Book of Common Prayer
The Glory of the Lord in Creation
To the Chief Musician. [a]On the instrument of Gath. A Psalm of David.
8 O Lord, our Lord,
How (A)excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have (B)set Your glory above the heavens!
2 (C)Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have [b]ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence (D)the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I (E)consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
4 (F)What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You (G)visit[c] him?
5 For You have made him a little lower than [d]the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
6 (H)You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
(I)You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.
9 (J)O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
Praise to the Lord from Creation
148 Praise[a] the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
2 Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all you stars of light!
4 Praise Him, (A)you heavens of heavens,
And (B)you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For (C)He commanded and they were created.
6 (D)He also established them forever and ever;
He made a decree which shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
(E)You great sea creatures and all the depths;
8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9 (F)Mountains and all hills;
Fruitful trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and flying fowl;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and maidens;
Old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For His (G)name alone is exalted;
His glory is above the earth and heaven.
14 And He (H)has exalted the [b]horn of His people,
The praise of (I)all His saints—
Of the children of Israel,
(J)A people near to Him.
[c]Praise the Lord!
The Lord Reveals His Omnipotence to Job(A)
38 Then the Lord answered Job (B)out of the whirlwind, and said:
2 “Who(C) is this who darkens counsel
By (D)words without knowledge?
3 (E)Now [a]prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
4 “Where(F) were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the [b]line upon it?
6 To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together,
And all (G)the sons of God shouted for joy?
God’s Supreme Revelation(A)
1 God, who [a]at various times and (B)in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the [b]worlds; 3 (C)who being the brightness of His glory and the express (D)image of His person, and (E)upholding all things by the word of His power, (F)when He had [c]by Himself [d]purged [e]our sins, (G)sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as (H)He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
The Son Exalted Above Angels
5 For to which of the angels did He ever say:
(I)“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You”?
And again:
(J)“I will be to Him a Father,
And He shall be to Me a Son”?
6 But when He again brings (K)the firstborn into the world, He says:
(L)“Let all the angels of God worship Him.”
7 And of the angels He says:
(M)“Who makes His angels spirits
And His ministers a flame of fire.”
8 But to the Son He says:
(N)“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A [f]scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, (O)has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
10 And:
(P)“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
11 (Q)They will perish, but You remain;
And (R)they will all grow old like a garment;
12 Like a cloak You will fold them up,
And they will be changed.
But You are the (S)same,
And Your years will not fail.”
13 But to which of the angels has He ever said:
(T)“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”?
14 (U)Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will (V)inherit salvation?
The Happiness of Those Who Trust in God
A Psalm of David (A)when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
34 I will (B)bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
4 I (C)sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 (D)The [a]angel of the Lord (E)encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.
8 Oh, (F)taste and see that the Lord is good;
(G)Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no [b]want to those who fear Him.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
(H)But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
11 Come, you children, listen to me;
(I)I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 (J)Who is the man who desires life,
And loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking (K)deceit.
14 (L)Depart from evil and do good;
(M)Seek peace and pursue it.
15 (N)The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry.
16 (O)The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
(P)To [c]cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and (Q)the Lord hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 (R)The Lord is near (S)to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as [d]have a contrite spirit.
19 (T)Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
(U)But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He guards all his bones;
(V)Not one of them is broken.
21 (W)Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous shall be [e]condemned.
22 The Lord (X)redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.
Let All Things Praise the Lord
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty [b]firmament!
2 Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent (B)greatness!
3 Praise Him with the sound of the [c]trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
5 Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
[d]Praise the Lord!
Praise to the Sovereign Lord for His Creation and Providence(A)
104 Bless (B)the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment,
Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.
3 (C)He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters,
Who makes the clouds His chariot,
Who walks on the wings of the wind,
4 Who makes His angels spirits,
His [a]ministers a flame of fire.
5 You who [b]laid the foundations of the earth,
So that it should not be moved forever,
6 You (D)covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters stood above the mountains.
7 At Your rebuke they fled;
At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.
8 [c]They went up over the mountains;
They went down into the valleys,
To the place which You founded for them.
9 You have (E)set a boundary that they may not pass over,
(F)That they may not return to cover the earth.
10 He sends the springs into the valleys;
They flow among the hills.
11 They give drink to every beast of the field;
The wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 By them the birds of the heavens have their home;
They sing among the branches.
13 (G)He waters the hills from His upper chambers;
The earth is satisfied with (H)the fruit of Your works.
14 (I)He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,
And vegetation for the service of man,
That he may bring forth (J)food from the earth,
15 And (K)wine that makes glad the heart of man,
Oil to make his face shine,
And bread which strengthens man’s heart.
16 The trees of the Lord are full of sap,
The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,
17 Where the birds make their nests;
The stork has her home in the fir trees.
18 The high hills are for the wild goats;
The cliffs are a refuge for the (L)rock[d] badgers.
19 (M)He appointed the moon for seasons;
The (N)sun knows its going down.
20 (O)You make darkness, and it is night,
In which all the beasts of the forest creep about.
21 (P)The young lions roar after their prey,
And seek their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they gather together
And lie down in their dens.
23 Man goes out to (Q)his work
And to his labor until the evening.
24 (R)O Lord, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your (S)possessions—
25 This great and wide sea,
In which are innumerable teeming things,
Living things both small and great.
26 There the ships sail about;
There is that (T)Leviathan[e]
Which You have [f]made to play there.
27 (U)These all wait for You,
That You may give them their food in due season.
28 What You give them they gather in;
You open Your hand, they are filled with good.
29 You hide Your face, they are troubled;
(V)You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30 (W)You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
May the Lord (X)rejoice in His works.
32 He looks on the earth, and it (Y)trembles;
(Z)He touches the hills, and they smoke.
33 (AA)I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34 May my (AB)meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the Lord.
35 May (AC)sinners be consumed from the earth,
And the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
[g]Praise the Lord!
21 (A)“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it. 22 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and (B)wonders to deceive, if possible, even the [a]elect. 23 But (C)take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.
The Coming of the Son of Man(D)
24 (E)“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be (F)shaken. 26 (G)Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then He will send His angels, and gather together His [b]elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.