Book of Common Prayer
Calm Trust in Yahweh
A song of ascents. Of David.[a]
131 My heart is not haughty nor my eyes arrogant.[b]
And I do not concern myself[c]
with things too great and difficult for me.
2 Rather I have soothed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother,
like the weaned child is my soul with me.
3 O Israel, hope in Yahweh
from now until forever.
Yahweh Dwells in Zion
A song of ascents.[d]
132 O Yahweh, remember with regard to David
all his affliction.[e]
2 How he swore to Yahweh,
he vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 “I will not enter into the tent of my house,
I will not go up to the couch of my bed,
4 I will give no sleep to my eyes,
no slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for Yahweh,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 Look, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found her in the fields of Jaar.[f]
7 Let us go to his dwelling places;[g]
Let us worship at his footstool.
8 Arise, O Yahweh, to your resting place,
you and your mighty ark.
9 Let your priests clothe themselves with righteousness,
and let your faithful sing for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
11 Yahweh swore in truth to David;
he will not turn back from it.
“One from the fruit of your body[h]
I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons will heed my covenant
and my testimonies that I will teach them,
their sons also forever
will sit on your throne.”
13 For Yahweh has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his habitation.
14 “This is my resting place forever;
here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will bless its provisions abundantly;
I will satisfy its poor with bread.
16 I will also clothe its priests with salvation,
and its faithful will shout exuberantly for joy.
17 There I will cause a horn to grow for David;
I will set a lamp for my anointed one.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but on him his crown will flourish.”[i]
The People of God Dwell in Unity
A song of ascents. Of David.[j]
133 Look, how good and how pleasant it is
when brothers dwell together in unity.
2 It is like the fragrant oil upon the head,
running down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron,
that runs down upon the edges of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon that runs down
upon the mountains of Zion,
because there Yahweh commanded the blessing—
life forever.
Praising Yahweh in the Temple at Night
A song of ascents.[k]
134 Look, bless Yahweh, all you the servants of Yahweh,
who serve[l] in the house[m] of Yahweh by night.
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and bless Yahweh.
3 May Yahweh bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth.
Praise to God for His Power and Redemption
135 Praise Yah![n] Praise the name of Yahweh.
Praise him, O servants of Yahweh,
2 who stand in the house[o] of Yahweh,
in the courts of the house[p] of our God.
3 Praise Yah,[q] for Yahweh is good.
Sing praises concerning his name, for it is pleasant.
4 For Yah has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his special possession.
5 For I know that Yahweh is great,
and our Lord is greater than all gods.
6 All that Yahweh desires, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all the depths.
7 He causes clouds to rise from the edge of the earth;
he makes lightnings for the rain;
he brings out the wind from his storehouses.
8 Who struck the firstborn of Egypt,
both of humans[r] and animals.[s]
9 He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 Who struck many nations
and killed mighty kings—
11 Sihon the king of the Amorites,
and Og the king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan—
12 and he gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance for his people Israel.
13 O Yahweh, your name endures forever,
your renown[t] throughout all generations,[u]
14 for Yahweh will plead the cause of his people
and will have compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of the hands of humankind.
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak;
they have eyes, but cannot see;
17 they have ears, but cannot hear;
there is not even breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them become like them,
as does everyone who trusts in them.
19 O house of Israel, bless Yahweh.
O house of Aaron, bless Yahweh.
20 O house of Levi, bless Yahweh.
You who fear Yahweh, bless Yahweh.
21 Blessed be Yahweh from Zion,
who dwells in Jerusalem. Praise Yah![v]
Saul’s Blunder
5 And the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and an army as numerous as sand which is on the seashore. And they came up and encamped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven.
6 When the men of Israel saw that it was too difficult[a] for them, because the army was hard pressed, the people hid themselves in the caves, in the thorn bushes, in the cliffs, in the vaults[b] and in the wells. 7 Some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the army followed him trembling.[c] 8 He waited seven days according to the appointed time Samuel determined, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the army started to slip away from him.[d] 9 So Saul said, “Bring here to me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” Then he offered up the burnt offering. 10 Just as[e] he finished offering the burnt sacrifice, Samuel was coming. So Saul went out to meet him and to bless him. 11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “Because I saw that the army was scattering[f] from me and you did not come at the appointed time[g] and that the Philistines had gathered at Micmash, 12 therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not yet implored the face of Yahweh.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.”
13 Then Samuel said to Saul, “You have behaved foolishly! You have not kept the command of Yahweh your God which he commanded you. For then, Yahweh would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now, your kingdom will not endure. Yahweh has sought for himself a man according to his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him as leader over his people, because you have not kept what Yahweh commanded you.”
15 Then Samuel got up and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul mustered the people who were found with him, about six hundred men. 16 Saul and Jonathan his son and the army that remained with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin, and the Philistines encamped at Micmash. 17 The raiders[h] went out from the camp of the Philistines in three divisions. One division turned on the road[i] to Ophrah toward the land of Shual. 18 One division turned on the road[j] to Beth Horon, and one turned on the road[k] toward the border overlooking the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Get up and go toward the south[a] on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) 27 And he got up and[b] went, and behold, there was a man, an Ethiopian eunuch (a court official of Candace,[c] queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasury) who had come to worship in Jerusalem 28 and was returning and sitting in his chariot, and reading aloud the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Approach and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran up to it[d] and[e] heard him reading aloud Isaiah the prophet and said, “So then, do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “So how could I, unless someone will guide me?” And he invited Philip to come up and[f] sit with him. 32 Now the passage of scripture that he was reading aloud was this:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his[g] humiliation justice was taken from him.
Who can describe his descendants?[h]
For his life was taken away from the earth.”[i]
34 And the eunuch answered and[j] said to Philip, “I ask you, about whom does the prophet say this—about himself or about someone else?” 35 So Philip opened his mouth and beginning from this scripture, proclaimed the good news to him about Jesus. 36 And as they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?”[k] 38 And he ordered the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water—Philip and the eunuch—and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any longer, for he went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he[l] passed through, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Pilate Releases Barabbas
13 So Pilate called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people 14 and[a] said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people, and behold, when I[b] examined him[c] before you, I found nothing in this man as basis for the accusation which you are making[d] against him. 15 But neither did Herod, because he sent him back to us. And behold, nothing deserving death has been done[e] by him. 16 Therefore I will punish him and[f] release him.”[g] [h] 18 But they all cried out in unison, saying, “Take this man away, and release for us Barabbas!” 19 (who had been thrown in prison because of a certain insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder). 20 And Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them[i][j] again, 21 but they kept crying out, saying, “Crucify! Crucify him!” 22 So he said to them a third time, “Why? What wrong has this man done? I found no basis for an accusation deserving death[k] in him. Therefore I will punish him and[l] release him.”[m] 23 But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he be crucified. And their cries prevailed. 24 And Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. 25 And he released the one who had been thrown into prison because of insurrection and murder, whom they were asking for, but Jesus he handed over to their will.
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