Book of Common Prayer
The Lord an Abundant Helper.
146 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
(A)Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord (B)while I live;
I will (C)sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 (D)Do not trust in princes,
In [c]mortal (E)man, in whom there is (F)no salvation.
4 His (G)spirit departs, he (H)returns to [d]the earth;
In that very day his (I)thoughts perish.
5 How (J)blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose (K)hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who (L)made heaven and earth,
The (M)sea and all that is in them;
Who (N)keeps [e]faith forever;
7 Who (O)executes justice for the oppressed;
Who (P)gives food to the hungry.
The Lord (Q)sets the prisoners free.
8 The Lord (R)opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord (S)raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord (T)loves the righteous;
9 The Lord [f](U)protects the [g]strangers;
He [h](V)supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He [i]thwarts (W)the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord will (X)reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
[j]Praise [k]the Lord!
Praise for Jerusalem’s Restoration and Prosperity.
147 [l]Praise [m]the Lord!
For (Y)it is good to sing praises to our God;
For [n]it is pleasant and praise is (Z)becoming.
2 The Lord (AA)builds up Jerusalem;
He (AB)gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the (AC)brokenhearted
And (AD)binds up their [o]wounds.
4 He (AE)counts the number of the stars;
He [p](AF)gives names to all of them.
5 (AG)Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His (AH)understanding is [q]infinite.
6 The Lord [r](AI)supports the afflicted;
He brings down the wicked to the ground.
7 (AJ)Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre,
8 Who (AK)covers the heavens with clouds,
Who (AL)provides rain for the earth,
Who (AM)makes grass to [s]grow on the mountains.
9 He (AN)gives to the beast its food,
And to the (AO)young ravens which cry.
10 He does not delight in the strength of the (AP)horse;
He (AQ)does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord (AR)favors those who fear Him,
(AS)Those who wait for His lovingkindness.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the (AT)bars of your gates;
He has (AU)blessed your sons within you.
14 He (AV)makes [t]peace in your borders;
He (AW)satisfies you with (AX)the [u]finest of the wheat.
15 He sends forth His (AY)command to the earth;
His (AZ)word runs very swiftly.
16 He gives (BA)snow like wool;
He scatters the (BB)frost like ashes.
17 He casts forth His (BC)ice as fragments;
Who can stand before His (BD)cold?
18 He (BE)sends forth His word and melts them;
He (BF)causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.
19 He (BG)declares His words to Jacob,
His (BH)statutes and His ordinances to Israel.
20 He (BI)has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His ordinances, they have (BJ)not known them.
[v]Praise [w]the Lord!
The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the Lord.
148 [x]Praise [y]the Lord!
Praise the Lord (BK)from the heavens;
Praise Him (BL)in the heights!
2 Praise Him, (BM)all His angels;
Praise Him, (BN)all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all stars of light!
4 Praise Him, [z](BO)highest heavens,
And the (BP)waters that are above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For (BQ)He commanded and they were created.
6 He has also (BR)established them forever and ever;
He has made a (BS)decree which will not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
(BT)Sea monsters and all (BU)deeps;
8 (BV)Fire and hail, (BW)snow and (BX)clouds;
(BY)Stormy wind, (BZ)fulfilling His word;
9 (CA)Mountains and all hills;
Fruit (CB)trees and all cedars;
10 (CC)Beasts and all cattle;
(CD)Creeping things and winged fowl;
11 (CE)Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and virgins;
Old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For His (CF)name alone is exalted;
His (CG)glory is above earth and heaven.
14 And He has (CH)lifted up a horn for His people,
(CI)Praise for all His godly ones;
Even for the sons of Israel, a people (CJ)near to Him.
[aa]Praise [ab]the Lord!
Israel Invoked to Praise the Lord.
149 [ac]Praise [ad]the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a (CK)new song,
And His praise (CL)in the congregation of the godly ones.
2 Let Israel be glad in (CM)his Maker;
Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their (CN)King.
3 Let them praise His name with (CO)dancing;
Let them sing praises to Him with (CP)timbrel and lyre.
4 For the Lord (CQ)takes pleasure in His people;
He will (CR)beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.
5 Let the (CS)godly ones exult in glory;
Let them (CT)sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the (CU)high praises of God be in their [ae]mouth,
And a (CV)two-edged (CW)sword in their hand,
7 To (CX)execute vengeance on the nations
And punishment on the peoples,
8 To bind their kings (CY)with chains
And their (CZ)nobles with fetters of iron,
9 To (DA)execute on them the judgment written;
This is an (DB)honor for all His godly ones.
[af]Praise [ag]the Lord!
Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones
37 The (A)hand of the Lord was upon me, and He (B)brought me out [a]by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the (C)valley; and it was full of bones. 2 He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. 3 He said to me, “Son of man, (D)can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord [b]God, (E)You know.” 4 Again He said to me, “(F)Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, (G)hear the word of the Lord.’ 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause [c](H)breath to enter you that you may come to life. 6 I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will (I)know that I am the Lord.’”
7 So I prophesied (J)as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a [d]noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and (K)breathe on these slain, that they (L)come to life.”’” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the (M)breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an (N)exceedingly great army.
The Vision Explained
11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the (O)whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our (P)bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are [e]completely (Q)cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will open your graves and (R)cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. 14 I will (S)put My [f]Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it,” declares the Lord.’”
Peter’s Second Sermon
11 While he was clinging to (A)Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called [a](B)portico of Solomon, full of amazement. 12 But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13 (C)The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, (D)the God of our fathers, has glorified His [b](E)servant Jesus, the one whom (F)you delivered and disowned in the presence of (G)Pilate, when he had (H)decided to release Him. 14 But you disowned (I)the Holy and Righteous One and (J)asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 but put to death the [c](K)Prince of life, the one whom (L)God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are (M)witnesses. 16 And on the basis of faith (N)in His name, it is [d]the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.
17 “And now, brethren, I know that you acted (O)in ignorance, just as your (P)rulers did also. 18 But the things which (Q)God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, (R)that His [e]Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 Therefore (S)repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that (T)times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; 20 and that He may send Jesus, the [f]Christ appointed for you, 21 (U)whom heaven must receive until the [g]period of (V)restoration of all things about which (W)God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. 22 Moses said, ‘(X)The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet [h]like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you. 23 (Y)And it will be that every (Z)soul that does not heed that prophet (AA)shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24 And likewise, (AB)all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days. 25 It is you who are (AC)the sons of the prophets and of the (AD)covenant which God [i]made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘(AE)And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26 For you (AF)first, God (AG)raised up His [j]Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”
Disciples’ Relation to Each Other
12 “This is (A)My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 (B)Greater love has no one than this, that one (C)lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My (D)friends if (E)you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for (F)all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 (G)You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and (H)bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that (I)whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This (J)I command you, that you love one another.
Disciples’ Relation to the World
18 “(K)If the world hates you, [a]you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but (L)I chose you out of the world, (M)because of this the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘(N)A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, (O)they will also persecute you; if they (P)kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you (Q)for My name’s sake, (R)because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 (S)If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have [b]sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 (T)If I had not done among them (U)the works which no one else did, they would not have [c]sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25 But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their (V)Law, ‘(W)They hated Me without a cause.’
26 “When the [d](X)Helper comes, (Y)whom I will send to you from the Father, that is (Z)the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, (AA)He will testify about Me, 27 [e]and (AB)you will testify also, because you have been with Me (AC)from the beginning.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.