Book of Common Prayer
Glorious Things of You Are Spoken
A Psalm of (A)the Sons of Korah. A Song.
87 On (B)the holy mount (C)stands the city he founded;
2 the Lord (D)loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
3 (E)Glorious things of you are spoken,
O (F)city of God. Selah
4 Among those who (G)know me I mention (H)Rahab and Babylon;
behold, Philistia and Tyre, with (I)Cush[a]—
“This one was born there,” they say.
5 And of Zion it shall be said,
“This one and that one were born in her”;
for the Most High himself will (J)establish her.
6 The Lord records as he (K)registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah
Book Four
From Everlasting to Everlasting
A (A)Prayer of Moses, the (B)man of God.
90 Lord, you have been our (C)dwelling place[a]
in all generations.
2 (D)Before the (E)mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
(F)from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You return man to dust
and say, (G)“Return, (H)O children of man!”[b]
4 For (I)a thousand years in your sight
are but as (J)yesterday when it is past,
or as (K)a watch in the night.
5 You (L)sweep them away as with a flood; they are like (M)a dream,
like (N)grass that is renewed in the morning:
6 in (O)the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it (P)fades and (Q)withers.
7 For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.
8 You have (R)set our iniquities before you,
our (S)secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
10 The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span[c] is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?
12 (T)So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
13 (U)Return, O Lord! (V)How long?
Have (W)pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the (X)morning with your steadfast love,
that we may (Y)rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have (Z)afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your (AA)work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the (AB)favor[d] of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish (AC)the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!
His Steadfast Love Endures Forever
136 (A)Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
(B)for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to (C)the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to (D)the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
4 to him who alone (E)does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who (F)by understanding (G)made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who (H)spread out the earth (I)above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 to him who (J)made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
10 to him who (K)struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and (L)brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with (M)a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 to him who (N)divided the Red Sea in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 (O)and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but (P)overthrew[a] Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 to him who (Q)led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
17 to him (R)who struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
18 and killed mighty kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
22 a heritage to Israel his (S)servant,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
23 It is he who (T)remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and (U)rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who (V)gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to (W)the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
31 (A)Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” 32 So (B)they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and (C)all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 33 And there we saw the (D)Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the (E)Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves (F)like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”
The People Rebel
14 Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people (G)wept that night. 2 And all the people of Israel (H)grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or (I)would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? (J)Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to one another, (K)“Let us choose a leader and (L)go back to Egypt.”
5 Then (M)Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. 6 (N)And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, (O)“The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. 8 If (P)the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, (Q)a land that flows with milk and honey. 9 Only (R)do not rebel against the Lord. And (S)do not fear the people of the land, for (T)they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” 10 (U)Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But (V)the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.
11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people (W)despise me? And how long will they not (X)believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I (Y)will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”
Moses Intercedes for the People
13 But (Z)Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them, 14 and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. (AA)They have heard that you, O Lord, are in the midst of this people. For you, O Lord, are seen face to face, and (AB)your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say, 16 ‘It is because the Lord (AC)was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.’ 17 And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying, 18 (AD)‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, (AE)visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ 19 Please (AF)pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just (AG)as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”
God Promises Judgment
20 Then the Lord said, “I have pardoned, (AH)according to your word. 21 But truly, as I live, and as all (AI)the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, 22 (AJ)none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these (AK)ten times and have not obeyed my voice, 23 (AL)shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it. 24 But my servant (AM)Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has (AN)followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. 25 (AO)Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, (AP)turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”
No One Is Righteous
9 What then? Are we Jews[a] any better off?[b] No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both (A)Jews and (B)Greeks, are (C)under sin, 10 as it is written:
(D)“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
13 (E)“Their throat is (F)an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
(G)“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 (H)“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 (I)“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and (J)the way of peace they have not known.”
18 (K)“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever (L)the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, (M)so that every mouth may be stopped, and (N)the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For (O)by works of the law no human being[c] will be justified in his sight, since (P)through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Teaching About Divorce
19 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from (A)Galilee and (B)entered (C)the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And (D)large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 And Pharisees came up to him and (E)tested him by asking, (F)“Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, (G)“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, (H)‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and (I)the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. (J)What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7 They said to him, (K)“Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your (L)hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 (M)And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”[a]
10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, (N)“Not everyone can receive this saying, but only (O)those to (P)whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs (Q)for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.