Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 56[a]
For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam.[b] When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.
1 Be merciful to me,(A) my God,
for my enemies are in hot pursuit;(B)
all day long they press their attack.(C)
2 My adversaries pursue me all day long;(D)
in their pride many are attacking me.(E)
3 When I am afraid,(F) I put my trust in you.(G)
4 In God, whose word I praise—(H)
in God I trust and am not afraid.(I)
What can mere mortals do to me?(J)
5 All day long they twist my words;(K)
all their schemes are for my ruin.
6 They conspire,(L) they lurk,
they watch my steps,(M)
hoping to take my life.(N)
7 Because of their wickedness do not[c] let them escape;(O)
in your anger, God, bring the nations down.(P)
8 Record my misery;
list my tears on your scroll[d](Q)—
are they not in your record?(R)
9 Then my enemies will turn back(S)
when I call for help.(T)
By this I will know that God is for me.(U)
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise—
11 in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 I am under vows(V) to you, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered me from death(W)
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.(X)
Psalm 57[e](Y)
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[f] When he had fled from Saul into the cave.(Z)
1 Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.(AA)
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings(AB)
until the disaster has passed.(AC)
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who vindicates me.(AD)
3 He sends from heaven and saves me,(AE)
rebuking those who hotly pursue me—[g](AF)
God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.(AG)
4 I am in the midst of lions;(AH)
I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.(AI)
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.(AJ)
6 They spread a net for my feet(AK)—
I was bowed down(AL) in distress.
They dug a pit(AM) in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.(AN)
7 My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;(AO)
I will sing and make music.
8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!(AP)
I will awaken the dawn.
9 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.(AQ)
Psalm 58[h]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[i]
1 Do you rulers indeed speak justly?(AT)
Do you judge people with equity?
2 No, in your heart you devise injustice,(AU)
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.(AV)
3 Even from birth the wicked go astray;
from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake,(AW)
like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
5 that will not heed(AX) the tune of the charmer,(AY)
however skillful the enchanter may be.
6 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;(AZ)
Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!(BA)
7 Let them vanish like water that flows away;(BB)
when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.(BC)
8 May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,(BD)
like a stillborn child(BE) that never sees the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns(BF)—
whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.[j](BG)
10 The righteous will be glad(BH) when they are avenged,(BI)
when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.(BJ)
11 Then people will say,
“Surely the righteous still are rewarded;(BK)
surely there is a God who judges the earth.”(BL)
Psalm 64[a]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
2 Hide me from the conspiracy(C) of the wicked,(D)
from the plots of evildoers.
3 They sharpen their tongues like swords(E)
and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.(F)
4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent;(G)
they shoot suddenly, without fear.(H)
5 They encourage each other in evil plans,
they talk about hiding their snares;(I)
they say, “Who will see it[b]?”(J)
6 They plot injustice and say,
“We have devised a perfect plan!”
Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.
7 But God will shoot them with his arrows;
they will suddenly be struck down.
8 He will turn their own tongues against them(K)
and bring them to ruin;
all who see them will shake their heads(L) in scorn.(M)
9 All people will fear;(N)
they will proclaim the works of God
and ponder what he has done.(O)
10 The righteous will rejoice in the Lord(P)
and take refuge in him;(Q)
all the upright in heart will glory in him!(R)
Psalm 65[c]
For the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.
1 Praise awaits[d] you, our God, in Zion;(S)
to you our vows will be fulfilled.(T)
2 You who answer prayer,
to you all people will come.(U)
3 When we were overwhelmed by sins,(V)
you forgave[e] our transgressions.(W)
4 Blessed are those you choose(X)
and bring near(Y) to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,(Z)
of your holy temple.
5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,(AA)
God our Savior,(AB)
the hope of all the ends of the earth(AC)
and of the farthest seas,(AD)
6 who formed the mountains(AE) by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,(AF)
7 who stilled the roaring of the seas,(AG)
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.(AH)
8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy.(AI)
9 You care for the land and water it;(AJ)
you enrich it abundantly.(AK)
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,(AL)
for so you have ordained it.[f]
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers(AM) and bless its crops.
11 You crown the year with your bounty,(AN)
and your carts overflow with abundance.(AO)
12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;(AP)
the hills are clothed with gladness.(AQ)
13 The meadows are covered with flocks(AR)
and the valleys are mantled with grain;(AS)
they shout for joy and sing.(AT)
Prosperity After Turning to the Lord
30 When all these blessings and curses(A) I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations,(B) 2 and when you and your children return(C) to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart(D) and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes[a](E) and have compassion(F) on you and gather(G) you again from all the nations where he scattered(H) you.(I) 4 Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens,(J) from there the Lord your God will gather(K) you and bring you back.(L) 5 He will bring(M) you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous(N) than your ancestors. 6 The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants,(O) so that you may love(P) him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. 7 The Lord your God will put all these curses(Q) on your enemies who hate and persecute you.(R) 8 You will again obey the Lord and follow all his commands I am giving you today. 9 Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land.(S) The Lord will again delight(T) in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, 10 if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law(U) and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.(V)
Paul’s Defense of His Ministry
10 By the humility and gentleness(A) of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul,(B) who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! 2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold(C) as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.(D) 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.(E) 4 The weapons we fight with(F) are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power(G) to demolish strongholds.(H) 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,(I) and we take captive every thought to make it obedient(J) to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.(K)
7 You are judging by appearances.[a](L) If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ,(M) they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.(N) 8 So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us(O) for building you up rather than tearing you down,(P) I will not be ashamed of it. 9 I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. 10 For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive(Q) and his speaking amounts to nothing.”(R) 11 Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.
12 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves.(S) When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us,(T) a sphere that also includes you. 14 We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you(U) with the gospel of Christ.(V) 15 Neither do we go beyond our limits(W) by boasting of work done by others.(X) Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow,(Y) our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, 16 so that we can preach the gospel(Z) in the regions beyond you.(AA) For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory. 17 But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[b](AB) 18 For it is not the one who commends himself(AC) who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.(AD)
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time(A)
31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem,(B) and everything that is written by the prophets(C) about the Son of Man(D) will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles.(E) They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; 33 they will flog him(F) and kill him.(G) On the third day(H) he will rise again.”(I)
34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.(J)
A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight(K)
35 As Jesus approached Jericho,(L) a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”(M)
38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David,(N) have mercy(O) on me!”
39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”(P)
40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.
42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”(Q) 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.(R)
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