Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 131[a]
Childlike Trust in God
1 A song of ascents. Of David.
O Lord, my heart[b] is not proud,
nor are my eyes raised too high.
I do not concern myself with great affairs
or with things too sublime for me.
2 Rather, I have stilled and calmed my soul,[c]
hushed it like a weaned child.
Like a weaned child held in its mother’s arms,
so is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the Lord
both now and forevermore.[d]
Psalm 132[e]
The Divine Promises Made to David
1 A song of ascents.
Remember, O Lord, for David’s sake,
all the difficulties he endured.[f]
2 [g]He swore an oath to the Lord
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 “I will not enter the house I live in
or lie down on the bed where I sleep,
4 neither will I allow myself to fall asleep
or even to close my eyes,
5 until I find a home for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 We heard of it in Ephrathah;
we came upon it[h] in the fields of Jaar.
7 [i]Let us enter his dwelling place,
let us worship at his footstool.
8 Arise, O Lord, and go up to your resting place,
you and the Ark of your might.
9 Let your priests clothe themselves with righteousness,[j]
and let your saints shout for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.[k]
11 The Lord swore this oath[l] to David,
an oath that he will not renounce:
“One of your own descendants
I will place on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and the statutes that I will teach them,
their sons will also rule
on your throne from age to age.”[m]
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has designated it for his home:
14 “This will be my resting place forever;
here I will reside, for such is my wish.
15 [n]“I will bless it with abundant provisions
and satisfy its poor with their fill of bread.
16 I will clothe its priests with salvation,
and its saints will shout for joy.
17 “There I will raise up a horn for David[o]
and prepare a lamp for my anointed one.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but on his head there will be a resplendent crown.”[p]
Psalm 133[q]
The Blessings of Brotherly Accord
1 A song of ascents. Of David.[r]
How wonderful and delightful it is
for brothers to live together in unity.[s]
2 It is like fragrant ointment poured on the head,
running down upon the beard,
running down upon the beard of Aaron,
and flowing on the collar of his robes.[t]
3 It is like the dew of Hermon
falling upon the mountains of Zion.[u]
For there the Lord has bestowed his blessing,
life forevermore.
Psalm 134[v]
Invitation to Night Prayer
1 A song of ascents.
Come forth to bless the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord,[w]
who minister throughout the night
in the house of the Lord.
2 Lift up your hands toward[x] the sanctuary
and bless the Lord.
3 May the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.[y]
Psalm 135[z]
Praise of God, Benefactor of His People
1 [aa]Alleluia.
Praise the name of the Lord;
offer him praise, you servants of the Lord,[ab]
2 you who minister in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.[ac]
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing to honor his name, for he is gracious.[ad]
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his treasured possession.[ae]
5 [af]I know that the Lord is great,
that our Lord is superior to all gods.[ag]
6 The Lord does whatever he pleases
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and in all their depths.[ah]
7 He causes clouds to rise
from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning[ai] with the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
8 [aj]He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,[ak]
those of humans as well as of animals.
9 He sent signs and portents into your midst, O Egypt,[al]
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 He struck down many nations
and slew mighty kings:
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan.[am]
12 He then gave their lands as a heritage,
a heritage to his people Israel.[an]
13 Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
your renown, O Lord, lasts throughout the ages.[ao]
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people
and show compassion to his servants.[ap]
15 [aq]The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths but they cannot speak;
they have eyes but they cannot see.
17 They have ears but they cannot hear,
and there is no breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them end up like them,
as do all who place their trust in them.
19 [ar]O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
20 O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
21 Blessed from Zion be the Lord,
he who dwells in Jerusalem.
Alleluia.[as]
Chapter 13
The Country Will Be Purified. 1 On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
2 On that day, says the Lord of hosts: I will banish the names of the idols from the land, so that they will be remembered no more. I will also rid the land of the prophets and the spirit of impurity. 3 If a man continues to prophesy, his parents, his own father and mother, will say to him, “You will not live, for you have uttered lies in the name of the Lord.” And while he is prophesying, his parents, his own father and mother, will pierce him through.
4 On that day, every prophet will be ashamed to relate his own prophetic vision, and he will not wear a hairy mantle in order to deceive. 5 Rather, he will say, “I am no prophet. I am a tiller of soil, for the land has been my possession since my youth.” 6 And if anyone asks him, “What are these wounds on your chest?” he will reply, “I received them in the house of my friends.”
The Song of the Sword
7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who is my associate,
says the Lord of hosts.
Strike the shepherd,
so that the sheep may be scattered,
and I will turn my hand against their young.[a]
8 Throughout the land, says the Lord,
two-thirds in it will be cut off and perish,
and one-third will be left.
9 I will put that one-third through fire,
and I will refine them as silver is refined,
and I will test them as gold is tested.
They will call on my name
and I will hear them.
I will say, “These are my people,”
and they will say, “The Lord is our God.”
The Church’s Unity with Christ[a]
Christ, Head of the Church. Having heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and of your love toward all the saints, 16 I therefore never cease to give thanks to God for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation to know him.18 I further pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know the hope to which he has called you, how rich and glorious is his inheritance[b] in the saints, 19 and how immeasurably great is the power that he has exercised toward those who have faith.
Such was his mighty power 20 that he exhibited in Christ
when he raised him from the dead
and enthroned him
at his right hand in heaven,
21 far above
every principality and authority,
power and dominion,
and every other title
that can be named,
not only in this age
but also in the age to come.
22 He has put all things
under Christ’s feet
and has made him
the head of the Church,
23 which is his body,
the fullness of him
who fills the universe
in all its parts.
11 The Parable of the Ten Gold Coins.[a] While the people were listening to him speak, Jesus went on to tell them a parable, because now he was near Jerusalem and because they thought that the kingdom of God might appear immediately. 12 He said, “A man of noble birth was preparing to go to a distant country to receive a kingdom and then return. 13 So he summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins,[b] instructing them, ‘Trade with the money I have given you until I return.’ 14 But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him to give this message, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’
15 “When he returned after having been made king, he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money to ascertain what profit they had made through their trading. 16 The first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your money has increased tenfold in value.’ 17 He said to him, ‘Well done, my good servant. Because you have proved trustworthy in this very small matter, you shall be in charge of ten cities.’
18 “Next, the second servant came forward and said, ‘Sir, your money has increased fivefold in value.’ 19 He said to him, ‘You shall be in charge of five cities.’
20 “Then the third one came forward, saying, ‘Sir, here is your money. I kept it wrapped up in a handkerchief. 21 For I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put down, and you reap what you did not sow.’
22 “The master said to him, ‘I will condemn you by your own words, you wicked servant. You knew I was a hard man, taking out what I did not put down, and reaping what I did not sow. 23 Why then did you not deposit my money into a bank so that on my return I could have drawn it out with interest?’
24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take the money from him and give it to the one with the ten gold coins.’ 25 They said to him, ‘But sir, he already has ten gold coins.’ 26 He replied, ‘I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he does have will be taken away. 27 But as for those enemies of mine who did not want me for their king, bring them here and put them to death in my presence.’ ”
Copyright © 2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.