Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 45[a]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.[b] A wedding song.(A)
1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme
as I recite my verses for the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
2 You are the most excellent of men
and your lips have been anointed with grace,(B)
since God has blessed you forever.(C)
3 Gird your sword(D) on your side, you mighty one;(E)
clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.(F)
4 In your majesty ride forth victoriously(G)
in the cause of truth, humility and justice;(H)
let your right hand(I) achieve awesome deeds.(J)
5 Let your sharp arrows(K) pierce the hearts(L) of the king’s enemies;(M)
let the nations fall beneath your feet.
6 Your throne, O God,[c] will last for ever and ever;(N)
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness(O) and hate wickedness;(P)
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing(Q) you with the oil of joy.(R)
8 All your robes are fragrant(S) with myrrh(T) and aloes(U) and cassia;(V)
from palaces adorned with ivory(W)
the music of the strings(X) makes you glad.
9 Daughters of kings(Y) are among your honored women;
at your right hand(Z) is the royal bride(AA) in gold of Ophir.(AB)
10 Listen, daughter,(AC) and pay careful attention:(AD)
Forget your people(AE) and your father’s house.
11 Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;(AF)
honor(AG) him, for he is your lord.(AH)
12 The city of Tyre(AI) will come with a gift,[d](AJ)
people of wealth will seek your favor.
13 All glorious(AK) is the princess within her chamber;
her gown is interwoven with gold.(AL)
14 In embroidered garments(AM) she is led to the king;(AN)
her virgin companions(AO) follow her—
those brought to be with her.
15 Led in with joy and gladness,(AP)
they enter the palace of the king.
16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers;
you will make them princes(AQ) throughout the land.
Psalm 47[a]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
2 For the Lord Most High(C) is awesome,(D)
the great King(E) over all the earth.
3 He subdued(F) nations under us,
peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance(G) for us,
the pride of Jacob,(H) whom he loved.[b]
5 God has ascended(I) amid shouts of joy,(J)
the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.(K)
6 Sing praises(L) to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;(M)
sing to him a psalm(N) of praise.
8 God reigns(O) over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.(P)
9 The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings[c] of the earth belong to God;(Q)
he is greatly exalted.(R)
Psalm 48[d]
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 Great is the Lord,(S) and most worthy of praise,(T)
in the city of our God,(U) his holy mountain.(V)
2 Beautiful(W) in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon[e](X) is Mount Zion,(Y)
the city of the Great King.(Z)
3 God is in her citadels;(AA)
he has shown himself to be her fortress.(AB)
4 When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,(AC)
5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.(AD)
6 Trembling seized(AE) them there,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(AF)
7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish(AG)
shattered by an east wind.(AH)
8 As we have heard,
so we have seen
in the city of the Lord Almighty,
in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
forever.[f](AI)
9 Within your temple, O God,
we meditate(AJ) on your unfailing love.(AK)
10 Like your name,(AL) O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;(AM)
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.(AN)
12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,(AO)
13 consider well her ramparts,(AP)
view her citadels,(AQ)
that you may tell of them
to the next generation.(AR)
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide(AS) even to the end.
23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah.(A) 24 He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents[a] of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria,(B) after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill.
25 But Omri did evil(C) in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him. 26 He followed completely the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused(D) Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols.(E)
27 As for the other events of Omri’s reign, what he did and the things he achieved, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 28 Omri rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria.(F) And Ahab his son succeeded him as king.
Ahab Becomes King of Israel
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more(G) evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married(H) Jezebel daughter(I) of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal(J) and worship him. 32 He set up an altar(K) for Baal in the temple(L) of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole(M) and did more(N) to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.
34 In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun.(O)
Paul’s Chains Advance the Gospel
12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,[a] that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard[b] and to everyone else that I am in chains(A) for Christ. 14 And because of my chains,(B) most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.(C)
15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.(D) 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition,(E) not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.(F) 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers(G) and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ(H) what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.[c](I) 20 I eagerly expect(J) and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage(K) so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body,(L) whether by life or by death.(M) 21 For to me, to live is Christ(N) and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart(O) and be with Christ,(P) which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
Life Worthy of the Gospel
27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy(Q) of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm(R) in the one Spirit,[d] striving together(S) as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you(T) on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer(U) for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle(V) you saw(W) I had, and now hear(X) that I still have.
Jesus Has Risen(A)
16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices(B) so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”(C)
4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe(D) sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene,(E) who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him,(F) just as he told you.’”(G)
8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.[a]
[The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.]
9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,(H) out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.(I)
12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.(J) 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.
14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.(K)
15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.(L) 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.(M) 17 And these signs(N) will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons;(O) they will speak in new tongues;(P) 18 they will pick up snakes(Q) with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on(R) sick people, and they will get well.”
19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven(S) and he sat at the right hand of God.(T) 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs(U) that accompanied it.
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