Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 75[a]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm of Asaph. A song.
1 We praise you, God,
we praise you, for your Name is near;(A)
people tell of your wonderful deeds.(B)
2 You say, “I choose the appointed time;(C)
it is I who judge with equity.(D)
3 When the earth and all its people quake,(E)
it is I who hold its pillars(F) firm.[b]
4 To the arrogant(G) I say, ‘Boast no more,’(H)
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.[c](I)
5 Do not lift your horns against heaven;
do not speak so defiantly.(J)’”
6 No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt themselves.
7 It is God who judges:(K)
He brings one down, he exalts another.(L)
8 In the hand of the Lord is a cup
full of foaming wine mixed(M) with spices;
he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth
drink it down to its very dregs.(N)
9 As for me, I will declare(O) this forever;
I will sing(P) praise to the God of Jacob,(Q)
10 who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”(R)
Psalm 76[d]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.
1 God is renowned in Judah;
in Israel his name is great.(S)
2 His tent is in Salem,(T)
his dwelling place in Zion.(U)
3 There he broke the flashing arrows,(V)
the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.[e](W)
4 You are radiant with light,(X)
more majestic than mountains rich with game.
5 The valiant(Y) lie plundered,
they sleep their last sleep;(Z)
not one of the warriors
can lift his hands.
6 At your rebuke,(AA) God of Jacob,
both horse and chariot(AB) lie still.
7 It is you alone who are to be feared.(AC)
Who can stand(AD) before you when you are angry?(AE)
8 From heaven you pronounced judgment,
and the land feared(AF) and was quiet—
9 when you, God, rose up to judge,(AG)
to save all the afflicted(AH) of the land.
10 Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,(AI)
and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.[f]
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd,(A) I lack nothing.(B)
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,(C)
3 he refreshes my soul.(D)
He guides me(E) along the right paths(F)
for his name’s sake.(G)
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a](H)
I will fear no evil,(I)
for you are with me;(J)
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
Psalm 27
Of David.
1 The Lord is my light(A) and my salvation(B)—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold(C) of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?(D)
2 When the wicked advance against me
to devour[a] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.(E)
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;(F)
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.(G)
4 One thing(H) I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,(I)
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble(J)
he will keep me safe(K) in his dwelling;
he will hide me(L) in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.(M)
6 Then my head will be exalted(N)
above the enemies who surround me;(O)
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice(P) with shouts of joy;(Q)
I will sing(R) and make music(S) to the Lord.
7 Hear my voice(T) when I call, Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.(U)
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!(V)”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face(W) from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;(X)
you have been my helper.(Y)
Do not reject me or forsake(Z) me,
God my Savior.(AA)
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way,(AB) Lord;
lead me in a straight path(AC)
because of my oppressors.(AD)
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses(AE) rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
19 “Kings came(A), they fought,
the kings of Canaan fought.
At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo,(B)
they took no plunder of silver.(C)
20 From the heavens(D) the stars fought,
from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 The river Kishon(E) swept them away,
the age-old river, the river Kishon.
March on, my soul; be strong!(F)
22 Then thundered the horses’ hooves—
galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.(G)
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord.
‘Curse its people bitterly,
because they did not come to help the Lord,
to help the Lord against the mighty.’
24 “Most blessed of women(H) be Jael,(I)
the wife of Heber the Kenite,(J)
most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk;(K)
in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
26 Her hand reached for the tent peg,
her right hand for the workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,
she shattered and pierced his temple.(L)
27 At her feet he sank,
he fell; there he lay.
At her feet he sank, he fell;
where he sank, there he fell—dead(M).
28 “Through the window(N) peered Sisera’s mother;
behind the lattice she cried out,(O)
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’
29 The wisest of her ladies answer her;
indeed, she keeps saying to herself,
30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoils:(P)
a woman or two for each man,
colorful garments as plunder for Sisera,
colorful garments embroidered,
highly embroidered garments(Q) for my neck—
all this as plunder?(R)’
31 “So may all your enemies perish,(S) Lord!
But may all who love you be like the sun(T)
when it rises in its strength.”(U)
Then the land had peace(V) forty years.
22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth(A) was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs,(B) which God did among you through him,(C) as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge;(D) and you, with the help of wicked men,[a] put him to death by nailing him to the cross.(E) 24 But God raised him from the dead,(F) freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.(G) 25 David said about him:
“‘I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.(H)
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’[b](I)
29 “Fellow Israelites,(J) I can tell you confidently that the patriarch(K) David died and was buried,(L) and his tomb is here(M) to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.(N) 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.(O) 32 God has raised this Jesus to life,(P) and we are all witnesses(Q) of it. 33 Exalted(R) to the right hand of God,(S) he has received from the Father(T) the promised Holy Spirit(U) and has poured out(V) what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
35 until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”’[c](W)
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord(X) and Messiah.”(Y)
The Guards’ Report
11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards(A) went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away(B) while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor,(C) we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.(D) 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.(E) 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,(F) baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,(G) 20 and teaching(H) them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you(I) always, to the very end of the age.”(J)
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