Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 146
1 Praise the Lord.[a]
Praise the Lord,(A) my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;(B)
I will sing praise(C) to my God as long as I live.(D)
3 Do not put your trust in princes,(E)
in human beings,(F) who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;(G)
on that very day their plans come to nothing.(H)
5 Blessed are those(I) whose help(J) is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven(K) and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful(L) forever.
7 He upholds(M) the cause of the oppressed(N)
and gives food to the hungry.(O)
The Lord sets prisoners free,(P)
8 the Lord gives sight(Q) to the blind,(R)
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,(S)
the Lord loves the righteous.(T)
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner(U)
and sustains the fatherless(V) and the widow,(W)
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The Lord reigns(X) forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 147
1 Praise the Lord.[b]
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;(AA)
he gathers the exiles(AB) of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted(AC)
and binds up their wounds.(AD)
4 He determines the number of the stars(AE)
and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord(AF) and mighty in power;(AG)
his understanding has no limit.(AH)
6 The Lord sustains the humble(AI)
but casts the wicked(AJ) to the ground.
8 He covers the sky with clouds;(AO)
he supplies the earth with rain(AP)
and makes grass grow(AQ) on the hills.
9 He provides food(AR) for the cattle
and for the young ravens(AS) when they call.
10 His pleasure is not in the strength(AT) of the horse,(AU)
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
11 the Lord delights(AV) in those who fear him,(AW)
who put their hope(AX) in his unfailing love.(AY)
12 Extol the Lord, Jerusalem;(AZ)
praise your God, Zion.
13 He strengthens the bars of your gates(BA)
and blesses your people(BB) within you.
14 He grants peace(BC) to your borders
and satisfies you(BD) with the finest of wheat.(BE)
15 He sends his command(BF) to the earth;
his word runs(BG) swiftly.
16 He spreads the snow(BH) like wool
and scatters the frost(BI) like ashes.
17 He hurls down his hail(BJ) like pebbles.
Who can withstand his icy blast?
18 He sends his word(BK) and melts them;
he stirs up his breezes,(BL) and the waters flow.
19 He has revealed his word(BM) to Jacob,(BN)
his laws and decrees(BO) to Israel.
20 He has done this for no other nation;(BP)
they do not know(BQ) his laws.[c]
Praise the Lord.(BR)
Psalm 111[a]
1 Praise the Lord.[b]
I will extol the Lord(A) with all my heart(B)
in the council(C) of the upright and in the assembly.(D)
2 Great are the works(E) of the Lord;
they are pondered by all(F) who delight in them.
3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and his righteousness endures(G) forever.
4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and compassionate.(H)
5 He provides food(I) for those who fear him;(J)
he remembers his covenant(K) forever.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works,(L)
giving them the lands of other nations.(M)
7 The works of his hands(N) are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.(O)
8 They are established for ever(P) and ever,
enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He provided redemption(Q) for his people;
he ordained his covenant forever—
holy and awesome(R) is his name.
10 The fear of the Lord(S) is the beginning of wisdom;(T)
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.(U)
To him belongs eternal praise.(V)
Psalm 112[c]
2 Their children(AA) will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches(AB) are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures(AC) forever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns(AD) for the upright,
for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.(AE)
5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,(AF)
who conduct their affairs with justice.
6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken;(AG)
they will be remembered(AH) forever.
7 They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast,(AI) trusting in the Lord.(AJ)
8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;(AK)
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.(AL)
9 They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,(AM)
their righteousness endures(AN) forever;
their horn[e] will be lifted(AO) high in honor.
10 The wicked will see(AP) and be vexed,
they will gnash their teeth(AQ) and waste away;(AR)
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.(AS)
Psalm 113
Praise the Lord, you his servants;(AU)
praise the name of the Lord.
2 Let the name of the Lord be praised,(AV)
both now and forevermore.(AW)
3 From the rising of the sun(AX) to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.
4 The Lord is exalted(AY) over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.(AZ)
5 Who is like the Lord our God,(BA)
the One who sits enthroned(BB) on high,(BC)
6 who stoops down to look(BD)
on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor(BE) from the dust
and lifts the needy(BF) from the ash heap;
8 he seats them(BG) with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He settles the childless(BH) woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.
Praise the Lord.
Joshua to Succeed Moses
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up this mountain(A) in the Abarim Range(B) and see the land(C) I have given the Israelites.(D) 13 After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people,(E) as your brother Aaron(F) was, 14 for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin,(G) both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy(H) before their eyes.” (These were the waters of Meribah(I) Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)
15 Moses said to the Lord, 16 “May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things,(J) appoint someone over this community 17 to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”(K)
18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership,[a](L) and lay your hand on him.(M) 19 Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him(N) in their presence.(O) 20 Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him.(P) 21 He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring(Q) of the Urim(R) before the Lord. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.”
22 Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. 23 Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him,(S) as the Lord instructed through Moses.
11 God did extraordinary miracles(A) through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured(B) and the evil spirits left them.
13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits(C) tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus(D) whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus,(E) they were all seized with fear,(F) and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.[a] 20 In this way the word of the Lord(G) spread widely and grew in power.(H)
Jesus Announces the Good News(A)
14 After John(B) was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee,(C) proclaiming the good news of God.(D) 15 “The time has come,”(E) he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe(F) the good news!”(G)
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.(H)
19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
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