Book of Common Prayer
Praise to Yahweh for His Help
146 Praise Yah.[a]
Praise Yahweh, O my soul.
2 I will praise Yahweh while I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I am still alive.
3 Do not place trust in princes,
in a son of humankind with whom there is no deliverance.
4 His breath departs; he returns to his plot;[b]
on that day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is on Yahweh as his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them,
the one who keeps faith[c] forever,
7 who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food for the hungry.
Yahweh sets prisoners free;
8 Yahweh opens the eyes of the blind;
Yahweh raises up those bowed down;
Yahweh loves the righteous;
9 Yahweh protects[d] the strangers.
He helps up the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.[e]
10 Yahweh will reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.[f]
Praise Yah.[g]
Praise to Yahweh for His Providence
147 Praise Yah.[h]
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant; praise is fitting.
2 Yahweh is building Jerusalem;
he gathers the scattered ones of Israel.
3 He is the one who heals the brokenhearted,
and binds up their wounds.
4 He counts the number of the stars;
he gives names to all of them.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is unlimited.
6 Yahweh helps the afflicted up;
he brings the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing to Yahweh with thanksgiving;
sing praises to our God with lyre,
8 who covers the heavens with clouds,
who provides rain for the earth,
who causes grass to grow on the mountains.
9 He gives to the animal its food,
and to the young ravens that cry.
10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
he takes no pleasure in the legs of the man.
11 Yahweh takes pleasure in those who fear him,
the ones who hope[i] for his loyal love.
12 Laud Yahweh, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion,
13 for he strengthens the bars of your gates.
He blesses your children within you;
14 he makes your border peaceful;
he satisfies you with the finest of wheat.[j]
15 He sends out his command[k] to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes;
17 he throws his hail like crumbs.
Who can stand before his cold?[l]
18 He sends out his word and melts them;
he blows his breath, the water flows.
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
20 He has not done so for any nation,
and they do not know his ordinances.
Praise Yah.[m]
Praise to God for His Work and Commands
111 Praise Yah![a]
I will give thanks to Yahweh with all my heart,
in the assembly of the upright and the congregation.
2 The works of Yahweh are great,
studied[b] by all who delight in them.
3 Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has made his wonders to be remembered;[c]
Yahweh is gracious and compassionate.
5 He gives food to those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
6 He has declared the power of his works for his people,
by giving to them the inheritance of the nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithfulness and justice;
all his precepts are reliable.
8 They are sustained forever and ever,
done with faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He has sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever;
holy and fearful is his name.
10 The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom;
all who do them[d] have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever.
The Path of the Righteous and the Path of the Wicked
112 Praise Yah![e]
Blessed is the man who fears Yahweh;
he takes great delight in his commands.
2 His descendants[f] will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 His light rises in the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5 It goes well for a man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his business properly.[g]
6 For he will not be shaken forever;
the righteous will be remembered forever.[h]
7 He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, secure[i] in Yahweh.
8 His heart is sustained; he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his enemies.
9 He gives lavishly[j] to the needy;
his righteousness endures forever.
His horn rises high in honor.
10 The wicked[k] sees it and is vexed.
He gnashes his teeth and becomes weak.[l]
The desire of the wicked[m] perishes.
God’s Majesty and Care for the Needy
113 Praise Yah![n]
Praise, O servants of Yahweh,
praise the name of Yahweh.
2 Let the name of Yahweh be blessed,
from now until forever.
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting,
let the name of Yahweh be blessed.
4 Yahweh is high above all nations;
his glory is above the heavens.
5 Who is like Yahweh our God,
who is enthroned on high,[o]
6 who condescends to look at[p]
what is in the heavens and in the earth?
7 He raises the helpless from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 to seat them with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He causes the barren woman of the house to dwell
as the happy mother of children.
Praise Yah![q]
Introduction
1 The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds from Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah the king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Jehoash, two years before[a] the earthquake.
Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors
2 And he said, “Yahweh roars from Zion and he utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds wither and the top of Carmel dries up.” 3 Thus says Yahweh, “For three transgressions of Damascus and for four I will not revoke the punishment,[b] because they threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron! 4 So I will send fire against Hazael’s house and it will consume the citadel fortresses of Ben-Hadad. 5 I will break the gate bars of Damascus and I will cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven and the one who takes hold of the scepter of Beth Eden, and the people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,” says Yahweh.
13 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Ammon and for four I will not revoke the punishment,[a] because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their territory! 14 So I will kindle a fire against the wall of Rabbah and it will devour its citadel fortresses with a war cry on the day of battle, with a storm on the day of the violent tempest. 15 And their king will go into exile, he and his commanders together,” says Yahweh.
2 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Moab and for four I will not revoke the punishment,[b] because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom. 2 So I will send a fire against Moab and it will devour the citadel fortresses of Kerioth, and Moab will die amid uproar, amid war cries and amid the sound of a horn. 3 And I will cut off the ruler from its midst and I will kill all of its officials with him,” says Yahweh.
Judgment on Judah
4 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not revoke the punishment,[c] because they have rejected the law of Yahweh and have not kept his rules, and their lies have led them astray, after which their ancestors walked![d] 5 So I will send a fire against Judah and it will devour the citadel fortresses of Jerusalem.
Judgment on Israel
6 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not revoke the punishment,[e] because they sell the righteous for money and the poor for a pair of sandals! 7 Those who trample the heads of the powerless into the dust of the ground and turn aside the way of the destitute, a man and his father have sexual relations with[f] the same girl, so that they profane my holy name. 8 They stretch themselves out beside every altar on clothing taken in pledge and they drink wine, bought with fines imposed,[g] in the house of their God.
The Sudden Arrival of the Day of the Lord
5 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need of anything to be written to you, 2 for you yourselves well know that the day of the Lord is coming in the same way as a thief in the night. 3 Whenever they say “Peace and security,” then sudden destruction will overtake them like the birth pains of a pregnant woman[a], and they will not possibly escape. 4 But you, brothers, are not in the darkness, so that the day should catch you like a thief, 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
6 So then, we must not sleep like the rest, but must be on the alert and be self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But because[b] we are of the day, we must be sober, by[c] putting on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet the hope of salvation, 9 because God did not appoint us for wrath, but for the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live at the same time with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build up each other[d], just as indeed you are doing.
The Destruction of the Temple Predicted
5 And while[a] some were speaking about the temple, that it was adorned with precious stones and votive offerings, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see—days will come in which not one stone will be left on another stone that will not be thrown down!”
Signs of the End of the Age
7 And they asked him, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things happen, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” 8 And he said, Watch out that you are not deceived! For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them! 9 And when you hear about wars and insurrections, do not be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end will not be at once.” 10 Then he said to them, “nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes and famines and plagues in various places. There will be terrible sights and great signs from heaven.
Persecution of Disciples Predicted
12 “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you,[b] handing you[c] over to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before[d] kings and governors because of my name. 13 This will turn out to you for a time of witness. 14 Therefore make up your minds[e] not to prepare in advance to speak in your own defense, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom that all your opponents will not be able to resist or contradict. 16 And you will be handed over even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put to death some of you. 17 And you will be hated by all because of my name. 18 Even a hair of your head will never perish! 19 By your patient endurance you will gain your lives.
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