Book of Common Prayer
A maskil by Ethan the Ezrahite.
89 I will sing forever about the evidence of your mercy, O Lord.
I will tell about your faithfulness to every generation.
2 I said, “Your mercy will last forever.
Your faithfulness stands firm in the heavens.”
3 ⌞You said,⌟ “I have made a promise [a] to my chosen one.
I swore this oath to my servant David:
4 ‘I will make your dynasty continue forever.
I built your throne to last throughout every generation.’ ” Selah
5 O Lord, the heavens praise your miracles
and your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 Who in the skies can compare with the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord?
7 God is terrifying in the council of the holy ones.
He is greater and more awe-inspiring than those who surround him.
8 O Lord God of Armies, who is like you?
Mighty Lord, even your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule the raging sea.
When its waves rise, you quiet them.
10 You crushed Rahab; [b] it was like a corpse.
With your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours.
The earth is also yours.
You made the world and everything in it.
12 You created north and south.
Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon sing your name joyfully.
13 Your arm is mighty.
Your hand is strong.
Your right hand is lifted high.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne.
Mercy and truth stand in front of you.
15 Blessed are the people who know how to praise you.
They walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.
16 They find joy in your name all day long.
They are joyful in your righteousness
17 because you are the glory of their strength.
By your favor you give us victory.
18 Our shield belongs to the Lord.
Our king belongs to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Once in a vision you said to your faithful ones:
“I set a boy above warriors.
I have raised up one chosen from the people.
20 I found my servant David.
I anointed him with my holy oil.
21 My hand is ready to help him.
My arm will also give him strength.
22 No enemy will take him by surprise.
No wicked person will mistreat him.
23 I will crush his enemies in front of him
and defeat those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and mercy will be with him,
and in my name he will be victorious.
25 I will put his ⌞left⌟ hand on the sea
and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He will call out to me,
‘You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.’
27 Yes, I will make him the firstborn.
He will be the Most High to the kings of the earth.
28 My mercy will stay with him forever.
My promise to him is unbreakable.
29 I will make his dynasty endure forever
and his throne like the days of heaven.
30 “If his descendants abandon my teachings
and do not live by my rules,
31 if they violate my laws
and do not obey my commandments,
32 then with a rod I will punish their rebellion
and their crimes with beatings.
33 But I will not take my mercy away from him
or allow my truth to become a lie.
34 I will not dishonor my promise
or alter my own agreement.
35 On my holiness I have taken an oath once and for all:
I will not lie to David.
36 His dynasty will last forever.
His throne will be in my presence like the sun.
37 Like the moon his throne will stand firm forever.
It will be like a faithful witness in heaven.”
38 But you have despised, rejected,
and become angry with your anointed one.
39 You have refused to recognize the promise to your servant
and have thrown his crown into the dirt.
40 You have broken through all his walls
and have laid his fortified cities in ruins.
41 (Everyone who passed by robbed him.
He has become the object of his neighbors’ scorn.)
42 You held the right hand of his enemies high
and made all of his adversaries rejoice.
43 You even took his sword out of his hand
and failed to support him in battle.
44 You put an end to his splendor
and hurled his throne to the ground.
45 You cut short the days of his youth
and covered him with shame. Selah
46 How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your anger continue to burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my life is!
Have you created Adam’s descendants for no reason?
48 Can a mortal go on living and never see death?
Who can set himself free from the power of the grave? Selah
49 Where is the evidence of your mercy, Lord?
You swore an oath to David on ⌞the basis of⌟ your faithfulness.
50 Remember, O Lord,[c] how your servant [d] has been insulted.
Remember how I have carried in my heart ⌞the insults⌟ from so many people.
51 Your enemies insulted ⌞me⌟.
They insulted your Messiah [e] every step he took.
52 Thank the Lord forever.
Amen and amen!
The Lord Continues to Love Israel
14 “That is why I’m going to win her back.
I will lead her into the desert.
I will speak tenderly to her.
15 I will give her vineyards there.
I will make the valley of Achor [Disaster] a door of hope.
Then she will respond as she did when she was young,
as she did when she came out of Egypt.
16 “On that day she will call me her husband,” declares the Lord.
“She will no longer call me her master.[a]
17 I won’t allow her to say the names of other gods called Baal.
She will never again call out their names.
18 “On that day I will make an arrangement with the wild animals,
the birds, and the animals that crawl on the ground.
I will destroy all the bows, swords, and weapons of war,
so people can live safely.
19 “Israel, I will make you my wife forever.
I will be honest and faithful to you.
I will show you my love and compassion.
20 I will be true to you, my wife.
Then you will know the Lord.
21 “On that day I will answer your ⌞prayers⌟,” declares the Lord.
“I will speak to the sky,
it will speak to the earth,
22 and the earth will produce grain, new wine, and olive oil.
You will produce many crops, Jezreel.
23 I will plant my people in the land.
Those who are not loved I will call my loved ones.
Those who are not my people I will call my people.
Then they will say, ‘You are our God!’ ”
Paul Meets with the Spiritual Leaders from Ephesus
17 From Miletus Paul sent messengers to the city of Ephesus and called the spiritual leaders [a] of the church to meet with him ⌞in Miletus⌟. 18 When they were with him, he said to them, “You know how I spent all my time with you from the first day I arrived in the province of Asia. 19 I humbly served the Lord, often with tears in my eyes. I served the Lord during the difficult times I went through when the Jews plotted against me. 20 I didn’t avoid telling you anything that would help you, and I didn’t avoid teaching you publicly and from house to house. 21 I warned Jews and Greeks to change the way they think and act and to believe in our Lord Jesus.
22 “I am determined to go to Jerusalem now. I don’t know what will happen to me there. 23 However, the Holy Spirit warns me in every city that imprisonment and suffering are waiting for me. 24 But I don’t place any value on my own life. I want to finish the race I’m running. I want to carry out the mission I received from the Lord Jesus—the mission of testifying to the Good News of God’s kindness.[b]
25 “Now I know that none of you whom I told about God’s kingdom will see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am not responsible for the ⌞spiritual⌟ death of any of you. 27 I didn’t avoid telling you the whole plan of God. 28 Pay attention to yourselves and to the entire flock in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as bishops to be shepherds for God’s church which he acquired with his own blood. 29 I know that fierce wolves will come to you after I leave, and they won’t spare the flock. 30 Some of your own men will come forward and say things that distort the truth. They will do this to lure disciples into following them. 31 So be alert! Remember that I instructed each of you for three years, day and night, at times with tears in my eyes.
32 “I am now entrusting you to God and to his message that tells how kind he is. That message can help you grow and can give you the inheritance that is shared by all of God’s holy people.
33 “I never wanted anyone’s silver, gold, or clothes. 34 You know that I worked to support myself and those who were with me. 35 I have given you an example that by working hard like this we should help the weak. We should remember the words that the Lord Jesus said, ‘Giving gifts is more satisfying than receiving them.’ ”
36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down and prayed with all of them. 37 Everyone cried a lot as they put their arms around Paul and kissed him. 38 The thought of not seeing Paul again hurt them most of all. Then they took Paul to the ship.
Calling of the First Disciples(A)
5 One day Jesus was standing by the Sea of Galilee. The people crowded around him as they listened to God’s word. 2 Jesus saw two boats on the shore. The fishermen had stepped out of them and were washing their nets. 3 So Jesus got into the boat that belonged to Simon and asked him to push off a little from the shore. Then Jesus sat down and taught the crowd from the boat.
4 When he finished speaking, he told Simon, “Take the boat into deep water, and lower your nets to catch some fish.”
5 Simon answered, “Teacher, we worked hard all night and caught nothing. But if you say so, I’ll lower the nets.”
6 After the men had done this, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to tear. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. Their partners came and filled both boats until the boats nearly sank.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he knelt in front of Jesus and said, “Leave me, Lord! I’m a sinful person!” 9 Simon and everyone who was with him were amazed to see the large number of fish they had caught. 10 James and John, who were Zebedee’s sons and Simon’s partners, were also amazed.
Jesus told Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will catch people instead of fish.”
11 Simon and his partners brought the boats to shore, left everything, and followed Jesus.
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