Book of Common Prayer
A psalm of Solomon.
72 God, give the king the ability to judge fairly.
He is your royal son. Help him to do what is right.
2 May he rule your people in the right way.
May he be fair to those among your people who are hurting.
3 May the mountains and the hills produce rich crops,
because the people will do what is right.
4 May the king stand up for those who are hurting.
May he save the children of those who are in need.
May he crush those who treat others badly.
5 May the king rule as long as the sun shines
and the moon gives its light.
May he rule for all time to come.
6 May he be like rain falling on the fields.
May he be like showers watering the earth.
7 May godly people do well as long as he rules.
May they have more than they need as long as the moon lasts.
8 May the king rule from sea to sea.
May his kingdom reach from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
9 May the desert tribes bow down to him.
May his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of places far away
bring him gifts.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
give him presents.
11 May all kings bow down to him.
May all nations serve him.
12 The king will save needy people who cry out to him.
He will save those who are hurting and have no one else to help.
13 He will take pity on those who are weak and in need.
He will save them from death.
14 He will save them from people who treat others badly.
He will save them from people who do mean things to them.
Their lives are very special to him.
15 May the king live a long time!
May gold from Sheba be given to him.
May people always pray for him.
May they ask the Lord to bless him all day long.
16 May there be plenty of grain everywhere in the land.
May it sway in the wind on the tops of the hills.
May the crops grow well, like those in Lebanon.
May they grow like the grass of the field.
17 May the king’s name be remembered forever.
May his fame last as long as the sun shines.
Then all nations will be blessed because of him.
They will call him blessed.
18 Give praise to the Lord God, the God of Israel.
Only he can do wonderful things.
19 Give praise to his glorious name forever.
May his glory fill the whole earth.
Amen and Amen.
20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, end here.
111 Praise the Lord.
I will praise the Lord with all my heart.
I will praise him where honest people gather for worship.
2 The Lord has done great things.
All who take delight in those things think deeply about them.
3 What he does shows his glory and majesty.
He will always do what is right.
4 The Lord causes his wonders to be remembered.
He is kind and tender.
5 He provides food for those who have respect for him.
He remembers his covenant forever.
6 He has shown his people what his power can do.
He has given them the lands of other nations.
7 He is faithful and right in everything he does.
All his rules can be trusted.
8 They will stand firm for ever and ever.
They were given by the Lord.
He is faithful and honest.
9 He set his people free.
He made a covenant with them that will last forever.
His name is holy and wonderful.
10 If you really want to become wise,
you must begin by having respect for the Lord.
All those who follow his rules have good understanding.
People should praise him forever.
113 Praise the Lord.
Praise him, you who serve the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord.
2 Let us praise the name of the Lord,
both now and forever.
3 From the sunrise in the east to the sunset in the west,
may the name of the Lord be praised.
4 The Lord is honored over all the nations.
His glory reaches to the highest heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God?
He sits on his throne in heaven.
6 He bends down to look
at the heavens and the earth.
7 He raises poor people up from the trash pile.
He lifts needy people out of the ashes.
8 He causes them to sit with princes.
He causes them to sit with the princes of his people.
9 He gives children to the woman who doesn’t have any children.
He makes her a happy mother in her own home.
Praise the Lord.
God’s Promise to David
7 The king moved into his palace. The Lord had given him peace and rest from all his enemies around him. 2 Then the king spoke to Nathan the prophet. He said, “Here I am, living in a house that has beautiful cedar walls. But the ark of God remains in a tent.”
3 Nathan replied to the king, “Go ahead and do what you want to. The Lord is with you.”
4 But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan. The Lord said,
5 “Go and speak to my servant David. Tell him, ‘The Lord says, “Are you the one to build me a house to live in? 6 I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt. But I have not lived in a house from then until now. I have been moving from place to place. I have been living in a tent. 7 I have moved from place to place with all the Israelites. I commanded their rulers to be shepherds over them. I never asked any of those rulers, ‘Why haven’t you built me a house that has beautiful cedar walls?’ ” ’
8 “So tell my servant David, ‘The Lord who rules over all says, “I took you away from the grasslands. That’s where you were taking care of your father’s sheep and goats. I made you ruler over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you everywhere you have gone. I have destroyed all your enemies. Now I will make you famous. Your name will be just as respected as the names of the most important people on earth. 10 I will provide a place where my people Israel can live. I will plant them in the land. Then they will have a home of their own. They will not be bothered anymore. Evil people will no longer crush them, as they did at first. 11 That is what your enemies have done ever since I appointed leaders over my people Israel. But I will give you peace and rest from all of them.
“ ‘ “I tell you that I, the Lord, will set up a royal house for you. 12 Some day your life will come to an end. You will join the members of your family who have already died. Then I will make one of your own sons the next king after you. And I will make his kingdom secure. 13 He is the one who will build a house where I will put my Name. I will set up the throne of his kingdom. It will last forever. 14 I will be his father. And he will be my son. When he does what is wrong, I will use other men to beat him with rods and whips. 15 I took my love away from Saul. I removed him from being king. You were there when I did it. But I will never take my love away from your son. 16 Your royal house and your kingdom will last forever in my sight. Your throne will last forever.” ’ ”
17 Nathan reported to David all the words that the Lord had spoken to him.
11 God’s grace has now appeared. By his grace, God offers to save all people. 12 His grace teaches us to say no to godless ways and sinful desires. We must control ourselves. We must do what is right. We must lead godly lives in today’s world. 13 That’s how we should live as we wait for the blessed hope God has given us. We are waiting for Jesus Christ to appear in his glory. He is our great God and Savior. 14 He gave himself for us. By doing that, he set us free from all evil. He wanted to make us pure. He wanted us to be his very own people. He wanted us to desire to do what is good.
15 These are the things you should teach. Encourage people and give them hope. Correct them with full authority. Don’t let anyone look down on you.
Do What Is Good Because You Are Saved
3 Remind God’s people to obey rulers and authorities. Remind them to be ready to do what is good. 2 Tell them not to speak evil things against anyone. Remind them to live in peace. They must consider the needs of others. They must always be gentle toward everyone.
3 At one time we too acted like fools. We didn’t obey God. We were tricked. We were controlled by all kinds of desires and pleasures. We were full of evil. We wanted what belongs to others. People hated us, and we hated one another. 4 But the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared. 5 He saved us. It wasn’t because of the good things we had done. It was because of his mercy. He saved us by washing away our sins. We were born again. The Holy Spirit gave us new life. 6 God poured out the Spirit on us freely. That’s because of what Jesus Christ our Savior has done. 7 His grace made us right with God. So now we have received the hope of eternal life as God’s children. 8 You can trust this saying. These things are important. Treat them that way. Then those who trust in God will be careful to commit themselves to doing good. These things are excellent. They are for the good of everyone.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in Judea’s hill country. 40 There she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby inside her jumped. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she called out, “God has blessed you more than other women. And blessed is the child you will have! 43 But why is God so kind to me? Why has the mother of my Lord come to me? 44 As soon as I heard the sound of your voice, the baby inside me jumped for joy. 45 You are a woman God has blessed. You have believed that the Lord would keep his promises to you!”
Mary’s Song
46 Mary said,
“My soul gives glory to the Lord.
47 My spirit delights in God my Savior.
48 He has taken note of me
even though I am not considered important.
From now on all people will call me blessed.
48 He has taken note of me
even though I am not considered important.
From now on all people will call me blessed.
49 The Mighty One has done great things for me.
His name is holy.
50 He shows his mercy to those who have respect for him,
from parent to child down through the years.
51 He has done mighty things with his powerful arm.
He has scattered those who are proud in their deepest thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones.
But he has lifted up people who are not considered important.
53 He has filled with good things those who are hungry.
But he has sent away empty those who are rich.
54 He has helped the people of Israel, who serve him.
He has always remembered to be kind
55 to Abraham and his children down through the years.
He has done it just as he promised to our people of long ago.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months. Then she returned home.
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