live and not (CK)see death?
Can he (CL)save his soul from the [ah]power of [ai]Sheol? Selah
49 Where are Your former acts of favor, Lord,
Which You (CM)swore to David in Your faithfulness?
50 Remember, Lord, the (CN)taunt against Your servants;
[aj]How I carry in my heart the taunts of all the many peoples,
51 With which (CO)Your enemies have taunted, Lord,
With which they have taunted the footsteps of (CP)Your anointed.
52 (CQ)Blessed be the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
Jephthah and His Successors
12 Now the men of Ephraim were summoned, and they crossed [a]to Zaphon; and (A)they said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the sons of Ammon without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you!” 2 So Jephthah said to them, “I and my people were in a major dispute with the sons of Ammon; and I did call you, but you did not save me from their hand. 3 When I saw that you were no deliverer, I [b](B)took my life in my hands and crossed over against the sons of Ammon, and the Lord handed them over to me. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?” 4 Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim; and the men of Gilead [c]defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You are survivors of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.” 5 And the Gileadites (C)took control of the crossing places of the Jordan opposite Ephraim. And it happened whenever any of the survivors of Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” that the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” 6 then they would say to him, “Just say, ‘Shibboleth.’” But he said, “Sibboleth,” for he was not [d]prepared to [e]pronounce it correctly. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at the crossing places of the Jordan. So at that time forty-two thousand from Ephraim fell.
7 Jephthah judged Israel for six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
12 [a]At the hands of the apostles many [b](A)signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all [c]together in (B)Solomon’s [d]portico. 13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, (C)the people held them in high esteem. 14 And increasingly (D)believers in the Lord, large numbers of men and women, were being (E)added to their number, 15 to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by (F)at least his shadow might fall on any of them. 16 The [e]people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together as well, bringing people who were sick [f]or tormented with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.
Imprisonment and Release
17 But the high priest stood up, along with all his associates (that is (G)the sect of (H)the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. 18 They laid hands on the apostles and (I)put them in a public prison. 19 But during the night (J)an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and leading them out, he said, 20 “Go, stand and [g]speak to the people in the temple area [h](K)the whole message of this Life.” 21 Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple area (L)about daybreak and began to teach.
Now when (M)the high priest and his associates came, they called (N)the [i]Council together, that is, all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison for them to be brought. 22 But (O)the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned and reported, 23 saying, “We found the prison locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 Now when (P)the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what [j]would come of this. 25 But someone came and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple area and teaching the people!” 26 Then (Q)the captain went along with (R)the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for (S)they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).
The New Birth
3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named (A)Nicodemus, a (B)ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to [a]Jesus at night and said to Him, “(C)Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these [b](D)signs that You do unless (E)God is with him.” 3 Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone (F)is born [c]again he cannot see (G)the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of (H)water and the Spirit, he cannot enter (I)the kingdom of God. 6 (J)That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born [d]again.’ 8 (K)The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus responded and said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “You are (L)the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, (M)we speak of what we know and (N)testify of what we have seen, and (O)you people do not accept our testimony. 12 If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 (P)No one has ascended into heaven, except (Q)He who descended from heaven: (R)the Son of Man. 14 And just as (S)Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must (T)the Son of Man (U)be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who [e]believes will (V)have eternal life in Him.
16 “For God so (W)loved the world, that He (X)gave His (Y)only Son, so that everyone who (Z)believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God (AA)did not send the Son into the world (AB)to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. 18 (AC)The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of (AD)the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that (AE)the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for (AF)their deeds were evil. 20 (AG)For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed. 21 But the one who (AH)practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds will be revealed [f]as having been performed in God.”
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