Book of Common Prayer
Put Not Your Trust in Princes
146 (A)Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord (B)as long as I live;
(C)I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 (D)Put not your trust in princes,
(E)in a son of man, in whom there is (F)no salvation.
4 When (G)his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
5 (H)Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose (I)hope is in the Lord his God,
6 (J)who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
(K)who keeps faith forever;
7 (L)who executes justice for the oppressed,
(M)who gives food to the hungry.
(N)The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 (O)the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
(P)The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
(Q)the Lord loves the righteous.
9 (R)The Lord watches over the sojourners;
(S)he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but (T)the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
He Heals the Brokenhearted
147 (W)Praise the Lord!
For (X)it is good to sing praises to our God;
for (Y)it is pleasant,[a] and (Z)a song of praise is fitting.
2 The Lord (AA)builds up Jerusalem;
he (AB)gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals (AC)the brokenhearted
and (AD)binds up their wounds.
4 He (AE)determines the number of the stars;
he (AF)gives to all of them their names.
5 (AG)Great is our Lord, and (AH)abundant in power;
(AI)his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The Lord (AJ)lifts up the humble;[b]
he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 (AK)Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on (AL)the lyre!
8 He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares (AM)rain for the earth;
he makes (AN)grass grow on the hills.
9 He (AO)gives to the beasts their food,
and to (AP)the young ravens that cry.
10 His delight is not in (AQ)the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11 but the Lord (AR)takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who (AS)hope in his steadfast love.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens (AT)the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
14 He (AU)makes peace in your borders;
he (AV)fills you with the (AW)finest of the wheat.
15 He (AX)sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives (AY)snow like wool;
he scatters (AZ)frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his crystals of (BA)ice like crumbs;
who can stand before his (BB)cold?
18 He (BC)sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
his (BD)statutes and rules[c] to Israel.
20 He (BE)has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules.[d]
(BF)Praise the Lord!
Praise the Name of the Lord
148 (BG)Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord (BH)from the heavens;
praise him (BI)in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his (BJ)hosts!
3 Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you (BK)highest heavens,
and you (BL)waters above the heavens!
5 (BM)Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For (BN)he commanded and they were created.
6 And he (BO)established them forever and ever;
he gave (BP)a decree, and it shall not (BQ)pass away.[e]
7 Praise the Lord (BR)from the earth,
you (BS)great sea creatures and all deeps,
8 (BT)fire and hail, (BU)snow and mist,
(BV)stormy wind (BW)fulfilling his word!
9 (BX)Mountains and all hills,
(BY)fruit trees and all (BZ)cedars!
10 (CA)Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and (CB)flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and (CC)all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!
13 (CD)Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for (CE)his name alone is exalted;
(CF)his majesty is above earth and heaven.
14 He has (CG)raised up a horn for his people,
(CH)praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are (CI)near to him.
(CJ)Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a New Song
149 (CK)Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord (CL)a new song,
his praise in (CM)the assembly of the godly!
2 Let Israel (CN)be glad in (CO)his Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their (CP)King!
3 Let them praise his name with (CQ)dancing,
making melody to him with (CR)tambourine and (CS)lyre!
4 For the Lord (CT)takes pleasure in his people;
he (CU)adorns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the godly exult in glory;
let them (CV)sing for joy on their (CW)beds.
6 Let (CX)the high praises of God be in their throats
and (CY)two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishments on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with (CZ)chains
and their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment (DA)written!
(DB)This is honor for all his godly ones.
(DC)Praise the Lord!
The Valley of Dry Bones
37 (A)The hand of the Lord was upon me, and (B)he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley;[a] it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, (C)“Son of man, (D)can these bones live?” And (E)I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, (F)“Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, (G)O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause (H)breath[b] to enter you, and you shall live. 6 (I)And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and (J)cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, (K)and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7 So I prophesied (L)as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, (M)a rattling,[c] and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But (N)there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, (O)“Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, (P)son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from (Q)the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied (R)as he commanded me, and (S)the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then he said to me, (T)“Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and (U)our hope is lost; (V)we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore (W)prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, (X)I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And (Y)I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And (Z)you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And (AA)I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; (AB)I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”
Peter Speaks in Solomon's Portico
11 (A)While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in (B)the portico called Solomon's. 12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 13 (C)The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, (D)the God of our fathers, (E)glorified his servant[a] Jesus, whom (F)you delivered over and (G)denied in the presence of Pilate, (H)when he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied (I)the Holy and (J)Righteous One, and (K)asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed (L)the Author of life, (M)whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And (N)his name—by (O)faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is (P)through Jesus[b] has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
17 “And now, brothers, I know that (Q)you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God (R)foretold (S)by the mouth of all the prophets, that (T)his Christ would (U)suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 (V)Repent therefore, and (W)turn back, that (X)your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ (Y)appointed for you, Jesus, 21 (Z)whom heaven must receive until the time for (AA)restoring all the things about which (AB)God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you (AC)a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen (AD)to him in whatever he tells you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet (AE)shall be destroyed from the people.’ 24 And (AF)all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. 25 (AG)You are the sons of the prophets and of (AH)the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, (AI)‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26 (AJ)God, (AK)having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, (AL)to bless you (AM)by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”
12 (A)“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 (B)Greater love has no one than this, (C)that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are (D)my friends (E)if you do what I command you. 15 (F)No longer do I call you servants,[a] for the servant (G)does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for (H)all that I have heard from my Father (I)I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but (J)I chose you and appointed you that you should go and (K)bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that (L)whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, (M)so that you will love one another.
The Hatred of the World
18 (N)“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 (O)If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because (P)you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: (Q)‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, (R)they will also persecute you. (S)If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But (T)all these things they will do to you (U)on account of my name, (V)because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, (W)they would not have been guilty of sin,[b] but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 (X)Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 (Y)If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, (Z)they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have (AA)seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But (AB)the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: (AC)‘They hated me without a cause.’
26 “But (AD)when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, (AE)he will bear witness about me. 27 And (AF)you also will bear witness, (AG)because you have been with me (AH)from the beginning.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.