Book of Common Prayer
For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of David.
8 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in the whole earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
2 You have made sure that children
and infants praise you.
Their praise is a wall
that stops the talk of your enemies.
3 I think about the heavens.
I think about what your fingers have created.
I think about the moon and stars
that you have set in place.
4 What are human beings that you think about them?
What is a son of man that you take care of him?
5 You have made them a little lower than the angels.
You placed on them a crown of glory and honor.
6 You made human beings rule over everything your hands created.
You put everything under their control.
7 They rule over all flocks and herds
and over the wild animals.
8 They rule over the birds in the sky
and over the fish in the ocean.
They rule over everything that swims in the oceans.
9 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in the whole earth!
148 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord from the heavens.
Praise him in the heavens above.
2 Praise him, all his angels.
Praise him, all his angels in heaven.
3 Praise him, sun and moon.
Praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, you highest heavens.
Praise him, you waters above the skies.
5 Let all of them praise the name of the Lord,
because at his command they were created.
6 He established them for ever and ever.
He gave them laws they will always have to obey.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all the deepest parts of the ocean.
8 Praise him, lightning and hail, snow and clouds.
Praise him, you stormy winds that obey him.
9 Praise him, all you mountains and hills.
Praise him, all you fruit trees and cedar trees.
10 Praise him, all you wild animals and cattle.
Praise him, you small creatures and flying birds.
11 Praise him, you kings of the earth and all nations.
Praise him, all you princes and rulers on earth.
12 Praise him, young men and women.
Praise him, old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord.
His name alone is honored.
His glory is higher than the earth and the heavens.
14 He has given his people a strong king.
All his faithful people praise him for that gift.
All the people of Israel are close to his heart.
Praise the Lord.
The Lord Speaks
38 The Lord spoke to Job out of a storm. He said,
2 “Who do you think you are to disagree with my plans?
You do not know what you are talking about.
3 Get ready to stand up for yourself.
I will ask you some questions.
Then I want you to answer me.
4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you know.
5 Who measured it? I am sure you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 What was it built on?
Who laid its most important stone?
7 When it happened, the morning stars sang together.
All the angels shouted with joy.
God Speaks His Final Word Through His Son
1 In the past, God spoke to our people through the prophets. He spoke at many times. He spoke in different ways. 2 But in these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son. He is the one whom God appointed to receive all things. God also made everything through him. 3 The Son is the shining brightness of God’s glory. He is the exact likeness of God’s being. He uses his powerful word to hold all things together. He provided the way for people to be made pure from sin. Then he sat down at the right hand of the King, the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became higher than the angels. The name he received is more excellent than theirs.
The Son Is Greater Than the Angels
5 God never said to any of the angels,
“You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.” (Psalm 2:7)
Or,
“I will be his Father.
And he will be my Son.” (2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chronicles 17:13)
6 God’s first and only Son is over all things. When God brings him into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.” (Deuteronomy 32:43)
7 Here is something else God says about the angels.
“God makes his angels to be like spirits.
He makes those who serve him to be like flashes of lightning.” (Psalm 104:4)
8 But here is what he says about the Son.
“You are God. Your throne will last for ever and ever.
Your kingdom will be ruled by justice.
9 You have loved what is right and hated what is evil.
So your God has placed you above your companions.
He has filled you with joy by pouring the sacred oil on your head.” (Psalm 45:6,7)
10 He also says,
“Lord, in the beginning you made the earth secure. You placed it on its foundations.
The heavens are the work of your hands.
11 They will pass away. But you remain.
They will all wear out like a piece of clothing.
12 You will roll them up like a robe.
They will be changed as a person changes clothes.
But you remain the same.
Your years will never end.” (Psalm 102:25–27)
13 God never said to an angel,
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your control.” (Psalm 110:1)
14 All angels are spirits who serve. God sends them to serve those who will receive salvation.
A psalm of David when he was with Abimelek and pretended to be out of his mind. Abimelek drove him away, and David left.
34 I will thank the Lord at all times.
My lips will always praise him.
2 I will find my glory in knowing the Lord.
Let those who are hurting hear me and be joyful.
3 Join me in giving glory to the Lord.
Let us honor him together.
4 I looked to the Lord, and he answered me.
He saved me from everything I was afraid of.
5 Those who look to him have joyful faces.
They are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called out, and the Lord heard him.
He saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord stands guard
around those who have respect for him.
And he saves them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Blessed is the person who goes to him for safety.
9 You holy people of God, have respect for the Lord.
Those who respect him have everything they need.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry.
But those who look to the Lord have every good thing they need.
11 My children, come. Listen to me.
I will teach you to have respect for the Lord.
12 Do you love life
and want to see many good days?
13 Then keep your tongues from speaking evil.
Keep your lips from telling lies.
14 Turn away from evil, and do good.
Look for peace, and go after it.
15 The Lord looks with favor on those who are godly.
His ears are open to their cry.
16 But the Lord doesn’t look with favor on those who do evil.
He removes all memory of them from the earth.
17 Godly people cry out, and the Lord hears them.
He saves them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to those whose hearts have been broken.
He saves those whose spirits have been crushed.
19 The person who does what is right may have many troubles.
But the Lord saves him from all of them.
20 The Lord watches over all his bones.
Not one of them will be broken.
21 Sinners will be killed by their own evil.
The enemies of godly people will be judged.
22 The Lord will save those who serve him.
No one who goes to him for safety will be found guilty.
150 Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his holy temple.
Praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his powerful acts.
Praise him because he is greater than anything else.
3 Praise him by blowing trumpets.
Praise him with harps and lyres.
4 Praise him with tambourines and dancing.
Praise him with stringed instruments and flutes.
5 Praise him with clashing cymbals.
Praise him with clanging cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
104 I will praise the Lord.
Lord my God, you are very great.
You are dressed in glory and majesty.
2 The Lord wraps himself in light as if it were a robe.
He spreads out the heavens like a tent.
3 He builds his palace high in the heavens.
He makes the clouds serve as his chariot.
He rides on the wings of the wind.
4 He makes the winds serve as his messengers.
He makes flashes of lightning serve him.
5 He placed the earth on its foundations.
It can never be moved.
6 You, Lord, covered it with the oceans like a blanket.
The waters covered the mountains.
7 But you commanded the waters, and they ran away.
At the sound of your thunder they rushed off.
8 They flowed down the mountains.
They went into the valleys.
They went to the place you appointed for them.
9 You drew a line they can’t cross.
They will never cover the earth again.
10 The Lord makes springs pour water into the valleys.
It flows between the mountains.
11 The springs give water to all the wild animals.
The wild donkeys satisfy their thirst.
12 The birds in the sky build nests by the waters.
They sing among the branches.
13 The Lord waters the mountains from his palace high in the clouds.
The earth is filled with the things he has made.
14 He makes grass grow for the cattle
and plants for people to take care of.
That’s how they get food from the earth.
15 There is wine to make people glad.
There is olive oil to make their skin glow.
And there is bread to make them strong.
16 The cedar trees of Lebanon belong to the Lord.
He planted them and gave them plenty of water.
17 There the birds make their nests.
The stork has its home in the juniper trees.
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats.
The cliffs are a safe place for the rock badgers.
19 The Lord made the moon to mark off the seasons.
The sun knows when to go down.
20 You, Lord, bring darkness, and it becomes night.
Then all the animals of the forest prowl around.
21 The lions roar while they hunt.
All their food comes from God.
22 The sun rises, and they slip away.
They return to their dens and lie down.
23 Then people get up and go to work.
They keep working until evening.
24 Lord, you have made so many things!
How wise you were when you made all of them!
The earth is full of your creatures.
25 Look at the ocean, so big and wide!
It is filled with more creatures than people can count.
It is filled with living things, from the largest to the smallest.
26 Ships sail back and forth on it.
Leviathan, the sea monster you made, plays in it.
27 All creatures depend on you
to give them their food when they need it.
28 When you give it to them,
they eat it.
When you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you turn your face away from them,
they are terrified.
When you take away their breath,
they die and turn back into dust.
30 When you send your Spirit,
you create them.
You give new life to the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord continue forever.
May the Lord be happy with what he has made.
32 When he looks at the earth, it trembles.
When he touches the mountains, they pour out smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord all my life.
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May these thoughts of mine please him.
I find my joy in the Lord.
35 But may sinners be gone from the earth.
May evil people disappear.
I will praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
21 At that time someone may say to you, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ Or, ‘Look! There he is!’ Do not believe it. 22 False messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will do signs and miracles. They will try to fool God’s chosen people if possible. 23 Keep watch! I have told you everything ahead of time.
24 “So in those days there will be terrible suffering. After that, Scripture says,
“ ‘The sun will be darkened.
The moon will not shine.
25 The stars will fall from the sky.
The heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ (Isaiah 13:10; 34:4)
26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds. He will come with great power and glory. 27 He will send his angels. He will gather his chosen people from all four directions. He will bring them from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
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