Book of Common Prayer
The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the Lord.
148 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
Praise the Lord (A)from the heavens;
Praise Him (B)in the heights!
2 Praise Him, (C)all His angels;
Praise Him, (D)all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all stars of light!
4 Praise Him, [c](E)highest heavens,
And the (F)waters that are above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For (G)He commanded and they were created.
6 He has also (H)established them forever and ever;
He has made a (I)decree which will not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
(J)Sea monsters and all (K)deeps;
8 (L)Fire and hail, (M)snow and (N)clouds;
(O)Stormy wind, (P)fulfilling His word;
9 (Q)Mountains and all hills;
Fruit (R)trees and all cedars;
10 (S)Beasts and all cattle;
(T)Creeping things and winged fowl;
11 (U)Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and virgins;
Old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For His (V)name alone is exalted;
His (W)glory is above earth and heaven.
14 And He has (X)lifted up a horn for His people,
(Y)Praise for all His godly ones;
Even for the sons of Israel, a people (Z)near to Him.
[d]Praise [e]the Lord!
Israel Invoked to Praise the Lord.
149 [f]Praise [g]the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a (AA)new song,
And His praise (AB)in the congregation of the godly ones.
2 Let Israel be glad in (AC)his Maker;
Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their (AD)King.
3 Let them praise His name with (AE)dancing;
Let them sing praises to Him with (AF)timbrel and lyre.
4 For the Lord (AG)takes pleasure in His people;
He will (AH)beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.
5 Let the (AI)godly ones exult in glory;
Let them (AJ)sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the (AK)high praises of God be in their [h]mouth,
And a (AL)two-edged (AM)sword in their hand,
7 To (AN)execute vengeance on the nations
And punishment on the peoples,
8 To bind their kings (AO)with chains
And their (AP)nobles with fetters of iron,
9 To (AQ)execute on them the judgment written;
This is an (AR)honor for all His godly ones.
[i]Praise [j]the Lord!
A Psalm of Praise.
150 [k]Praise [l]the Lord!
Praise God in His (AS)sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty [m](AT)expanse.
2 Praise Him for His (AU)mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent (AV)greatness.
3 Praise Him with (AW)trumpet sound;
Praise Him with (AX)harp and lyre.
4 Praise Him with (AY)timbrel and dancing;
Praise Him with (AZ)stringed instruments and (BA)pipe.
5 Praise Him with loud (BB)cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let (BC)everything that has breath praise [n]the Lord.
[o]Praise [p]the Lord!
God’s Deliverance of Israel from Egypt.
114 When Israel went forth (A)from Egypt,
The house of Jacob from a people of (B)strange language,
2 Judah became (C)His sanctuary,
Israel, (D)His dominion.
3 The (E)sea looked and fled;
The (F)Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains (G)skipped like rams,
The hills, like lambs.
5 What (H)ails you, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?
7 (I)Tremble, O earth, before the Lord,
Before the God of Jacob,
8 Who (J)turned the rock into a (K)pool of water,
The (L)flint into a fountain of water.
Heathen Idols Contrasted with the Lord.
115 (M)Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
But (N)to Your name give glory
Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your [a]truth.
2 (O)Why should the nations say,
“(P)Where, now, is their God?”
3 But our (Q)God is in the heavens;
He (R)does whatever He pleases.
4 Their (S)idols are silver and gold,
The (T)work of man’s hands.
5 They have mouths, but they (U)cannot speak;
They have eyes, but they cannot see;
6 They have ears, but they cannot hear;
They have noses, but they cannot smell;
7 [b]They have hands, but they cannot feel;
[c]They have feet, but they cannot walk;
They cannot make a sound with their throat.
8 (V)Those who make them [d]will become like them,
Everyone who trusts in them.
9 O (W)Israel, (X)trust in the Lord;
He is their (Y)help and their shield.
10 O house of (Z)Aaron, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who [e](AA)fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord (AB)has been mindful of us; He will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will (AC)bless those who [f]fear the Lord,
(AD)The small together with the great.
14 May the Lord (AE)give you increase,
You and your children.
15 May you be blessed of the Lord,
(AF)Maker of heaven and earth.
The King Acknowledges God
4 [a]Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and men of every [b]language that live in all the earth: “May your [c](A)peace abound! 2 It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the (B)Most High God has done for me.
3 “How great are His (C)signs
And how mighty are His wonders!
His (D)kingdom is an everlasting kingdom
And His dominion is from generation to generation.
The Vision of a Great Tree
4 “[d]I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and (E)flourishing in my palace. 5 I saw a (F)dream and it made me fearful; and these fantasies as I lay on my bed and the (G)visions [e]in my mind kept alarming me. 6 So I gave orders to (H)bring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then the [f](I)magicians, the conjurers, the [g]Chaldeans and the diviners came in and I related the dream [h]to them, but they could not make its (J)interpretation known to me. 8 But finally Daniel came in before me, whose name is (K)Belteshazzar according to the name of my god, and in whom is [i](L)a spirit of the holy gods; and I related the dream [j]to him, saying, 9 ‘O Belteshazzar, (M)chief of the magicians, since I know that (N)a spirit of the holy gods is in you and (O)no mystery baffles you, (P)tell me the visions of my dream which I have seen, along with its interpretation.
10 ‘Now these were the (Q)visions [k]in my mind as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a (R)tree in the midst of the [l]earth and its height was great.
11 ‘The tree grew large and became strong
And its height (S)reached to the sky,
And it was visible to the end of the whole earth.
12 ‘Its foliage was (T)beautiful and its fruit abundant,
And in it was food for all.
The (U)beasts of the field found (V)shade under it,
And the (W)birds of the sky dwelt in its branches,
And all [m]living creatures fed themselves from it.
13 ‘I was looking in the (X)visions [n]in my mind as I lay on my bed, and behold, (Y)an angelic watcher, a (Z)holy one, descended from heaven.
14 ‘He shouted out and spoke as follows:
(AA)Chop down the tree and cut off its branches,
Strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit;
Let the (AB)beasts flee from under it
And the birds from its branches.
15 “Yet (AC)leave the stump [o]with its roots in the ground,
But with a band of iron and bronze around it
In the new grass of the field;
And let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,
And let [p]him share with the beasts in the grass of the earth.
16 “Let his [q]mind be changed from that of a man
And let a beast’s [r]mind be given to him,
And let (AD)seven [s]periods of time pass over him.
17 “This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers
And the decision is a command of the holy ones,
In order that the living may (AE)know
That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind,
And (AF)bestows it on whom He wishes
And sets over it the (AG)lowliest of men.”
18 This is the dream which I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its interpretation, inasmuch as none of the (AH)wise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for a (AI)spirit of the holy gods is in you.’
7 (A)The end of all things [a]is near; therefore, (B)be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of [b]prayer. 8 Above all, (C)keep fervent in your love for one another, because (D)love covers a multitude of sins. 9 (E)Be hospitable to one another without (F)complaint. 10 (G)As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good (H)stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 (I)Whoever speaks, is to do so [c]as one who is speaking the (J)utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving [d](K)by the strength which God supplies; so that (L)in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, (M)to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
The Love Motivation
15 So when they had (A)finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you [a](B)love Me more than these?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I [b]love You.” He *said to him, “Tend (C)My lambs.” 16 He *said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you [c]love Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I [d]love You.” He *said to him, “(D)Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you [e]love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him (E)the third time, “Do you [f]love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, (F)You know all things; You know that I [g]love You.” Jesus *said to him, “(G)Tend My sheep.
Our Times Are in His Hand
18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” 19 Now this He said, (H)signifying by (I)what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He *said to him, “(J)Follow Me!”
20 Peter, turning around, *saw the (K)disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had (L)leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21 So Peter seeing him *said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” 22 Jesus *said to him, “If I want him to remain (M)until I come, what is that to you? You (N)follow Me!” 23 Therefore this saying went out among (O)the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain (P)until I come, what is that to you?”
24 This is the disciple who (Q)is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
25 And there are also (R)many other things which Jesus did, which if they *were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself *would not contain the books that *would be written.
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