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.
28 Then the children of Israel went away and (A)did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn(B)
29 (C)And it came to pass at midnight that (D)the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was [a]in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of (E)livestock. 30 So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
The Exodus
31 Then he (F)called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise, go out from among my people, (G)both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the Lord as you have (H)said. 32 (I)Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.”
33 (J)And the Egyptians (K)urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. 35 Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians (L)articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. 36 (M)And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus (N)they plundered the Egyptians.
37 Then (O)the children of Israel journeyed from (P)Rameses to Succoth, about (Q)six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. 38 A (R)mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of (S)livestock. 39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because (T)they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.
The Risen Christ, Our Hope(A)
12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, (B)then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because (C)we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; (D)you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have [a]fallen (E)asleep in Christ have perished. 19 (F)If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
The Last Enemy Destroyed
20 But now (G)Christ is risen from the dead, and has become (H)the firstfruits of those who have [b]fallen asleep. 21 For (I)since by man came death, (J)by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall (K)be made alive. 23 But (L)each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers (M)the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign (N)till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 (O)The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27 For (P)“He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. 28 (Q)Now when all things are made subject to Him, then (R)the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
Mary Magdalene Sees the Risen Lord(A)
9 [a]Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, (B)out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 (C)She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 (D)And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
Jesus Appears to Two Disciples(E)
12 After that, He appeared in another form (F)to two of them as they walked and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.
The Great Commission(G)
14 (H)Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 (I)And He said to them, “Go into all the world (J)and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 (K)He who believes and is baptized will be saved; (L)but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these (M)signs will follow those who [b]believe: (N)In My name they will cast out demons; (O)they will speak with new tongues; 18 (P)they[c] will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; (Q)they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Christ Ascends to God’s Right Hand(R)
19 So then, (S)after the Lord had spoken to them, He was (T)received up into heaven, and (U)sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them (V)and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.