Book of Common Prayer
Tell the Coming Generation
A Maskil[a] of (A)Asaph.
78 (B)Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 (C)I will open my mouth (D)in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known,
that our (E)fathers have told us.
4 We will not (F)hide them from their children,
but (G)tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and (H)the wonders that he has done.
5 He established (I)a testimony in (J)Jacob
and appointed a law in (K)Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
6 that (L)the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget (M)the works of God,
but (N)keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be (O)like their fathers,
(P)a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation (Q)whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The Ephraimites, armed with[b] the bow,
(R)turned back on the day of battle.
10 They (S)did not keep God's covenant,
but refused to walk according to his law.
11 They (T)forgot his works
and (U)the wonders that he had shown them.
12 In the sight of their fathers (V)he performed wonders
in the land of Egypt, in (W)the fields of Zoan.
13 He (X)divided the sea and let them pass through it,
and made the waters (Y)stand like a heap.
14 (Z)In the daytime he led them with a cloud,
and all the night with a fiery light.
15 He (AA)split rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
16 He made streams come out of (AB)the rock
and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
17 Yet they sinned still more against him,
(AC)rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 They (AD)tested God in their heart
by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spoke against God, saying,
(AE)“Can God (AF)spread a table in the wilderness?
20 (AG)He struck the rock so that water gushed out
and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread
or provide meat for his people?”
21 Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;
(AH)a fire was kindled against Jacob;
his anger rose against Israel,
22 because they (AI)did not believe in God
and did not trust his saving power.
23 Yet he commanded the skies above
and (AJ)opened the doors of heaven,
24 and he (AK)rained down on them manna to eat
and gave them (AL)the grain of heaven.
25 Man ate of the bread of (AM)the angels;
he sent them food (AN)in abundance.
26 He (AO)caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind;
27 he rained meat on them like (AP)dust,
winged birds like (AQ)the sand of the seas;
28 he (AR)let them fall in the midst of their camp,
all around their dwellings.
29 And they (AS)ate and were well filled,
for he gave them what they (AT)craved.
30 But before they had satisfied their craving,
(AU)while the food was still in their mouths,
31 the anger of God rose against them,
and he killed (AV)the strongest of them
and laid low (AW)the young men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this, they (AX)still sinned;
(AY)despite his wonders, they did not believe.
33 So he made (AZ)their days (BA)vanish like[c] a breath,[d]
and their years in terror.
34 When he killed them, they (BB)sought him;
they repented and sought God earnestly.
35 They remembered that God was their (BC)rock,
the Most High God their (BD)redeemer.
36 But they (BE)flattered him with their mouths;
they (BF)lied to him with their tongues.
37 Their (BG)heart was not (BH)steadfast toward him;
they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he, being (BI)compassionate,
(BJ)atoned for their iniquity
and did not destroy them;
he restrained his anger often
and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 He (BK)remembered that they were but (BL)flesh,
(BM)a wind that passes and comes not again.
40 How often they (BN)rebelled against him in the wilderness
and (BO)grieved him in (BP)the desert!
41 They (BQ)tested God again and again
and provoked (BR)the Holy One of Israel.
42 They (BS)did not remember his power[e]
or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,
43 (BT)when he performed his (BU)signs in Egypt
and his (BV)marvels in (BW)the fields of Zoan.
44 He (BX)turned their rivers to blood,
so that they could not drink of their streams.
45 He sent among them swarms of (BY)flies, which devoured them,
and (BZ)frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their crops to (CA)the destroying locust
and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with (CB)hail
and their sycamores with frost.
48 He gave over their (CC)cattle to the hail
and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49 He let loose on them his burning anger,
wrath, indignation, and distress,
a company of (CD)destroying angels.
50 He made a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death,
but gave their lives over to the plague.
51 He struck down every (CE)firstborn in Egypt,
the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of (CF)Ham.
52 Then he led out his people (CG)like sheep
and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 (CH)He led them in safety, so that they (CI)were not afraid,
but (CJ)the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them to his (CK)holy land,
(CL)to the mountain which his right hand had (CM)won.
55 He (CN)drove out nations before them;
he (CO)apportioned them for a possession
and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Yet they (CP)tested and (CQ)rebelled against the Most High God
and did not keep his testimonies,
57 but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers;
they twisted like (CR)a deceitful bow.
58 For they (CS)provoked him to anger with their (CT)high places;
they (CU)moved him to jealousy with their (CV)idols.
59 When God heard, he was full of (CW)wrath,
and he utterly rejected Israel.
60 He (CX)forsook his dwelling at (CY)Shiloh,
the tent where he dwelt among mankind,
61 and delivered his (CZ)power to captivity,
his (DA)glory to the hand of the foe.
62 He (DB)gave his people over to the sword
and (DC)vented his wrath on his heritage.
63 (DD)Fire devoured their young men,
and their young women had no (DE)marriage song.
64 Their (DF)priests fell by the sword,
and their (DG)widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord (DH)awoke as from sleep,
like a strong man shouting because of wine.
66 And he (DI)put his adversaries to rout;
he put them to everlasting shame.
67 He rejected the tent of (DJ)Joseph;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he (DK)loves.
69 He (DL)built his sanctuary like the high heavens,
like the earth, which he has founded forever.
70 He (DM)chose David his servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 from (DN)following the nursing ewes he brought him
to (DO)shepherd Jacob his people,
Israel his (DP)inheritance.
72 With (DQ)upright heart he shepherded them
and (DR)guided them with his skillful hand.
Gideon's Three Hundred Men
7 Then (A)Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside (B)the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, (C)by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, (D)lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, (E)‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.
4 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. 7 And the Lord said to Gideon, (F)“With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” 8 So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him (G)in the valley.
9 That same (H)night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, (I)for I have given it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. 11 (J)And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” (K)Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp. 12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and (L)all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, (M)as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance. 13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” 14 And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.”
15 As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.” 16 And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with (N)torches inside the jars. 17 And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, (O)‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”
The Lame Beggar Healed
3 Now Peter and John were (A)going up to the temple at (B)the hour of prayer, (C)the ninth hour.[a] 2 And a man (D)lame from birth was being carried, (E)whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate (F)to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, (G)“I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. (H)In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And (I)leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And (J)all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Peter Speaks in Solomon's Portico
11 (K)While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in (L)the portico called Solomon's.
The Testimony of John the Baptist
19 And this is the (A)testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, (B)“Who are you?” 20 (C)He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? (D)Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you (E)the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am (F)the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight[a] the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, (G)“Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, (H)“I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even (I)he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.