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]
The Creation
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth— 2 Now[a] the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light!” And there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good, and God caused there to be a separation between the light and between the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be a vaulted dome[b] in the midst of the waters, and let it cause a separation between the waters.”[c] 7 So[d] God made the vaulted dome,[e] and he caused a separation between the waters which were under the vaulted dome[f] and between the waters which were over the vaulted dome.[g] And it was so. 8 And God called the vaulted dome[h] “heaven.”[i] And there was evening, and there was morning, a second day.
9 And God said, “Let the waters under heaven[j] be gathered to one place, and let the dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 And God called the dry ground “earth,” and he called the collection of the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth produce green plants that will bear seed—fruit trees bearing fruit in which there is seed[k]—according to its[l] kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth green plants bearing seed according to its[m] kind, and trees bearing fruit in which there was seed[n] according to its[o] kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights[p] in the vaulted dome[q] of heaven[r] to separate day from night,[s] and let them be as signs and for appointed times, and for days and years, 15 and they shall be as lights[t] in the vaulted dome[u] of heaven[v] to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made two lights,[w] the greater light[x] to rule[y] the day and the smaller light[z] to rule[aa] the night, and the stars. 17 And God placed them in the vaulted dome[ab] of heaven[ac] to give light on the earth 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate light from darkness.[ad] And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly over the earth across the face of the vaulted dome[ae] of heaven.[af] 21 So[ag] God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kind, and every bird with wings according to its[ah] kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind: cattle and moving things, and wild animals[ai] according to their kind.” And it was so. 25 So[aj] God made wild animals[ak] according to their kind and the cattle according to their kind, and every creeping thing of the earth according to its[al] kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 And God said, “Let us make humankind in[am] our image and according to[an] our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of heaven,[ao] and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every moving thing that moves upon the earth.” 27 So[ap] God created humankind in[aq] his image, in[ar] the likeness of God he created him,[as] male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of heaven,[at] and over every animal that moves upon the earth.”
29 And God said, “Look—I am giving to you every plant that bears seed which is on the face of the whole earth, and every kind of tree that bears fruit.[au] They shall be yours as food.” 30 And to every kind of animal of the earth and to every bird of heaven,[av] and to everything that moves upon the earth in which there is life I am giving every green plant as food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning, a sixth day.
2 And heaven[aw] and earth[ax] and all their array[ay] were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and he sanctified[az] it, because on it he rested from all his work of creating that there was to do.[ba]
Praise to God for Spiritual Blessings
3 Blessed is[a] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love,[b] 5 having predestined us to adoption through Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace that he bestowed on us in the beloved, 7 in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, 8 that he caused to abound to us in all wisdom and insight, 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in him, 10 for the administration of the fullness of times, to bring together all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in him 11 in whom also we were chosen, having been predestined according to the purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 that we who hoped beforehand in Christ should be for the praise of his glory, 13 in whom also you, when you heard[c] the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also when you believed you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.
29 On the next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This one is the one about whom I said, ‘After me is coming a man who is ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ 31 And I did not know him, but in order that he could be revealed to Israel, because of this I came baptizing with water.”
32 And John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and remaining upon him. 33 And I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water, that one said to me, ‘The one upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him—this one is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testify that this one is the Chosen One[a] of God.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software