1 The LORD’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want.
He makes me down to lie
in pastures green; He leadeth me
the quiet waters by.
—-
2 My soul He doth restore again;
and me to walk doth make
within the paths of righteousness,
e’en for his own name’s sake.
—-
3 Yea, though I walk thro' death’s dark vale,
yet will I fear no ill;
for Thou art with me, and Thy rod
and staff me comfort still.
—-
4 My table Thou hast furnishéd
in presence of my foes;
my head Thou dost with oil anoint,
and my cup overflows.
—-
5 Goodness and mercy all my life
shall surely follow me:
and in God’s house forevermore
my dwelling place shall be.´
He makes me down to lie
in pastures green; He leadeth me
the quiet waters by.
—-
2 My soul He doth restore again;
and me to walk doth make
within the paths of righteousness,
e’en for his own name’s sake.
—-
3 Yea, though I walk thro' death’s dark vale,
yet will I fear no ill;
for Thou art with me, and Thy rod
and staff me comfort still.
—-
4 My table Thou hast furnishéd
in presence of my foes;
my head Thou dost with oil anoint,
and my cup overflows.
—-
5 Goodness and mercy all my life
shall surely follow me:
and in God’s house forevermore
my dwelling place shall be.´
Saturday, 27 April 2024
Christina Rossetti, Poet, 1894 [Commemoration]
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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 17 mins reading
2 Samuel 24 nrsv (25) 2 readers
David’s Census of Israel and Judah
24 Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, count the people of Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab and the commanders of the army[a] who were with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and take a census of the people, so that I may know how many there are.” 3 But Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God increase the number of the people a hundredfold while the eyes of my lord the king can still see it! But why does my lord the king want to do this?” 4 But the king’s word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to take a census of the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan and began from[b] Aroer and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer. 6 Then they came to Gilead and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites,[c] and they came to Dan, and from Dan[d] they went around to Sidon 7 and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites, and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beer-sheba. 8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 Joab reported to the king the number of those who had been recorded: in Israel there were eight hundred thousand soldiers able to draw the sword, and those of Judah were five hundred thousand.
Judgment on David’s Sin
10 But afterward, David was stricken to the heart because he had numbered the people. David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, I pray you, take away the guilt of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” 11 When David rose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, 12 “Go and say to David: Thus says the Lord: Three things I offer[e] you; choose one of them, and I will do it to you.”
Second reader
13 So Gad came to David and told him; he asked him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you on your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider and decide what answer I shall return to the one who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress; let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great, but let me not fall into human hands.”
15 So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand of the people died, from Dan to Beer-sheba. 16 But when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented concerning the evil and said to the angel who was bringing destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” The angel of the Lord was standing[f] by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.[g] 17 When David saw the angel who was destroying the people, he said to the Lord, “I alone have sinned, and I, the shepherd, have done evil,[h] but these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”
David’s Altar on the Threshing Floor
18 That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”19 Following Gad’s instructions, David went up, as the Lord had commanded. 20 When Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming toward him, and Araunah went out and prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. 21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord, so that the plague may be averted from the people.” 22 Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him; here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23 All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God respond favorably to you.”
24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy them from you for a price; I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.25 David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being. So the Lord answered his supplication for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.
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 24 nrsv (27) 2 readers
Paul before Felix at Caesarea
24 Five days later the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and an attorney, a certain Tertullus, and they reported their case against Paul to the governor. 2 When Paul[a] had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying:
“Because of you, most excellent Felix, we have long enjoyed peace, and reforms have been made for this people because of your foresight. 3 In every way and everywhere we welcome this with utmost gratitude. 4 But, to detain you no further, I beg you to hear us briefly with your customary graciousness. 5 We have, in fact, found this man a pestilent fellow, an agitator among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.[b] 6 He even tried to profane the temple, so we seized him.[c] 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn from him concerning everything of which we accuse him.”
9 The Jews also joined in the charge by asserting that all this was true.
Paul’s Defense before Felix
10 When the governor motioned to him to speak, Paul replied:
“I cheerfully make my defense, knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this people. 11 As you can find out, it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem. 12 They did not find me disputing with anyone in the temple or stirring up a crowd either in the synagogues or throughout the city. 13 Neither can they prove to you the charge that they now bring against me. 14 But this I admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our ancestors, believing everything laid down according to the law or written in the prophets.
Second reader
15 I have a hope in God—a hope that they themselves also accept—that there will be a resurrection of both[d] the righteous and the unrighteous.16 Therefore I do my best always to have a clear conscience toward God and all people.17 Now after some years I came to bring alms to my people and to offer sacrifices. 18 While I was doing this, they found me in the temple completing the rite of purification, without any crowd or disturbance. 19 But there were some Jews from Asia—they ought to be here before you to make an accusation, if they have anything against me. 20 Or let these men here tell what crime they had found when I stood before the council, 21 unless it was this one sentence that I called out while standing before them, ‘It is about the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’ ”
22 But Felix, who was rather well informed about the Way, adjourned the hearing with the comment, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 Then he ordered the centurion to keep him in custody but to let him have some liberty and not to prevent any of his friends from taking care of his needs.
Paul Held in Custody
24 Some days later when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak concerning faith in Christ Jesus. 25 And as he discussed justice, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “Go away for the present; when I have an opportunity, I will send for you.” 26 At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul, and for that reason he used to send for him very often and converse with him.
27 After two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and since he wanted to grant the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.
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.
+++
Psalm 120 nrsv (7)
Prayer for Deliverance from Slanderers
A Song of Ascents.
1
In my distress I cry to the Lord,
that he may answer me:
2
“Deliver me, O Lord,
from lying lips,
from a deceitful tongue.”
3
What shall be given to you?
And what more shall be done to you,
you deceitful tongue?
4
A warrior’s sharp arrows,
with glowing coals of the broom tree!
5
Woe is me, that I am an alien in Meshech,
that I must live among the tents of Kedar.
6
Too long have I had my dwelling
among those who hate peace.
7
I am for peace,
but when I speak,
they are for war.
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Psalm 121 (8)
Assurance of God’s Protection
A Song of Ascents.
1
I lift up my eyes to the hills--
from where will my help come?
2
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
3
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6
The sun shall not strike you by day
nor the moon by night.
7
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.
+++
Psalm 122 (9)
Song of Praise and Prayer for Jerusalem
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
2
Our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3
Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together.
4
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5
For there the thrones for judgment were set up,
the thrones of the house of David.
6
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
7
Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers.”
8
For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.
+++
Psalm 123 (4)
Supplication for Mercy
A Song of Ascents.
1
To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2
As the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
until he has mercy upon us.
3
Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4
Our soul has had more than its fill
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
+++
Psalm 124 (8)
Thanksgiving for Israel’s Deliverance
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
—let Israel now say--
2
if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
when our enemies attacked us,
3
then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4
then the flood would have swept us away;
the torrent would have gone over us;
5
then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
6
Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth.
7
We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the hunters;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.
8
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
+++
Psalm 125 (5)
The Security of God’s People
A Song of Ascents.
1
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved but abides forever.
2
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people
from this time on and forevermore.
3
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
so that the righteous might not stretch out
their hands to do wrong.
4
Do good, O Lord, to those who are good
and to those who are upright in their hearts.
5
But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways,
the Lord will lead away with evildoers.
Peace be upon Israel!
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.
+++
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
+++
The Collect of the day is said
Almighty God,
whose Son Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life: raise us, who trust in him, from the death of sin to the life of righteousness, that we may seek those things which are above, where he reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
+++
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.
+++
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.
+++
Evening 11 mins reading
1 Kings 1 nrsv (53)
The Struggle for the Succession
1 King David was old and advanced in years, and although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. 2 So his servants said to him, “Let a young virgin be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be his attendant; let her lie in your bosom, so that my lord the king may be warm.” 3 So they searched for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel and found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king. 4 The young woman was very beautiful. She became the king’s attendant and served him, but the king did not know her sexually.
5 Now Adonijah son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” He prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6 His father had never at any time reprimanded him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” He was also a very handsome man, and he was born next after Absalom. 7 He conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with the priest Abiathar, and they supported Adonijah. 8 But the priest Zadok, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the prophet Nathan, and Shammah[a] and his companions,[b] David’s own warriors, did not side with Adonijah.
9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fatted cattle by the stone Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, 10 but he did not invite the prophet Nathan or Benaiah or the warriors or his brother Solomon.
11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king and our lord David does not know it? 12 Now therefore come, let me give you advice, so that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in at once to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, “Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne? Why then is Adonijah king?” ’ 14 Then while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”
15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his room. The king was very old; Abishag the Shunammite was attending the king.16 Bathsheba bowed and did obeisance to the king, and the king said, “What do you wish?” 17 She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 But now suddenly Adonijah has become king, though you, my lord the king, do not know it. 19 He has sacrificed oxen, fatted cattle, and sheep in abundance and has invited all the children of the king, the priest Abiathar, and Joab the commander of the army, but your servant Solomon he has not invited. 20 But you, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps with his ancestors, that my son Solomon and I will be counted offenders.”
22 While she was still speaking with the king, the prophet Nathan came in. 23 The king was told, “Here is the prophet Nathan.” When he came in before the king, he did obeisance to the king, with his face to the ground. 24 Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 For today he has gone down and has sacrificed oxen, fatted cattle, and sheep in abundance and has invited all the king’s children, Joab the commander[c] of the army, and the priest Abiathar, who are now eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But he did not invite me, your servant, and the priest Zadok, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon.27 Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king and you have not let your servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
The Accession of Solomon
28 King David answered, “Summon Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 The king swore, saying, “As the Lord lives, who has saved my life from every adversity,30 as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ so will I do this day.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and did obeisance to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
32 King David said, “Summon to me the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” When they came before the king, 33 the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule and bring him down to Gihon. 34 There let the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan anoint him king over Israel; then blow the trumpet and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 You shall go up following him. Let him enter and sit on my throne; he shall be king in my place, for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.” 36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so ordain. 37 As the Lord has been with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”
38 So the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule and led him to Gihon. 39 There the priest Zadok took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!”40 And all the people went up following him, playing on pipes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth quaked at their noise.
41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “Why is the city in an uproar?” 42 While he was still speaking, Jonathan son of the priest Abiathar arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a worthy man and surely you bring good news.” 43 Jonathan answered Adonijah, “No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king; 44 the king has sent with him the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and they had him ride on the king’s mule; 45 the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you heard. 46 Solomon now sits on the royal throne. 47 Moreover, the king’s servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours and make his throne greater than your throne.’ The king bowed in worship on the bed 48 and went on to pray thus, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who today has granted one of my offspring[d] to sit on my throne and permitted me to witness it.’ ”
49 Then all the guests of Adonijah got up trembling and went their own ways. 50 Adonijah, fearing Solomon, got up and went to grasp the horns of the altar.51 Solomon was informed, “Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon; see, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’ ” 52 So Solomon responded, “If he proves to be a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the ground, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” 53 Then King Solomon sent to have him brought down from the altar. He came to do obeisance to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go home.”
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1 John 3 nrsv (24)
1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he[a] is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3 And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children,[b] let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 Everyone who commits sin is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the works of the devil.9 Those who have been born of God do not sin because God’s seed abides in them;[c]they cannot sin because they have been born of God. 10 The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love a brother or sister.
Love One Another
11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain, who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brothers and sisters. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. 16 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters.17 How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?
18 Little children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth. 19 And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him20 whenever our hearts condemn us, for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God, 22 and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.
23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.
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Psalm 126 (6)
A Harvest of Joy
A Song of Ascents.
1
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,[a]
we were like those who dream.
2
Then our mouth was filled with laughter
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.
4
Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5
May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.
6
Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.
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Psalm 127 (5)
God’s Blessings in the Home
A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.
1
Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord guards the city,
the guard keeps watch in vain.
2
It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil,
for he gives sleep to his beloved.[a]
3
Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the sons of one’s youth.
5
Happy is the man who has
his quiver full of them.
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
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Psalm 128 (6)
The Happy Home of the Faithful
A Song of Ascents.
1
Happy is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways.
2
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.
3
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4
Thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5
The Lord bless you from Zion.
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6
May you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!
+++
Psalm 129 (8)
Prayer for the Downfall of Israel’s Enemies
A Song of Ascents.
1
Often have they attacked me from my youth
—let Israel now say--
2
often have they attacked me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed against me.
3
The plowers plowed on my back;
they made their furrows long.
4
The Lord is righteous;
he has cut the cords of the wicked.
5
May all who hate Zion
be put to shame and turned backward.
6
Let them be like the grass on the housetops
that withers before it grows up,
7
with which reapers do not fill their hands
or binders of sheaves their arms,
8
while those who pass by do not say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
+++
Psalm 130 (8)
Waiting for Divine Redemption
A Song of Ascents.
1
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
2
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
3
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
4
But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
5
I wait for the Lord; my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
7
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
8
It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.
+++
Psalm 131 (3)
Song of Quiet Trust
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
2
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.[a]
3
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time on and forevermore.
Christina Rossetti, Poet, 1894 [Commemoration]
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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 17 mins reading
2 Samuel 24 nrsv (25) 2 readers
David’s Census of Israel and Judah
24 Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, count the people of Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab and the commanders of the army[a] who were with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and take a census of the people, so that I may know how many there are.” 3 But Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God increase the number of the people a hundredfold while the eyes of my lord the king can still see it! But why does my lord the king want to do this?” 4 But the king’s word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to take a census of the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan and began from[b] Aroer and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer. 6 Then they came to Gilead and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites,[c] and they came to Dan, and from Dan[d] they went around to Sidon 7 and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites, and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beer-sheba. 8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 Joab reported to the king the number of those who had been recorded: in Israel there were eight hundred thousand soldiers able to draw the sword, and those of Judah were five hundred thousand.
Judgment on David’s Sin
10 But afterward, David was stricken to the heart because he had numbered the people. David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, I pray you, take away the guilt of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” 11 When David rose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, 12 “Go and say to David: Thus says the Lord: Three things I offer[e] you; choose one of them, and I will do it to you.”
Second reader
13 So Gad came to David and told him; he asked him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you on your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider and decide what answer I shall return to the one who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress; let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great, but let me not fall into human hands.”
15 So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand of the people died, from Dan to Beer-sheba. 16 But when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented concerning the evil and said to the angel who was bringing destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” The angel of the Lord was standing[f] by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.[g] 17 When David saw the angel who was destroying the people, he said to the Lord, “I alone have sinned, and I, the shepherd, have done evil,[h] but these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”
David’s Altar on the Threshing Floor
18 That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”19 Following Gad’s instructions, David went up, as the Lord had commanded. 20 When Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming toward him, and Araunah went out and prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. 21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord, so that the plague may be averted from the people.” 22 Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him; here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23 All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God respond favorably to you.”
24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy them from you for a price; I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.25 David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being. So the Lord answered his supplication for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.
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 24 nrsv (27) 2 readers
Paul before Felix at Caesarea
24 Five days later the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and an attorney, a certain Tertullus, and they reported their case against Paul to the governor. 2 When Paul[a] had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying:
“Because of you, most excellent Felix, we have long enjoyed peace, and reforms have been made for this people because of your foresight. 3 In every way and everywhere we welcome this with utmost gratitude. 4 But, to detain you no further, I beg you to hear us briefly with your customary graciousness. 5 We have, in fact, found this man a pestilent fellow, an agitator among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.[b] 6 He even tried to profane the temple, so we seized him.[c] 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn from him concerning everything of which we accuse him.”
9 The Jews also joined in the charge by asserting that all this was true.
Paul’s Defense before Felix
10 When the governor motioned to him to speak, Paul replied:
“I cheerfully make my defense, knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this people. 11 As you can find out, it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem. 12 They did not find me disputing with anyone in the temple or stirring up a crowd either in the synagogues or throughout the city. 13 Neither can they prove to you the charge that they now bring against me. 14 But this I admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our ancestors, believing everything laid down according to the law or written in the prophets.
Second reader
15 I have a hope in God—a hope that they themselves also accept—that there will be a resurrection of both[d] the righteous and the unrighteous.16 Therefore I do my best always to have a clear conscience toward God and all people.17 Now after some years I came to bring alms to my people and to offer sacrifices. 18 While I was doing this, they found me in the temple completing the rite of purification, without any crowd or disturbance. 19 But there were some Jews from Asia—they ought to be here before you to make an accusation, if they have anything against me. 20 Or let these men here tell what crime they had found when I stood before the council, 21 unless it was this one sentence that I called out while standing before them, ‘It is about the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’ ”
22 But Felix, who was rather well informed about the Way, adjourned the hearing with the comment, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 Then he ordered the centurion to keep him in custody but to let him have some liberty and not to prevent any of his friends from taking care of his needs.
Paul Held in Custody
24 Some days later when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak concerning faith in Christ Jesus. 25 And as he discussed justice, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “Go away for the present; when I have an opportunity, I will send for you.” 26 At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul, and for that reason he used to send for him very often and converse with him.
27 After two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and since he wanted to grant the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.
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 120 nrsv (7)
Prayer for Deliverance from Slanderers
A Song of Ascents.
1
In my distress I cry to the Lord,
that he may answer me:
2
“Deliver me, O Lord,
from lying lips,
from a deceitful tongue.”
3
What shall be given to you?
And what more shall be done to you,
you deceitful tongue?
4
A warrior’s sharp arrows,
with glowing coals of the broom tree!
5
Woe is me, that I am an alien in Meshech,
that I must live among the tents of Kedar.
6
Too long have I had my dwelling
among those who hate peace.
7
I am for peace,
but when I speak,
they are for war.
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Psalm 121 (8)
Assurance of God’s Protection
A Song of Ascents.
1
I lift up my eyes to the hills--
from where will my help come?
2
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
3
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6
The sun shall not strike you by day
nor the moon by night.
7
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.
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Psalm 122 (9)
Song of Praise and Prayer for Jerusalem
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
2
Our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3
Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together.
4
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5
For there the thrones for judgment were set up,
the thrones of the house of David.
6
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
7
Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers.”
8
For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.
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Psalm 123 (4)
Supplication for Mercy
A Song of Ascents.
1
To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2
As the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
until he has mercy upon us.
3
Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4
Our soul has had more than its fill
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
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Psalm 124 (8)
Thanksgiving for Israel’s Deliverance
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
—let Israel now say--
2
if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
when our enemies attacked us,
3
then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4
then the flood would have swept us away;
the torrent would have gone over us;
5
then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
6
Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth.
7
We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the hunters;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.
8
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
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Psalm 125 (5)
The Security of God’s People
A Song of Ascents.
1
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved but abides forever.
2
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people
from this time on and forevermore.
3
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
so that the righteous might not stretch out
their hands to do wrong.
4
Do good, O Lord, to those who are good
and to those who are upright in their hearts.
5
But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways,
the Lord will lead away with evildoers.
Peace be upon Israel!
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,
whose Son Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life: raise us, who trust in him, from the death of sin to the life of righteousness, that we may seek those things which are above, where he 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 11 mins reading
1 Kings 1 nrsv (53)
The Struggle for the Succession
1 King David was old and advanced in years, and although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. 2 So his servants said to him, “Let a young virgin be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be his attendant; let her lie in your bosom, so that my lord the king may be warm.” 3 So they searched for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel and found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king. 4 The young woman was very beautiful. She became the king’s attendant and served him, but the king did not know her sexually.
5 Now Adonijah son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” He prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6 His father had never at any time reprimanded him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” He was also a very handsome man, and he was born next after Absalom. 7 He conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with the priest Abiathar, and they supported Adonijah. 8 But the priest Zadok, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the prophet Nathan, and Shammah[a] and his companions,[b] David’s own warriors, did not side with Adonijah.
9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fatted cattle by the stone Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, 10 but he did not invite the prophet Nathan or Benaiah or the warriors or his brother Solomon.
11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king and our lord David does not know it? 12 Now therefore come, let me give you advice, so that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in at once to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, “Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne? Why then is Adonijah king?” ’ 14 Then while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”
15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his room. The king was very old; Abishag the Shunammite was attending the king.16 Bathsheba bowed and did obeisance to the king, and the king said, “What do you wish?” 17 She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 But now suddenly Adonijah has become king, though you, my lord the king, do not know it. 19 He has sacrificed oxen, fatted cattle, and sheep in abundance and has invited all the children of the king, the priest Abiathar, and Joab the commander of the army, but your servant Solomon he has not invited. 20 But you, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps with his ancestors, that my son Solomon and I will be counted offenders.”
22 While she was still speaking with the king, the prophet Nathan came in. 23 The king was told, “Here is the prophet Nathan.” When he came in before the king, he did obeisance to the king, with his face to the ground. 24 Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 For today he has gone down and has sacrificed oxen, fatted cattle, and sheep in abundance and has invited all the king’s children, Joab the commander[c] of the army, and the priest Abiathar, who are now eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But he did not invite me, your servant, and the priest Zadok, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon.27 Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king and you have not let your servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
The Accession of Solomon
28 King David answered, “Summon Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 The king swore, saying, “As the Lord lives, who has saved my life from every adversity,30 as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ so will I do this day.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and did obeisance to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
32 King David said, “Summon to me the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” When they came before the king, 33 the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule and bring him down to Gihon. 34 There let the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan anoint him king over Israel; then blow the trumpet and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 You shall go up following him. Let him enter and sit on my throne; he shall be king in my place, for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.” 36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so ordain. 37 As the Lord has been with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”
38 So the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule and led him to Gihon. 39 There the priest Zadok took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!”40 And all the people went up following him, playing on pipes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth quaked at their noise.
41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “Why is the city in an uproar?” 42 While he was still speaking, Jonathan son of the priest Abiathar arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a worthy man and surely you bring good news.” 43 Jonathan answered Adonijah, “No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king; 44 the king has sent with him the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and they had him ride on the king’s mule; 45 the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you heard. 46 Solomon now sits on the royal throne. 47 Moreover, the king’s servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours and make his throne greater than your throne.’ The king bowed in worship on the bed 48 and went on to pray thus, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who today has granted one of my offspring[d] to sit on my throne and permitted me to witness it.’ ”
49 Then all the guests of Adonijah got up trembling and went their own ways. 50 Adonijah, fearing Solomon, got up and went to grasp the horns of the altar.51 Solomon was informed, “Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon; see, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’ ” 52 So Solomon responded, “If he proves to be a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the ground, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” 53 Then King Solomon sent to have him brought down from the altar. He came to do obeisance to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go home.”
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1 John 3 nrsv (24)
1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he[a] is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3 And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children,[b] let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 Everyone who commits sin is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the works of the devil.9 Those who have been born of God do not sin because God’s seed abides in them;[c]they cannot sin because they have been born of God. 10 The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love a brother or sister.
Love One Another
11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain, who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brothers and sisters. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. 16 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters.17 How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?
18 Little children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth. 19 And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him20 whenever our hearts condemn us, for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God, 22 and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.
23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.
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Psalm 126 (6)
A Harvest of Joy
A Song of Ascents.
1
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,[a]
we were like those who dream.
2
Then our mouth was filled with laughter
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.
4
Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5
May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.
6
Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.
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Psalm 127 (5)
God’s Blessings in the Home
A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.
1
Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord guards the city,
the guard keeps watch in vain.
2
It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil,
for he gives sleep to his beloved.[a]
3
Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the sons of one’s youth.
5
Happy is the man who has
his quiver full of them.
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
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Psalm 128 (6)
The Happy Home of the Faithful
A Song of Ascents.
1
Happy is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways.
2
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.
3
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4
Thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5
The Lord bless you from Zion.
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6
May you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!
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Psalm 129 (8)
Prayer for the Downfall of Israel’s Enemies
A Song of Ascents.
1
Often have they attacked me from my youth
—let Israel now say--
2
often have they attacked me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed against me.
3
The plowers plowed on my back;
they made their furrows long.
4
The Lord is righteous;
he has cut the cords of the wicked.
5
May all who hate Zion
be put to shame and turned backward.
6
Let them be like the grass on the housetops
that withers before it grows up,
7
with which reapers do not fill their hands
or binders of sheaves their arms,
8
while those who pass by do not say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
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Psalm 130 (8)
Waiting for Divine Redemption
A Song of Ascents.
1
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
2
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
3
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
4
But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
5
I wait for the Lord; my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
7
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
8
It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.
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Psalm 131 (3)
Song of Quiet Trust
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
2
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.[a]
3
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time on and forevermore.