Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 106(A)
2 Who can proclaim the mighty acts(E) of the Lord
or fully declare his praise?
3 Blessed are those who act justly,(F)
who always do what is right.(G)
4 Remember me,(H) Lord, when you show favor(I) to your people,
come to my aid(J) when you save them,
5 that I may enjoy the prosperity(K) of your chosen ones,(L)
that I may share in the joy(M) of your nation
and join your inheritance(N) in giving praise.
6 We have sinned,(O) even as our ancestors(P) did;
we have done wrong and acted wickedly.(Q)
7 When our ancestors were in Egypt,
they gave no thought(R) to your miracles;
they did not remember(S) your many kindnesses,
and they rebelled by the sea,(T) the Red Sea.[b]
8 Yet he saved them(U) for his name’s sake,(V)
to make his mighty power(W) known.
9 He rebuked(X) the Red Sea, and it dried up;(Y)
he led them through(Z) the depths as through a desert.
10 He saved them(AA) from the hand of the foe;(AB)
from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.(AC)
11 The waters covered(AD) their adversaries;
not one of them survived.
12 Then they believed his promises
and sang his praise.(AE)
13 But they soon forgot(AF) what he had done
and did not wait for his plan to unfold.(AG)
14 In the desert(AH) they gave in to their craving;
in the wilderness(AI) they put God to the test.(AJ)
15 So he gave them(AK) what they asked for,
but sent a wasting disease(AL) among them.
16 In the camp they grew envious(AM) of Moses
and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the Lord.
17 The earth opened(AN) up and swallowed Dathan;(AO)
it buried the company of Abiram.(AP)
18 Fire blazed(AQ) among their followers;
a flame consumed the wicked.
19 At Horeb they made a calf(AR)
and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
20 They exchanged their glorious God(AS)
for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
21 They forgot the God(AT) who saved them,
who had done great things(AU) in Egypt,
22 miracles in the land of Ham(AV)
and awesome deeds(AW) by the Red Sea.
23 So he said he would destroy(AX) them—
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach(AY) before him
to keep his wrath from destroying them.
24 Then they despised(AZ) the pleasant land;(BA)
they did not believe(BB) his promise.
25 They grumbled(BC) in their tents
and did not obey the Lord.
26 So he swore(BD) to them with uplifted hand
that he would make them fall in the wilderness,(BE)
27 make their descendants fall among the nations
and scatter(BF) them throughout the lands.
28 They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor(BG)
and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
29 they aroused the Lord’s anger(BH) by their wicked deeds,(BI)
and a plague(BJ) broke out among them.
30 But Phinehas(BK) stood up and intervened,
and the plague was checked.(BL)
31 This was credited to him(BM) as righteousness
for endless generations(BN) to come.
32 By the waters of Meribah(BO) they angered the Lord,
and trouble came to Moses because of them;
33 for they rebelled(BP) against the Spirit(BQ) of God,
and rash words came from Moses’ lips.[c](BR)
34 They did not destroy(BS) the peoples
as the Lord had commanded(BT) them,
35 but they mingled(BU) with the nations
and adopted their customs.
36 They worshiped their idols,(BV)
which became a snare(BW) to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons(BX)
and their daughters to false gods.(BY)
38 They shed innocent blood,
the blood of their sons(BZ) and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was desecrated by their blood.
39 They defiled themselves(CA) by what they did;
by their deeds they prostituted(CB) themselves.
40 Therefore the Lord was angry(CC) with his people
and abhorred his inheritance.(CD)
41 He gave them into the hands(CE) of the nations,
and their foes ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed(CF) them
and subjected them to their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,(CG)
but they were bent on rebellion(CH)
and they wasted away in their sin.
44 Yet he took note of their distress
when he heard their cry;(CI)
45 for their sake he remembered his covenant(CJ)
and out of his great love(CK) he relented.(CL)
46 He caused all who held them captive
to show them mercy.(CM)
47 Save us,(CN) Lord our God,
and gather us(CO) from the nations,
that we may give thanks(CP) to your holy name(CQ)
and glory in your praise.
48 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Let all the people say, “Amen!”(CR)
Praise the Lord.
The Lord Will Care for Judah
10 Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime;
it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms.
He gives showers of rain(A) to all people,
and plants of the field(B) to everyone.
2 The idols(C) speak deceitfully,
diviners(D) see visions that lie;
they tell dreams(E) that are false,
they give comfort in vain.(F)
Therefore the people wander like sheep
oppressed for lack of a shepherd.(G)
3 “My anger burns against the shepherds,
and I will punish the leaders;(H)
for the Lord Almighty will care
for his flock, the people of Judah,
and make them like a proud horse in battle.(I)
4 From Judah will come the cornerstone,(J)
from him the tent peg,(K)
from him the battle bow,(L)
from him every ruler.
5 Together they[a] will be like warriors in battle
trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets.(M)
They will fight because the Lord is with them,
and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame.(N)
6 “I will strengthen(O) Judah
and save the tribes of Joseph.
I will restore them
because I have compassion(P) on them.(Q)
They will be as though
I had not rejected them,
for I am the Lord their God
and I will answer(R) them.
7 The Ephraimites will become like warriors,
and their hearts will be glad as with wine.(S)
Their children will see it and be joyful;
their hearts will rejoice(T) in the Lord.
8 I will signal(U) for them
and gather them in.
Surely I will redeem them;
they will be as numerous(V) as before.
9 Though I scatter them among the peoples,
yet in distant lands they will remember me.(W)
They and their children will survive,
and they will return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt
and gather them from Assyria.(X)
I will bring them to Gilead(Y) and Lebanon,
and there will not be room(Z) enough for them.
11 They will pass through the sea of trouble;
the surging sea will be subdued
and all the depths of the Nile will dry up.(AA)
Assyria’s pride(AB) will be brought down
and Egypt’s scepter(AC) will pass away.(AD)
12 I will strengthen(AE) them in the Lord
and in his name they will live securely,(AF)”
declares the Lord.
Doing Good to All
6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit(A) should restore(B) that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.(C) 3 If anyone thinks they are something(D) when they are not, they deceive themselves.(E) 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone,(F) without comparing themselves to someone else,(G) 5 for each one should carry their own load.(H) 6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.(I)
7 Do not be deceived:(J) God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.(K) 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh,(L) from the flesh will reap destruction;(M) whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.(N) 9 Let us not become weary in doing good,(O) for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.(P) 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good(Q) to all people, especially to those who belong to the family(R) of believers.
The Little Children and Jesus(A)
15 People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child(B) will never enter it.”
The Rich and the Kingdom of God(C)
18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”(D)
19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’[a]”(E)
21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor,(F) and you will have treasure in heaven.(G) Then come, follow me.”
23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!(H) 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”
27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”(I)
28 Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”(J)
29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come(K) eternal life.”(L)
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