Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 66
For the director of music. A song. A psalm.
1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth!(A)
2 Sing the glory of his name;(B)
make his praise glorious.(C)
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!(D)
So great is your power
that your enemies cringe(E) before you.
4 All the earth bows down(F) to you;
they sing praise(G) to you,
they sing the praises of your name.”[a]
5 Come and see what God has done,
his awesome deeds(H) for mankind!
6 He turned the sea into dry land,(I)
they passed through(J) the waters on foot—
come, let us rejoice(K) in him.
7 He rules forever(L) by his power,
his eyes watch(M) the nations—
let not the rebellious(N) rise up against him.
8 Praise(O) our God, all peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;
9 he has preserved our lives(P)
and kept our feet from slipping.(Q)
10 For you, God, tested(R) us;
you refined us like silver.(S)
11 You brought us into prison(T)
and laid burdens(U) on our backs.
12 You let people ride over our heads;(V)
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.(W)
13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings(X)
and fulfill my vows(Y) to you—
14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
when I was in trouble.
15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you
and an offering of rams;
I will offer bulls and goats.(Z)
16 Come and hear,(AA) all you who fear God;
let me tell(AB) you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;(AC)
19 but God has surely listened
and has heard(AD) my prayer.
20 Praise be to God,
who has not rejected(AE) my prayer
or withheld his love from me!
Psalm 67[b]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—[c](AF)
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation(AG) among all nations.(AH)
Psalm 19[a]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 The heavens(A) declare(B) the glory of God;(C)
the skies(D) proclaim the work of his hands.(E)
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.(F)
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.(G)
In the heavens God has pitched a tent(H) for the sun.(I)
5 It is like a bridegroom(J) coming out of his chamber,(K)
like a champion(L) rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens(M)
and makes its circuit to the other;(N)
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7 The law of the Lord(O) is perfect,(P)
refreshing the soul.(Q)
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,(R)
making wise the simple.(S)
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,(T)
giving joy(U) to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.(V)
9 The fear of the Lord(W) is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.(X)
10 They are more precious than gold,(Y)
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,(Z)
than honey from the honeycomb.(AA)
11 By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.(AB)
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;(AC)
may they not rule over me.(AD)
Then I will be blameless,(AE)
innocent of great transgression.
Psalm 46[a]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.[b] A song.
1 God is our refuge(A) and strength,(B)
an ever-present(C) help(D) in trouble.(E)
2 Therefore we will not fear,(F) though the earth give way(G)
and the mountains fall(H) into the heart of the sea,(I)
3 though its waters roar(J) and foam(K)
and the mountains quake(L) with their surging.[c]
4 There is a river(M) whose streams(N) make glad the city of God,(O)
the holy place where the Most High(P) dwells.(Q)
5 God is within her,(R) she will not fall;(S)
God will help(T) her at break of day.
6 Nations(U) are in uproar,(V) kingdoms(W) fall;
he lifts his voice,(X) the earth melts.(Y)
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,(AD)
the desolations(AE) he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars(AF) cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow(AG) and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields[d] with fire.(AH)
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;(AI)
I will be exalted(AJ) among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
Death of Eli
12 That same day a Benjamite(A) ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dust(B) on his head. 13 When he arrived, there was Eli(C) sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry.
14 Eli heard the outcry and asked, “What is the meaning of this uproar?”
The man hurried over to Eli, 15 who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes(D) had failed so that he could not see. 16 He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.”
Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”
17 The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead,(E) and the ark of God has been captured.”(F)
18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and he was heavy. He had led[a](G) Israel forty years.(H)
19 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. 20 As she was dying, the women attending her said, “Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son.” But she did not respond or pay any attention.
21 She named the boy Ichabod,[b](I) saying, “The Glory(J) has departed from Israel”—because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 She said, “The Glory(K) has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”(L)
1 James,(A) a servant of God(B) and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes(C) scattered(D) among the nations:
Greetings.(E)
Trials and Temptations
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds,(F) 3 because you know that the testing of your faith(G) produces perseverance.(H) 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature(I) and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God,(J) who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.(K) 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt,(L) because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded(M) and unstable(N) in all they do.
9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.(O) 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower.(P) 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat(Q) and withers(R) the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed.(S) In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial(T) because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life(U) that the Lord has promised to those who love him.(V)
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own(W) evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin;(X) and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.(Y)
16 Don’t be deceived,(Z) my dear brothers and sisters.(AA) 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above,(AB) coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,(AC) who does not change(AD) like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth(AE) through the word of truth,(AF) that we might be a kind of firstfruits(AG) of all he created.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich(A) to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, 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.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”(B)
27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you!(C) What then will there be for us?”
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne,(D) you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.(E) 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[a] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.(F) 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.(G)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.