Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 45
A Royal Wedding Song
For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.”(A) A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song.
1 My heart is moved by a noble theme
as I recite my verses to the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.(B)
2 You are the most handsome of men;[a]
grace flows from your lips.(C)
Therefore God has blessed you forever.(D)
3 Mighty warrior, strap your sword at your side.
In your majesty and splendor(E)—
4 in your splendor ride triumphantly
in the cause of truth, humility, and justice.
May your right hand show your awe-inspiring acts.(F)
5 Your sharpened arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;
the peoples fall under you.(G)
6 Your throne,(H) God, is[b] forever and ever;
the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.(I)
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;(J)
therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy
more than your companions.
8 Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume all your garments;
from ivory palaces harps bring you joy.(K)
9 Kings’ daughters are among your honored women;(L)
the queen, adorned with gold from Ophir,
stands at your right hand.(M)
10 Listen, daughter, pay attention and consider:
Forget your people and your father’s house,(N)
11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Bow down to him, for he is your lord.(O)
12 The daughter of Tyre, the wealthy people,
will seek your favor with gifts.(P)
Psalm 47
God Our King
For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 Clap your hands, all you peoples;(A)
shout to God with a jubilant cry.(B)
2 For the Lord, the Most High, is awe-inspiring,
a great King over the whole earth.(C)
3 He subdues peoples under us
and nations under our feet.(D)
4 He chooses for us our inheritance—
the pride of Jacob, whom he loves.(E)Selah
5 God ascends among shouts of joy,
the Lord, with the sound of a ram’s horn.(F)
6 Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our King, sing praise!(G)
7 Sing a song of wisdom,[a]
for God is King of the whole earth.(H)
8 God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.(I)
9 The nobles of the peoples have assembled
with the people of the God of Abraham.(J)
For the leaders[b] of the earth belong to God;
he is greatly exalted.(K)
Psalm 48
Zion Exalted
A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 The Lord is great and highly praised
in the city of our God.(L)
His holy mountain, 2 rising splendidly,
is the joy of the whole earth.
Mount Zion—the summit of Zaphon—
is the city of the great King.(M)
3 God is known as a stronghold
in its citadels.(N)
4 Look! The kings assembled;
they advanced together.(O)
5 They looked and froze with fear;
they fled in terror.(P)
6 Trembling seized them there,
agony like that of a woman in labor,(Q)
7 as you wrecked the ships of Tarshish
with the east wind.(R)
8 Just as we heard, so we have seen
in the city of the Lord of Armies,
in the city of our God;
God will establish it forever.(S)Selah
14 The second woe(A) has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming soon!
The Seventh Trumpet
15 The seventh angel blew his trumpet,(B) and there were loud voices in heaven saying,
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom
of our Lord and of his Christ,
and he will reign forever and ever.(C)
16 The twenty-four elders, who were seated before God on their thrones, fell facedown and worshiped God, 17 saying,
We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty,
who is and who was,[a](D)
because you have taken your great power
and have begun to reign.(E)
18 The nations were angry,(F)
but your wrath has come.
The time has come
for the dead to be judged
and to give the reward
to your servants the prophets,(G)
to the saints, and to those who fear your name,
both small and great,(H)
and the time has come to destroy
those who destroy the earth.
19 Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant[b] appeared in his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder,(I) an earthquake,[c] and severe hail.
True Blessedness
27 As he was saying these things, a woman from the crowd(A) raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the one who nursed you!” (B)
28 He said, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God(C) and keep it.”(D)
The Sign of Jonah
29 As the crowds were increasing, he began saying, “This generation(E) is an evil generation.(F) It demands a sign,(G) but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.[a](H) 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so also the Son of Man(I) will be to this generation. 31 The queen of the south(J) will rise up at the judgment(K) with the men of this generation and condemn(L) them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon,(M) and look—something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s preaching, and look—something greater than Jonah is here.
The Lamp of the Body
33 “No(N) one lights a lamp(O) and puts it in the cellar or under a basket,[b] but on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see its light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of the body.(P) When your eye is healthy, your whole body is also full of light. But when it is bad,(Q) your body is also full of darkness. 35 Take care, then, that the light in you is not darkness. 36 If, therefore, your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be entirely illuminated, as when a lamp shines its light on you.”
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