Book of Common Prayer
(A special psalm by the clan of Korah and for the music leader. To the tune “Lilies.” A love song.)
For a Royal Wedding
1 My thoughts are filled
with beautiful words
for the king,
and I will use my voice
as a writer would use
pen and ink.
2 No one is as handsome as you!
Your words are always kind.
That is why God
will always bless you.
3 Mighty king, glorious ruler,
strap on your sword
4 and ride out in splendor!
Win victories for truth
and mercy and justice.
Do fearsome things
with your powerful arm.
5 Send your sharp arrows
through enemy hearts
and make all nations fall
at your feet.
6 (A) You are God, and you will rule
forever as king.[a]
Your royal power
brings about justice.
7 You love justice and hate evil.
And so, your God chose you
and made you happier
than any of your friends.
8 The sweet aroma of the spices
myrrh, aloes, and cassia
covers your royal robes.
You enjoy the music of harps
in palaces decorated
with ivory.
9 Daughters of kings are here,
and your bride stands
at your right side,
wearing a wedding gown
trimmed with pure gold.[b]
10 Bride of the king,
listen carefully to me.
Forget your own people
and your father's family. 11 The king adores you.
He is your master,
so do what he desires.
12 All of the richest people
from the city of Tyre
will try to influence you
13 with precious treasures.
Your bride, my king,
has inward beauty,[c]
and her wedding gown is woven
with threads of gold.
14 Wearing the finest garments,
she is brought to you,
followed by her young friends,
the bridesmaids.
15 Everyone is excited,
as they follow you
to the royal palace.
16 Your sons and your grandsons
will also be kings
as your ancestors were.
You will make them rulers
everywhere on earth.
17 I will make your name famous
from now on,
and you will be praised
forever and ever.
(A psalm by the clan of Korah and for the music leader.)
God Rules the Nations
1 All of you nations,
clap your hands and shout
joyful praises to God.
2 The Lord Most High is fearsome,
the ruler of all the earth.
3 God has put every nation
under our power,
4 and he chose for us the land
that was the pride of Jacob,
his favorite.
5 God goes up to his throne,
as people shout
and trumpets blast.
6 Sing praises to God our King,
7 the ruler of all the earth!
Praise God with songs.
8 God rules the nations
from his sacred throne.
9 Their leaders come together
and are now the people
of Abraham's God.
All rulers on earth
surrender their weapons,
and God is greatly praised!
(A song and a psalm by the clan of Korah.)
The City of God
1 The Lord God is wonderful!
He deserves all praise
in the city where he lives.
His holy mountain,
2 (A) beautiful and majestic,
brings joy to all on earth.
Mount Zion, truly sacred,
is home for the Great King.
3 God is there to defend it
and has proved to be
its protector.
4 Kings joined forces
to attack the city,
5 but when they saw it,
they were terrified
and ran away.
6 They trembled all over
like women giving birth
7 or like seagoing ships[a]
wrecked by eastern winds.
8 We had heard about it,
and now we have seen it
in the city of our God,
the Lord All-Powerful.
This is the city that God
will let stand forever.
9 Our God, here in your temple
we think about your love.
10 You are famous and praised
everywhere on earth,
as you win victories
with your powerful arm.
11 Mount Zion will celebrate,
and all Judah will be glad,
because you bring justice.
12 Let's walk around Zion
and count its towers.
13 We will see its strong walls
and visit each fortress.
Then you can say
to future generations,
14 “Our God is like this forever
and will always[b] guide us.”
15 (A) Christ is exactly like God,
who cannot be seen.
He is the first-born Son,
superior to all creation.
16 Everything was created by him,
everything in heaven
and on earth,
everything seen and unseen,
including all forces
and powers,
and all rulers
and authorities.
All things were created
by God's Son,
and everything was made
for him.
17 God's Son was before all else,
and by him everything
is held together.
18 (B) He is the head of his body,
which is the church.
He is the very beginning,
the first to be raised
from death,
so that he would be
above all others.
19 God himself was pleased
to live fully in his Son.
20 (C) And God was pleased
for him to make peace
by sacrificing his blood
on the cross,
so that all beings in heaven
and on earth
would be brought back to God.
21 You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. 22 But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent. 23 But you must stay deeply rooted and firm in your faith. You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news. It was preached to everyone on earth, and I myself have become a servant of this message.
Jesus Chooses His Twelve Apostles
(Matthew 10.1-4; Mark 3.13-19)
12 About that time Jesus went off to a mountain to pray, and he spent the whole night there. 13 The next morning he called his disciples together and chose twelve of them to be his apostles. 14 One was Simon, and Jesus named him Peter. Another was Andrew, Peter's brother. There were also James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus. The rest of the apostles were Simon, known as the Eager One,[a] 16 Jude, who was the son of James, and Judas Iscariot,[b] who later betrayed Jesus.
Jesus Teaches, Preaches, and Heals
(Matthew 4.23-25)
17 Jesus and his apostles went down from the mountain and came to some flat, level ground. Many other disciples were there to meet him. Large crowds of people from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the coastal towns of Tyre and Sidon were there too. 18 These people had come to listen to Jesus and to be healed of their diseases. All who were troubled by evil spirits were also healed. 19 Everyone was trying to touch Jesus, because power was going out from him and healing them all.
Blessings and Troubles
(Matthew 5.1-12)
20 Jesus looked at his disciples and said:
God will bless you people
who are poor.
His kingdom belongs to you!
21 God will bless
you hungry people.
You will have plenty
to eat!
God will bless you people
who are now crying.
You will laugh!
22 (A) God will bless you when others hate you and won't have anything to do with you. God will bless you when people insult you and say cruel things about you, all because you are a follower of the Son of Man. 23 (B) Long ago your own people did these same things to the prophets. So when this happens to you, be happy and jump for joy! You will have a great reward in heaven.
24 But you rich people
are in for trouble.
You have already had
an easy life!
25 You well-fed people
are in for trouble.
You will go hungry!
You people
who are laughing now
are in for trouble.
You are going to cry
and weep!
26 You are in for trouble when everyone says good things about you. That is what your own people said about those prophets who told lies.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.