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 the Lord from Creation
148 Praise[j] the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
2 Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all you stars of light!
4 Praise Him, (AM)you heavens of heavens,
And (AN)you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For (AO)He commanded and they were created.
6 (AP)He also established them forever and ever;
He made a decree which shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
(AQ)You great sea creatures and all the depths;
8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9 (AR)Mountains and all hills;
Fruitful trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and flying fowl;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and maidens;
Old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For His (AS)name alone is exalted;
His glory is above the earth and heaven.
14 And He (AT)has exalted the [k]horn of His people,
The praise of (AU)all His saints—
Of the children of Israel,
(AV)A people near to Him.
[l]Praise the Lord!
Praise to God for His Salvation and Judgment
149 Praise[m] the Lord!
(AW)Sing to the Lord a new song,
And His praise in the assembly of saints.
2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their (AX)King.
3 (AY)Let them praise His name with the dance;
Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.
4 For (AZ)the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
(BA)He will beautify the [n]humble with salvation.
5 Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them (BB)sing aloud on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And (BC)a two-edged sword in their hand,
7 To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishments on the peoples;
8 To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;
9 (BD)To execute on them the written judgment—
(BE)This honor have all His saints.
[o]Praise the Lord!
The Dry Bones Live
37 The (A)hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out (B)in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
So I answered, “O Lord God, (C)You know.”
4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will (D)cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. (E)Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
9 Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the [a]breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: (F)“Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, (G)and [b]breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the (H)whole house of Israel. They indeed say, (I)‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, (J)O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and (K)bring you into the land of Israel. 13 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. 14 I (L)will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ ”
Preaching in Solomon’s Portico
11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch (A)which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. 12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 (B)The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, (C)glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you (D)delivered up and (E)denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied (F)the Holy One (G)and the Just, and (H)asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the [a]Prince of life, (I)whom God raised from the dead, (J)of which we are witnesses. 16 (K)And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
17 “Yet now, brethren, I know that (L)you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But (M)those things which God foretold (N)by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 (O)Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send [b]Jesus Christ, who was [c]preached to you before, 21 (P)whom heaven must receive until the times of (Q)restoration of all things, (R)which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since [d]the world began. 22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, (S)‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24 Yes, and (T)all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also [e]foretold these days. 25 (U)You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, (V)‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26 To you (W)first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, (X)in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
12 (A)This is My (B)commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 (C)Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 (D)You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, (E)for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 (F)You did not choose Me, but I chose you and (G)appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father (H)in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.
The World’s Hatred
18 (I)“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 (J)If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet (K)because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, (L)‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. (M)If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But (N)all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22 (O)If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, (P)but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 (Q)He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them (R)the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have (S)seen and also hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, (T)‘They hated Me without a cause.’
The Coming Rejection
26 (U)“But when the [a]Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, (V)He will testify of Me. 27 And (W)you also will bear witness, because (X)you have been with Me from the beginning.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.