Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 2[a]
2 Why[b] do the nations rebel?[c]
Why[d] are the countries[e] devising[f] plots that will fail?[g]
2 The kings of the earth[h] form a united front;[i]
the rulers collaborate[j]
against the Lord and his anointed king.[k]
3 They say,[l] “Let’s tear off the shackles they’ve put on us.[m]
Let’s free ourselves from[n] their ropes.”
4 The one enthroned[o] in heaven laughs in disgust;[p]
the Lord taunts[q] them.
5 Then he angrily speaks to them
and terrifies them in his rage,[r] saying,[s]
6 “I myself[t] have installed[u] my king
on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 The king says,[v] “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me:[w]
‘You are my son.[x] This very day I have become your father.
8 Ask me,
and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,[y]
the ends of the earth as your personal property.
9 You will break them[z] with an iron scepter;[aa]
you will smash them like a potter’s jar.’”[ab]
10 So now, you kings, do what is wise;[ac]
you rulers of the earth, submit to correction.[ad]
11 Serve[ae] the Lord in fear.
Repent in terror.[af]
12 Give sincere homage.[ag]
Otherwise he[ah] will be angry,[ai]
and you will die because of your behavior,[aj]
when his anger quickly ignites.[ak]
How blessed[al] are all who take shelter in him![am]
Psalm 26[a]
By David.
26 Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have integrity,[b]
and I trust in the Lord without wavering.
2 Examine me, O Lord, and test me.
Evaluate my inner thoughts and motives.[c]
3 For I am ever aware of your faithfulness,[d]
and your loyalty continually motivates me.[e]
4 I do not associate[f] with deceitful men,
or consort[g] with those who are dishonest.[h]
5 I hate the mob[i] of evil men,
and do not associate[j] with the wicked.
6 I maintain a pure lifestyle,[k]
so I can appear before your altar,[l] O Lord,
7 to give you thanks,[m]
and to tell about all your amazing deeds.[n]
8 O Lord, I love the temple where you live,[o]
the place where your splendor is revealed.[p]
9 Do not sweep me away[q] with sinners,
or execute me along with violent people,[r]
10 who are always ready to do wrong[s]
or offer a bribe.[t]
11 But I have integrity.[u]
Rescue me[v] and have mercy on me!
12 I am safe,[w]
and among the worshipers I will praise the Lord.
13 Shout for joy, O sky![a]
Rejoice, O earth!
Let the mountains give a joyful shout!
For the Lord consoles his people
and shows compassion to the[b] oppressed.
The Lord Remembers Zion
14 “Zion said, ‘The Lord has abandoned me,
the Lord[c] has forgotten me.’
15 Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast?[d]
Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne?[e]
Even if mothers[f] were to forget,
I could never forget you![g]
16 Look, I have inscribed your name[h] on my palms;
your walls are constantly before me.
17 Your children hurry back,
while those who destroyed and devastated you depart.
18 Look all around you![i]
All of them gather to you.
As surely as I live,” says the Lord,
“you will certainly wear all of them like jewelry;
you will put them on as if you were a bride.
19 Yes, your land lies in ruins;
it is desolate and devastated.[j]
But now you will be too small to hold your residents,
and those who devoured you will be far away.
20 Yet the children born during your time of bereavement
will say within your hearing,
‘This place is too cramped for us,[k]
make room for us so we can live here.’[l]
21 Then you will think to yourself,[m]
‘Who bore these children for me?
I was bereaved and barren,
dismissed and divorced.[n]
Who raised these children?
Look, I was left all alone;
where did these children come from?’”
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“Look I will raise my hand to the nations;
I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.
They will bring your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their shoulders.
23 Kings will be your children’s[o] guardians;
their princesses will nurse your children.[p]
With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you,
and they will lick the dirt on[q] your feet.
Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;
those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.
Questions About the Greatest
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a child, had him stand among them, 3 and said, “I tell you the truth,[a] unless you turn around and become like little children,[b] you will never[c] enter the kingdom of heaven! 4 Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes[d] a child like this in my name welcomes me.
6 “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,[e] it would be better for him to have a huge millstone[f] hung around his neck and to be drowned in the open sea.[g] 7 Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It[h] is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom they come. 8 If[i] your hand or your foot causes you to sin,[j] cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have[k] two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to have[l] two eyes and be thrown into fiery hell.[m]
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
10 “See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.[n] 12 What do you think? If someone[o] owns a hundred[p] sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go look for the one that went astray?[q] 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth,[r] he will rejoice more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that one of these little ones be lost.
Psalm 19[a]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
19 The heavens declare the glory of God;[b]
the sky displays his handiwork.[c]
2 Day after day it speaks out;[d]
night after night it reveals his greatness.[e]
3 There is no actual speech or word,
nor is its[f] voice literally heard.
4 Yet its voice[g] echoes[h] throughout the earth;
its[i] words carry[j] to the distant horizon.[k]
In the sky[l] he has pitched a tent for the sun.[m]
5 Like a bridegroom it emerges[n] from its chamber;[o]
like a strong man it enjoys[p] running its course.[q]
6 It emerges from the distant horizon,[r]
and goes from one end of the sky to the other;[s]
nothing can escape[t] its heat.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and preserves one’s life.[u]
The rules set down by the Lord[v] are reliable[w]
and impart wisdom to the inexperienced.[x]
8 The Lord’s precepts are fair[y]
and make one joyful.[z]
The Lord’s commands[aa] are pure[ab]
and give insight for life.[ac]
9 The commands to fear the Lord are right[ad]
and endure forever.[ae]
The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy
and absolutely just.[af]
10 They are of greater value[ag] than gold,
than even a great amount of pure gold;
they bring greater delight[ah] than honey,
than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.
11 Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there;[ai]
those who obey them receive a rich reward.[aj]
12 Who can know all his errors?[ak]
Please do not punish me for sins I am unaware of.[al]
13 Moreover, keep me from committing flagrant sins;[am]
do not allow such sins to control me.[an]
Then I will be blameless,
and innocent of blatant[ao] rebellion.
14 May my words and my thoughts
be acceptable in your sight,[ap]
O Lord, my sheltering rock[aq] and my redeemer.[ar]
Psalm 126[a]
A song of ascents.[b]
126 When the Lord restored the well-being of Zion,[c]
we thought we were dreaming.[d]
2 At that time we laughed loudly
and shouted for joy.[e]
At that time the nations said,[f]
“The Lord has accomplished great things for these people.”
3 The Lord did indeed accomplish great things for us.
We were happy.
4 O Lord, restore our well-being,
just as the streams in the arid south are replenished.[g]
5 Those who shed tears as they plant
will shout for joy when they reap the harvest.[h]
6 The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag[i] of seed,
will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain.[j]
Jesus and Little Children
13 Now[a] people were bringing little children to him for him to touch,[b] but the disciples scolded those who brought them.[c] 14 But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God[d] belongs to such as these.[e] 15 I tell you the truth,[f] whoever does not receive[g] the kingdom of God like a child[h] will never[i] enter it.” 16 After he took the children in his arms, he placed his hands on them and blessed them.
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