Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 118
2 Let Israel say:(D)
“His love endures forever.”(E)
3 Let the house of Aaron say:(F)
“His love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord(G) say:
“His love endures forever.”
5 When hard pressed,(H) I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.(I)
6 The Lord is with me;(J) I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?(K)
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.(L)
I look in triumph on my enemies.(M)
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord(N)
than to trust in humans.(O)
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.(P)
10 All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.(Q)
11 They surrounded me(R) on every side,(S)
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
12 They swarmed around me like bees,(T)
but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;(U)
in the name of the Lord I cut them down.(V)
13 I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the Lord helped me.(W)
14 The Lord is my strength(X) and my defense[a];
he has become my salvation.(Y)
15 Shouts of joy(Z) and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand(AA) has done mighty things!(AB)
16 The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
17 I will not die(AC) but live,
and will proclaim(AD) what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord has chastened(AE) me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.(AF)
19 Open for me the gates(AG) of the righteous;
I will enter(AH) and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord(AI)
through which the righteous may enter.(AJ)
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;(AK)
you have become my salvation.(AL)
22 The stone(AM) the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;(AN)
23 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous(AO) in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.(AP)
25 Lord, save us!(AQ)
Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes(AR) in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.[b](AS)
27 The Lord is God,(AT)
and he has made his light shine(AU) on us.
With boughs in hand,(AV) join in the festal procession
up[c] to the horns of the altar.(AW)
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Psalm 145[a]
A psalm of praise. Of David.
1 I will exalt you,(A) my God the King;(B)
I will praise your name(C) for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise(D) you
and extol your name(E) for ever and ever.
3 Great(F) is the Lord and most worthy of praise;(G)
his greatness no one can fathom.(H)
4 One generation(I) commends your works to another;
they tell(J) of your mighty acts.(K)
5 They speak of the glorious splendor(L) of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b](M)
6 They tell(N) of the power of your awesome works—(O)
and I will proclaim(P) your great deeds.(Q)
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness(R)
and joyfully sing(S) of your righteousness.(T)
9 The Lord is good(W) to all;
he has compassion(X) on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you,(Y) Lord;
your faithful people extol(Z) you.(AA)
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom(AB)
and speak of your might,(AC)
12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts(AD)
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.(AE)
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,(AF)
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy(AG) in all he promises(AH)
and faithful in all he does.[c]
14 The Lord upholds(AI) all who fall
and lifts up all(AJ) who are bowed down.(AK)
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food(AL) at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires(AM) of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous(AN) in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.(AO)
18 The Lord is near(AP) to all who call on him,(AQ)
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires(AR) of those who fear him;(AS)
he hears their cry(AT) and saves them.(AU)
20 The Lord watches over(AV) all who love him,(AW)
but all the wicked he will destroy.(AX)
16 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Do not listen(A) to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions(B) from their own minds,
not from the mouth(C) of the Lord.
17 They keep saying(D) to those who despise me,
‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’(E)
And to all who follow the stubbornness(F) of their hearts
they say, ‘No harm(G) will come to you.’
18 But which of them has stood in the council(H) of the Lord
to see or to hear his word?
Who has listened and heard his word?
19 See, the storm(I) of the Lord
will burst out in wrath,
a whirlwind(J) swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
20 The anger(K) of the Lord will not turn back(L)
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand it clearly.
21 I did not send(M) these prophets,
yet they have run with their message;
I did not speak to them,
yet they have prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my council,(N)
they would have proclaimed(O) my words to my people
and would have turned(P) them from their evil ways
and from their evil deeds.(Q)
23 “Am I only a God nearby,(R)”
declares the Lord,
“and not a God far away?
24 Who can hide(S) in secret places
so that I cannot see them?”
declares the Lord.
“Do not I fill heaven and earth?”(T)
declares the Lord.
25 “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies(U) in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream!(V) I had a dream!’ 26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions(W) of their own minds?(X) 27 They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget(Y) my name, just as their ancestors forgot(Z) my name through Baal worship.(AA) 28 Let the prophet who has a dream(AB) recount the dream, but let the one who has my word(AC) speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. 29 “Is not my word like fire,”(AD) declares the Lord, “and like a hammer(AE) that breaks a rock in pieces?
30 “Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against(AF) the prophets(AG) who steal from one another words supposedly from me. 31 Yes,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.’(AH) 32 Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,(AI)” declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray(AJ) with their reckless lies,(AK) yet I did not send(AL) or appoint them. They do not benefit(AM) these people in the least,” declares the Lord.
Paul’s Use of His Freedom
19 Though I am free(A) and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone,(B) to win as many as possible.(C) 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.(D) To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law),(E) so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law(F) (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law),(G) so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.(H) I have become all things to all people(I) so that by all possible means I might save some.(J) 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
The Need for Self-Discipline
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?(K) Run(L) in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown(M) that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.(N) 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly;(O) I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.(P) 27 No, I strike a blow to my body(Q) and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.(R)
Jesus Predicts His Death(A)
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man(B) must suffer many things(C) and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,(D) and that he must be killed(E) and after three days(F) rise again.(G) 32 He spoke plainly(H) about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!”(I) he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
The Way of the Cross
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.(J) 35 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.(K) 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man(L) will be ashamed of them(M) when he comes(N) in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
9 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come(O) with power.”(P)
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