Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 20
Deliverance in Battle
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.
1 May Yahweh answer you in a day of trouble;(A)
may the name of Jacob’s God protect you.(B)
2 May He send you help from the sanctuary
and sustain you from Zion.(C)
3 May He remember all your offerings
and accept your burnt offering.(D)
4 May He give you what your heart desires(E)
and fulfill your whole purpose.(F)
5 Let us shout for joy at your victory(G)
and lift the banner in the name of our God.(H)
May Yahweh fulfill all your requests.(I)
6 Now I know that the Lord gives victory to His anointed;(J)
He will answer him from His holy heaven
with mighty victories from[a] His right hand.(K)
7 Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses,
but we take pride in the name of Yahweh our God.(L)
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand firm.(M)
9 Lord, give victory to the king!(N)
May He[b] answer us on the day that we call.
Psalm 21
The King’s Victory
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.
1 Lord, the king finds joy in Your strength.
How greatly he rejoices in Your victory!(O)
2 You have given him his heart’s desire(P)
and have not denied the request of his lips.(Q)
3 For You meet him with rich blessings;
You place a crown of pure gold on his head.(R)
4 He asked You for life, and You gave it to him—
length of days forever and ever.(S)
5 His glory is great through Your victory;
You confer majesty and splendor on him.(T)
6 You give him blessings forever;(U)
You cheer him with joy in Your presence.(V)
7 For the king relies on the Lord;
through the faithful love of the Most High
he is not shaken.(W)
8 Your hand will capture all your enemies;
your right hand will seize those who hate you.(X)
9 You will make them burn
like a fiery furnace when you appear;
the Lord will engulf them in His wrath,
and fire will devour them.(Y)
10 You will wipe their descendants from the earth
and their offspring from the human race.(Z)
11 Though they intend to harm[c] you
and devise a wicked plan, they will not prevail.(AA)
12 Instead, you will put them to flight
when you aim your bow[d] at their faces.(AB)
13 Be exalted, Lord, in Your strength;
we will sing and praise Your might.(AC)
Psalm 110
The Priestly King
A Davidic psalm.
1 This is the declaration of the Lord
to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand
until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”(A)
2 The Lord will extend Your mighty scepter from Zion.
Rule[a] over Your surrounding[b] enemies.(B)
3 Your people will volunteer
on Your day of battle.[c](C)
In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn,
the dew of Your youth belongs to You.[d](D)
4 The Lord has sworn an oath and will not take it back:
“Forever, You are a priest
like Melchizedek.”(E)
Psalm 116
Thanks to God for Deliverance
1 I love the Lord because He has heard
my appeal for mercy.(A)
2 Because He has turned His ear to me,
I will call out to Him as long as I live.(B)
3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me,
and the torments of Sheol overcame me;
I encountered trouble and sorrow.(C)
4 Then I called on the name of Yahweh:
“Yahweh, save me!”(D)
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is compassionate.(E)
6 The Lord guards the inexperienced;
I was helpless, and He saved me.(F)
7 Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.(G)
8 For You, Lord, rescued me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.(H)
9 I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.(I)
10 I believed, even when I said,
“I am severely afflicted.”(J)
11 In my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”(K)
12 How can I repay the Lord
for all the good He has done for me?(L)
13 I will take the cup of salvation
and call on the name of Yahweh.(M)
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all His people.(N)
15 The death of His faithful ones
is valuable in the Lord’s sight.(O)
16 Lord, I am indeed Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your female servant.
You have loosened my bonds.(P)
17 I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of Yahweh.(Q)
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all His people,(R)
19 in the courts of the Lord’s house—
within you, Jerusalem.(S)
Hallelujah!
Psalm 117
Universal Call to Praise
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage,(A) and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times more than was customary, 20 and he commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 So these men, in their trousers, robes, head coverings,[a] and other clothes, were tied up and thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. 22 Since the king’s command was so urgent[b](B) and the furnace extremely hot, the raging flames[c] killed those men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego up. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.
Delivered from the Fire
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm.(C) He said to his advisers, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?”
“Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” they replied to the king.
25 He exclaimed, “Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed;(D) and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”[d](E)
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and called: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God—come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire.(F) 27 When the satraps, prefects, governors, and the king’s advisers gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect(G) on[e] the bodies of these men: not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent His angel[f](H) and rescued His servants who trusted in Him.(I) They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.(J) 29 Therefore I issue a decree(K) that anyone of any people, nation, or language who says anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn limb from limb and his house made a garbage dump.(L) For there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.” 30 Then the king rewarded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.(M)
11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, 12 unlike Cain,(A) who was of the evil one(B) and murdered[a] his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates(C) you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.(D) 15 Everyone who hates his brother(E) is a murderer,(F) and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
Love in Action
16 This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life(G) for us.(H) We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.(I) 17 If anyone has this world’s goods(J) and sees his brother in need(K) but closes his eyes(L) to his need—how can God’s love reside in him?(M)
18 Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action.(N)
The Temptation of Jesus
4 Then Jesus(A) returned from the Jordan,(B) full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for 40 days to be tempted by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over,[a] He was hungry. 3 The Devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered him, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone.”[b](C)[c]
5 So he took Him up[d] and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 The Devil said to Him, “I will give You their splendor and all this authority, because it has been given over to me,(D) and I can give it to anyone I want. 7 If You, then, will worship me,[e] all will be Yours.”
8 And Jesus answered him,[f] “It is written:
9 So he took Him to Jerusalem, had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
He will give His angels orders concerning you,
to protect you,(F)[h] 11 and
they will support you with their hands,
so that you will not strike
your foot against a stone.”(G)[i]
12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said: Do not test the Lord your God.”(H)[j]
13 After the Devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him for a time.
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