Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 93
God’s Eternal Reign
1 The Lord reigns! He is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed, enveloped in strength.
The world is firmly established;
it cannot be shaken.(A)
2 Your throne has been established
from the beginning;[a]
you are from eternity.(B)
3 The floods have lifted up, Lord,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their pounding waves.(C)
4 Greater than the roar of a huge torrent—
the mighty breakers of the sea—
the Lord on high is majestic.(D)
Psalm 96(A)
King of the Earth
1 Sing a new song to the Lord;
let the whole earth sing to the Lord.(B)
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
proclaim his salvation from day to day.(C)
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his wondrous works among all peoples.(D)
4 For the Lord is great and is highly praised;
he is feared above all gods.(E)
5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.(F)
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.(G)
7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.(H)
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;(I)
bring an offering and enter his courts.(J)
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;(K)
let the whole earth tremble before him.(L)
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.(M)
The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.(N)
He judges the peoples fairly.”(O)
11 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and all that fills it resound.(P)
12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate.
Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy(Q)
13 before the Lord, for he is coming—
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with his faithfulness.(R)
Psalm 34
The Lord Delivers the Righteous
Concerning David, when he pretended to be insane in the presence of Abimelech,(A) who drove him out, and he departed.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.(B)
2 I will boast in the Lord;(C)
the humble will hear and be glad.(D)
3 Proclaim the Lord’s greatness with me;(E)
let us exalt his name together.(F)
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and rescued me from all my fears.(G)
5 Those who look to him are[a] radiant with joy;(H)
their faces will never be ashamed.(I)
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him from all his troubles.(J)
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and rescues them.(K)
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.(L)
How happy is the person who takes refuge in him!(M)
9 You who are his holy ones, fear the Lord,
for those who fear him lack nothing.(N)
10 Young lions[b] lack food and go hungry,(O)
but those who seek the Lord
will not lack any good thing.(P)
11 Come, children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.(Q)
12 Who is someone who desires life,
loving a long life to enjoy what is good?(R)
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from deceitful speech.(S)
14 Turn away from evil and do what is good;(T)
seek peace and pursue it.(U)
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry for help.(V)
16 The face of the Lord is set
against those who do what is evil,(W)
to remove[c] all memory of them from the earth.(X)
17 The righteous[d] cry out, and the Lord hears,
and rescues them from all their troubles.(Y)
18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he saves those crushed in spirit.(Z)
19 One who is righteous has many adversities,
but the Lord rescues him from them all.(AA)
20 He protects all his bones;
not one of them is broken.(AB)
21 Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be punished.(AC)
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants,
and all who take refuge in him will not be punished.(AD)
Hannah’s Vow
1 There was a man from Ramathaim-zophim(A) in[a] the hill country of Ephraim.(B) His name was Elkanah(C) son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives,(D) the first named Hannah(E) and the second Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless.
7 Year after year, when she went up to the Lord’s house,(A) her rival taunted her in this way. Hannah would weep and would not eat. 8 “Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband, Elkanah, would ask. “Why won’t you eat? Why are you troubled? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” (B)
9 On one occasion, Hannah got up after they ate and drank at Shiloh.[a] The priest Eli was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s temple.(C) 10 Deeply hurt, Hannah prayed to the Lord and wept with many tears.(D) 11 Making a vow,(E) she pleaded, “Lord of Armies, if you will take notice of your servant’s affliction,(F) remember and not forget me, and give your servant a son, I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and his hair will never be cut.”[b](G)
12 While she continued praying in the Lord’s presence, Eli watched her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying silently,(H) and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long are you going to be drunk?(I) Get rid of your wine!”
15 “No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman with a broken heart. I haven’t had any wine or beer; I’ve been pouring out my heart before the Lord.(J) 16 Don’t think of me as a wicked woman;(K) I’ve been praying from the depth of my anguish and resentment.”(L)
17 Eli responded, “Go in peace,(M) and may the God of Israel grant the request you’ve made of him.”(N)
18 “May your servant find favor with you,”(O) she replied. Then Hannah went on her way; she ate and no longer looked despondent.[c](P)
Samuel’s Birth and Dedication
19 The next morning Elkanah and Hannah got up early to worship before the Lord. Afterward, they returned home to Ramah.(Q) Then Elkanah was intimate with his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her.(R) 20 After some time,[d] Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,[e] because she said, “I requested him from the Lord.”
21 When Elkanah and all his household went up to make the annual sacrifice(S) and his vow offering to the Lord, 22 Hannah did not go and explained to her husband, “After the child is weaned, I’ll take him to appear in the Lord’s presence(T) and to stay there permanently.”(U)
23 Her husband, Elkanah, replied, “Do what you think is best,(V) and stay here until you’ve weaned him. May the Lord confirm your[f] word.”(W) So Hannah stayed there and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24 When she had weaned him, she took him with her to Shiloh, as well as a three-year-old bull,[g] half a bushel[h] of flour, and a clay jar of wine.(X) Though the boy was still young,[i] she took him to the Lord’s house at Shiloh.(Y) 25 Then they slaughtered the bull and brought the boy to Eli.
26 “Please, my lord,” she said, “as surely as you live,(Z) my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. 27 I prayed for this boy,(AA) and since the Lord gave me what I asked him for,(AB) 28 I now give the boy to the Lord. For as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord.”(AC) Then he[j] worshiped the Lord there.[k]
Prayer for Spiritual Growth
9 For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking(A) that you may be filled with the knowledge(B) of his will(C) in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,[a] 10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work(D) and growing in the knowledge of God,(E) 11 being strengthened(F) with all power,(G) according to his glorious(H) might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you[b] to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.(I) 13 He has rescued(J) us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom(K) of the Son(L) he loves.(M) 14 In him we have redemption,[c] the forgiveness of sins.
The Centrality of Christ
15 He is the image of the invisible God,(N)
the firstborn over all creation.(O)
16 For everything was created by him,(P)
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through him and for him.(Q)
17 He is before all things,(R)
and by him all things(S) hold together.
18 He is also the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning,(T)
the firstborn from the dead,(U)
so that he might come to have
first place in everything.
19 For God was pleased to have
all his fullness(V) dwell in him,(W)
20 and through him to reconcile
everything to himself,
whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace(X)
through his blood,(Y) shed on the cross.[d](Z)
22 And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were finished,(A) they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every firstborn male will be dedicated[a] to the Lord[b](B)) 24 and to offer a sacrifice (according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons[c](C)).
Simeon’s Prophetic Praise
25 There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout,(D) looking forward to Israel’s consolation,(E) and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit(F) that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah.(G) 27 Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon took him up in his arms, praised God, and said,
29 Now, Master,
you can dismiss your servant in peace,
as you promised.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation.(H)
31 You have prepared it
in the presence of all peoples—
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles[d](I)
and glory to your people Israel.(J)
33 His father and mother[e] were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and told his mother Mary, “Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel(K) and to be a sign that will be opposed[f]— 35 and a sword will pierce your own soul—that the thoughts[g] of many hearts may be revealed.”
Anna’s Testimony
36 There was also a prophetess,(L) Anna, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.(M) She was well along in years, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,[h](N) 37 and was a widow for eighty-four years.[i] She did not leave the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayers.(O) 38 At that very moment,[j] she came up and began to thank God and to speak about him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.[k](P)
The Family’s Return to Nazareth
39 When they had completed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.(Q) 40 The boy grew up and became strong, filled with wisdom, and God’s grace was on him.(R)
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