Book of Common Prayer
Yahweh Reigns Forevermore
93 (A)Yahweh [a]reigns, He is (B)clothed with majesty;
Yahweh has (C)clothed and girded Himself with strength;
Indeed, the (D)world is established, it will not be shaken.
2 Your (E)throne is established from of old;
You (F)are from everlasting.
3 The (G)rivers have lifted up, O Yahweh,
The rivers have lifted up their voice,
The rivers lift up their pounding waves.
4 More than the voices of many waters,
Than the mighty breakers of the sea,
Yahweh (H)on high is mighty.
5 Your (I)testimonies are very faithful;
(J)Holiness befits Your house,
O Yahweh, [b]forevermore.
Ascribe to Yahweh Glory and Strength
96 (A)Sing to Yahweh a (B)new song;
Sing to Yahweh, all the earth.
2 Sing to Yahweh, bless His name;
(C)Proclaim good news of His salvation from day to day.
3 Recount (D)His glory among the nations,
His wondrous deeds among all the peoples.
4 For (E)great is Yahweh and (F)greatly to be praised;
He is [a]more [b](G)fearsome (H)than all gods.
5 For (I)all the gods of the peoples are [c]idols,
But (J)Yahweh made the heavens.
6 (K)Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
7 [d]Ascribe to Yahweh, O (L)families of the peoples,
[e](M)Ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to Yahweh the (N)glory of His name;
Lift up [f]an (O)offering and come into His courts.
9 (P)Worship Yahweh in the splendor of holiness;
(Q)Tremble before Him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “(R)Yahweh [g]reigns;
Indeed, the (S)world is established, it will not be shaken;
He will (T)render justice to the peoples with [h]equity.”
11 Let the (U)heavens be glad, and let the (V)earth rejoice;
Let (W)the sea [i]roar, as well as its fullness;
12 Let the (X)field exult, and all that is in it.
Then all the (Y)trees of the forest will sing for joy
13 Before Yahweh, (Z)for He is coming,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
(AA)He will judge the world in righteousness
And the peoples in His faithfulness.
Taste and See That Yahweh Is Good
Of David. When he feigned madness before [a]Abimelech, so that he drove him away and he departed.
Aleph
Beth
Gimel
Daleth
He / Vav
Zayin
Heth
7 The (L)angel of Yahweh encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.
Teth
Yodh
Kaph
10 The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who inquire of Yahweh shall (Q)not be in want of any good thing.
Lamedh
Mem
Nun
Samekh
Ayin
15 The (AA)eyes of Yahweh are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry for help.
Pe
Tsadhe
17 The righteous (AD)cry, and Yahweh hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
Qoph
Resh
Shin
20 He keeps all his bones,
(AK)Not one of them is broken.
Tav
Haman Seeks to Destroy the Jews
3 After these things, King Ahasuerus (A)magnified Haman, the son of Hammedatha (B)the Agagite, and (C)advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him. 2 And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate were bowing down and prostrating themselves before Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But (D)Mordecai would not bow down or prostrate himself. 3 So the king’s servants who were at (E)the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “(F)Why do you trespass against the king’s command?” 4 Now it happened when they had spoken daily to him and he would not listen to them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5 Then Haman saw that (G)Mordecai was not bowing down or prostrating himself before him. So Haman was filled with wrath. 6 But he despised in his eyes to send forth his hand against Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman (H)sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
7 In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, [a]Pur, that is the lot, was (I)cast before Haman from day to day and from month to month, [b]until the twelfth month, that is (J)the month Adar. 8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and separated among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; (K)their laws are different from those of all other people, and they do not do the king’s laws, so it is not worth it for the king to let them remain. 9 If it seems good to the king, let it be written down that they should perish, and I will pay [c]10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who do this work, to bring into the king’s treasuries.” 10 Then (L)the king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha (M)the Agagite, (N)the adversary of the Jews. 11 And the king said to Haman, “The silver is [d]yours, and the people also, to do with them according to what is good in your eyes.”
12 (O)Then the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and it was written just as Haman commanded to (P)the king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province, and to the princes of each people, each province according to its script, each people according to its tongue, being written (Q)in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 13 And letters were sent by the hand of (R)couriers to all the king’s provinces (S)to destroy, to kill, and to cause all the Jews to perish, both young and old, little ones and women, (T)in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to (U)plunder their spoil. 14 (V)A copy of that which was written down to be given as law in every province was revealed to all the peoples so that they should be ready for this day. 15 The couriers went out, hastened by the word of the king. And the law was given at the citadel in Susa. Now the king and Haman sat down to drink, but (W)the city of Susa was in confusion.
Esther Writhes in Anguish
4 Now Mordecai came to know of (X)all that had been done. And [e]he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and cried out loudly and bitterly. 2 And he went as far as the king’s gate, for no one was to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. 3 Now in each and every province where the word and law of the king reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with (Y)fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many made their bed in sackcloth and ashes.
Doers of the Word
19 [a](A)Know this, (B)my beloved brothers. But everyone must be quick to hear, (C)slow to speak and (D)slow to anger; 20 for (E)the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, (F)laying aside all filthiness and all [b]that remains of wickedness, in gentleness receive (G)the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 (H)But become doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his [c]natural face (I)in a mirror; 24 for once he looked at himself and has gone away, [d]he immediately forgot what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, (J)the law of freedom, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man will be (K)blessed in [e]what he does.
26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious while not [f](L)bridling his tongue but deceiving his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion (M)before our God and Father is this: to (N)visit (O)orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained [g]by (P)the world.
Giving to the Poor and Prayer
6 “Beware of doing your righteousness before men (A)to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Therefore, when you [a]give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they (B)may be glorified by men. (C)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But when you [b]give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your [c]giving will be in secret; and (D)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5 “And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to (E)stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners [d](F)so that they may be seen by men. (G)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, (H)go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and (I)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
Fasting
16 “(A)Now whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they [a]neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. (B)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 But you, when you fast, (C)anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your (D)Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
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