Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 103[a]
By David.
103 Praise the Lord, O my soul.
With all that is within me, praise[b] his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, O my soul.
Do not forget all his kind deeds.[c]
3 He is the one who forgives all your sins,
who heals all your diseases,[d]
4 who delivers[e] your life from the Pit,[f]
who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your life with good things,[g]
so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.[h]
6 The Lord does what is fair,
and executes justice for all the oppressed.[i]
7 The Lord revealed his faithful acts[j] to Moses,
his deeds to the Israelites.
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful;
he is patient[k] and demonstrates great loyal love.[l]
9 He does not always accuse,
and does not stay angry.[m]
10 He does not deal with us as our sins deserve;[n]
he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve.[o]
11 For as the skies are high above the earth,
so his loyal love towers[p] over his faithful followers.[q]
12 As far as the eastern horizon[r] is from the west,[s]
so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions[t] from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,[u]
so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers.[v]
14 For he knows what we are made of;[w]
he realizes[x] we are made of clay.[y]
15 A person’s life is like grass.[z]
Like a flower in the field it flourishes,
16 but when the hot wind[aa] blows, it disappears,
and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew.
17 But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers,[ab]
and is faithful to their descendants,[ac]
18 to those who keep his covenant,
who are careful to obey his commands.[ad]
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven;
his kingdom extends over everything.[ae]
20 Praise the Lord, you angels of his,
you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees
and obey his orders.[af]
21 Praise the Lord, all you warriors of his,[ag]
you servants of his who carry out his desires.[ah]
22 Praise the Lord, all that he has made,[ai]
in all the regions[aj] of his kingdom.
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
Water from the Temple
47 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple. I noticed[a] that water was flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from under the right side of the temple, from south of the altar. 2 He led me out by way of the north gate and brought me around the outside of the outer gate that faces toward the east; I noticed[b] that the water was trickling out from the south side.
3 When the man went out toward the east with a measuring line in his hand, he measured 1,750 feet,[c] and then he led me through water, which was ankle deep. 4 Again he measured 1,750 feet and led me through the water, which was now knee deep. Once more he measured 1,750 feet and led me through the water, which was waist deep. 5 Again he measured 1,750 feet, and it was a river I could not cross, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed. 6 He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?”
Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I had returned, I noticed[d] a vast number of trees on the banks of the river, on both sides. 8 He said to me, “These waters go out toward the eastern region and flow down into the rift valley; when they enter the Dead Sea,[e] where the sea is stagnant,[f] the waters become fresh.[g] 9 Every living creature that swarms where the river[h] flows will live; there will be many fish, for these waters flow there. It will become fresh,[i] and everything will live where the river flows. 10 Fishermen will stand beside it; from En Gedi to En Eglaim they will spread nets. They will catch many kinds of fish, like the fish of the Great Sea.[j] 11 But its swamps and its marshes will not become fresh; they will remain salty. 12 On both sides of the river’s banks, every kind of tree will grow for food. Their leaves will not wither nor will their fruit fail, but they will bear fruit every month, because their water source flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”[k]
Explanatory Preface
1 Now[a] many have undertaken to compile an account[b] of the things[c] that have been fulfilled[d] among us, 2 like the accounts[e] passed on[f] to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word[g] from the beginning.[h] 3 So[i] it seemed good to me as well,[j] because I have followed[k] all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account[l] for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know for certain[m] the things you were taught.[n]
Psalm 67[a]
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm, a song.
67 May God show us his favor[b] and bless us.[c]
May he smile on us.[d] (Selah)
2 Then those living on earth will know what you are like;
all nations will know how you deliver your people.[e]
3 Let the nations thank you, O God.
Let all the nations thank you.[f]
4 Let foreigners[g] rejoice and celebrate.
For you execute justice among the nations,
and govern the people living on earth.[h] (Selah)
5 Let the nations thank you, O God.
Let all the nations thank you.[i]
6 The earth yields its crops.
May God, our God, bless us.
7 May God bless us.[j]
Then all the ends of the earth will give him the honor he deserves.[k]
Psalm 96[a]
96 Sing to the Lord a new song.[b]
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord. Praise his name.
Announce every day how he delivers.[c]
3 Tell the nations about his splendor.
Tell[d] all the nations about his amazing deeds.
4 For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise;
he is more awesome than all gods.[e]
5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless,[f]
but the Lord made the sky.
6 Majestic splendor emanates from him;[g]
his sanctuary is firmly established and beautiful.[h]
7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations,
ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves.[i]
Bring an offering and enter his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in holy attire.[j]
Tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
The world is established; it cannot be moved.
He judges the nations fairly.”
11 Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy.
Let the sea and everything in it shout.
12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate.
Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy
13 before the Lord, for he comes.
For he comes to judge the earth.
He judges the world fairly,[k]
and the nations in accordance with his justice.[l]
Jesus Ascends to Heaven
1 I wrote[a] the former[b] account,[c] Theophilus,[d] about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven,[e] after he had given orders[f] by[g] the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 To the same apostles[h] also, after his suffering,[i] he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. He was seen by them over a forty-day period[j] and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God.[k] 4 While he was with them,[l] he declared,[m] “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there[n] for what my[o] Father promised,[p] which you heard about from me.[q] 5 For[r] John baptized with water, but you[s] will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6 So when they had gathered together, they began to ask him,[t] “Lord, is this the time when you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He told them, “You are not permitted to know[u] the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts[v] of the earth.”
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