Book of Common Prayer
A Psalm of Complaint and of Praise.
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
31 In You, O Lord, I have placed my trust and taken refuge;
Let me never be [a]ashamed;
In Your righteousness rescue me.
2
Incline Your ear to me, deliver me quickly;
Be my rock of refuge,
And a strong fortress to save me.
3
Yes, You are my rock and my fortress;
For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.
4
You will draw me out of the net that they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my strength and my stronghold.
5
[b]Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth and faithfulness.(A)
6
I hate those who pay regard to vain (empty, worthless) idols;
But I trust in the Lord [and rely on Him with unwavering confidence].
7
I will rejoice and be glad in Your steadfast love,
Because You have seen my affliction;
You have taken note of my life’s distresses,
8
And You have not given me into the hand of the enemy;
You have set my feet in a broad place.
9
Be gracious and compassionate to me, O Lord, for I am in trouble;
My eye is clouded and weakened by grief, my soul and my body also.
10
For my life is spent with sorrow
And my years with sighing;
My strength has failed because of my iniquity,
And even my body has wasted away.
11
Because of all my enemies I have become a reproach and disgrace,
Especially to my neighbors,
And an object of dread to my acquaintances;
Those who see me on the street run from me.
12
I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel.
13
For I have heard the slander and whispering of many,
Terror is on every side;
While they schemed together against me,
They plotted to take away my life.(B)
14
But as for me, I trust [confidently] in You and Your greatness, O Lord;
I said, “You are my God.”
15
My times are in Your hands;
Rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from those who pursue and persecute me.
16
Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
Save me in Your lovingkindness.
17
Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, for I call on You;
Let the wicked (godless) be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).
18
Let the lying lips be mute,
Which speak insolently and arrogantly against the [consistently] righteous
With pride and contempt.
19
How great is Your goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who [reverently] fear You,
Which You have prepared for those who take refuge in You,
[c]Before the sons of man!
20
In the secret place of Your presence You hide them from the plots and conspiracies of man;
You keep them secretly in a shelter (pavilion) from the strife of tongues.
21
Blessed be the Lord,
For He has shown His marvelous favor and lovingkindness to me [when I was assailed] in a besieged city.
22
As for me, I said in my alarm,
“I am cut off from Your eyes.”
Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications (specific requests)
When I cried to You [for help].
23
O love the Lord, all you His godly ones!
The Lord preserves the faithful [those with moral and spiritual integrity]
And fully repays the [self-righteousness of the] arrogant.
24
Be strong and let your hearts take courage,
All you who wait for and confidently expect the Lord.
Prayer for Rescue from Enemies.
A Psalm of David.
35 Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.
2
Take hold of shield and buckler ([a]small shield),
And stand up for my help.
3
Draw also the spear and javelin to meet those who pursue me.
Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4
Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life;
Let those be turned back [in defeat] and humiliated who plot evil against me.
5
Let them be [blown away] like chaff before the wind [worthless, without substance],
With the angel of the Lord driving them on.
6
Let their way be dark and slippery,
With the angel of the Lord pursuing and harassing them.
7
For without cause they hid their net for me;
Without cause they dug a pit [of destruction] for my life.
8
Let destruction come upon my enemy by surprise;
Let the net he hid for me catch him;
Into that very destruction let him fall.
9
Then my soul shall rejoice in the Lord;
It shall rejoice in His salvation.
10
All my bones will say, “Lord, who is like You,
Who rescues the afflicted from him who is too strong for him [to resist alone],
And the afflicted and the needy from him who robs him?”
11
Malicious witnesses rise up;
They ask me of things that I do not know.
12
They repay me evil for good,
To the sorrow of my soul.
13
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth (mourning garment);
I humbled my soul with fasting,
And I prayed with my head bowed on my chest.
14
I behaved as if grieving for my friend or my brother;
I bowed down in mourning, as one who sorrows for his mother.
15
But in my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered together [against me];
The slanderers whom I did not know gathered against me;
They slandered and reviled me without ceasing.
16
Like godless jesters at a feast,
They gnashed at me with their teeth [in malice].
17
Lord, how long will You look on [without action]?
Rescue my life from their destructions,
My only life from the young lions.
18
I will give You thanks in the great congregation;
I will praise You among a mighty people.
19
Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me;
Nor let those who hate me without cause wink their eye [maliciously].(A)
20
For they do not speak peace,
But they devise deceitful words [half-truths and lies] against those who are quiet in the land.
21
They open their mouths wide against me;
They say, “Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it!”
22
You have seen this, O Lord; do not keep silent.
O Lord, do not be far from me.
23
Wake Yourself up, and arise to my right
And to my cause, my God and my Lord.
24
Judge me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness and justice;
And do not let them rejoice over me.
25
Do not let them say in their heart, “Aha, that is what we wanted!”
Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up and destroyed him.”
26
Let those be ashamed and humiliated together who rejoice at my distress;
Let those be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves over me.
27
Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication and want what is right for me;
Let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, who delights and takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”
28
And my tongue shall declare Your righteousness (justice),
And Your praise all the day long.
Altar and Sacrifices Restored
3 When the seventh month came and the sons of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brothers arose, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the [a]Law of Moses, the man of God. 3 So they set up the altar on its [old] foundation, [b]for they were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, morning and evening. 4 They celebrated the Feast of [c]Booths, as it is written, and offered the fixed number of daily burnt offerings, in accordance with the ordinances, as each day required; 5 and afterward, there was the continual burnt offering, the offering at the New Moons, and at all the appointed festivals of the Lord that were consecrated, and the offerings of everyone who made a voluntary offering to the Lord. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, but the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid. 7 They gave money to the masons and to the carpenters, and gave food, drink, and [olive] oil to the people from Sidon and Tyre, to bring cedar wood from Lebanon to the seaport of Joppa, in accordance with the authorization they had from Cyrus king of Persia.
Temple Restoration Begun
8 In the second year of their coming to God’s house at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak began [the work], with the rest of their brothers—the priests and Levites and all who came to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to oversee the work of the house of the Lord. 9 Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers stood united with Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah and the sons of Henadad with their sons and brothers the Levites, to oversee the workmen in the house of God.
10 Now when the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with their cymbals, to praise the Lord in accordance with the directions of David king of Israel. 11 They sang [responsively], praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, “For He is good, for His lovingkindness (mercy) toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first house (temple), wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.
10 If Timothy comes, see to it that [you put him at ease, so that] he has nothing to fear in regard to you, for he is [devotedly] doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. 11 So allow no one to treat him with disdain [as if he were inconsequential]. But send him off [cordially, and speed him on his way] in peace, so that he may come to me, for I am expecting him [to come along] with the other brothers.
12 As for our brother Apollos, I have strongly encouraged him to visit you with the other brothers. It was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come when he has the opportunity.
13 Be on guard; stand firm in your faith [in God, respecting His precepts and keeping your doctrine sound]. Act like [mature] men and be courageous; be strong.(A) 14 Let everything you do be done in love [motivated and inspired by God’s love for us].
15 Brothers and sisters, you know that those of the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to [a]God’s people—now I urge you 16 to be subject to such leaders [treating them with courtesy and respect], and to everyone who helps in the work and labors [for the benefit of yourselves and the church]. 17 I rejoice because Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus have arrived, for they have made up for your absence. 18 They have refreshed my spirit as well as yours. So fully acknowledge such men and deeply appreciate them.
19 The churches of Asia send you their greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church [that meets] in their house, send you their warm greetings in the Lord. 20 All the believers greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
21 This greeting is in my own hand—Paul. 22 If anyone does not love the Lord [does not obey and respect and believe in Jesus Christ and His message], he is to be accursed. Maranatha (O our Lord, come)! 23 The grace of our Lord Jesus [His unmerited favor, His spiritual blessing, His profound mercy] be with you. 24 My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.
The Pharisees Rebuked
22 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man both spoke and saw.(A) 23 All the people wondered in amazement, and said, “Could this be the Son of David (the Messiah)?” 24 But the Pharisees heard it and said, “This man [a]casts out demons only by [the help of] Beelzebul (Satan) the prince of the demons.”
25 Knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom that is divided against itself is being laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will [continue to] stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan [that is, his demons], he has become divided against himself and disunited; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 If I cast out the demons by [the help of] Beelzebul (Satan), by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you [before you expected it]. 29 Or how can anyone go into a strong man’s house and steal his property unless he first overpowers and ties up the strong man? Then he will ransack and rob his house.(B)
The Unpardonable Sin
30 He who is not with Me [once and for all on My side] is against Me; and he who does not [unequivocally] gather with Me scatters.(C)
31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy [every evil, abusive, injurious speaking, or indignity against sacred things] will be forgiven people, but [b]blasphemy against the [Holy] Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit [by attributing the miracles done by Me to Satan] will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.(D)
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