1 Immortal Love for ever full, for ever flowing free,
for ever shared, for ever whole, a never-ebbing sea.
—-
2 Our outward lips confess the name all other names above;
love only knoweth whence it came and comprehendeth love.
—-
3 We may not climb the heavenly steeps to bring the Lord Christ down; in vain we search the lowest deeps, for him no depths can drown:
—-
4 But warm, sweet, tender, even yet a present help is he; and faith has still its Olivet, and love its Galilee.
—-
7 Alone, O Love ineffable, thy saving name is given;
to turn aside from thee is hell, to walk with thee is heaven
for ever shared, for ever whole, a never-ebbing sea.
—-
2 Our outward lips confess the name all other names above;
love only knoweth whence it came and comprehendeth love.
—-
3 We may not climb the heavenly steeps to bring the Lord Christ down; in vain we search the lowest deeps, for him no depths can drown:
—-
4 But warm, sweet, tender, even yet a present help is he; and faith has still its Olivet, and love its Galilee.
—-
7 Alone, O Love ineffable, thy saving name is given;
to turn aside from thee is hell, to walk with thee is heaven
Sunday, 28 April 2024
The Fifth Sunday of Easter
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Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
In your resurrection, O Christ,
let heaven and earth rejoice. Alleluia.
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and for ever.
Amen.
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Morning 24 mins reading
1 Kings 2 nrsv (46) 2 readers
David’s Instruction to Solomon
2 When David’s time to die drew near, he charged his son Solomon, saying: 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, be courageous, 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn. 4 Then the Lord will establish his word that he spoke concerning me: ‘If your heirs take heed to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you a successor on the throne of Israel.’
5 “Moreover, you know also what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, whom he murdered, retaliating in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war and putting innocent blood[a] on the belt around my[b]waist and on the sandals on my[c] feet. 6 Act, therefore, according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. 7 Deal loyally, however, with the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for with such loyalty they met me when I fled from your brother Absalom. 8 There is also with you Shimei son of Gera, a Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a terrible curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim, but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 Therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; you will know what you ought to do to him, and you must bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.”
Death of David
10 Then David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David. 11 The time that David reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 12 So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.
Solomon Consolidates His Reign
13 Then Adonijah son of Haggith came to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably.” 14 Then he said, “May I have a word with you?” She said, “Go on.” 15 He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel expected me to reign; however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, for it was his from the Lord.16 And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.” She said to him, “Go on.” 17 He said, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.” 18 Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king on your behalf.”
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. The king rose to meet her and bowed down to her; then he sat on his throne and had a throne brought for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right. 20 Then she said, “I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Make your request, my mother, for I will not refuse you.” 21 She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife.” 22 King Solomon answered his mother, “And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom as well! For he is my elder brother, and the priest Abiathar and Joab son of Zeruiah are on his side!” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, “So may God do to me, and more also, for Adonijah has devised this scheme at the risk of his life!
Second reader
24 Now therefore as the Lordlives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of my father David and who has made me a house as he promised, today Adonijah shall be put to death.” 25 So King Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he struck him down, and he died.
26 The king said to the priest Abiathar, “Go to Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death because you carried the ark of the Lord God before my father David and because you shared in all the hardships my father endured.” 27 So Solomon banished Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling the word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28 When the news came to Joab—for Joab had supported Adonijah though he had not supported Absalom—Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and grasped the horns of the altar.29 When it was told King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the tent of the Lord and now is beside the altar,” Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.” 30 So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “The king commands, ‘Come out.’ ” But he said, “No, I will die here.” Then Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.” 31 The king replied to him, “Do as he has said, strike him down and bury him, and thus take away from me and from my father’s house the guilt for the blood that Joab shed without cause.32 The Lord will bring back his bloody deeds on his own head because, without the knowledge of my father David, he attacked and killed with the sword two men more righteous and better than he: Abner son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 So shall their blood come back on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever, but to David, and to his descendants, and to his house, and to his throne there shall be peace from the Lordforevermore.” 34 Then Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and killed him, and he was buried at his own house near the wilderness. 35 The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king put the priest Zadok in the place of Abiathar.
36 Then the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there to any place whatever. 37 For on the day you go out and cross the Wadi Kidron, know for certain that you shall die; your blood shall be on your own head.” 38 And Shimei said to the king, “The sentence is fair; as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
39 But it happened at the end of three years that two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to King Achish son of Maacah of Gath. When it was told Shimei, “Your slaves are in Gath,”40 Shimei arose and saddled a donkey and went to Achish in Gath, to search for his slaves; Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. 41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and returned, 42 the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and solemnly adjure you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and go to any place whatever, you shall die’? And you said to me, ‘The sentence is fair; I accept.’ 43 Why then have you not kept your oath to the Lord and the commandment with which I charged you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your own heart all the evil that you did to my father David, so the Lord will bring back your evil on your own head. 45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.”46 Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
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Acts 25 nrsv (27) 2 readers
Paul Appeals to the Emperor
25 Three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the leaders of the Jews gave him a report against Paul. They appealed to him 3 and requested, as a favor to them against Paul,[a] to have him transferred to Jerusalem. They were, in fact, planning an ambush to kill him along the way.4 Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly. 5 “So,” he said, “let those of you who have the authority come down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them accuse him.”
6 After he had stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea; the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. 7 When he arrived, the Jews who had gone down from Jerusalem surrounded him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove. 8 Paul said in his defense, “I have in no way committed an offense against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against the emperor.” 9 But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and be tried there before me on these charges?”10 Paul said, “I am standing before the emperor’s tribunal; this is where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you very well know. 11 Now if I am in the wrong and have committed something for which I deserve to die, I am not trying to escape death, but if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can turn me over to them. I appeal to the emperor.” 12 Then Festus, after he had conferred with his council, replied, “You have appealed to the emperor; to the emperor you will go.”
Festus Consults King Agrippa
13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to welcome Festus. 14 Since they were staying there several days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man here who was left in prison by Felix.
Second reader
15 When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me about him and asked for a sentence against him. 16 I told them that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone before the accused had met the accusers face to face and had been given an opportunity to make a defense against the charge. 17 So when they met here, I lost no time but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought.18 When the accusers stood up, they did not charge him with any of the crimes[b] that I was expecting. 19 Instead, they had certain points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died but whom Paul asserted to be alive.20 Since I was at a loss how to investigate these questions, I asked whether he wished to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges.[c] 21 But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of his Imperial Majesty, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to the emperor.” 22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he said, “you will hear him.”
Paul Brought before Agrippa
23 So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then Festus gave the order and Paul was brought in.24 And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish community petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.25 But I found that he had done nothing deserving death, and when he appealed to his Imperial Majesty, I decided to send him. 26 But I have nothing definite to write to our sovereign about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write, 27 for it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner without indicating the charges against him.”
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
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Psalm 132 nrsv (18)
The Eternal Dwelling of God in Zion
A Song of Ascents.
1
O Lord, remember in David’s favor
all the hardships he endured;
2
how he swore to the Lord
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3
“I will not enter my house
or get into my bed;
4
I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5
until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6
We heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7
“Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us worship at his footstool.”
8
Rise up, O Lord, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9
Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your faithful shout for joy.
10
For your servant David’s sake
do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
11
The Lord swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body
I will set on your throne.
12
If your sons keep my covenant
and my decrees that I shall teach them,
their sons also, forevermore,
shall sit on your throne.”
13
For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his habitation:
14
“This is my resting place forever;
here I will reside, for I have desired it.
15
I will abundantly bless its provisions;
I will satisfy its poor with bread.
16
Its priests I will clothe with salvation,
and its faithful will shout for joy.
17
There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.
18
His enemies I will clothe with disgrace,
but on him, his crown will gleam.”
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Psalm 133 (3)
The Blessedness of Unity
A Song of Ascents.
1
How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!
2
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.
3
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord ordained his blessing,
life forevermore.
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Psalm 134 (3)
Praise in the Night
A Song of Ascents.
1
Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
2
Lift up your hands to the holy place,
and bless the Lord.
3
May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.
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Psalm 135 (21)
Praise for God’s Goodness and Might
1
Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord;
give praise, O servants of the Lord,
2
you who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.
3
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing to his name, for he is gracious.
4
For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own possession.
5
For I know that the Lord is great;
our Lord is above all gods.
6
Whatever the Lord pleases he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
7
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth;
he makes lightnings for the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
8
He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both humans and animals;
9
he sent signs and wonders
into your midst, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10
He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings--
11
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan--
12
and gave their land as a heritage,
a heritage to his people Israel.
13
Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.
14
For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.
15
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16
They have mouths, but they do not speak;
they have eyes, but they do not see;
17
they have ears, but they do not hear,
a nose, but there is no breath in their mouths.
18
Those who make them
and all who trust them
shall become like them.
19
O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
20
O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
21
Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
he who resides in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
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Let us pray.
God the Father,
have mercy upon us.
God the Son,
have mercy upon us.
God the Holy Spirit,
have mercy upon us.
Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity,
have mercy upon us.
Please pray a short individual prayer as you wish
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The Collect of the day is said
Almighty God,
who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: grant that, as by your grace going before us you put into our minds good desires, so by your continual help we may bring them to good effect; through Jesus Christ our risen Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
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The Lord’s Prayer is said
Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us, as our Saviour taught us, so we pray
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
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The Conclusion
May the risen Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.
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Evening 8 mins reading
1 Kings 3 nrsv (28)
Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom
3 Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt; he took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.
3 Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places. 4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lordappeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you, and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil, for who can govern this great people of yours?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or for the life of your enemies but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed, I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you, and no one like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. 14 If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.”
15 Then Solomon awoke; it had been a dream. He came to Jerusalem, where he stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He offered up burnt offerings and offerings of well-being and provided a feast for all his servants.
Solomon’s Wisdom in Judgment
16 Later, two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 The one woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth while she was in the house. 18 Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were together; there was no one else with us in the house; only the two of us were in the house. 19 Then this woman’s son died in the night because she lay on him. 20 She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your servant slept. She laid him at her breast and laid her dead son at my breast. 21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, I saw that he was dead, but when I looked at him closely in the morning, clearly it was not the son I had borne.” 22 But the other woman said, “No, the living son is mine, and the dead son is yours.” The first said, “No, the dead son is yours, and the living son is mine.” So they argued before the king.
23 Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,’ while the other says, ‘Not so! Your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’ ” 24 So the king said, “Bring me a sword,” and they brought a sword before the king. 25 The king said, “Divide the living boy in two; then give half to the one and half to the other.” 26 But the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because compassion for her son burned within her, “Please, my lord, give her the living boy; certainly do not kill him!” The other said, “It shall be neither mine nor yours; divide it.”27 Then the king responded, “Give her the living boy; do not kill him. She is his mother.” 28 All Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to execute justice.
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1 John 4 nrsv (21)
Testing the Spirits
4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus[a] is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.4 Little children, you are from God and have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
God Is Love
7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. 15 God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. 16 So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19 We love[b]because he first loved us. 20 Those who say, “I love God,” and hate a brother or sister are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.
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Psalm 136 (26)
God’s Work in Creation and in History
1
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2
O give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
3
O give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
4
who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
5
who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6
who spread out the earth on the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7
who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8
the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9
the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
10
who struck Egypt through their firstborn,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
11
and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
12
with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
13
who divided the Red Sea[a] in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
14
and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
15
but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,[b]
for his steadfast love endures forever;
16
who led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
who made water flow from the rock,
for his steadfast love endures forever;[c]
17
who struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
18
and killed famous kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
20
and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21
and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
22
a heritage to his servant Israel,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
23
It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
24
and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
25
who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
26
O give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
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Psalm 137 (9)
Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem
1
By the rivers of Babylon--
there we sat down, and there we wept
when we remembered Zion.
2
On the willows[a] there
we hung up our harps.
3
For there our captors
asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4
How could we sing the Lord’s song
in a foreign land?
5
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither!
6
Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy.
7
Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
the day of Jerusalem’s fall,
how they said, “Tear it down! Tear it down!
Down to its foundations!”
8
O daughter Babylon, you devastator![b]
Happy shall they be who pay you back
what you have done to us!
9
Happy shall they be who take your little ones
and dash them against the rock!
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Psalm 138 (8)
Thanksgiving and Praise
Of David.
1
I give you thanks, O Lord,[a] with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted your name and your word
above everything.[b]
3
On the day I called, you answered me;
you increased my strength of soul.[c]
4
All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5
They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he perceives from far away.
7
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.
8
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
The Fifth Sunday of Easter
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Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
In your resurrection, O Christ,
let heaven and earth rejoice. Alleluia.
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and for ever.
Amen.
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Morning 24 mins reading
1 Kings 2 nrsv (46) 2 readers
David’s Instruction to Solomon
2 When David’s time to die drew near, he charged his son Solomon, saying: 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, be courageous, 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn. 4 Then the Lord will establish his word that he spoke concerning me: ‘If your heirs take heed to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you a successor on the throne of Israel.’
5 “Moreover, you know also what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, whom he murdered, retaliating in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war and putting innocent blood[a] on the belt around my[b]waist and on the sandals on my[c] feet. 6 Act, therefore, according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. 7 Deal loyally, however, with the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for with such loyalty they met me when I fled from your brother Absalom. 8 There is also with you Shimei son of Gera, a Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a terrible curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim, but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 Therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; you will know what you ought to do to him, and you must bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.”
Death of David
10 Then David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David. 11 The time that David reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 12 So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.
Solomon Consolidates His Reign
13 Then Adonijah son of Haggith came to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably.” 14 Then he said, “May I have a word with you?” She said, “Go on.” 15 He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel expected me to reign; however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, for it was his from the Lord.16 And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.” She said to him, “Go on.” 17 He said, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.” 18 Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king on your behalf.”
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. The king rose to meet her and bowed down to her; then he sat on his throne and had a throne brought for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right. 20 Then she said, “I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Make your request, my mother, for I will not refuse you.” 21 She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife.” 22 King Solomon answered his mother, “And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom as well! For he is my elder brother, and the priest Abiathar and Joab son of Zeruiah are on his side!” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, “So may God do to me, and more also, for Adonijah has devised this scheme at the risk of his life!
Second reader
24 Now therefore as the Lordlives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of my father David and who has made me a house as he promised, today Adonijah shall be put to death.” 25 So King Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he struck him down, and he died.
26 The king said to the priest Abiathar, “Go to Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death because you carried the ark of the Lord God before my father David and because you shared in all the hardships my father endured.” 27 So Solomon banished Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling the word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28 When the news came to Joab—for Joab had supported Adonijah though he had not supported Absalom—Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and grasped the horns of the altar.29 When it was told King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the tent of the Lord and now is beside the altar,” Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.” 30 So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “The king commands, ‘Come out.’ ” But he said, “No, I will die here.” Then Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.” 31 The king replied to him, “Do as he has said, strike him down and bury him, and thus take away from me and from my father’s house the guilt for the blood that Joab shed without cause.32 The Lord will bring back his bloody deeds on his own head because, without the knowledge of my father David, he attacked and killed with the sword two men more righteous and better than he: Abner son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 So shall their blood come back on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever, but to David, and to his descendants, and to his house, and to his throne there shall be peace from the Lordforevermore.” 34 Then Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and killed him, and he was buried at his own house near the wilderness. 35 The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king put the priest Zadok in the place of Abiathar.
36 Then the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there to any place whatever. 37 For on the day you go out and cross the Wadi Kidron, know for certain that you shall die; your blood shall be on your own head.” 38 And Shimei said to the king, “The sentence is fair; as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
39 But it happened at the end of three years that two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to King Achish son of Maacah of Gath. When it was told Shimei, “Your slaves are in Gath,”40 Shimei arose and saddled a donkey and went to Achish in Gath, to search for his slaves; Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. 41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and returned, 42 the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and solemnly adjure you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and go to any place whatever, you shall die’? And you said to me, ‘The sentence is fair; I accept.’ 43 Why then have you not kept your oath to the Lord and the commandment with which I charged you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your own heart all the evil that you did to my father David, so the Lord will bring back your evil on your own head. 45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.”46 Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
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Acts 25 nrsv (27) 2 readers
Paul Appeals to the Emperor
25 Three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the leaders of the Jews gave him a report against Paul. They appealed to him 3 and requested, as a favor to them against Paul,[a] to have him transferred to Jerusalem. They were, in fact, planning an ambush to kill him along the way.4 Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly. 5 “So,” he said, “let those of you who have the authority come down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them accuse him.”
6 After he had stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea; the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. 7 When he arrived, the Jews who had gone down from Jerusalem surrounded him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove. 8 Paul said in his defense, “I have in no way committed an offense against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against the emperor.” 9 But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and be tried there before me on these charges?”10 Paul said, “I am standing before the emperor’s tribunal; this is where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you very well know. 11 Now if I am in the wrong and have committed something for which I deserve to die, I am not trying to escape death, but if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can turn me over to them. I appeal to the emperor.” 12 Then Festus, after he had conferred with his council, replied, “You have appealed to the emperor; to the emperor you will go.”
Festus Consults King Agrippa
13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to welcome Festus. 14 Since they were staying there several days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man here who was left in prison by Felix.
Second reader
15 When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me about him and asked for a sentence against him. 16 I told them that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone before the accused had met the accusers face to face and had been given an opportunity to make a defense against the charge. 17 So when they met here, I lost no time but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought.18 When the accusers stood up, they did not charge him with any of the crimes[b] that I was expecting. 19 Instead, they had certain points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died but whom Paul asserted to be alive.20 Since I was at a loss how to investigate these questions, I asked whether he wished to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges.[c] 21 But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of his Imperial Majesty, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to the emperor.” 22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he said, “you will hear him.”
Paul Brought before Agrippa
23 So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then Festus gave the order and Paul was brought in.24 And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish community petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.25 But I found that he had done nothing deserving death, and when he appealed to his Imperial Majesty, I decided to send him. 26 But I have nothing definite to write to our sovereign about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write, 27 for it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner without indicating the charges against him.”
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
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Psalm 132 nrsv (18)
The Eternal Dwelling of God in Zion
A Song of Ascents.
1
O Lord, remember in David’s favor
all the hardships he endured;
2
how he swore to the Lord
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3
“I will not enter my house
or get into my bed;
4
I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5
until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6
We heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7
“Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us worship at his footstool.”
8
Rise up, O Lord, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9
Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your faithful shout for joy.
10
For your servant David’s sake
do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
11
The Lord swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body
I will set on your throne.
12
If your sons keep my covenant
and my decrees that I shall teach them,
their sons also, forevermore,
shall sit on your throne.”
13
For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his habitation:
14
“This is my resting place forever;
here I will reside, for I have desired it.
15
I will abundantly bless its provisions;
I will satisfy its poor with bread.
16
Its priests I will clothe with salvation,
and its faithful will shout for joy.
17
There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.
18
His enemies I will clothe with disgrace,
but on him, his crown will gleam.”
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Psalm 133 (3)
The Blessedness of Unity
A Song of Ascents.
1
How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!
2
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.
3
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord ordained his blessing,
life forevermore.
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Psalm 134 (3)
Praise in the Night
A Song of Ascents.
1
Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
2
Lift up your hands to the holy place,
and bless the Lord.
3
May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.
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Psalm 135 (21)
Praise for God’s Goodness and Might
1
Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord;
give praise, O servants of the Lord,
2
you who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.
3
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing to his name, for he is gracious.
4
For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own possession.
5
For I know that the Lord is great;
our Lord is above all gods.
6
Whatever the Lord pleases he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
7
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth;
he makes lightnings for the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
8
He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both humans and animals;
9
he sent signs and wonders
into your midst, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10
He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings--
11
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan--
12
and gave their land as a heritage,
a heritage to his people Israel.
13
Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.
14
For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.
15
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16
They have mouths, but they do not speak;
they have eyes, but they do not see;
17
they have ears, but they do not hear,
a nose, but there is no breath in their mouths.
18
Those who make them
and all who trust them
shall become like them.
19
O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
20
O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
21
Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
he who resides in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
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Let us pray.
God the Father,
have mercy upon us.
God the Son,
have mercy upon us.
God the Holy Spirit,
have mercy upon us.
Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity,
have mercy upon us.
Please pray a short individual prayer as you wish
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The Collect of the day is said
Almighty God,
who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: grant that, as by your grace going before us you put into our minds good desires, so by your continual help we may bring them to good effect; through Jesus Christ our risen Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
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The Lord’s Prayer is said
Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us, as our Saviour taught us, so we pray
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
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The Conclusion
May the risen Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.
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Evening 8 mins reading
1 Kings 3 nrsv (28)
Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom
3 Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt; he took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.
3 Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places. 4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lordappeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you, and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil, for who can govern this great people of yours?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or for the life of your enemies but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed, I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you, and no one like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. 14 If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.”
15 Then Solomon awoke; it had been a dream. He came to Jerusalem, where he stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He offered up burnt offerings and offerings of well-being and provided a feast for all his servants.
Solomon’s Wisdom in Judgment
16 Later, two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 The one woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth while she was in the house. 18 Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were together; there was no one else with us in the house; only the two of us were in the house. 19 Then this woman’s son died in the night because she lay on him. 20 She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your servant slept. She laid him at her breast and laid her dead son at my breast. 21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, I saw that he was dead, but when I looked at him closely in the morning, clearly it was not the son I had borne.” 22 But the other woman said, “No, the living son is mine, and the dead son is yours.” The first said, “No, the dead son is yours, and the living son is mine.” So they argued before the king.
23 Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,’ while the other says, ‘Not so! Your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’ ” 24 So the king said, “Bring me a sword,” and they brought a sword before the king. 25 The king said, “Divide the living boy in two; then give half to the one and half to the other.” 26 But the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because compassion for her son burned within her, “Please, my lord, give her the living boy; certainly do not kill him!” The other said, “It shall be neither mine nor yours; divide it.”27 Then the king responded, “Give her the living boy; do not kill him. She is his mother.” 28 All Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to execute justice.
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1 John 4 nrsv (21)
Testing the Spirits
4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus[a] is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.4 Little children, you are from God and have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
God Is Love
7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. 15 God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. 16 So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19 We love[b]because he first loved us. 20 Those who say, “I love God,” and hate a brother or sister are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.
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Psalm 136 (26)
God’s Work in Creation and in History
1
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2
O give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
3
O give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
4
who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
5
who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6
who spread out the earth on the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7
who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8
the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9
the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
10
who struck Egypt through their firstborn,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
11
and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
12
with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
13
who divided the Red Sea[a] in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
14
and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
15
but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,[b]
for his steadfast love endures forever;
16
who led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
who made water flow from the rock,
for his steadfast love endures forever;[c]
17
who struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
18
and killed famous kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
20
and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21
and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
22
a heritage to his servant Israel,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
23
It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
24
and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
25
who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
26
O give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
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Psalm 137 (9)
Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem
1
By the rivers of Babylon--
there we sat down, and there we wept
when we remembered Zion.
2
On the willows[a] there
we hung up our harps.
3
For there our captors
asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4
How could we sing the Lord’s song
in a foreign land?
5
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither!
6
Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy.
7
Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
the day of Jerusalem’s fall,
how they said, “Tear it down! Tear it down!
Down to its foundations!”
8
O daughter Babylon, you devastator![b]
Happy shall they be who pay you back
what you have done to us!
9
Happy shall they be who take your little ones
and dash them against the rock!
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Psalm 138 (8)
Thanksgiving and Praise
Of David.
1
I give you thanks, O Lord,[a] with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted your name and your word
above everything.[b]
3
On the day I called, you answered me;
you increased my strength of soul.[c]
4
All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5
They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he perceives from far away.
7
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.
8
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.