Book of Common Prayer
The Lord, an Abundant Helper.
146 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
(A)Praise the Lord, my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord (B)while I live;
I will (C)sing praises to my God while I [c]have my being.
3 (D)Do not trust in noblemen,
In [d]mortal (E)man, in whom there is (F)no salvation.
4 His (G)spirit departs, he (H)returns to [e]the earth;
On that very day his (I)plans perish.
5 (J)Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose (K)hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who (L)made heaven and earth,
The (M)sea and everything that is in them;
Who (N)keeps [f]faith forever;
7 Who (O)executes justice for the oppressed;
Who (P)gives food to the hungry.
The Lord (Q)frees the prisoners.
8 The Lord (R)opens the eyes of those who are blind;
The Lord (S)raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord (T)loves the righteous.
9 The Lord (U)watches over strangers;
He [g](V)supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He [h]thwarts (W)the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord will (X)reign forever,
Your God, Zion, to all generations.
[i]Praise [j]the Lord!
Praise for Jerusalem’s Restoration and Prosperity.
147 [k]Praise [l]the Lord!
For (Y)it is good to sing praises to our God;
For [m]it is pleasant and praise is [n](Z)beautiful.
2 The Lord (AA)builds up Jerusalem;
He (AB)gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the (AC)brokenhearted
And (AD)binds up their [o]wounds.
4 He (AE)counts the number of the stars;
He [p](AF)gives names to all of them.
5 (AG)Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His (AH)understanding is [q]infinite.
6 The Lord [r](AI)supports the afflicted;
He brings the wicked down to the ground.
7 (AJ)Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre;
8 It is He who (AK)covers the heavens with clouds,
Who (AL)provides rain for the earth,
Who (AM)makes grass sprout on the mountains.
9 It is He who (AN)gives an animal its food,
And feeds (AO)young ravens that cry.
10 He does not delight in [s]the strength of the (AP)horse;
He (AQ)does not take pleasure in the [t]legs of a man.
11 The Lord (AR)favors those who fear Him,
(AS)Those who wait for His [u]faithfulness.
12 Praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Praise your God, Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the (AT)bars of your gates;
He has (AU)blessed your sons among you.
14 He (AV)makes [v]peace in your borders;
He (AW)satisfies you with (AX)the [w]finest of the wheat.
15 He sends His (AY)command to the earth;
His (AZ)word runs very swiftly.
16 He [x]showers (BA)snow like wool;
He scatters the (BB)frost like ashes.
17 He hurls His (BC)ice as fragments;
Who can stand before His (BD)cold?
18 He (BE)sends His word and makes them melt;
He (BF)makes His wind blow, and the waters flow.
19 He (BG)declares His words to Jacob,
His (BH)statutes and His judgments to Israel.
20 He (BI)has not dealt this way with any other nation;
And as for His judgments, [y]they have (BJ)not known them.
[z]Praise [aa]the Lord!
The Lord Praised for His Goodness.
111 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
I (A)will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart,
In the (B)company of the upright and in the assembly.
2 (C)Great are the works of the Lord;
They are [c](D)studied by all who delight in them.
3 [d](E)Splendid and majestic is His work,
And (F)His righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused His [e]wonders [f]to be remembered;
The Lord is (G)gracious and compassionate.
5 He has (H)given [g]food to those who [h]fear Him;
He will (I)remember His covenant forever.
6 He has made known to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the inheritance of the nations.
7 The works of His hands are [i](J)truth and justice;
All His precepts (K)are trustworthy.
8 They are (L)upheld forever and ever;
They are performed in [j](M)truth and uprightness.
9 He has sent (N)redemption to His people;
He has [k]ordained His covenant forever;
(O)Holy and [l]awesome is His name.
10 The [m](P)fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
All those who [n]follow (Q)His commandments have a good understanding;
His (R)praise endures forever.
Prosperity of One Who Fears the Lord.
112 [o]Praise [p]the Lord!
(S)Blessed is a person who [q]fears the Lord,
Who greatly (T)delights in His commandments.
2 His [r](U)descendants will be mighty [s]on the earth;
The generation of the (V)upright will be blessed.
3 (W)Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light shines in the darkness (X)for the upright;
He is (Y)gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
5 It goes well for a person who (Z)is gracious and lends;
He will [t]maintain his cause in judgment.
6 For he will (AA)never be shaken;
The (AB)righteous will be [u]remembered forever.
7 He will not fear (AC)bad news;
His (AD)heart is steadfast, (AE)trusting in the Lord.
8 His (AF)heart is firm, he (AG)will not fear,
[v]But will (AH)look with satisfaction on his enemies.
9 [w]He (AI)has given freely to the poor,
His righteousness endures forever;
His (AJ)horn will be exalted in honor.
10 The (AK)wicked will see it and be [x]vexed,
He will (AL)gnash his teeth and (AM)melt away;
The (AN)desire of the wicked will perish.
The Lord Exalts the Humble.
113 [y]Praise [z]the Lord!
(AO)Praise Him, you (AP)servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord.
2 (AQ)Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time on and forever.
3 (AR)From [aa]the rising of the sun to its setting,
The (AS)name of the Lord is to be praised.
4 The Lord is (AT)high above all nations;
His (AU)glory is above the heavens.
5 (AV)Who is like the Lord our God,
Who (AW)is enthroned on high,
6 Who (AX)looks far down to
The heavens and the earth?
7 He (AY)raises the poor from the dust,
He lifts the needy from the garbage heap,
8 To (AZ)seat them with noblemen,
With the noblemen of His people.
9 He (BA)has the infertile woman live in the house
As a joyful mother of children.
[ab]Praise [ac]the Lord!
The Greatness of God
40 “(A)Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God.
2 “(B)Speak [a]kindly to Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that her [b](C)warfare has ended,
That her [c](D)guilt has been removed,
That she has received of the Lord’s hand
(E)Double for all her sins.”
3 (F)The voice of one calling out,
“(G)Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
Make [d]straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the uneven ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
5 [e]Then the (H)glory of the Lord will be revealed,
And (I)all flesh will see it together;
For the (J)mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Call out.”
Then [f]he answered, “What shall I call out?”
(K)All flesh is grass, and all its [g]loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The (L)grass withers, the flower fades,
[h]When the (M)breath of the Lord blows upon it;
The people are indeed grass!
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But (N)the word of our God stands forever.
9 Go up on a (O)high mountain,
Zion, messenger of (P)good news,
Raise your voice forcefully,
Jerusalem, messenger of good news;
Raise it up, do not fear.
Say to the (Q)cities of Judah,
“(R)Here is your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord [i]God will come (S)with might,
With His (T)arm ruling for Him.
Behold, His (U)compensation is with Him,
And His reward before Him.
11 Like a shepherd He will (V)tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in the fold of His robe;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.
God’s Final Word in His Son
1 God, after He (A)spoke long ago to the fathers in (B)the prophets in many portions and (C)in many ways, 2 [a](D)in these last days (E)has spoken to us [b]in His (F)Son, whom He appointed (G)heir of all things, (H)through whom He also made the [c](I)world. 3 [d]And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact (J)representation of His nature, and [e](K)upholds all things by [f]the word of His power. When He had made (L)purification of sins, He (M)sat down at the right hand of the (N)Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, to the extent that He has inherited a more excellent (O)name than they.
5 For to which of the angels did He ever say,
“(P)You are My Son,
Today I have fathered You”?
And again,
“(Q)I will be a Father to Him
And He will be a Son to Me”?
6 And [g]when He again (R)brings the firstborn into [h](S)the world, He says,
“(T)And let all the angels of God worship Him.”
7 And regarding the angels He says,
“(U)He makes His angels winds,
And His ministers a flame of fire.”
8 But regarding the Son He says,
“(V)Your throne, God, is forever and ever,
And the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of [i]His kingdom.
9 (W)You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
(X)Therefore God, Your God, has (Y)anointed You
With the oil of joy above Your companions.”
10 And,
“(Z)You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the works of Your hands;
11 (AA)They will perish, but You remain;
(AB)And they all will [j]wear out like a garment,
12 (AC)And like a robe You will roll them up;
Like a garment they will also be changed.
But You are (AD)the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.”
1 (A)In the beginning was (B)the Word, and the Word was (C)with God, and (D)the Word was God. 2 [a]He was in the beginning with God. 3 (E)All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him [b]not even one thing came into being that has come into being. 4 (F)In Him was life, and the life was (G)the Light of mankind. 5 And (H)the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not [c]grasp it.
The Witness John the Baptist
6 A man [d]came, one sent from God, and his name was (I)John. 7 [e]He came [f](J)as a witness, to testify about the Light, (K)so that all might believe through him.
29 The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him, and *said, “Behold, (A)the Lamb of God who (B)takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He in behalf of whom I said, ‘(C)After me is coming a Man who has proved to be [a]my superior, (D)because He existed before me.’ 31 And I did not recognize [b]Him, but so that He would be revealed to Israel, I came baptizing [c]in water.” 32 And John (E)testified, saying, “(F)I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 33 And I did not recognize [d]Him, but He who sent me to baptize [e]in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, (G)this is the One who baptizes [f]in the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen, and have testified that this is (H)the [g]Son of God.”
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