Book of Common Prayer
The Lord an Abundant Helper.
146 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
(A)Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord (B)while I live;
I will (C)sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 (D)Do not trust in princes,
In [c]mortal (E)man, in whom there is (F)no salvation.
4 His (G)spirit departs, he (H)returns to [d]the earth;
In that very day his (I)thoughts perish.
5 How (J)blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose (K)hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who (L)made heaven and earth,
The (M)sea and all that is in them;
Who (N)keeps [e]faith forever;
7 Who (O)executes justice for the oppressed;
Who (P)gives food to the hungry.
The Lord (Q)sets the prisoners free.
8 The Lord (R)opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord (S)raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord (T)loves the righteous;
9 The Lord [f](U)protects the [g]strangers;
He [h](V)supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He [i]thwarts (W)the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord will (X)reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
[j]Praise [k]the Lord!
Praise for Jerusalem’s Restoration and Prosperity.
147 [l]Praise [m]the Lord!
For (Y)it is good to sing praises to our God;
For [n]it is pleasant and praise is (Z)becoming.
2 The Lord (AA)builds up Jerusalem;
He (AB)gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the (AC)brokenhearted
And (AD)binds up their [o]wounds.
4 He (AE)counts the number of the stars;
He [p](AF)gives names to all of them.
5 (AG)Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His (AH)understanding is [q]infinite.
6 The Lord [r](AI)supports the afflicted;
He brings down the wicked to the ground.
7 (AJ)Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre,
8 Who (AK)covers the heavens with clouds,
Who (AL)provides rain for the earth,
Who (AM)makes grass to [s]grow on the mountains.
9 He (AN)gives to the beast its food,
And to the (AO)young ravens which cry.
10 He does not delight in the strength of the (AP)horse;
He (AQ)does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord (AR)favors those who fear Him,
(AS)Those who wait for His lovingkindness.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the (AT)bars of your gates;
He has (AU)blessed your sons within you.
14 He (AV)makes [t]peace in your borders;
He (AW)satisfies you with (AX)the [u]finest of the wheat.
15 He sends forth His (AY)command to the earth;
His (AZ)word runs very swiftly.
16 He gives (BA)snow like wool;
He scatters the (BB)frost like ashes.
17 He casts forth His (BC)ice as fragments;
Who can stand before His (BD)cold?
18 He (BE)sends forth His word and melts them;
He (BF)causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.
19 He (BG)declares His words to Jacob,
His (BH)statutes and His ordinances to Israel.
20 He (BI)has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His ordinances, they have (BJ)not known them.
[v]Praise [w]the Lord!
The Lord Praised for His Goodness.
111 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
I (A)will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart,
In the (B)company of the upright and in the assembly.
2 (C)Great are the works of the Lord;
They are [c](D)studied by all who delight in them.
3 [d](E)Splendid and majestic is His work,
And (F)His righteousness endures forever.
4 He has made His [e]wonders [f]to be remembered;
The Lord is (G)gracious and compassionate.
5 He has (H)given [g]food to those who [h]fear Him;
He will (I)remember His covenant forever.
6 He has made known to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the heritage of the nations.
7 The works of His hands are [i](J)truth and justice;
All His precepts (K)are [j]sure.
8 They are (L)upheld forever and ever;
They are performed in [k](M)truth and uprightness.
9 He has sent (N)redemption to His people;
He has [l]ordained His covenant forever;
(O)Holy and [m]awesome is His name.
10 The [n](P)fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A (Q)good understanding have all those who [o]do His commandments;
His (R)praise endures forever.
Prosperity of the One Who Fears the Lord.
112 [p]Praise [q]the Lord!
How (S)blessed is the man who [r]fears the Lord,
Who greatly (T)delights in His commandments.
2 His [s](U)descendants will be mighty [t]on earth;
The generation of the (V)upright will be blessed.
3 (W)Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light arises in the darkness (X)for the upright;
He is (Y)gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who (Z)is gracious and lends;
He will [u]maintain his cause in judgment.
6 For he will (AA)never be shaken;
The (AB)righteous will be [v]remembered forever.
7 He will not fear (AC)evil tidings;
His (AD)heart is steadfast, (AE)trusting in the Lord.
8 His (AF)heart is upheld, he (AG)will not fear,
Until he (AH)looks with satisfaction on his adversaries.
9 [w]He (AI)has given freely to the poor,
His righteousness endures forever;
His (AJ)horn will be exalted in honor.
10 The (AK)wicked will see it and be [x]vexed,
He will (AL)gnash his teeth and (AM)melt away;
The (AN)desire of the wicked will perish.
The Lord Exalts the Humble.
113 [y]Praise [z]the Lord!
(AO)Praise, O (AP)servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord.
2 (AQ)Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
3 (AR)From the rising of the sun to its setting
The (AS)name of the Lord is to be praised.
4 The Lord is (AT)high above all nations;
His (AU)glory is above the heavens.
5 (AV)Who is like the Lord our God,
Who (AW)is enthroned on high,
6 Who [aa](AX)humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in heaven and in the earth?
7 He (AY)raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 To make them (AZ)sit with [ab]princes,
With the [ac]princes of His people.
9 He (BA)makes the barren woman abide in the house
As a joyful mother of children.
[ad]Praise [ae]the Lord!
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, [a]Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made his chariot ready and took his people with him; 7 and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 (A)The Lord [b]hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out [c](B)boldly. 9 Then (C)the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, (D)beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
10 As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel [d]looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; (E)so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 Then (F)they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, [e]bringing us out of Egypt? 12 (G)Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘[f]Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
The Sea Is Divided
13 But Moses said to the people, “(H)Do not fear! [g]Stand by and see (I)the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. 14 (J)The Lord will fight for you while (K)you keep silent.”
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. 16 As for you, lift up (L)your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall [h]go through the midst of the sea on dry land. 17 As for Me, behold, (M)I will [i]harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 (N)Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen.”
19 (O)The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud [j]along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.
21 (P)Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord [k]swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into (Q)dry land, so (R)the waters were divided. 22 (S)The sons of Israel [l]went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and (T)the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
Introduction, The Incarnate Word
1 What was (A)from the beginning, what we have (B)heard, what we have (C)seen with our eyes, what we (D)have looked at and (E)touched with our hands, concerning the (F)Word of Life— 2 and (G)the life was manifested, and we have (H)seen and (I)testify and proclaim to you (J)the eternal life, which was (K)with the Father and was (L)manifested to us— 3 what we have (M)seen and (N)heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our (O)fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 (P)These things we write, so that our (Q)joy may be made complete.
God Is Light
5 (R)This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that (S)God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 (T)If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we (U)lie and (V)do not practice the truth; 7 but if we (W)walk in the Light as (X)He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and (Y)the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Jesus Comforts His Disciples
14 “(A)Do not let your heart be troubled; [a]believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for (B)I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, (C)I will come again and receive you to Myself, that (D)where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way where I am going.” 5 (E)Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus *said to him, “I am (F)the way, and (G)the truth, and (H)the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Oneness with the Father
7 (I)If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you (J)know Him, and have (K)seen Him.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.