Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 66
Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel
To the leader. A Song. A Psalm.
1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;(A)
2 sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise.(B)
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.(C)
4 All the earth worships you;
they sing praises to you,
sing praises to your name.” Selah(D)
5 Come and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.(E)
6 He turned the sea into dry land;
they passed through the river on foot.
There we rejoiced in him,(F)
7 who rules by his might forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah(G)
8 Bless our God, O peoples;
let the sound of his praise be heard,(H)
9 who has kept us among the living
and has not let our feet slip.(I)
10 For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.(J)
11 You brought us into the net;
you laid burdens on our backs;(K)
12 you let people ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.[a](L)
13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay you my vows,(M)
14 those that my lips uttered
and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.(N)
15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatted calves,
with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah(O)
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for me.(P)
17 I cried aloud to him,
and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.(Q)
19 But truly God has listened;
he has heard the words of my prayer.(R)
20 Blessed be God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me.(S)
Psalm 67
The Nations Called to Praise God
To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah(T)
2 that your way may be known upon earth,
your saving power among all nations.(U)
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
Psalm 19
God’s Glory in Creation and the Law
To the leader. A Psalm of David.
1 The heavens are telling the glory of God,
and the firmament[a] proclaims his handiwork.(A)
2 Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.(B)
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
4 yet their voice[b] goes out through all the earth
and their words to the end of the world.
In the heavens[c] he has set a tent for the sun,(C)
5 which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.(D)
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens
and its circuit to the end of them,
and nothing is hid from its heat.(E)
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
making wise the simple;(F)
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes;(G)
9 the fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.(H)
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.(I)
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.(J)
12 But who can detect one’s own errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.(K)
13 Keep back your servant also from the insolent;[d]
do not let them have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless
and innocent of great transgression.(L)
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.(M)
Psalm 46
God’s Defense of His City and People
To the leader. Of the Korahites. According to Alamoth. A Song.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present[a] help in trouble.(A)
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea,(B)
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah(C)
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.(D)
5 God is in the midst of the city;[b] it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.(E)
6 The nations are in an uproar; the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice; the earth melts.(F)
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.[c] Selah(G)
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.(H)
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.(I)
10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations;
I am exalted in the earth.”(J)
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.[d] Selah
20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.”(A) 22 So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast.(B) 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. 24 (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) 25 When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” 26 Laban said, “This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.”(C) 28 Jacob did so and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. 29 (Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid.) 30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. He served Laban[a] for another seven years.(D)
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.(E) 32 Leah conceived and bore a son, and she named him Reuben,[b] for she said, “Because the Lord has looked on my affliction, surely now my husband will love me.”(F) 33 She conceived again and bore a son and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also,” and she named him Simeon.[c] 34 Again she conceived and bore a son and said, “Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons”; therefore he was named Levi.[d](G) 35 She conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time I will praise the Lord,” therefore she named him Judah;[e] then she ceased bearing.(H)
The Mystery of Our Religion
14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, 15 if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.(A) 16 Without any doubt, the mystery of godliness is great:
He[a] was revealed in flesh,
vindicated[b] in spirit,[c]
seen by angels,
proclaimed among gentiles,
believed in throughout the world,
taken up in glory.(B)
False Asceticism
4 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later[d] times some will renounce[e] the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,(C) 2 through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. 3 They forbid marriage and abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.(D) 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanksgiving,(E) 5 for it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer.
A Good Minister of Jesus Christ
6 If you put these instructions before the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant[f] of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teaching that you have followed.(F) 7 Have nothing to do with profane and foolish tales. Train yourself in godliness,(G) 8 for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.(H) 9 The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and suffer reproach,[g] because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.(I)
23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”(A) 24 And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is[a] to enter the kingdom of God!(B) 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were greatly astounded and said to one another,[b] “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”(C)
28 Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”(D) 29 Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news[c](E) 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”(F)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.