Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 66
Praise for God’s Mighty Acts
For the choir director. A song. A psalm.
1 Shout joyfully to God, all the earth!(A)
2 Sing about the glory of His name;
make His praise glorious.(B)
3 Say to God, “How awe-inspiring are Your works!
Your enemies will cringe before You
because of Your great strength.(C)
4 All the earth will worship You
and sing praise to You.
They will sing praise to Your name.”(D)
5 Come and see the wonders of God;(E)
His acts for humanity are awe-inspiring.
6 He turned the sea into dry land,
and they crossed the river on foot.(F)
There we rejoiced in Him.(G)
7 He rules forever by His might;
He keeps His eye on the nations.(H)
The rebellious should not exalt themselves.(I)
8 Praise our God, you peoples;
let the sound of His praise be heard.(J)
9 He keeps us alive[a]
and does not allow our feet to slip.(K)
10 For You, God, tested us;
You refined us as silver is refined.(L)
11 You lured us into a trap;
You placed burdens on our backs.(M)
12 You let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but You brought us out to abundance.[b](N)
13 I will enter Your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay You my vows(O)
14 that my lips promised
and my mouth spoke during my distress.(P)
15 I will offer You fattened sheep as burnt offerings,
with the fragrant smoke of rams;
I will sacrifice oxen with goats.(Q)
16 Come and listen, all who fear God,
and I will tell what He has done for me.(R)
17 I cried out to Him with my mouth,
and praise was on my tongue.(S)
18 If I had been aware of malice in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.(T)
19 However, God has listened;
He has paid attention to the sound of my prayer.(U)
20 May God be praised!
He has not turned away my prayer
or turned His faithful love from me.(V)
The Bronze Snake
4 Then they set out from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea to bypass the land of Edom, but the people[a] became impatient because of the journey. 5 The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!” 6 Then the Lord sent poisonous[b][c] snakes among the people, and they bit them so that many Israelites died.(A)
7 The people then came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede with the Lord so that He will take the snakes away from us.” And Moses interceded for the people.
8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake image and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.”(B) 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.
11 “I assure you:(A) We speak what We know and We testify to what We have seen, but you[a] do not accept Our testimony.[b] 12 If I have told you about things that happen on earth and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about things of heaven? 13 No one has ascended(B) into heaven(C) except the One who descended from heaven(D)—the Son of Man.[c](E) 14 Just as Moses(F) lifted up the snake in the wilderness,(G) so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in Him will[d] have eternal life.(H)
16 “For God loved(I) the world in this way:[e] He gave His One and Only(J) Son,(K) so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.(L) 17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn(M) the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
Psalm 118
Thanksgiving for Victory
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.(A)
2 Let Israel say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”(B)
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”(C)
4 Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”(D)
5 I called to the Lord in distress;(E)
the Lord answered me
and put me in a spacious place.[a](F)
6 The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?(G)
7 The Lord is my helper,
Therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me.(H)
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.(I)
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in nobles.(J)
10 All the nations surrounded me;
in the name of Yahweh I destroyed them.(K)
11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
in the name of Yahweh I destroyed them.(L)
12 They surrounded me like bees;(M)
they were extinguished like a fire among thorns;
in the name of Yahweh I destroyed them.(N)
13 You[b] pushed me[c] hard to make me fall,
but the Lord helped me.(O)
14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
He has become my salvation.(P)
15 There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!(Q)
16 The Lord’s right hand is raised.
The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!”(R)
17 I will not die, but I will live
and proclaim what the Lord has done.(S)
18 The Lord disciplined me severely
but did not give me over to death.(T)
19 Open the gates of righteousness for me;
I will enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.(U)
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous will enter through it.(V)
21 I will give thanks to You
because You have answered me
and have become my salvation.(W)
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.(X)
23 This came from the Lord;
it is wonderful in our eyes.(Y)
24 This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.(Z)
25 Lord, save us!
Lord, please grant us success!(AA)
26 He who comes in the name
of the Lord is blessed.(AB)
From the house of the Lord we bless you.(AC)
27 The Lord is God and has given us light.
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords
to the horns of the altar.(AD)
28 You are my God, and I will give You thanks.
You are my God; I will exalt You.(AE)
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.(AF)
17 For it is better to suffer(A) for doing good, if that should be God’s will,[a] than for doing evil.
18 For Christ also suffered(B) for sins once for all,[b](C)
the righteous for the unrighteous,[c]
that He might bring you[d] to God,(D)
after being put to death in the fleshly realm[e](E)
but made alive in the spiritual realm.[f]
19 In that state[g] He also went and made a proclamation to the spirits(F) in prison[h] 20 who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah(G) while an ark was being prepared. In it a few—that is, eight people[i](H)—were saved through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not the removal of the filth of the flesh,(I) but the pledge[j] of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.(J) 22 Now that He has gone into heaven,(K) He is at God’s right hand(L) with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him.(M)
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