Book of Common Prayer
Majestic and Unshakable
Psalm 93
1 Adonai reigns—He is robed in majesty!
Adonai has robed and armed Himself with strength.
Yes, the world is firmly established—unshakable.
2 Your throne is established from of old.
You are from everlasting.
3 The floods have lifted up, Adonai,
the floods have lifted up their voice,
the floods lift up their crashing waves.
4 More than the sounds of many waters—
more majestic than the breakers of the sea—
so majestic is Adonai on high!
5 Your testimonies are very sure.
Holiness befits Your House, Adonai, for endless days.
Sing a New Song
Psalm 96
1 Sing to Adonai a new song!
Sing to Adonai, all the earth.
2 Sing to Adonai, bless His Name.
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
3 Declare His glory among the nations,
His marvelous deeds among all peoples.
4 For great is Adonai, and greatly to be praised.
He is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but Adonai made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before Him.
Strength and beauty are in His Sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to Adonai, O families of peoples.
Ascribe to Adonai glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to Adonai the glory of His Name.
Bring an offering and come into His courts.
9 Bow down to Adonai in holy splendor.
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations: “Adonai reigns!”
The world is firmly established—it will not move.
He will judge the peoples with fairness.
11 Let the heavens be glad, let the earth rejoice.
Let the sea roar—and all that fills it.
12 Let the land exult—and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy—
13 before Adonai, for He is coming!
For He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples in His faithfulness.[a]
Taste and See
Psalm 34
1 Of David, when he feigned insanity before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left.
2 I will bless Adonai at all times.
His praise is continually in my mouth.
3 My soul boasts in Adonai.
The humble ones hear of it and rejoice.
4 Magnify Adonai with me
and let us exalt His Name together.
5 I sought Adonai, and He answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
6 They who looked to Him were radiant,
and their faces will never be ashamed.
7 This poor man cried, and Adonai heard,
and saved him out of all his troubles.
8 The angel of Adonai encamps around those who fear Him,
and delivers them.
9 Taste and see how good Adonai is.
Blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.
10 Fear Adonai, His kedoshim,
For those who fear Him lack nothing.
11 Young lions may lack, and go hungry,
but those who seek Adonai want for no good thing.
12 Come, children, listen to me:
I will teach you the fear of Adonai.
13 Who is the one who delights in life,
and loves to see good days?
14 Keep your tongue from evil,
and your lips from speaking treachery.
15 Depart from evil and do good.
Seek shalom and pursue it.[a]
16 The eyes of Adonai are on the righteous,
and His ears are attentive to their cry.
17 The face of Adonai is against evildoers,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
18 The righteous cry out and Adonai hears,
and delivers them from all their troubles.
19 Adonai is close to the brokenhearted,
and saves those crushed in spirit.
20 Many are the distresses of the righteous,
but Adonai delivers him out of them all.
21 He keeps all his bones—
not one of them is broken.[b]
22 Evil kills the wicked—
those who hate the righteous will be held guilty.
23 Adonai redeems the soul of His servants
—no one who takes refuge in Him will be held guilty.
A Barren Woman’s Petition is Granted
1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of the hill country of Ephraim—his name was Elkanah son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives: the name of the one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless.
7 So it was year after year, whenever she went up to the House of Adonai, that she would provoke her; so she wept and would not eat.
8 Then her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why won’t you eat? Why is your heart so sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
9 After eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah got up. Now Eli the kohen was sitting on his seat by the doorpost of the Temple of Adonai. 10 While her soul was bitter, she prayed to Adonai and wept. 11 So she made a vow and said, “Adonai-Tzva’ot, if You will indeed look upon the affliction of Your handmaid, remember me and not forget Your handmaid, but grant Your handmaid a son, then I will give him to Adonai all the days of his life and no razor will ever touch his head.”
12 It came to pass, as she prayed long before Adonai, that Eli was watching her mouth. 13 Now Hannah was praying in her heart—only her lips were moving, but her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. 14 Then Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Get rid of your wine!”
15 But in response Hannah said, “No, my lord, I am a woman with an oppressed spirit! I haven’t been drinking wine or beer. Instead I’ve been pouring out my soul before Adonai. 16 Don’t consider your handmaid a wicked woman. For out of my great anguish and grief I’ve been praying until now.”
17 Then Eli responded, “Go in shalom, and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you asked of Him.”[a]
18 “May your maidservant find favor in your eyes,” she said. So the woman went her way; she ate, and her countenance was no longer dejected.
19 They rose up early in the morning and worshipped before Adonai, then went back to their home to Ramah. Then Elkanah was intimate with his wife Hannah, and Adonai remembered her. 20 So it came to pass at the turn of the year that Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She called his name Samuel, “because I have asked Adonai for him.”
21 When the man Elkanah and all his household went up to offer the annual sacrifice to Adonai and to fulfill his vow offering, 22 Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “When the child is weaned, I will bring him, so he may appear before Adonai and stay there forever.”
23 So her husband Elkanah said to her, “Do what seems best to you. Stay until you have weaned him—only may Adonai establish His word.” So the woman stayed home and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24 When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with three bulls, one ephah of flour and a jar of wine, and brought him to the House of Adonai in Shiloh, while the child was still young.
25 After they slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. 26 “It’s me, my lord!” she said. “As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman that stood by you here, praying to Adonai. 27 For this boy I prayed, and Adonai has granted me my petition that I asked of Him. 28 So I in turn dedicate him to Adonai—as long as he lives he is dedicated to Adonai.” Then he bowed in worship there before Adonai.
9 For this reason also, ever since we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We keep asking God that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding— 10 to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. 11 We pray that you may be strengthened with all the power that comes from His glorious might, for you to have all kinds of patience and steadfastness. With joy 12 we give thanks to the Father, who qualified you to share in the inheritance of the kedoshim in the light. 13 He rescued us from the domain of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son whom He loves. 14 In Him we have redemption—the release of sins.
Ben-Elohim Is Supreme
15 He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created—
in heaven and on earth,
the seen and the unseen,
whether thrones or angelic powers
or rulers or authorities.
All was created through Him and for Him.
17 He exists before everything,
and in Him all holds together.
18 He is the head of the body, His community.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead—
so that He might come to have first place in all things.
19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him[a]
20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself,
making peace through the blood of His cross—
whether things on earth or things in heaven!
22 And when the days of their purification were fulfilled,[a] according to the Torah of Moses, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present to Adonai. 23 As it is written in the Torah of Adonai, “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to Adonai.” [b] 24 So they offered a sacrifice according to what was said in the Torah of Adonai: “a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons.”[c]
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and pious, waiting for the consolation of Israel.[d] The Ruach ha-Kodesh was on him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Ruach ha-Kodesh that he would not die before he had seen the Anointed One of Adonai. 27 So in the Ruach, Simeon came into the Temple; and when the parents brought the Child Yeshua to do for Him according to the custom of the Torah, 28 Simeon received Him into his arms and offered a bracha to God, saying,
29 “Now may You let Your servant go in peace, O Sovereign Master,[e]
according to Your word.
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
31 which You have prepared
in the presence of all peoples:
32 ‘A light for revelation to the nations’[f]
and the glory of Your people Israel.”
33 And His father and mother were marveling at the things that were said about Him. 34 And Simeon offered a bracha over them and said to Miriam His mother, “Behold, this One is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that is opposed, 35 so the thoughts of many hearts may be uncovered. (And even for you, a sword will pierce through your soul.)”
36 Now Anna, a daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher, was a prophetess. She was well advanced in age, having lived with a husband only[g] seven years 37 and then as a widow until age eighty-four. She never left the Temple, serving night and day with fasting and prayers. 38 And coming up at that very instant, she began praising God and speaking about the Child to all those waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.[h]
39 When Joseph and Miriam had completed everything according to the Torah of Adonai, they returned to the Galilee, to their own city of Natzeret. 40 The Child kept growing and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.