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.
Samuel Given to the Lord
21 The man Elkanah and all his house (A)went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord (B)and dwell there forever.” 23 (C)Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; (D)only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24 And when she had weaned him, (E)she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull,[a] an ephah[b] of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to (F)the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! (G)As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, (H)and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.”
(I)And he worshiped the Lord there.
Hannah's Prayer
2 And Hannah prayed and said,
(J)“My heart exults in the Lord;
(K)my horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because (L)I rejoice in your salvation.
2 (M)“There is none holy like the Lord:
for there is none besides you;
there is (N)no rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
4 (O)The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble bind on strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
(P)The barren has borne seven,
(Q)but she who has many children is forlorn.
6 (R)The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 (S)The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
(T)he brings low and he exalts.
8 (U)He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
(V)to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
(W)For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,
and on them he has set the world.
9 (X)“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
for not by might shall a man prevail.
10 (Y)The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
(Z)against them he will thunder in heaven.
(AA)The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king
(AB)and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
11 Then Elkanah went home (AC)to Ramah. (AD)And the boy[c] was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.
15 In those days Peter stood up among (A)the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, 16 “Brothers, (B)the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, (C)who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For (D)he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in (E)this ministry.” 18 (Now this man (F)acquired a field with (G)the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong[a] he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called (H)in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms,
(I)“‘May his camp become desolate,
and let there be no one to dwell in it’;
and
(J)“‘Let another take his office.’
21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during (K)all the time that the Lord Jesus (L)went in and out among us, 22 (M)beginning from the baptism of John until the day when (N)he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us (O)a witness to his resurrection.” 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called (P)Barsabbas, who was also called (Q)Justus, and (R)Matthias. 24 And (S)they prayed and said, “You, Lord, (T)who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in (U)this ministry and (V)apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Paying Taxes to Caesar
19 (A)The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. 20 (B)So they (C)watched him and sent spies, who (D)pretended to be sincere, that they might (E)catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of (F)the governor. 21 So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and (G)show no partiality,[a] but truly teach (H)the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to give (I)tribute to (J)Caesar, or not?” 23 But he perceived their (K)craftiness, and said to them, 24 “Show me (L)a denarius.[b] Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar's.” 25 He said to them, “Then (M)render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 26 And they were not able in the presence of the people (N)to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.