Book of Common Prayer
A psalm of the Sons of Korah. A song.
87 The Lord has built his city
on the holy mountain.
2 He loves the city of Zion
more than all the other places
where the people of Jacob live.
3 City of God,
the Lord says glorious things about you.
4 He says, “I will include Egypt and Babylon
in a list of nations who recognize me as king.
I will also include Philistia and Tyre, along with Cush.
I will say about them, ‘They were born in Zion.’ ”
5 Certainly it will be said about Zion,
“This nation and that nation were born in it.
The Most High God himself will make it secure.”
6 Here is what the Lord will write in his list of the nations.
“Each of them was born in Zion.”
7 As they make music they will sing,
“Zion, all our blessings come from you.”
Book IV
Psalms 90–106
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
90 Lord, from the very beginning
you have been like a home to us.
2 Before you created the whole world and the mountains were made,
from the beginning to the end you are God.
3 You turn human beings back to dust.
You say to them, “Return to dust.”
4 To you a thousand years
are like a day that has just gone by.
They are like a few hours of the night.
5 Yet you sweep people away, and they die.
They are like new grass that grows in the morning.
6 In the morning it springs up new,
but by evening it’s all dried up.
7 Your anger destroys us.
Your burning anger terrifies us.
8 You have put our sins right in front of you.
You have placed our secret sins where you can see them clearly.
9 You have been angry with us all of our days.
We groan as we come to the end of our lives.
10 We live to be about 70.
Or we may live to be 80, if we stay healthy.
But even our best days are filled with trouble and sorrow.
The years quickly pass, and we are gone.
11 If only we knew the power of your anger!
It’s as great as the respect we should have for you.
12 Teach us to realize how short our lives are.
Then our hearts will become wise.
13 Lord, please stop punishing us!
How long will you keep it up?
Be kind to us.
14 Satisfy us with your faithful love every morning.
Then we can sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have made us suffer.
Give us joy for as many years as we’ve had trouble.
16 Show us your mighty acts.
Let our children see your glorious power.
17 May the Lord our God always be pleased with us.
Lord, make what we do succeed.
Please make what we do succeed.
136 Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good.
His faithful love continues forever.
2 Give thanks to the greatest God of all.
His faithful love continues forever.
3 Give thanks to the most powerful Lord of all.
His faithful love continues forever.
4 Give thanks to the only one who can do great miracles.
His faithful love continues forever.
5 By his understanding he made the heavens.
His faithful love continues forever.
6 He spread out the earth on the waters.
His faithful love continues forever.
7 He made the great lights in the sky.
His faithful love continues forever.
8 He made the sun to rule over the day.
His faithful love continues forever.
9 He made the moon and stars to rule over the night.
His faithful love continues forever.
10 Give thanks to the God who killed the oldest son of each family in Egypt.
His faithful love continues forever.
11 He brought the people of Israel out of Egypt.
His faithful love continues forever.
12 He did it by reaching out his mighty hand and powerful arm.
His faithful love continues forever.
13 Give thanks to the God who parted the waters of the Red Sea.
His faithful love continues forever.
14 He brought Israel through the middle of it.
His faithful love continues forever.
15 But he swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.
His faithful love continues forever.
16 Give thanks to the God who led his people through the desert.
His faithful love continues forever.
17 He killed great kings.
His faithful love continues forever.
18 He struck down mighty kings.
His faithful love continues forever.
19 He killed Sihon, the king of the Amorites.
His faithful love continues forever.
20 He killed Og, the king of Bashan.
His faithful love continues forever.
21 He gave their land as a gift.
His faithful love continues forever.
22 He gave it as a gift to his servant Israel.
His faithful love continues forever.
23 Give thanks to the God who remembered us when things were going badly.
His faithful love continues forever.
24 He set us free from our enemies.
His faithful love continues forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.
His faithful love continues forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His faithful love continues forever.
15 Nathan went home. Then the Lord made David’s child very sick. That was the child David had by Uriah’s wife. 16 David begged God to heal the child. David didn’t eat anything. He spent his nights lying on the ground. He put on the rough clothes people wear when they’re sad. 17 His most trusted servants stood beside him. They wanted him to get up from the ground. But he refused to do it. And he wouldn’t eat any food with them.
18 On the seventh day the child died. David’s attendants were afraid to tell him the child was dead. They thought, “While the child was still alive, we spoke to David. But he wouldn’t listen to us. So how can we now tell him the child is dead? He might do something terrible to himself.”
19 David saw that his attendants were whispering to one another. Then he realized the child was dead. “Has the child died?” he asked.
“Yes,” they replied. “He’s dead.”
20 Then David got up from the ground. After he washed himself, he put on lotions. He changed his clothes. He went into the house of the Lord and worshiped him. Then he went to his own house. He asked for some food. They served it to him. And he ate it.
21 His attendants asked him, “Why are you acting like this? While the child was still alive, you wouldn’t eat anything. You cried a lot. But now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!”
22 He answered, “While the child was still alive, I didn’t eat anything. And I cried a lot. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord might have mercy on me. He might let the child live.’ 23 But now he’s dead. So why should I continue to go without food? Can I bring him back to life again? Someday I’ll go to him. But he won’t return to me.”
24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba. He went to her and slept with her. Some time later she had a son. He was given the name Solomon. The Lord loved him. 25 So the Lord sent a message through Nathan the prophet. The Lord said, “Name the boy Jedidiah.”
26 During that time, Joab fought against Rabbah. It was the royal city of the Ammonites. It had high walls around it. Joab was about to capture it. 27 He sent messengers to David. He told them to say, “I have fought against Rabbah. I’ve taken control of its water supply. 28 So bring the rest of the troops together. Surround the city and get ready to attack it. Then capture it. If you don’t, I’ll capture it myself. Then it will be named after me.”
29 So David brought together the whole army and went to Rabbah. He attacked it and captured it. 30 David took the gold crown off the head of the king of Ammon. Then the crown was placed on David’s head. The crown weighed 75 pounds. It had jewels in it. David took a huge amount of goods from the city. 31 He brought out the people who were there. He made them work with saws and iron picks and axes. He forced them to make bricks. David did that to all the towns in Ammon. Then he and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.
Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece
20 All the trouble came to an end. Then Paul sent for the believers. After encouraging them, he said goodbye. He then left for Macedonia. 2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of hope to the people. Finally he arrived in Greece. 3 There he stayed for three months. He was just about to sail for Syria. But some Jews were making plans against him. So he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 Sopater, son of Pyrrhus, from Berea went with him. Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, and Timothy went too. Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia Minor also went with him. 5 These men went on ahead. They waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Five days later we joined the others at Troas. We stayed there for seven days.
Eutychus Is Raised From the Dead at Troas
7 On the first day of the week we met to break bread and eat together. Paul spoke to the people. He kept on talking until midnight because he planned to leave the next day. 8 There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were meeting. 9 A young man named Eutychus was sitting in a window. He sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. Sound asleep, Eutychus fell from the third floor. When they picked him up from the ground, he was dead. 10 Paul went down and threw himself on the young man. He put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he told them. “He’s alive!” 11 Then Paul went upstairs again. He broke bread and ate with them. He kept on talking until daylight. Then he left. 12 The people took the young man home. They were greatly comforted because he was alive.
Paul Says Goodbye to the Ephesian Elders
13 We went on ahead to the ship. We sailed for Assos. There we were going to take Paul on board. He had planned it this way because he wanted to go to Assos by land. 14 So he met us there. We took him on board and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we sailed from there. We arrived near Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos. We arrived at Miletus the next day. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus. He didn’t want to spend time in Asia Minor. He was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem. If he could, he wanted to be there by the day of Pentecost.
Jesus Speaks a Second Time About His Coming Death
30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were. 31 That was because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be handed over to men. They will kill him. After three days he will rise from the dead.” 32 But they didn’t understand what he meant. And they were afraid to ask him about it.
Who Is the Most Important Person?
33 Jesus and his disciples came to a house in Capernaum. There he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet. On the way, they had argued about which one of them was the most important person.
35 Jesus sat down and called for the 12 disciples to come to him. Then he said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last. They must be the servant of everyone.”
36 Jesus took a little child and had the child stand among them. Then he took the child in his arms. He said to them, 37 “Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me. And anyone who welcomes me also welcomes the one who sent me.”
Anyone Who Is Not Against Us Is for Us
38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me. 40 Anyone who is not against us is for us. 41 What I’m about to tell you is true. Suppose someone gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah. That person will certainly not go without a reward.
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