Book of Common Prayer
We Wept When We Remembered Zion
137 By the (A)rivers of Babylon,
There we sat and also (B)wept,
When we remembered Zion.
2 Upon the [a](C)willows in the midst of it
We (D)hung our lyres.
3 For there our captors (E)asked us about the words of a song,
And (F)our tormentors asked joyfully, saying,
“Sing for us one of the songs of Zion.”
4 How can we sing a song of (G)Yahweh
In a foreign land?
5 If I (H)forget you, O Jerusalem,
May my right hand [b]forget her skill.
6 May my (I)tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
If I do not remember you,
If I do not [c](J)exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O Yahweh, against the sons of (K)Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, “Tear it down! Tear it down
(L)To its very foundation.”
8 O daughter of Babylon, you (M)devastated one,
How blessed will be the one who (N)repays you
With [d]the recompense with which you have recompensed us.
9 How blessed will be the one who seizes and (O)dashes your infants
Against the cliff.
Blessed Be Yahweh, My Rock
Of David.
144 Blessed be Yahweh, (A)my rock,
Who (B)trains my hands for war,
My fingers for battle;
2 My lovingkindness and (C)my fortress,
My (D)stronghold and my deliverer,
My (E)shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who (F)subdues [a]my people under me.
3 O Yahweh, (G)what is man, that You know him?
Or the son of man, that You think of him?
4 (H)Man is like a breath;
His (I)days are like a passing shadow.
5 O Yahweh, (J)bow Your heavens, and (K)come down;
(L)Touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
6 Flash forth (M)lightning and scatter them;
Send out Your (N)arrows and confuse them.
7 Send forth Your hand (O)from on high;
Set me free and (P)deliver me out of many waters,
Out of the hand of (Q)foreigners
8 Whose mouth (R)speaks worthlessness,
And whose (S)right hand is a right hand of lying.
9 O God, I will sing a (T)new song to You;
Upon a (U)harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
10 Who (V)gives salvation to kings,
Who (W)sets David His servant free from the evil sword.
11 Set me free and deliver me out of the hand of the sons of a (X)foreigner,
Whose mouth (Y)speaks worthlessness
And whose (Z)right hand is a right hand of lying.
12 That our sons would be as (AA)grown-up plants in their youth,
And our daughters as (AB)corner pillars [b]fashioned as for a palace;
13 That our (AC)granaries would be full, furnishing every kind of produce,
And our flocks would bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields outside;
14 That our (AD)cattle would [c]bear
Without [d](AE)mishap and without [e](AF)loss,
And without (AG)outcry in our streets!
15 How blessed are the people for whom this is so;
How (AH)blessed are the people for whom God is Yahweh!
The Glory of Yahweh Endures Forever
104 (A)Bless Yahweh, O my soul!
O Yahweh my God, You are very great;
You are (B)clothed with splendor and majesty,
2 Wrapping Yourself with (C)light as with a cloak,
(D)Stretching out the heavens like a tent curtain.
3 [a]He (E)lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters;
[b]He sets up the (F)clouds to be His chariot;
[c]He walks upon the (G)wings of the wind;
4 [d]He makes His [e]angels (H)the winds,
His ministers flaming (I)fire.
5 He (J)founded the earth upon its place,
So that it will not [f]shake forever and ever.
6 You (K)covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters were standing above the mountains.
7 At Your (L)rebuke they fled,
At the (M)sound of Your thunder they hurried away in alarm.
8 The mountains went up; the valleys went down
To the (N)place which You founded for them.
9 You set a (O)boundary that they may not pass over,
So that they will not return to cover the earth.
10 [g]He sends forth (P)springs in the valleys;
They flow between the mountains;
11 They (Q)give water to every beast of the field;
The (R)wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 Above them the birds of the heavens (S)dwell;
They give forth their voices among the branches.
13 [h]He (T)gives water to the mountains from His upper chambers;
(U)The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works.
14 [i]He causes the (V)grass to grow for the [j]cattle,
And (W)vegetation for man’s [k]cultivation,
To bring forth [l]food (X)from the earth,
15 And (Y)wine which makes man’s heart glad,
(Z)To make his face glisten more than oil,
And [m]food which (AA)sustains man’s heart.
16 The trees of Yahweh are satisfied,
The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,
17 Where the (AB)birds build their nests,
The (AC)stork’s home is in the [n]fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for the (AD)wild goats;
The (AE)cliffs are a refuge for the [o](AF)shephanim.
19 He made the moon (AG)for the seasons;
The (AH)sun knows the place of its setting.
20 You (AI)appoint darkness so that it becomes night,
In which all the (AJ)beasts of the forest (AK)creep about.
21 The (AL)young lions roar to go after their prey
And to (AM)seek their food from God.
22 When the sun rises they gather together
And lie down in their (AN)dens.
23 Man goes forth to (AO)his work
And to his labor until evening.
24 How (AP)numerous are Your works, O Yahweh!
[p]In (AQ)wisdom You have made them all;
The (AR)earth is full of Your [q]possessions.
25 This is the (AS)sea, great and [r]broad,
There the creeping things are without number,
Creatures both small and great.
26 There the (AT)ships move along,
And [s](AU)Leviathan, which You have formed to play in it.
27 They all (AV)wait for You
To (AW)give them their food in [t]due season.
28 You give to them, they gather it up;
You (AX)open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.
29 You (AY)hide Your face, they are dismayed;
You (AZ)take away their [u]spirit, they breathe their last
And (BA)return to their dust.
30 You send forth Your [v](BB)Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the ground.
31 Let the (BC)glory of Yahweh endure forever;
Let Yahweh (BD)be glad in His works;
32 [w]He (BE)looks at the earth, and it (BF)trembles;
He (BG)touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33 [x]I will sing to Yahweh (BH)throughout my life;
[y]I will (BI)sing praise to my God [z]while I have my being.
34 Let my (BJ)musing be pleasing to Him;
As for me, I shall (BK)be glad in Yahweh.
35 Let sinners be (BL)consumed from the earth
And let the (BM)wicked be no more.
(BN)Bless Yahweh, O my soul.
[aa](BO)Praise Yah!
Ruth Becomes Boaz’ Wife
4 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, (A)the kinsman redeemer of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Turn aside, [a]my fellow, sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2 Then he took ten men of the (B)elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the kinsman redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the fields of Moab, has to sell the portion of the field (C)which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 So I thought to uncover this matter in your hearing, saying, ‘(D)Acquire it before those who are sitting here and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if no one redeems it, tell me that I may know; for (E)there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am after you.’” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you acquire the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also [b]acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the one who had died, in order (F)to raise up the name of the one who had died, on behalf of his inheritance.” 6 (G)So the kinsman redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
7 Now this was (H)the custom in former times in Israel concerning the right of redemption and the exchange of land to establish any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. 8 So the kinsman redeemer said to Boaz, “Acquire this for yourself.” And he removed his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have acquired all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon from the hand of Naomi. 10 And also, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the one who had died, on behalf of his inheritance, so (I)that the name of the one who had died will not be cut off from his brothers or from the gate of his birth place; you are witnesses today.” 11 And all the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May Yahweh grant the woman who is coming into your home to be (J)like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel, and so you shall [c]achieve [d]excellence in Ephrathah and shall [e]proclaim your name in Bethlehem. 12 Moreover, may your house be like the house of (K)Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the seed which Yahweh will grant you by this young woman.”
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And (L)Yahweh granted her conception, and she gave birth to a son. 14 Then the (M)women said to Naomi, “Blessed is Yahweh who has not left you without a [f]kinsman redeemer today, and may his name [g]be proclaimed in Israel. 15 May he also be to you a restorer of your soul and a sustainer of your [h]old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you [i](N)and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
The Generations of David
16 Then Naomi took the child [j]and put him on her bosom and became his nurse. 17 The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
13 But having the same (A)spirit of faith, according to what is written, “(B)I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak, 14 knowing that He who (C)raised the Lord Jesus (D)will raise us also with Jesus and will (E)present us with you. 15 For all things are (F)for your sakes, so that the grace which is [a](G)spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.
16 Therefore we (H)do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our (I)inner man is (J)being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary, (K)light affliction is working out for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we (L)look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
The Temporal and Eternal
5 For we know that if [b]the (M)earthly (N)tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house (O)not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this we (P)groan, longing to be (Q)clothed with our dwelling from heaven, 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we (R)groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be (S)clothed, so that what is (T)mortal will be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who (U)gave to us the Spirit as a [c]pledge.
6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that (V)while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for (W)we walk by faith, not by [d]sight— 8 we are of good courage and (X)prefer rather to be absent from the body and (Y)to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be (Z)pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before (AA)the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for [e]his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Giving to the Poor and Prayer
6 “Beware of doing your righteousness before men (A)to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Therefore, when you [a]give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they (B)may be glorified by men. (C)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But when you [b]give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your [c]giving will be in secret; and (D)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5 “And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to (E)stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners [d](F)so that they may be seen by men. (G)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, (H)go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and (I)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their (J)many words. 8 Therefore, do not be like them; for (K)your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
9 “(L)Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 (M)Your kingdom come.
(N)Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 (O)Give us this day [e]our daily bread.
12 And (P)forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation, but (Q)deliver us from [f](R)the evil one. [g][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]
14 (S)For if you forgive [h]others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But (T)if you do not forgive [i]others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
Fasting
16 “(U)Now whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they [j]neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. (V)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
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