Book of Common Prayer
Praise to Yahweh for His Work on Behalf of Israel
105 Give thanks to Yahweh; proclaim his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him; sing praises concerning him;
tell of all his wonderful works.
3 Boast about his holy name.
Let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.
4 Make supplication to Yahweh and his might;
seek his face continually.
5 Remember his wonders that he has done,
his signs and the judgments of his mouth,
6 O offspring of Abraham his servant,
you descendants[a] of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7 He is Yahweh our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He remembers his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded
for a thousand generations,
9 that he made with Abraham,
and by his oath swore to Isaac.
10 He then confirmed it to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the allotment that is your[b] inheritance.”
12 When they were few in number[c]—
a trifle—and were sojourners in it,
13 and they wandered about among the nations,[d]
from one kingdom to another people,
14 he allowed no one to oppress them,
and he rebuked kings on account of them,
15 “Do not touch my anointed ones,
nor harm my prophets.”
16 Then he called for a famine upon the land;
he broke every supply[e] of bread.
17 He sent a man on ahead of them;
Joseph was sold as a slave.
18 They clamped[f] his feet in fetters.[g]
His neck[h] went into irons.[i]
19 Until the time his word came about,
the word of Yahweh tested[j] him.
20 The king sent and he freed him;
the ruler of the peoples sent and let him loose.
21 He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions,
22 to obligate[k] his officials as he saw fit[l]
and teach his elders wisdom.
23 Then Israel came to Egypt,
and Jacob was a sojourner in the land of Ham.
24 And he[m] made his people very fruitful.
He also made them[n] stronger than their[o] enemies.
25 He turned their heart to hate his people,
to deal deceitfully against his servants.
26 He sent his servant Moses,
together with Aaron whom he had chosen.
27 They set before them the words concerning his signs
and portents in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness and made it dark,
and they did not rebel against his words.
29 He turned their waters into blood
and it killed their fish.
30 Their land swarmed with frogs,
even in the chambers of their kings.
31 He spoke, and there came flies
and gnats throughout all their territory.[p]
32 He gave hail for their rains
and the fire of lightning in their land.
33 And he struck their vines and fig trees,
and shattered the trees of their territory.
34 He spoke and there came locusts
and young locusts without number.
35 And they ate up all the vegetation in their land,
and they ate up the fruit of their ground.
36 And he struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the first of all their virility.
37 Then he brought them out with silver and gold,
and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
because the fear of them[q] had fallen upon them.
39 He spread out a cloud for a covering,
and fire to give light at night.
40 They[r] asked, and he brought quail,
and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
41 He opened the rock and waters flowed;
they coursed[s] through the dry places like a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise;[t]
he remembered Abraham his servant.
43 And so he brought out his people with joy,
his chosen ones with rejoicing.
44 And he gave to them the lands of the nations,
and they inherited the labor of the peoples,
45 so that they might observe his statutes,
and keep his laws.
Praise Yah.[u]
Zechariah’s Fifth Vision
4 And the angel who was talking with me returned, and he wakened me as one who is wakened from his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see, and look, a lampstand all of gold,[a] and a bowl was on its top, and its seven lamps on it, and seven lips on each of the lamps that are on its top. 3 And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” 4 And I answered and said to the angel who was talking to me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 And the angel who was talking with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 6 And he answered and said to me, “This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by strength and not by power, but only by my Spirit,’ says Yahweh of hosts. 7 ‘Who are you O great mountain? Before[b] Zerubbabel you will become level ground, and he will bring out the top stone amid the shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’” 8 And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have founded this house, and his hands will finish it. And you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. 10 For whoever has despised the day of small things will rejoice and will see the plumb line[c] in the hand of Zerubbabel.”
These seven are the eyes of Yahweh which are ranging throughout the whole earth.[d] 11 And I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?” 12 And I replied a second time and asked him, “What are these two twigs of olive trees[e] on the right of the lampstand and on its left?” 13 And he replied to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 14 And he said, “These are the two anointed ones[f] standing by the Lord of the whole earth.”
Appeal for New Behavior
17 This therefore I say and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the Gentiles walk: in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart, 19 who, becoming callous, gave themselves over to licentiousness, for the pursuit of all uncleanness in greediness.
20 But you did not learn Christ in this way, 21 if indeed you have heard about him, and you were taught by him (just as truth is in Jesus), 22 that you take off, according to your former way of life, the old man, who is being destroyed according to deceitful desires, 23 be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new man (in accordance with God), who is created in righteousness and holiness from the truth.
Old Behavior, New Behavior, and Motivation
25 Therefore, putting aside the lie, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor,[a] because we are members of one another. 26 Be angry and do not sin;[b] do not let the sun set on your anger, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 The one who steals must steal no longer, but instead must labor, working with his own hands what is good, so that he may have something to share with the one who has need. 29 No rotten word must proceed[c] from your mouth, but only something good for the building up of the need, in order that it may give grace to those who hear, 30 and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 All bitterness, and rage, and wrath, and clamor, and abusive speech, must be removed from you, together with all wickedness. 32 Become[d] kind toward one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as also God in Christ has forgiven you.
A Paralytic Healed
9 And getting into a boat, he crossed over and came to his own town.[a] 2 And behold, they brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher, and when[b] Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Have courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!” 4 And knowing[c] their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and go to your home.” 7 And he got up and[d] went to his home. 8 But when[e] the crowds saw this,[f] they were afraid and glorified God who had given such authority to men.
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