Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 104[a]
Praise of God the Creator
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul.
O Lord, my God, you are indeed very great.
You are clothed in majesty and splendor,
2 wrapped in light[b] as in a robe.
You have stretched out the heavens like a tent;
3 you have established your palace[c] upon the waters.
You make the clouds serve as your chariot;
you ride forth on the wings of the wind.
4 You have appointed the winds as your messengers
and flames of fire[d] as your ministers.
5 You established the earth on its foundations
so that it will remain unshaken forever.[e]
6 You covered it with the deep like a cloak;
the waters rose above the mountains.
7 At your rebuke[f] the waters took to flight;
at the sound of your thunder they fled in terror.
8 They rose up to the mountains
and flowed down to the valleys,[g]
to the place that you had designated for them.
9 You established a boundary that they were not to cross
so that they would never again cover the earth.
10 [h]You made springs gush forth in the valleys
and flow between the mountains.
11 They supply water to every beast of the field,
and from them the wild asses quench their thirst.
12 On the banks the birds of the air build nests
and sing among the branches.
13 [i]From your dwelling you water the mountains,
enriching the earth with the fruit of your labor.
14 You provide grass for the cattle,
and the plants for man to cultivate.
You bring forth food from the earth
15 and wine to gladden the heart[j] of man,
oil to make his face shine
and bread to strengthen his body.
16 The trees of the Lord have fruit in abundance,
the cedars of Lebanon[k] that he planted.
17 In them the birds build their nests;
in the fir trees the stork makes its home.
18 The high mountains are inhabited by the wild goats;
in the rocky crags the badgers[l] find refuge.
19 You created the moon that marks the seasons
and the sun that knows its time for setting.[m]
20 You bring on darkness, and it is night,
when all the beasts of the forests go on the prowl.
21 The young lions[n] roar for their prey,
seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they steal away
and return to their lairs to rest.
23 People go forth to their work
and to their labor until darkness descends.
24 [o]How countless are your works, O Lord;
by your wisdom you have made them all;
the earth abounds with your creatures.
25 There is the sea, vast and broad,
filled with numberless species,
living creatures both great and small.
26 There the ships sail forth,
and the Leviathan[p] that you formed to play therein.
27 [q]All of them look to you
to give them their food at the appropriate time.[r]
28 [s]When you provide it for them,
they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
they are filled with good things.
29 When you turn away your face,[t]
they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.
30 When you send forth your Spirit,[u]
they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
31 [v]May the glory of the Lord abide forever,
and may the Lord rejoice in his works.[w]
32 When he looks at the earth, it quakes;
when he touches the mountains, they smoke.[x]
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;[y]
I will sing praise to my God while I have life.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I find my joy in the Lord.
35 May sinners be banished from the earth,
and may the wicked no longer exist.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.[z]
Alleluia.
Chapter 61
A Message of Consolation
1 [a]The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me
because the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to announce good news to the oppressed,
to strengthen the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom to those held in captivity
and release to those who have been imprisoned,
2 to proclaim a year of the Lord’s favor
and a day of vengeance for our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 to give to all those who mourn in Zion
a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
a glorious mantle instead of a spirit of despair.
And they will be called oaks of righteousness
planted by the Lord to show forth his glory.
Israel’s Reward
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and raise up sites that have long been desolate.
They will restore the ruined cities
that for generations have been merely ravaged wastes.
5 Strangers will come forth to shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will farm your land and dress your vines.
6 But you will be called priests of the Lord;
and you will be named ministers of our God.
You will enjoy the wealth of the nations,
and their former glory will be yours.
7 Because you endured a double measure of shame
and were regarded as deserving of dishonor and disgrace,
you will receive a double portion,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
8 For I, the Lord, love justice,
and I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
I will be faithful in rewarding such victims,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be renowned among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who behold them will acknowledge
that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.
23 The Benefit of Faith.[a]Now before faith came, we were prisoners of the Law, confined as we waited for the faith that would eventually be revealed. 24 Therefore, the Law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 However, now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
26 Children of God in Christ. Through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves in Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free man, there is no longer male or female. For all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are the offspring of Abraham and heirs according to the promise.
4 However, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 in order to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent into our hearts the Spirit of his Son, crying out “Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son; and if you are a son, then through God you are also an heir.
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