Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 103
The Forgiving God
Davidic.
1 My soul, praise Yahweh,
and all that is within me, praise His holy name.(A)
2 My soul, praise the Lord,
and do not forget all His benefits.(B)
3 He forgives all your sin;(C)
He heals all your diseases.(D)
4 He redeems your life from the Pit;(E)
He crowns you with faithful love and compassion.(F)
5 He satisfies you[a] with goodness;(G)
your youth is renewed like the eagle.(H)
6 The Lord executes acts of righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.(I)
7 He revealed His ways to Moses,(J)
His deeds to the people of Israel.(K)
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger and rich in faithful love.(L)
9 He will not always accuse us
or be angry forever.(M)
10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve
or repaid us according to our offenses.(N)
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His faithful love
toward those who fear Him.(O)
12 As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed
our transgressions from us.(P)
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.(Q)
14 For He knows what we are made of,
remembering that we are dust.(R)
15 As for man, his days are like grass—
he blooms like a flower of the field;(S)
16 when the wind passes over it, it vanishes,
and its place is no longer known.[b](T)
17 But from eternity to eternity
the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear Him,
and His righteousness toward the grandchildren(U)
18 of those who keep His covenant,
who remember to observe His precepts.(V)
19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
and His kingdom rules over all.(W)
Psalm 148
Creation’s Praise of the Lord
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise Him in the heights.(A)
2 Praise Him, all His angels;
praise Him, all His hosts.(B)
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
praise Him, all you shining stars.(C)
4 Praise Him, highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens.(D)
5 Let them praise the name of Yahweh,
for He commanded, and they were created.(E)
6 He set them in position forever and ever;
He gave an order that will never pass away.(F)
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
all sea monsters and ocean depths,(G)
8 lightning[a] and hail, snow and cloud,
powerful wind that executes His command,(H)
9 mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,(I)
10 wild animals and all cattle,
creatures that crawl and flying birds,(J)
11 kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all judges of the earth,(K)
12 young men as well as young women,
old and young together.(L)
13 Let them praise the name of Yahweh,
for His name alone is exalted.
His majesty covers heaven and earth.(M)
14 He has raised up a horn for His people,
resulting in praise to all His godly ones,
to the Israelites, the people close to Him.(N)
Hallelujah!
Zion’s Restoration
62 I will not keep silent because of Zion,
and I will not keep still because of Jerusalem,(A)
until her righteousness shines like a bright light(B)
and her salvation, like a flaming torch.
2 Nations will see your righteousness(C)
and all kings, your glory.
You will be called by a new name
that the Lord’s mouth will announce.(D)
3 You will be a glorious crown in the Lord’s hand,
and a royal diadem in the palm of your God.(E)
4 You will no longer be called Deserted,(F)
and your land will not be called Desolate;
instead, you will be called My Delight is in Her,[a]
and your land Married;[b](G)
for the Lord delights in you,
and your land will be married.
5 For as a young man marries a young woman,
so your sons will marry you;
and as a groom rejoices[c] over his bride,
so your God will rejoice over you.(H)
10 Go out, go out through the gates;
prepare a way for the people!
Build it up, build up the highway;(A)
clear away the stones!
Raise a banner for the peoples.(B)
11 Look, the Lord has proclaimed
to the ends of the earth,
“Say to Daughter Zion:(C)
Look, your salvation is coming,
His reward is with Him,(D)
and His gifts accompany Him.”
12 And they will be called[a] the Holy People,(E)
the Lord’s Redeemed;
and you will be called Cared For,
A City Not Deserted.
The Rider on a White Horse
11 Then I saw heaven opened,(A) and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True,(B) and He judges and makes war in righteousness.(C) 12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns[a] were on His head. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself.(D) 13 He wore a robe stained with blood,[b](E) and His name is the Word of God.(F) 14 The armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. 15 A sharp[c] sword(G) came from His mouth, so that He might strike the nations with it.(H) He will shepherd[d] them with an iron scepter.(I) He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God,(J) the Almighty. 16 And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh:
KING OF KINGS
AND LORD OF LORDS.(K)
The Nativity of the Messiah
18 The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.(A) 19 So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man,(B) and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.(C)
20 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit.(D) 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus,[a](E) because He will save His people from their sins.”(F)
22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 See, the virgin will become pregnant
and give birth to a son,
and they will name Him Immanuel,[b]
which is translated “God is with us.”(G)
24 When Joseph got up from sleeping, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her(H) 25 but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son.[c] And he named Him Jesus.(I)
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