Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 118
Thanksgiving for Victory
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.(A)
2 Let Israel say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”(B)
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”(C)
4 Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”(D)
5 I called to the Lord in distress;(E)
the Lord answered me
and put me in a spacious place.[a](F)
6 The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?(G)
7 The Lord is my helper;
therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me.(H)
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in humanity.(I)
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in nobles.(J)
10 All the nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.(K)
11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.(L)
12 They surrounded me like bees;(M)
they were extinguished like a fire among thorns;
in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.(N)
13 They[b] pushed me hard to make me fall,
but the Lord helped me.(O)
14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.(P)
15 There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!(Q)
16 The Lord’s right hand is raised.
The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!” (R)
17 I will not die, but I will live
and proclaim what the Lord has done.(S)
18 The Lord disciplined me severely
but did not give me over to death.(T)
19 Open the gates of righteousness for me;
I will enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.(U)
20 This is the Lord’s gate;
the righteous will enter through it.(V)
21 I will give thanks to you
because you have answered me
and have become my salvation.(W)
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.(X)
23 This came from the Lord;
it is wondrous in our sight.(Y)
24 This is the day the Lord has made;
let’s rejoice and be glad in it.(Z)
25 Lord, save us!
Lord, please grant us success!(AA)
26 He who comes in the name
of the Lord is blessed.(AB)
From the house of the Lord we bless you.(AC)
27 The Lord is God and has given us light.
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords
to the horns of the altar.(AD)
28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks.
You are my God; I will exalt you.(AE)
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.(AF)
Psalm 145
Praising God’s Greatness
A hymn of David.
1 I[a] exalt you, my God the King,
and bless your name forever and ever.(A)
2 I will bless you every day;
I will praise your name forever and ever.(B)
3 The Lord is great and is highly praised;(C)
his greatness is unsearchable.(D)
4 One generation will declare your works to the next
and will proclaim your mighty acts.(E)
5 I[b] will speak of your splendor and glorious majesty
and[c] your wondrous works.(F)
6 They will proclaim the power of your awe-inspiring acts,
and I will declare your greatness.[d](G)
7 They will give a testimony of your great goodness
and will joyfully sing of your righteousness.(H)
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and great in faithful love.(I)
9 The Lord is good to everyone;(J)
his compassion rests on all he has made.(K)
10 All you have made will thank you, Lord;
the[e] faithful will bless you.(L)
11 They will speak of the glory of your kingdom
and will declare your might,(M)
12 informing all people of your mighty acts
and of the glorious splendor of your[f] kingdom.(N)
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule is for all generations.(O)
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and gracious in all his actions.[g](P)
14 The Lord helps all who fall;
he raises up all who are oppressed.[h](Q)
15 All eyes look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.(R)
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.(S)
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all his acts.(T)
18 The Lord is near all who call out to him,
all who call out to him with integrity.(U)
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry for help and saves them.(V)
20 The Lord guards all those who love him,
but he destroys all the wicked.(W)
21 My mouth will declare the Lord’s praise;
let every living thing
bless his holy name forever and ever.(X)
17 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will set out in pursuit of David tonight. 2 I will attack him while he is weary and discouraged,[a] throw him into a panic, and all the people with him will scatter. I will strike down only the king(A) 3 and bring all the people back to you. When everyone returns except the man you’re looking for, all[b] the people will be at peace.” 4 This proposal seemed right to Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
5 Then Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Archite also. Let’s hear what he has to say as well.”
6 So Hushai came to Absalom, and Absalom told him, “Ahithophel offered this proposal. Should we carry out his proposal? If not, what do you say?”
7 Hushai replied to Absalom, “The advice Ahithophel has given this time is not good.” 8 Hushai continued, “You know your father and his men. They are warriors and are desperate like a wild bear robbed of her cubs.(B) Your father is an experienced soldier who won’t spend the night with the people. 9 He’s probably already hiding in one of the caves[c] or some other place. If some of our troops fall[d] first, someone is sure to hear and say, ‘There’s been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’ 10 Then, even a brave man with the heart of a lion(C) will lose heart[e] because all Israel knows that your father and the valiant men with him are warriors. 11 Instead, I advise that all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba—as numerous as the sand by the sea(D)—be gathered to you and that you personally go into battle. 12 Then we will attack David wherever we find him, and we will descend on him like dew on the ground. Not even one will be left—neither he nor any of the men with him. 13 If he retreats to some city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag its stones[f] into the valley until not even a pebble can be found there.” 14 Since the Lord had decreed(E) that Ahithophel’s good advice be undermined(F) in order to bring about Absalom’s ruin, Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than Ahithophel’s advice.”
David Informed of Absalom’s Plans
15 Hushai then told the priests Zadok and Abiathar, “This is what[g] Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what[h] I advised. 16 Now send someone quickly and tell David, ‘Don’t spend the night at the wilderness ford,[i] but be sure to cross over the Jordan,[j](G) or the king and all the people with him will be devoured.’”
17 Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, where a servant girl would come and pass along information to them. They in turn would go and inform King David, because they dared not be seen entering the city. 18 However, a young man did see them and informed Absalom. So the two left quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it. 19 Then his wife took the cover, placed it over the mouth of the well, and scattered grain on it so nobody would know anything.
20 Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”
“They passed by toward the water,”[k] the woman replied to them. The men searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.
21 After they had gone, Ahimaaz and Jonathan climbed out of the well and went and informed King David. They told him, “Get up and immediately ford the river, for Ahithophel has given this advice against you.” 22 So David and all the people with him got up and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, there was no one who had not crossed the Jordan.
23 When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He set his house in order and hanged himself.(H) So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.
6 just like Abraham who believed God,(A) and it was credited to him for righteousness?[a](B)
7 You know, then, that those who have faith, these are Abraham’s sons.(C) 8 Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and proclaimed the gospel ahead of time to Abraham,(D) saying, All the nations[b] will be blessed through you.[c](E) 9 Consequently, those who have faith are blessed with Abraham,(F) who had faith.[d]
Law and Promise
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse,(G) because it is written,(H) Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed.[e](I) 11 Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live(J) by faith.[f](K) 12 But the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them.[g](L) 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,(M) because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.[h](N) 14 The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.(O)
30 “I can do nothing on my own. I judge only as I hear, and my judgment(A) is just,(B) because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me.(C)
Witnesses to Jesus
31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies about me, and I know that the testimony he gives about me is true.(D) 33 You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth.(E) 34 I don’t receive human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 John[a](F) was a burning and shining lamp,(G) and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.(H)
36 “But I have a greater testimony than John’s because of the works that the Father has given me to accomplish.(I) These very works I am doing testify about me that the Father has sent(J) me. 37 The Father who sent me has himself testified(K) about me. You have not heard his voice at any time, and you haven’t seen his form.(L) 38 You don’t have his word residing in you, because you don’t believe the one he sent. 39 You pore over the Scriptures(M) because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me.(N) 40 But you are not willing(O) to come to me(P) so that you may have life.
41 “I do not accept glory(Q) from people, 42 but I know you—that you have no love for God(R) within you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name,(S) and yet you don’t accept me.(T) If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe, since you accept glory from one another but don’t seek the glory that comes from the only(U) God?(V) 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. Your accuser is Moses,(W) on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. 47 But if you don’t believe what he wrote,(X) how will you believe my words?”(Y)
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