Book of Common Prayer
The Happiness of Those Whose Help Is the Lord
146 Praise[a] the Lord!
(A)Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 (B)While I live I will praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 (C)Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in [b]a son of man, in whom there is no [c]help.
4 (D)His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day (E)his plans perish.
5 (F)Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 (G)Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
7 (H)Who executes justice for the oppressed,
(I)Who gives food to the hungry.
(J)The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.
8 (K)The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
(L)The Lord raises those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.
9 (M)The Lord watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
(N)But the way of the wicked He [d]turns upside down.
10 (O)The Lord shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Praise to God for His Word and Providence
147 Praise[e] the Lord!
For (P)it is good to sing praises to our God;
(Q)For it is pleasant, and (R)praise is beautiful.
2 The Lord (S)builds up Jerusalem;
(T)He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
3 (U)He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their [f]wounds.
4 (V)He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
5 (W)Great is our Lord, and (X)mighty in power;
(Y)His understanding is infinite.
6 (Z)The Lord lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises on the harp to our God,
8 (AA)Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who prepares rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
9 (AB)He gives to the beast its food,
And (AC)to the young ravens that cry.
10 (AD)He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your children within you.
14 (AE)He makes peace in your borders,
And (AF)fills you with [g]the finest wheat.
15 (AG)He sends out His command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.
16 (AH)He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes;
17 He casts out His hail like [h]morsels;
Who can stand before His cold?
18 (AI)He sends out His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
19 (AJ)He declares His word to Jacob,
(AK)His statutes and His judgments to Israel.
20 (AL)He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His judgments, they have not known them.
[i]Praise the Lord!
Praise to God for His Faithfulness and Justice
111 Praise[a] the Lord!
(A)I will praise the Lord with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
2 (B)The works of the Lord are great,
(C)Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
3 His work is (D)honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
(E)The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
5 He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will ever be mindful of His covenant.
6 He has declared to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the [b]heritage of the nations.
7 The works of His hands are (F)verity[c] and justice;
All His precepts are sure.
8 (G)They stand fast forever and ever,
And are (H)done in truth and uprightness.
9 (I)He has sent redemption to His people;
He has commanded His covenant forever:
(J)Holy and awesome is His name.
10 (K)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.
The Blessed State of the Righteous
112 Praise[d] the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who (L)delights greatly in His commandments.
2 (M)His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 (N)Wealth and riches will be in his house,
And his righteousness [e]endures forever.
4 (O)Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;
He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
5 (P)A good man deals graciously and lends;
He will guide his affairs (Q)with discretion.
6 Surely he will never be shaken;
(R)The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.
7 (S)He will not be afraid of evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
8 His (T)heart is established;
(U)He will not be afraid,
Until he (V)sees his desire upon his enemies.
9 He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever;
His [f]horn will be exalted with honor.
10 The wicked will see it and be grieved;
He will gnash his teeth and melt away;
The desire of the wicked shall perish.
The Majesty and Condescension of God
113 Praise[g] the Lord!
(W)Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord!
2 (X)Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore!
3 (Y)From the rising of the sun to its going down
The Lord’s name is to be praised.
4 The Lord is (Z)high above all nations,
(AA)His glory above the heavens.
5 (AB)Who is like the Lord our God,
Who dwells on high,
6 (AC)Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?
7 (AD)He raises the poor out of the dust,
And lifts the (AE)needy out of the ash heap,
8 That He may (AF)seat him with princes—
With the princes of His people.
9 (AG)He grants the [h]barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children.
Praise the Lord!
Judah Called to Repentance
1 The (A)vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the (B)days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
The Wickedness of Judah
2 (C)Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!
For the Lord has spoken:
“I have nourished and brought up children,
And they have rebelled against Me;
3 (D)The ox knows its owner
And the donkey its master’s [a]crib;
But Israel (E)does not know,
My people do not [b]consider.”
4 Alas, sinful nation,
A people [c]laden with iniquity,
(F)A [d]brood of evildoers,
Children who are corrupters!
They have forsaken the Lord,
They have provoked to anger
The Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away backward.
5 (G)Why should you be stricken again?
You will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick,
And the whole heart faints.
6 From the sole of the foot even to the head,
There is no soundness in it,
But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores;
They have not been closed or bound up,
Or soothed with ointment.
7 (H)Your country is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire;
Strangers devour your land in your presence;
And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
8 So the daughter of Zion is left (I)as a [e]booth in a vineyard,
As a hut in a garden of cucumbers,
(J)As a besieged city.
9 (K)Unless the Lord of hosts
Had left to us a very small remnant,
We would have become like (L)Sodom,
We would have been made like Gomorrah.
God’s Promise Is Not Slack(A)
3 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which (B)I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words (C)which were spoken before by the holy prophets, (D)and of the commandment of [a]us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, (E)walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of (F)creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that (G)by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth (H)standing out of water and in the water, 6 (I)by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But (J)the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for (K)fire until the day of judgment and [b]perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and (L)a thousand years as one day. 9 (M)The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but (N)is longsuffering toward [c]us, (O)not willing that any should perish but (P)that all should come to repentance.
The Day of the Lord
10 But (Q)the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which (R)the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be [d]burned up.
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins
25 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet (A)the bridegroom. 2 (B)Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, (C)they all slumbered and slept.
6 “And at midnight (D)a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom [a]is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and (E)trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and (F)the door was shut.
11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, (G)‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, (H)I do not know you.’
13 (I)“Watch therefore, for you (J)know neither the day nor the hour [b]in which the Son of Man is coming.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.