Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 61[a]
For the music director, to be played on a stringed instrument; written by David.
61 O God, hear my cry for help.
Pay attention to my prayer.
2 From the remotest place on earth[b]
I call out to you in my despair.[c]
Lead me[d] up to a rocky summit where I can be safe.[e]
3 Indeed,[f] you are[g] my shelter,
a strong tower that protects me from the enemy.[h]
4 I will be a permanent guest in your home;[i]
I will find shelter in the protection of your wings.[j] (Selah)
5 For you, O God, hear my vows;
you grant me the reward that belongs to your loyal followers.[k]
6 Give the king long life.
Make his lifetime span several generations.[l]
7 May he reign[m] forever before God.
Decree that your loyal love and faithfulness should protect him.[n]
8 Then I will sing praises to your name continually,[o]
as I fulfill[p] my vows day after day.
Psalm 62[q]
For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
62 For God alone I patiently wait;[r]
he is the one who delivers me.[s]
2 He alone is my protector[t] and deliverer.
He is my refuge;[u] I will not be upended.[v]
3 How long will you threaten[w] a man like me?
All of you are murderers,[x]
as dangerous as a leaning wall or an unstable fence.[y]
4 They[z] spend all their time planning how to bring their victim[aa] down.[ab]
They love to use deceit;[ac]
they pronounce blessings with their mouths,
but inwardly they utter curses.[ad] (Selah)
5 Patiently wait for God alone, my soul![ae]
For he is the one who gives me hope.[af]
6 He alone is my protector[ag] and deliverer.
He is my refuge;[ah] I will not be shaken.
7 God delivers me and exalts me;
God is my strong protector and my shelter.[ai]
8 Trust in him at all times, you people!
Pour out your hearts before him.[aj]
God is our shelter. (Selah)
9 Men are nothing but a mere breath;
human beings are unreliable.[ak]
When they are weighed in the scales,
all of them together are lighter than air.[al]
10 Do not trust in what you can gain by oppression.[am]
Do not put false confidence in what you can gain by robbery.[an]
If wealth increases, do not become attached to it.[ao]
11 God has declared one principle;
two principles I have heard:[ap]
God is strong,[aq]
12 and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love.[ar]
For you repay men for what they do.[as]
Psalm 112[a]
112 Praise the Lord!
How blessed is the one[b] who obeys[c] the Lord,
who takes great delight in keeping his commands.[d]
2 His descendants[e] will be powerful on the earth;
the godly[f] will be blessed.
3 His house contains wealth and riches;
his integrity endures.[g]
4 In the darkness a light[h] shines for the godly,
for each one who is merciful, compassionate, and just.[i]
5 It goes well for the one[j] who generously lends money,
and conducts his business honestly.[k]
6 For he will never be shaken;
others will always remember one who is just.[l]
7 He does not fear bad news.
He[m] is confident; he trusts in the Lord.
8 His resolve[n] is firm; he will not succumb to fear
before he looks in triumph on his enemies.
9 He generously gives[o] to the needy;
his integrity endures.[p]
He will be vindicated and honored.[q]
10 When the wicked[r] see this, they will worry;
they will grind their teeth in frustration[s] and melt away.
The desire of the wicked will perish.[t]
Psalm 115[a]
115 Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to your name bring honor,[b]
for the sake of your loyal love and faithfulness.[c]
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven.
He does whatever he pleases.[d]
4 Their[e] idols are made of silver and gold—
they are man-made.[f]
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see,
6 ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell,
7 hands, but cannot touch,
feet, but cannot walk.
They cannot even clear their throats.[g]
8 Those who make them will end up[h] like them,
as will everyone who trusts in them.
9 O Israel, trust in the Lord.
He is their deliverer[i] and protector.[j]
10 O family[k] of Aaron, trust in the Lord.
He is their deliverer[l] and protector.[m]
11 You loyal followers of the Lord,[n] trust in the Lord.
He is their deliverer[o] and protector.[p]
12 The Lord takes notice of us;[q] he will bless[r]—
he will bless the family[s] of Israel,
he will bless the family of Aaron.
13 He will bless his loyal followers,[t]
both young and old.[u]
14 May he increase your numbers,
yours and your children’s.[v]
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Creator[w] of heaven and earth.
16 The heavens belong to the Lord,[x]
but the earth he has given to mankind.[y]
17 The dead do not praise the Lord,
nor do any of those who descend into the silence of death.[z]
18 But we will praise the Lord
now and forevermore.
Praise the Lord!
An Ideal King Establishes a Kingdom of Peace
11 A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s[a] root stock,
a bud will sprout[b] from his roots.
2 The Lord’s Spirit will rest on him[c]—
a Spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom,[d]
a Spirit that provides the ability to execute plans,[e]
a Spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord.[f]
3 He will take delight in obeying the Lord.[g]
He will not judge by mere appearances,[h]
or make decisions on the basis of hearsay.[i]
4 He will treat the poor fairly,[j]
and make right decisions[k] for the downtrodden of the earth.[l]
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,[m]
and order the wicked to be executed.[n]
5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist,
integrity will be like a belt around his hips.[o]
6 A wolf will reside[p] with a lamb,
and a leopard will lie down with a young goat;
an ox and a young lion will graze together,[q]
as a small child leads them along.
7 A cow and a bear will graze together,
their young will lie down together.[r]
A lion, like an ox, will eat straw.
8 A baby[s] will play
over the hole of a snake;[t]
over the nest[u] of a serpent
an infant[v] will put his hand.[w]
9 They will no longer injure or destroy
on my entire royal mountain.[x]
For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty,
just as the waters completely cover the sea.[y]
The Thousand Year Reign
20 Then[a] I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding[b] in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain. 2 He[c] seized the dragon—the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan—and tied him up for a thousand years. 3 The angel[d] then[e] threw him into the abyss and locked[f] and sealed it so that he could not deceive the nations until the one thousand years were finished. (After these things he must be released for a brief period of time.)
4 Then[g] I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge.[h] I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These[i] had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They[j] came to life[k] and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were finished.)[l] This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who takes part[m] in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them,[n] but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
Satan’s Final Defeat
7 Now[o] when the thousand years are finished, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive[p] the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog,[q] to bring them together for the battle. They are as numerous as the grains of sand in the sea.[r] 9 They[s] went up[t] on the broad plain of the earth[u] and encircled[v] the camp[w] of the saints and the beloved city, but[x] fire came down from heaven and devoured them completely.[y] 10 And the devil who deceived[z] them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur,[aa] where the beast and the false prophet are[ab] too, and they will be tormented there day and night forever and ever.
30 I can do nothing on my own initiative.[a] Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just,[b] because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me.[c]
More Testimony About Jesus
31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another[d] who testifies about me, and I know the testimony he testifies about me is true. 33 You have sent to John,[e] and he has testified to the truth. 34 (I do not accept[f] human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved.) 35 He was a lamp that was burning and shining,[g] and you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time[h] in his light.
36 “But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds[i] that the Father has assigned me to complete—the deeds[j] I am now doing—testify about me that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You people[k] have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time,[l] 38 nor do you have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the one whom he sent. 39 You study the scriptures thoroughly[m] because you think in them you possess eternal life,[n] and it is these same scriptures[o] that testify about me, 40 but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.
41 “I do not accept[p] praise[q] from people,[r] 42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God[s] within you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept[t] me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept[u] him. 44 How can you believe, if you accept praise[v] from one another and don’t seek the praise[w] that comes from the only God?[x]
45 “Do not suppose that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope.[y] 46 If[z] you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. 47 But if you do not believe what Moses[aa] wrote, how will you believe my words?”
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