Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 131
A song by David for going up to worship.
1 O Yahweh, my heart is not conceited.
My eyes do not look down on others.
I am not involved in things too big or too difficult for me.
2 Instead, I have kept my soul calm and quiet.
My soul is content as a weaned child is content in its mother’s arms.
3 Israel, put your hope in Yahweh now and forever.
Psalm 132
A song for going up to worship.
1 O Yahweh, remember David and all the hardships he endured.
2 Remember how he swore an oath to Yahweh
and made this vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 “I will not step inside my house,
4 get into my bed, shut my eyes, or close my eyelids
5 until I find a place for Yahweh,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 Now, we have heard about the ark of the promise being in Ephrathah.
We have found it in Jaar.
7 Let’s go to his dwelling place.
Let’s worship at his footstool.
8 O Yahweh, arise, and come to your resting place
with the ark of your power.
9 Clothe your priests with righteousness.
Let your godly ones sing with joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.
11 Yahweh swore an oath to David.
This is a truth he will not take back:
“I will set one of your own descendants on your throne.
12 If your sons are faithful to my promise[a]
and my written instructions that I will teach them,
then their descendants will also sit on your throne forever.”
13 Yahweh has chosen Zion.
He wants it for his home.
14 “This will be my resting place forever.
Here I will sit enthroned because I want Zion.
15 I will certainly bless all that Zion needs.
I will satisfy its needy people with food.
16 I will clothe its priests with salvation.
Then its godly ones will sing joyfully.
17 There I will make a horn sprout up for David.
I will prepare a lamp for my anointed one.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but the crown on my anointed one will shine.”
Psalm 133
A song by David for going up to worship.
1 See how good and pleasant it is
when brothers and sisters live together in harmony!
2 It is like fine, scented oil on the head,
running down the beard—down Aaron’s beard—
running over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like dew on Mount Hermon,
dew which comes down on Zion’s mountains.
That is where Yahweh promised
the blessing of eternal life.
Psalm 134
A song for going up to worship.
1 Praise Yahweh, all you servants of Yahweh,
all who stand in the house of Yahweh night after night.
2 Lift your hands toward the holy place, and praise Yahweh.
3 May Yahweh, the maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
Psalm 135
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the name of Yahweh.
Praise him, you servants of Yahweh
2 who are standing in the house of Yahweh,
in the courtyards of the house of our Elohim.
3 Praise Yah because Yahweh is good.
Make music to praise his name because his name is beautiful.
4 Yah chose Jacob to be his own
and chose Israel to be his own special treasure.
5 I know that Yahweh is great,
that our Adonay is greater than all the false gods.
6 Yahweh does whatever he wants in heaven or on earth,
on the seas or in all the depths of the oceans.
7 He is the one who makes the clouds rise from the ends of the earth,
who makes lightning for the thunderstorms,
and who brings wind out of his storerooms.
8 He is the one who killed every firstborn male in Egypt.
He killed humans and animals alike.
9 He sent miraculous signs and amazing things into the heart of Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his officials.
10 He is the one who defeated many nations and killed mighty kings:
11 King Sihon of the Amorites,
King Og of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms in Canaan.
12 He gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to his people Israel.
13 O Yahweh, your name endures forever.
O Yahweh, you will be remembered throughout every generation.
14 Yahweh will provide justice for his people
and have compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are made of silver and gold.
They were made by human hands.[b]
16 They have mouths, but they cannot speak.
They have eyes, but they cannot see.
17 They have ears, but they cannot hear.
They cannot breathe.
18 Those who make idols end up like them.
So does everyone who trusts them.
19 Descendants of Israel, praise Yahweh.
Descendants of Aaron, praise Yahweh.
20 Descendants of Levi, praise Yahweh.
You people who fear Yahweh, praise Yahweh.
21 Thank Yahweh in Zion.
Thank the one who lives in Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
Job’s Life
1 A man named Job lived in Uz. He was a man of integrity: He was decent, he feared Elohim, and he stayed away from evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters. 3 He owned 7,000 sheep and goats, 3,000 camels, 1,000 oxen, 500 donkeys, and a large number of servants. He was the most influential person in the Middle East.
4 His sons used to go to each other’s homes, where they would have parties. (Each brother took his turn having a party.) They would send someone to invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
5 When they finished having their parties, Job would send for them in order to cleanse them from sin. He would get up early in the morning and sacrifice burnt offerings for each of them. Job thought, “My children may have sinned and cursed Elohim in their hearts.” Job offered sacrifices for them all the time.
Satan Challenges the Lord
6 One day when the sons of Elohim came to stand in front of Yahweh, Satan the Accuser came along with them.
7 Yahweh asked Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered Yahweh, “From wandering all over the earth.”
8 Yahweh asked Satan, “Have you thought about my servant Job? No one in the world is like him! He is a man of integrity: He is decent, he fears Elohim, and he stays away from evil.”
9 Satan answered Yahweh, “Haven’t you given Job a reason to fear Elohim? 10 Haven’t you put a protective fence around him, his home, and everything he has? You have blessed everything he does. His cattle have spread out over the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand, and strike everything he has. I bet he’ll curse you to your face.”
12 Yahweh told Satan, “Everything he has is in your power, but you must not lay a hand on him!”
Then Satan left Yahweh’s presence.
Job’s First Crisis
13 One day when Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s home, 14 a messenger came to Job. He said, “While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 15 men from Sheba attacked. They took the livestock and massacred the servants. I’m the only one who has escaped to tell you.”
16 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “A fire from Elohim fell from heaven and completely burned your flocks and servants. I’m the only one who has escaped to tell you.”
17 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three companies and made a raid on the camels. They took the camels and massacred the servants. I’m the only one who has escaped to tell you.”
18 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine at their oldest brother’s home 19 when suddenly a great storm swept across the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It fell on the young people, and they died. I’m the only one who has escaped to tell you.”
20 Job stood up, tore his robe in grief, and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 He said,
“Naked I came from my mother,
and naked I will return.
Yahweh has given,
and Yahweh has taken away!
May the name of Yahweh be praised.”
22 Through all this Job did not sin or blame Elohim for doing anything wrong.
Philip Tells an Ethiopian about Jesus
26 An angel from the Lord said to Philip, “Get up, and take the desert road that goes south from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So Philip went.
An Ethiopian man who had come to Jerusalem to worship was on his way home. The man was a eunuch, a high-ranking official in charge of all the treasures of Queen Candace of Ethiopia. 28 As the official rode along in his carriage, he was reading the prophet Isaiah out loud.
29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go to that carriage, and stay close to it.”
30 Philip ran to the carriage and could hear the official reading the prophet Isaiah out loud. Philip asked him, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”
31 The official answered, “How can I understand unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to sit with him in his carriage.
32 This was the part of the Scriptures that the official was reading:
“He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
He was like a sheep that is silent
when its wool is cut off.
He didn’t open his mouth.
33 When he humbled himself,
he was not judged fairly.
Who from his generation
will talk about his life on earth being cut short?”
34 The official said to Philip, “I would like to know who the prophet is talking about. Is he talking about himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip spoke. Starting with that passage, Philip told the official the Good News about Yeshua.
36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water. The official said to Philip, “Look, there’s some water. What can keep me from being baptized?”[a] 38 The official ordered the carriage to stop. He and Philip stepped into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they had stepped out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away. The official joyfully continued on his way and didn’t see Philip again.
40 Philip found himself in the city of Azotus. He traveled through all the cities and spread the Good News until he came to the city of Caesarea.
Jesus Walks on the Sea(A)
16 When evening came, his disciples went to the sea. 17 They got into a boat and started to cross the sea to the city of Capernaum. By this time it was dark, and Yeshua had not yet come to them. 18 A strong wind started to blow and stir up the sea.
19 After they had rowed three or four miles, they saw Yeshua walking on the sea. He was coming near the boat, and they became terrified.
20 Yeshua told them, “It’s me. Don’t be afraid!”
21 So they were willing to help Yeshua into the boat. Immediately, the boat reached the shore where they were going.
Jesus Is the Bread of Life
22 On the next day the people were still on the other side of the sea. They noticed that only one boat was there and that Yeshua had not stepped into that boat with his disciples. The disciples had gone away without him. 23 Other boats from Tiberias arrived near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord gave thanks. 24 When the people saw that neither Yeshua nor his disciples were there, they got into these boats and went to the city of Capernaum to look for Yeshua. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26 Yeshua replied to them, “I can guarantee this truth: You’re not looking for me because you saw miracles. You are looking for me because you ate as much of those loaves as you wanted. 27 Don’t work for food that spoils. Instead, work for the food that lasts into eternal life. This is the food the Son of Man will give you. After all, the Father has placed his seal of approval on him.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.