Book of Common Prayer
To the Director: A Davidic Psalm.
A Prayer for Victory
20 May the Lord answer you in the day of distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob[a] protect you.
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary,
and may he sustain you from Zion.
3 May he remember all your gifts,
and may he accept your burnt offerings.
4 May he give you what your heart desires,
and may he fulfill all your plans.
5 May we shout for joy at your deliverance
and unfurl our banners in the name of our God.
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
6 Now I know that the Lord has delivered his anointed;
he has answered him from his sanctuary
with the strength of his right hand of deliverance.
7 Some boast[b] in chariots,
others in horses;
but we will boast in[c] the name of the Lord our God.
8 While they bowed down and fell,
we arose and stood upright.
9 Deliver us, Lord!
Answer us, our King,[d] on the day we cry out!
To the Director: A Davidic Psalm.
Praise for the Lord’s Deliverance
21 The king rejoices in your strength, Lord.
How greatly he rejoices in your deliverance.
2 You have granted him the desire of his heart,
and have not withheld what his lips requested.
3 You go before him with wonderful blessings,
and put a crown of fine gold on his head.
4 He asked life from you, and you gave it to him—
a long life for ever and ever.
5 His glory is great because of your deliverance,
you have given him honor and majesty.
6 Indeed, you have given him eternal blessings;
you will make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 The king trusts in the Lord;
because of the gracious love of the Most High,
he will stand firm.[e]
8 Your hand will find all your enemies,
your right hand will find those who hate you.
9 When you appear,
you will set them ablaze like a fire furnace.
In his wrath, the Lord will consume them,
and the fire will devour them.
10 You will destroy their descendants[f] from the earth,
even their offspring from the ranks[g] of mankind.
11 Though they plot evil against you and devise schemes,
they will not succeed.
12 Indeed, you will make them retreat,[h]
when you aim your bow[i] at their faces.
13 Rise up, Lord, because you are strong;
we will sing and praise your power.
A Davidic psalm
A Priestly Ruler
110 A declaration from the Lord[a] to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2 When the Lord extends your mighty scepter from Zion,
rule in the midst of your enemies.
3 Your soldiers[b] are willing volunteers on your day of battle;
in majestic holiness, from the womb,
from the dawn, the dew of your youth belongs to you.
4 The Lord took an oath and will never recant:
“You are a priest forever,
after the manner of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand;
he will utterly destroy kings in the time of his wrath.
6 He will execute judgment against the nations,
filling graves[c] with corpses.
He will utterly destroy leaders far and wide.
7 He will drink from a stream on the way,
then hold his head high.
God, My Deliverer
116 I love the Lord
because he has heard my prayer for mercy;[a]
2 for he listens to me whenever I call.
3 The ropes of death were wound around me
and the anguish of Sheol[b] came upon me;
I encountered distress and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord,
“Lord, please deliver me!”[c]
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is compassionate;
6 the Lord watches over the innocent;[d]
I was brought low, and he delivered me.
7 Return to your resting place, my soul,
for the Lord treated you generously.
8 Indeed, you delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from crying,[e]
and my feet from stumbling.
9 I will walk in the Lord’s presence
in the lands of the living.
10 I will continue to believe, even when I say,
“I am greatly afflicted”
11 and speak hastily,
“All people are liars!”
12 What will I return to the Lord
for all his benefits to me?
13 I will raise my cup of deliverance
and invoke the Lord’s name.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
15 In the sight of the Lord,
the death of his faithful ones is valued.
16 Lord, I am indeed your servant.
I am your servant.
I am the son of your handmaid.
You have released my bonds.
17 I will bring you a thanksgiving offering
and call on the name of the Lord!
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the Lord’s house,
in your midst, Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
A Call to Praise the Lord
117 Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Exalt him, all you peoples!
2 For great is his gracious love toward us,
and the Lord’s faithfulness is eternal.
Hallelujah!
The Fearful Day of the Lord
18 “Woe to those who are craving the Day of the Lord!
How is it to your benefit, this Day of the Lord?
It’s a day of[a] darkness to you, and not light.
19 It will be like a man who runs from a lion,
only to encounter a bear;
or who comes home, leans his hand against a wall,
and a serpent bites him!
20 Will not the Day of the Lord be darkness, and not light—
pitch black at that, without a ray of sunshine?”
Let Justice Roll On
21 “I hate—I despise—your festival days,
and your solemn convocations stink.[b]
22 And[c] if you send up burnt offerings to me
as well as your grain offerings,
I will not accept them,
nor will I consider your peace offerings of fattened cattle.
23 Spare me your noisy singing—
I will not listen to your musical instruments.[d]
24 “But let justice roll on like many[e] waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing river.
25 “Was it to me that you brought offerings and gifts
in the desert for 40 years, house of Israel?
26 And you carried the tent of your king[f]—
and Saturn,[g] your star god idols[h] that you crafted for yourselves.
27 So I will cause you to be taken captive beyond Damascus,”
says the Lord,
whose name is God of the Heavenly Armies.
Advice to the Readers
17 But you, dear friends, must remember the statements and predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.[a] 18 They kept telling you, “In the last times there will be mockers, following their own ungodly desires.”[b] 19 These are the people who cause divisions. They are worldly, devoid of the Spirit.
20 But you, dear friends, must continue to build your most holy faith for your own benefit. Furthermore, continue to pray in the Holy Spirit. 21 Remain in God’s love as you look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus the Messiah,[c] which brings eternal life. 22 Show mercy to those who have doubts. 23 Save others by snatching them from the fire. To others, show mercy with fear, hating even the clothes stained by their sinful lives.[d]
Final Prayer
24 Now to the one who is able to keep you from falling and to make you stand joyful and faultless in his glorious presence, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus the Messiah,[e] our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time and for all eternity! Amen.
A Question about Paying Taxes(A)
15 Then the Pharisees went and planned how to trap Jesus[a] in conversation. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians.[b] They said, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere and that you teach the way of God truthfully. You don’t favor any individual, because you pay no attention to external appearance. 17 So tell us what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
18 Recognizing their wickedness, Jesus asked, “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.”
They brought him a denarius.[c] 20 Then he asked them, “Whose face and name is this?”
21 They told him, “Caesar’s.”
So he told them, “Then give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. Then they left him and went away.
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