Book of Common Prayer
For the director of music. A song. A psalm.
66 Shout to God for joy, everyone on earth!
2 Sing about the glory of his name!
Give him glorious praise!
3 Say to God, “What wonderful things you do!
Your power is so great
that your enemies bow down to you in fear.
4 Everyone on earth bows down to you.
They sing praise to you.
They sing the praises of your name.”
5 Come and see what God has done.
See what wonderful things he has done for people!
6 He turned the Red Sea into dry land.
The people of Israel passed through the waters on foot.
Come, let us be full of joy because of what he did.
7 He rules by his power forever.
His eyes watch the nations.
Let no one who refuses to obey him rise up against him.
8 Praise our God, all you nations.
Let the sound of the praise you give him be heard.
9 He has kept us alive.
He has kept our feet from slipping.
10 God, you have tested us.
You put us through fire to make us like silver.
11 You put us in prison.
You placed heavy loads on our backs.
12 You let our enemies ride their chariots over our heads.
We went through fire and water.
But you brought us to a place
where we have everything we need.
13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings.
I will keep my promises to you.
14 I made them with my lips.
My mouth spoke them when I was in trouble.
15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you as burnt offerings.
I will offer rams, bulls and goats to you.
16 Come and hear, all you who have respect for God.
Let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth.
I praised him with my tongue.
18 If I had enjoyed having sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
19 But God has surely listened.
He has heard my prayer.
20 Give praise to God.
He has accepted my prayer.
He has not held back his love from me.
For the director of music. A psalm. A song to be played on stringed instruments.
67 God, have mercy on us and bless us.
May you be pleased with us.
2 Then your ways will be known on earth.
All nations will see that you have the power to save.
3 God, may the nations praise you.
May all the people on earth praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy.
You rule the people of the earth fairly.
You guide the nations of the earth.
5 God, may the nations praise you.
May all the people on earth praise you.
6 The land produces its crops.
God, our God, blesses us.
7 May God continue to bless us.
Then people from one end of the earth to the other
will have respect for him.
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
19 The heavens tell about the glory of God.
The skies show that his hands created them.
2 Day after day they speak about it.
Night after night they make it known.
3 But they don’t speak or use words.
No sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into the whole earth.
Their words go out from one end of the world to the other.
God has set up a tent in the heavens for the sun.
5 The sun is like a groom leaving the room of his wedding night.
The sun is like a great runner who takes delight in running a race.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens.
Then it moves across to the other end.
Everything enjoys its warmth.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect.
It gives us new strength.
The laws of the Lord can be trusted.
They make childish people wise.
8 The rules of the Lord are right.
They give joy to our hearts.
The commands of the Lord shine brightly.
They give light to our minds.
9 The law that brings respect for the Lord is pure.
It lasts forever.
The commands the Lord gives are true.
All of them are completely right.
10 They are more priceless than gold.
They have greater value than huge amounts of pure gold.
They are sweeter than honey
that is taken from the honeycomb.
11 Your servant is warned by them.
When people obey them, they are greatly rewarded.
12 But who can know their own mistakes?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Also keep me from the sins I want to commit.
May they not be my master.
Then I will be without blame.
I will not be guilty of any great sin against your law.
14 Lord, may these words of my mouth please you.
And may these thoughts of my heart please you also.
You are my Rock and my Redeemer.
For the director of music. A song of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.
46 God is our place of safety. He gives us strength.
He is always there to help us in times of trouble.
2 The earth may fall apart.
The mountains may fall into the middle of the sea.
But we will not be afraid.
3 The waters of the sea may roar and foam.
The mountains may shake when the waters rise.
But we will not be afraid.
4 God’s blessings are like a river. They fill the city of God with joy.
That city is the holy place where the Most High God lives.
5 Because God is there, the city will not fall.
God will help it at the beginning of the day.
6 Nations are in disorder. Kingdoms fall.
God speaks, and the people of the earth melt in fear.
7 The Lord who rules over all is with us.
The God of Jacob is like a fort to us.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done.
See the places he has destroyed on the earth.
9 He makes wars stop from one end of the earth to the other.
He breaks every bow. He snaps every spear.
He burns every shield with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be honored among the nations.
I will be honored in the earth.”
11 The Lord who rules over all is with us.
The God of Jacob is like a fort to us.
The Lord Has Appointed Ezekiel to Warn Israel
16 After seven days, a message from the Lord came to me. 17 The Lord said, “Son of man, I have appointed you as a prophet to warn the people of Israel. So listen to my message. Give them a warning from me. 18 Suppose I say to a sinful person, ‘You can be sure you will die.’ And you do not warn them. You do not try to get them to change their evil ways in order to save their life. Then that sinful person will die because they have sinned. And I will hold you responsible for their death. 19 But suppose you do warn that sinful person. And they do not turn away from their sin or their evil ways. Then they will die because they have sinned. But you will have saved yourself.
20 “Or suppose a godly person turns away from their godliness and does what is evil. And suppose I put something in their way that will trip them up. Then they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The godly things that person did will not be remembered. And I will hold you responsible for their death. 21 But suppose you do warn a godly person not to sin. And they do not sin. Then you can be sure that they will live because they listened to your warning. And you will have saved yourself.”
22 The power of the Lord was on me. He said, “Get up. Go out to the plain. I will speak to you there.” 23 So I got up and went out to the plain. The glory of the Lord was standing there. It was just like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River. So I fell with my face toward the ground.
24 Then the Spirit of the Lord came into me. He raised me to my feet. He said to me, “Go, son of man. Shut yourself inside your house. 25 Some people will tie you up with ropes. So you will not be able to go out among your people. 26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth. Then you will be silent. You will not be able to correct them. That’s because they always refuse to obey me. 27 But later I will speak to you. I will open your mouth. Then you will tell them, ‘Here is what the Lord and King says.’ Those who listen will listen. And those who refuse to listen will refuse. They always refuse to obey me.
God Has Given Us New Life Through Christ
2 You were living in your sins and lawless ways. But in fact you were dead. 2 You used to live as sinners when you followed the ways of this world. You served the one who rules over the spiritual forces of evil. He is the spirit who is now at work in those who don’t obey God. 3 At one time we all lived among them. Our desires were controlled by sin. We tried to satisfy what they wanted us to do. We followed our desires and thoughts. God was angry with us like he was with everyone else. That’s because of the kind of people we all were. 4 But God loves us deeply. He is full of mercy. 5 So he gave us new life because of what Christ has done. He gave us life even when we were dead in sin. God’s grace has saved you. 6 God raised us up with Christ. He has seated us with him in his heavenly kingdom. That’s because we belong to Christ Jesus. 7 He has done it to show the riches of his grace for all time to come. His grace can’t be compared with anything else. He has shown it by being kind to us. He was kind to us because of what Christ Jesus has done. 8 God’s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn’t come from anything you do. It is God’s gift. 9 It is not based on anything you have done. No one can brag about earning it. 10 We are God’s creation. He created us to belong to Christ Jesus. Now we can do good works. Long ago God prepared these works for us to do.
24 “The student is not better than the teacher. A slave is not better than his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers. And it is enough for slaves to be like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, what can the others who live there expect?
26 “So don’t be afraid of your enemies. Everything that is secret will be brought out into the open. Everything that is hidden will be uncovered. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight. What is whispered in your ear, shout from the rooftops. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for only a penny? But not one of them falls to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 He even counts every hair on your head! 31 So don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.
32 “What if someone says in front of others that they know me? I will also say in front of my Father who is in heaven that I know them. 33 But what if someone says in front of others that they don’t know me? I will say in front of my Father who is in heaven that I don’t know them.
40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me. And anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Suppose someone welcomes a prophet as a prophet. They will receive a prophet’s reward. And suppose someone welcomes a godly person as a godly person. They will receive a godly person’s reward. 42 Suppose someone gives even a cup of cold water to a little one who follows me. What I’m about to tell you is true. That person will certainly be rewarded.”
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.