Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 87[a]
Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.
87 The Lord’s city is in the holy hills.[b]
2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
3 People say wonderful things about you,[c]
O city of God. (Selah)
4 I mention Rahab[d] and Babylon to my followers.[e]
Here are[f] Philistia and Tyre, along with Ethiopia.[g]
It is said of them, “This one was born there.”[h]
5 But it is said of Zion’s residents,[i]
“Each one of these[j] was born in her,
and the Most High[k] makes her secure.”
6 The Lord writes in the census book of the nations,[l]
“This one was born there.”[m] (Selah)
7 As for the singers, as well as the pipers—
all of them sing within your walls.[n]
Book 4 (Psalms 90-106)
Psalm 90[a]
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
90 O Lord, you have been our protector[b] through all generations.
2 Even before the mountains came into existence,[c]
or you brought the world into being,[d]
you were the eternal God.[e]
3 You make mankind return[f] to the dust,[g]
and say, “Return, O people.”
4 Yes,[h] in your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday that quickly passes,
or like one of the divisions of the nighttime.[i]
5 You bring their lives to an end and they “fall asleep.”[j]
In the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up:
6 In the morning it glistens[k] and sprouts up;
at evening time it withers[l] and dries up.
7 Yes,[m] we are consumed by your anger;
we are terrified by your wrath.
8 You are aware of our sins;[n]
you even know about our hidden sins.[o]
9 Yes,[p] throughout all our days we experience your raging fury;[q]
the years of our lives pass quickly, like a sigh.[r]
10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years,[s]
or eighty, if one is especially strong.[t]
But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression.[u]
Yes,[v] they pass quickly[w] and we fly away.[x]
11 Who can really fathom the intensity of your anger?[y]
Your raging fury causes people to fear you.[z]
12 So teach us to consider our mortality,[aa]
so that we might live wisely.[ab]
13 Turn back toward us, O Lord.
How long must this suffering last?[ac]
Have pity on your servants.[ad]
14 Satisfy us in the morning[ae] with your loyal love.
Then we will shout for joy and be happy[af] all our days.
15 Make us happy in proportion to the days you have afflicted us,
in proportion to the years we have experienced[ag] trouble.
16 May your servants see your work.[ah]
May their sons see your majesty.[ai]
17 May our Sovereign God extend his favor to us.[aj]
Make our endeavors successful.
Yes, make them successful.[ak]
Psalm 136[a]
136 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his loyal love endures.[b]
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his loyal love endures.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his loyal love endures,
4 to the one who performs magnificent, amazing deeds all by himself,
for his loyal love endures,
5 to the one who used wisdom to make the heavens,
for his loyal love endures,
6 to the one who spread out the earth over the water,
for his loyal love endures,
7 to the one who made the great lights,
for his loyal love endures,
8 the sun to rule by day,
for his loyal love endures,
9 the moon and stars to rule by night,
for his loyal love endures,
10 to the one who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his loyal love endures,
11 and led Israel out from their midst,
for his loyal love endures,
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his loyal love endures,
13 to the one who divided[c] the Red Sea[d] in two,[e]
for his loyal love endures,
14 and led Israel through its midst,
for his loyal love endures,
15 and tossed[f] Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea,
for his loyal love endures,
16 to the one who led his people through the wilderness,
for his loyal love endures,
17 to the one who struck down great kings,
for his loyal love endures,
18 and killed powerful kings,
for his loyal love endures,
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his loyal love endures,
20 Og, king of Bashan,
for his loyal love endures,
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
for his loyal love endures,
22 as an inheritance to Israel his servant,
for his loyal love endures,
23 to the one who remembered us when we were down,[g]
for his loyal love endures,
24 and snatched us away from our enemies,
for his loyal love endures,
25 to the one who gives food to all living things,[h]
for his loyal love endures.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his loyal love endures!
The Thousand Year Reign
20 Then[a] I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding[b] in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain. 2 He[c] seized the dragon—the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan—and tied him up for a thousand years. 3 The angel[d] then[e] threw him into the abyss and locked[f] and sealed it so that he could not deceive the nations until the one thousand years were finished. (After these things he must be released for a brief period of time.)
4 Then[g] I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge.[h] I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These[i] had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They[j] came to life[k] and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were finished.)[l] This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who takes part[m] in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them,[n] but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
First Prediction of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
21 From that time on[a] Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer[b] many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law,[c] and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him:[d] “God forbid,[e] Lord! This must not happen to you!” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.”[f] 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower,[g] he must deny[h] himself, take up his cross,[i] and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life[j] will lose it,[k] but whoever loses his life because of me[l] will find it. 26 For what does it benefit a person[m] if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.[n] 28 I tell you the truth,[o] there are some standing here who will not[p] experience[q] death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”[r]
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