Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 87
A psalm of the Korahites. A song.
87 God’s foundation is set on the holy mountains.
2 The Lord loves Zion’s gates
more than all of Jacob’s houses combined.
3 Glorious things are said about you,
the city of God! Selah
4 I count Rahab and Babel among those who know me;
also Philistia and Tyre, along with Cush—
each of these was born there.
5 And of Zion it is said:
“Each person was born in it,
but the one who will establish it is the Most High.”
6 The Lord makes a record as he registers the peoples:
“Each one was born there.” Selah
7 And while they dance, people sing:
“The source of my life comes from you.”
BOOK IV
(Psalms 90–106)
Psalm 90
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
90 Lord, you have been our help,
generation after generation.
2 Before the mountains were born,
before you birthed the earth and the inhabited world—
from forever in the past
to forever in the future, you are God.
3 You return people to dust,
saying, “Go back, humans,”
4 because in your perspective a thousand years
are like yesterday past,
like a short period during the night watch.
5 You sweep humans away like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning.
6 True, in the morning it thrives, renewed,
but come evening it withers, all dried up.
7 Yes, we are wasting away because of your wrath;
we are paralyzed with fear on account of your rage.
8 You put our sins right in front of you,
set our hidden faults in the light from your face.
9 Yes, all our days slip away because of your fury;
we finish up our years with a whimper.
10 We live at best to be seventy years old,
maybe eighty, if we’re strong.
But their duration brings hard work and trouble
because they go by so quickly.
And then we fly off.
11 Who can comprehend the power of your anger?
The honor that is due you corresponds to your wrath.
12 Teach us to number our days
so we can have a wise heart.
13 Come back to us, Lord!
Please, quick!
Have some compassion for your servants!
14 Fill us full every morning with your faithful love
so we can rejoice and celebrate our whole life long.
15 Make us happy for the same amount of time that you afflicted us—
for the same number of years that we saw only trouble.
16 Let your acts be seen by your servants;
let your glory be seen by their children.
17 Let the kindness of the Lord our God be over us.
Make the work of our hands last.
Make the work of our hands last!
Psalm 136
136 Give thanks to the Lord because he is good.
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
2 Give thanks to the God of all gods—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of all lords—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
4 Give thanks to the only one
who makes great wonders—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
5 Give thanks to the one who made the skies with skill—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
6 Give thanks to the one who shaped the earth on the water—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
7 Give thanks to the one who made the great lights—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
8 The sun to rule the day—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
9 The moon and the stars to rule the night—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
10 Give thanks to the one who struck down the Egyptians’ oldest offspring—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
11 Give thanks to the one who brought Israel out of there—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
12 With a strong hand and outstretched arm—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
13 Give thanks to the one who split the Reed Sea[a] in two—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
14 Give thanks to the one who brought Israel through—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
15 And tossed Pharaoh and his army into the Reed Sea—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
16 Give thanks to the one who led his people through the desert—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
17 Give thanks to the one who struck down great kings—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
18 And killed powerful kings—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
19 Sihon, the Amorite king—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
20 Og, king of Bashan—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
21 Handing their land over as an inheritance—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
22 As an inheritance to Israel, his servant—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
23 God remembered us when we were humiliated—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
24 God rescued us from our enemies—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
25 God is the one who provides food for all living things—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
1 The Lord’s word that came to Hosea, Beeri’s son, in the days of Judah’s Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, and in the days of Israel’s King Jeroboam, Joash’s son.
God commands Hosea to marry
2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to him,“Go, marry a prostitute and have children of prostitution, for the people of the land commit great prostitution by deserting the Lord.” 3 So Hosea went and took Gomer, Diblaim’s daughter, and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 4 The Lord said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will destroy the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Jezreel Valley.” 6 Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Name her No Compassion, because I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel or forgive them. 7 But I will have compassion on the house of Judah. I, the Lord their God, will save them; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen.” 8 When Gomer finished nursing No Compassion, she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. 9 Then the Lord said, “Name him Not My People because you are not my people, and I am not your God.”[a]
Hope for the future
10 [b] Yet the number of the people of Israel will be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it will be said to them, “Children of the living God.” 11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will be gathered together, and they will choose one head. They will become fruitful in the land.[c] The day will be a wonderful one for Jezreel.
Proclamation of wrongdoing
2 [d] Say to your brother, My People, and to your sister, Compassion:
Paul visits Macedonia and Greece
20 When the riot was over, Paul sent for the disciples, encouraged them, said good-bye, and left for the province of Macedonia. 2 He traveled through that region with a message of encouragement. When he came to Greece, 3 he stayed for three months. Because the Jews hatched a plot against Paul as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided instead to return through Macedonia. 4 He was accompanied by Sopater, Pyrrhus’ son from Beroea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 They went on ahead and waited for us in Troas. 6 We sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread and met them five days later in Troas, where we stayed for a week.
Meeting with believers in Troas
7 On the first day of the week, as we gathered together for a meal, Paul was holding a discussion with them. Since he was leaving the next day, he continued talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we had gathered. 9 A young man named Eutychus was sitting in the window. He was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell from the third floor and died. 10 Paul went down, fell on him and embraced him, then said, “Don’t be alarmed. He’s alive!” 11 Then Paul went back upstairs and ate. He talked for a long time—right up until daybreak—then he left. 12 They took the young man away alive, and they were greatly comforted.
Farewell to the Ephesian leaders
13 We went on to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we intended to take Paul on board. Paul had arranged this, since he intended to make his way there by land. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we sailed from there and arrived opposite Chios. On the day after, we sailed to Samos, and on the following day we came to Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he wouldn’t need to spend too much time in the province of Asia. He was hurrying to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by Pentecost Day.
38 After leaving the synagogue, Jesus went home with Simon. Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a high fever, and the family asked Jesus to help her. 39 He bent over her and spoke harshly to the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and served them.
40 When the sun was setting, everyone brought to Jesus relatives and acquaintances with all kinds of diseases. Placing his hands on each of them, he healed them. 41 Demons also came out of many people. They screamed, “You are God’s Son.” But he spoke harshly to them and wouldn’t allow them to speak because they recognized that he was the Christ. 42 When daybreak arrived, Jesus went to a deserted place. The crowds were looking for him. When they found him, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said to them, “I must preach the good news of God’s kingdom in other cities too, for this is why I was sent.” 44 So he continued preaching in the Judean synagogues.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible