Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 45[a]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.[b] A wedding song.(A)
1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme
as I recite my verses for the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
2 You are the most excellent of men
and your lips have been anointed with grace,(B)
since God has blessed you forever.(C)
3 Gird your sword(D) on your side, you mighty one;(E)
clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.(F)
4 In your majesty ride forth victoriously(G)
in the cause of truth, humility and justice;(H)
let your right hand(I) achieve awesome deeds.(J)
5 Let your sharp arrows(K) pierce the hearts(L) of the king’s enemies;(M)
let the nations fall beneath your feet.
6 Your throne, O God,[c] will last for ever and ever;(N)
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness(O) and hate wickedness;(P)
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing(Q) you with the oil of joy.(R)
8 All your robes are fragrant(S) with myrrh(T) and aloes(U) and cassia;(V)
from palaces adorned with ivory(W)
the music of the strings(X) makes you glad.
9 Daughters of kings(Y) are among your honored women;
at your right hand(Z) is the royal bride(AA) in gold of Ophir.(AB)
10 Listen, daughter,(AC) and pay careful attention:(AD)
Forget your people(AE) and your father’s house.
11 Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;(AF)
honor(AG) him, for he is your lord.(AH)
12 The city of Tyre(AI) will come with a gift,[d](AJ)
people of wealth will seek your favor.
13 All glorious(AK) is the princess within her chamber;
her gown is interwoven with gold.(AL)
14 In embroidered garments(AM) she is led to the king;(AN)
her virgin companions(AO) follow her—
those brought to be with her.
15 Led in with joy and gladness,(AP)
they enter the palace of the king.
16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers;
you will make them princes(AQ) throughout the land.
Psalm 47[a]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
2 For the Lord Most High(C) is awesome,(D)
the great King(E) over all the earth.
3 He subdued(F) nations under us,
peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance(G) for us,
the pride of Jacob,(H) whom he loved.[b]
5 God has ascended(I) amid shouts of joy,(J)
the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.(K)
6 Sing praises(L) to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;(M)
sing to him a psalm(N) of praise.
8 God reigns(O) over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.(P)
9 The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings[c] of the earth belong to God;(Q)
he is greatly exalted.(R)
Psalm 48[d]
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 Great is the Lord,(S) and most worthy of praise,(T)
in the city of our God,(U) his holy mountain.(V)
2 Beautiful(W) in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon[e](X) is Mount Zion,(Y)
the city of the Great King.(Z)
3 God is in her citadels;(AA)
he has shown himself to be her fortress.(AB)
4 When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,(AC)
5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.(AD)
6 Trembling seized(AE) them there,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(AF)
7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish(AG)
shattered by an east wind.(AH)
8 As we have heard,
so we have seen
in the city of the Lord Almighty,
in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
forever.[f](AI)
9 Within your temple, O God,
we meditate(AJ) on your unfailing love.(AK)
10 Like your name,(AL) O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;(AM)
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.(AN)
12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,(AO)
13 consider well her ramparts,(AP)
view her citadels,(AQ)
that you may tell of them
to the next generation.(AR)
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide(AS) even to the end.
The One Place of Worship
12 These are the decrees(A) and laws you must be careful to follow in the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you to possess—as long as you live in the land.(B) 2 Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains,(C) on the hills and under every spreading tree,(D) where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. 3 Break down their altars, smash(E) their sacred stones and burn(F) their Asherah(G) poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names(H) from those places.
4 You must not worship the Lord your God in their way.(I) 5 But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name(J) there for his dwelling.(K) To that place you must go; 6 there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes(L) and special gifts, what you have vowed(M) to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.(N) 7 There, in the presence(O) of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice(P) in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.
8 You are not to do as we do here today, everyone doing as they see fit,(Q) 9 since you have not yet reached the resting place(R) and the inheritance(S) the Lord your God is giving you. 10 But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the Lord your God is giving(T) you as an inheritance, and he will give you rest(U) from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety. 11 Then to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name(V)—there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the Lord.(W) 12 And there rejoice(X) before the Lord your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites(Y) from your towns who have no allotment or inheritance(Z) of their own.
Paul’s Hardships
3 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path,(A) so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments(B) and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger;(C) 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit(D) and in sincere love;(E) 7 in truthful speech(F) and in the power of God;(G) with weapons of righteousness(H) in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonor,(I) bad report(J) and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors;(K) 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying,(L) and yet we live on;(M) beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;(N) poor, yet making many rich;(O) having nothing,(P) and yet possessing everything.(Q)
11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.(R) 12 We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. 13 As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children(S)—open wide your hearts(T) also.
Warning Against Idolatry
14 Do not be yoked together(U) with unbelievers.(V) For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?(W) 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial[a]?(X) Or what does a believer(Y) have in common with an unbeliever?(Z) 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?(AA) For we are the temple(AB) of the living God.(AC) As God has said:
“I will live with them
and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they will be my people.”[b](AD)
17 Therefore,
“Come out from them(AE)
and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.”[c](AF)
18 And,
“I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters,(AG)
says the Lord Almighty.”[d](AH)
7 Therefore, since we have these promises,(AI) dear friends,(AJ) let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness(AK) out of reverence for God.
Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem,(A) Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.(B) 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a](C) met him. They stood at a distance(D) 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master,(E) have pity on us!”
14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”(F) And as they went, they were cleansed.
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God(G) in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.(H)
17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”(I)
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