Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 148
Praise the Lord from the heavens;(B)
praise him in the heights above.
2 Praise him, all his angels;(C)
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.(D)
3 Praise him, sun(E) and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, you highest heavens(F)
and you waters above the skies.(G)
5 Let them praise the name(H) of the Lord,
for at his command(I) they were created,
6 and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree(J) that will never pass away.
7 Praise the Lord(K) from the earth,
you great sea creatures(L) and all ocean depths,(M)
8 lightning and hail,(N) snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,(O)
9 you mountains and all hills,(P)
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals(Q) and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
11 kings(R) of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and women,
old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,(S)
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor(T) is above the earth and the heavens.(U)
14 And he has raised up for his people a horn,[b](V)
the praise(W) of all his faithful servants,(X)
of Israel, the people close to his heart.(Y)
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 149
2 Let Israel rejoice(AC) in their Maker;(AD)
let the people of Zion be glad in their King.(AE)
3 Let them praise his name with dancing(AF)
and make music to him with timbrel and harp.(AG)
4 For the Lord takes delight(AH) in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory.(AI)
5 Let his faithful people rejoice(AJ) in this honor
and sing for joy on their beds.(AK)
6 May the praise of God be in their mouths(AL)
and a double-edged(AM) sword in their hands,(AN)
7 to inflict vengeance(AO) on the nations
and punishment(AP) on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with fetters,(AQ)
their nobles with shackles of iron,(AR)
9 to carry out the sentence written against them—(AS)
this is the glory of all his faithful people.(AT)
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 150
Praise God in his sanctuary;(AV)
praise him in his mighty heavens.(AW)
2 Praise him for his acts of power;(AX)
praise him for his surpassing greatness.(AY)
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,(AZ)
praise him with the harp and lyre,(BA)
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,(BB)
praise him with the strings(BC) and pipe,(BD)
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,(BE)
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything(BF) that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 114
1 When Israel came out of Egypt,(A)
Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
2 Judah(B) became God’s sanctuary,(C)
Israel his dominion.
3 The sea looked and fled,(D)
the Jordan turned back;(E)
4 the mountains leaped(F) like rams,
the hills like lambs.
5 Why was it, sea, that you fled?(G)
Why, Jordan, did you turn back?
6 Why, mountains, did you leap like rams,
you hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, earth,(H) at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turned the rock into a pool,
the hard rock into springs of water.(I)
Psalm 115(J)
1 Not to us, Lord, not to us
but to your name be the glory,(K)
because of your love and faithfulness.(L)
2 Why do the nations say,
“Where is their God?”(M)
3 Our God is in heaven;(N)
he does whatever pleases him.(O)
4 But their idols are silver and gold,(P)
made by human hands.(Q)
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,(R)
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk,
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
9 All you Israelites, trust(S) in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
10 House of Aaron,(T) trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
11 You who fear him,(U) trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
12 The Lord remembers(V) us and will bless us:(W)
He will bless his people Israel,
he will bless the house of Aaron,
13 he will bless those who fear(X) the Lord—
small and great alike.
14 May the Lord cause you to flourish,(Y)
both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Maker of heaven(Z) and earth.
God’s Mercy and Israel’s Unfaithfulness
14 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer,(A) the Holy One(B) of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon
and bring down as fugitives(C) all the Babylonians,[a](D)
in the ships in which they took pride.
15 I am the Lord,(E) your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator,(F) your King.(G)”
16 This is what the Lord says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,(H)
17 who drew out(I) the chariots and horses,(J)
the army and reinforcements together,(K)
and they lay(L) there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:(M)
18 “Forget the former things;(N)
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!(O)
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness(P)
and streams in the wasteland.(Q)
20 The wild animals(R) honor me,
the jackals(S) and the owls,
because I provide water(T) in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I formed(U) for myself(V)
that they may proclaim my praise.(W)
22 “Yet you have not called on me, Jacob,
you have not wearied(X) yourselves for[b] me, Israel.(Y)
23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,(Z)
nor honored(AA) me with your sacrifices.(AB)
I have not burdened(AC) you with grain offerings
nor wearied you with demands(AD) for incense.(AE)
24 You have not bought any fragrant calamus(AF) for me,
or lavished on me the fat(AG) of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins
and wearied(AH) me with your offenses.(AI)
25 “I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions,(AJ) for my own sake,(AK)
and remembers your sins(AL) no more.(AM)
26 Review the past for me,
let us argue the matter together;(AN)
state the case(AO) for your innocence.
27 Your first father(AP) sinned;
those I sent to teach(AQ) you rebelled(AR) against me.
28 So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple;
I consigned Jacob to destruction[c](AS)
and Israel to scorn.(AT)
Israel the Chosen
44 “But now listen, Jacob, my servant,(AU)
Israel, whom I have chosen.(AV)
2 This is what the Lord says—
he who made(AW) you, who formed you in the womb,(AX)
and who will help(AY) you:
Do not be afraid,(AZ) Jacob, my servant,(BA)
Jeshurun,[d](BB) whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water(BC) on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;(BD)
I will pour out my Spirit(BE) on your offspring,
and my blessing(BF) on your descendants.(BG)
4 They will spring up like grass(BH) in a meadow,
like poplar trees(BI) by flowing streams.(BJ)
5 Some will say, ‘I belong(BK) to the Lord’;
others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand,(BL) ‘The Lord’s,’(BM)
and will take the name Israel.
17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging(A) nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised,(B) he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,(C) we who have fled to take hold of the hope(D) set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,(E) 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.(F) He has become a high priest(G) forever, in the order of Melchizedek.(H)
Melchizedek the Priest
7 This Melchizedek was king of Salem(I) and priest of God Most High.(J) He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him,(K) 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy,(L) without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God,(M) he remains a priest forever.
4 Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch(N) Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!(O) 5 Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people(P)—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham. 6 This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed(Q) him who had the promises.(R) 7 And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living.(S) 9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.
The Disciples Rejoin Jesus
27 Just then his disciples returned(A) and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.(B) Could this be the Messiah?”(C) 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi,(D) eat something.”
32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat(E) that you know nothing about.”
33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will(F) of him who sent me and to finish his work.(G) 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.(H) 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests(I) a crop for eternal life,(J) so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’(K) is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
Many Samaritans Believe
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town(L) believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”(M) 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”(N)
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