Book of Common Prayer
Praise for the Lord’s Mercies
A Psalm of David.
103 Bless (A)the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 (B)Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who (C)heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
(D)Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that (E)your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
7 (F)He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
8 (G)The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 (H)He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 (I)He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He (J)removed our transgressions from us.
13 (K)As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
14 For He [a]knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, (L)his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 (M)For the wind passes over it, and it is [b]gone,
And (N)its place remembers it no more.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
18 (O)To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.
19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And (P)His kingdom rules over all.
20 (Q)Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who (R)do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
(S)You [c]ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
22 Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise to God for His Faithfulness and Justice
111 Praise[a] the Lord!
(A)I will praise the Lord with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
2 (B)The works of the Lord are great,
(C)Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
3 His work is (D)honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
(E)The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
5 He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will ever be mindful of His covenant.
6 He has declared to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the [b]heritage of the nations.
7 The works of His hands are (F)verity[c] and justice;
All His precepts are sure.
8 (G)They stand fast forever and ever,
And are (H)done in truth and uprightness.
9 (I)He has sent redemption to His people;
He has commanded His covenant forever:
(J)Holy and awesome is His name.
10 (K)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.
The Power of God in His Deliverance of Israel(A)
114 When (B)Israel went out of Egypt,
The house of Jacob (C)from a people [a]of strange language,
2 (D)Judah became His sanctuary,
And Israel His dominion.
3 (E)The sea saw it and fled;
(F)Jordan turned back.
4 (G)The mountains skipped like rams,
The little hills like lambs.
5 (H)What ails you, O sea, that you fled?
O Jordan, that you turned back?
6 O mountains, that you skipped like rams?
O little hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 (I)Who turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flint into a fountain of waters.
God Will Be Gracious
18 Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be (A)gracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
(B)Blessed are all those who (C)wait for Him.
19 For the people (D)shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem;
You shall (E)weep no more.
He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry;
When He hears it, He will (F)answer you.
20 And though the Lord gives you
(G)The bread of adversity and the water of [a]affliction,
Yet (H)your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore,
But your eyes shall see your teachers.
21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
“This is the way, walk in it,”
Whenever you (I)turn to the right hand
Or whenever you turn to the left.
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37 Now when they heard this, (A)they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, (B)“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and (C)to your children, and (D)to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
A Vital Church Grows
40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this [b]perverse generation.” 41 Then those who [c]gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 (E)And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ [d]doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and (F)many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and (G)had all things in common, 45 and [e]sold their possessions and goods, and (H)divided[f] them among all, as anyone had need.
46 (I)So continuing daily with one accord (J)in the temple, and (K)breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And (L)the Lord added [g]to the church daily those who were being saved.
Jesus Promises Another Helper
15 (A)“If you love Me, [a]keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and (B)He will give you another [b]Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 (C)the Spirit of truth, (D)whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you (E)and will be in you. 18 (F)I will not leave you orphans; (G)I will come to you.
Indwelling of the Father and the Son
19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but (H)you will see Me. (I)Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that (J)I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 (K)He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and [c]manifest Myself to him.”
22 (L)Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, (M)and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and (N)the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
The Gift of His Peace
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But (O)the [d]Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will (P)send in My name, (Q)He will teach you all things, and bring to your (R)remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 (S)Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me (T)say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because [e]I said, (U)‘I am going to the Father,’ for (V)My Father is greater than I.
29 “And (W)now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, (X)for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has (Y)nothing in Me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and (Z)as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.