Book of Common Prayer
BOOK I
(Psalms 1–41)
Psalm 1
The Two Ways
1 How happy is the man
who does not follow[a] the advice of the wicked
or take[b] the path of sinners
or join a group[c] of mockers!(A)
2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.(B)
3 He is like a tree planted beside streams of water[d]
that bears its fruit in season[e](C)
and whose leaf does not wither.(D)
Whatever he does prospers.(E)
4 The wicked are not like this;
instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.(F)
5 Therefore the wicked will not survive[f] the judgment,(G)
and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous.
Psalm 2
Coronation of the Son
1 Why(J) do the nations rebel[g](K)
and the peoples plot in vain?(L)
2 The kings of the earth take their stand,(M)
and the rulers conspire together
against the Lord and His Anointed One:[h](N)
3 “Let us tear off their chains
and free ourselves from their restraints.”[i](O)
4 The One enthroned[j] in heaven laughs;
the Lord ridicules them.(P)
5 Then He speaks to them in His anger
and terrifies them in His wrath:(Q)
6 “I have consecrated My King[k]
on Zion, My holy mountain.”(R)
7 I will declare the Lord’s decree:
He said to Me, “You are My Son;[l]
today I have become Your[m] Father.(S)
8 Ask of Me,
and I will make the nations Your[n] inheritance
and the ends of the earth Your[o] possession.(T)
9 You will break[p] them with a rod of iron;
You[q] will shatter them like pottery.”[r](U)
10 So now, kings, be wise;
receive instruction, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with reverential awe
and rejoice with trembling.(V)
12 Pay homage to[s] the Son or He[t] will be angry
and you will perish in your rebellion,[u](W)
for His[v] anger may ignite at any moment.(X)
All those who take refuge in Him[w] are happy.(Y)
Psalm 3
Confidence in Troubled Times
A psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom.(Z)
1 Lord, how my foes increase!
There are many who attack me.(AA)
2 Many say about me,
“There is no help for him in God.”(AB)
3 But You, Lord, are a shield around me,(AC)
my glory,(AD) and the One who lifts up my head.(AE)
4 I cry aloud to the Lord,
and He answers me from His holy mountain.(AF)
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again because the Lord sustains me.(AG)
6 I am not afraid of the thousands of people
who have taken their stand against me on every side.(AH)
7 Rise up, Lord!(AI)
Save me, my God!
You strike all my enemies on the cheek;(AJ)
You break the teeth of the wicked.(AK)
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;(AL)
may Your blessing be on Your people.(AM)
Psalm 4
A Night Prayer
For the choir director: with stringed instruments.(AN) A Davidic psalm.
1 Answer me when I call,
God, who vindicates me.[x](AO)
You freed me from affliction;(AP)
be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
2 How long, exalted men, will my honor be insulted?(AQ)
How long will you love what is worthless(AR)
and pursue a lie?
3 Know that the Lord has set apart
the faithful for Himself;
the Lord will hear when I call to Him.
4 Be angry[y] and do not sin;(AS)
on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still.(AT)
5 Offer sacrifices in righteousness[z](AU)
and trust in the Lord.(AV)
6 Many are saying, “Who can show us anything good?”
Look on us with favor, Lord.(AW)
Psalm 7
Prayer for Justice
A Shiggaion[a] of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush,[b] a Benjaminite.
1 Yahweh my God, I seek refuge in You;(A)
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me(B)
2 or they[c] will tear me like a lion,
ripping me apart with no one to rescue me.[d](C)
3 Yahweh my God, if I have done this,
if there is injustice on my hands,(D)
4 if I have done harm to one at peace with me(E)
or have plundered[e] my adversary without cause,(F)
5 may an enemy pursue and overtake me;
may he trample me to the ground(G)
and leave my honor in the dust.(H)
6 Rise up, Lord, in Your anger;
lift Yourself up against the fury of my adversaries;(I)
awake for me;[f](J)
You have ordained[g] a judgment.(K)
7 Let the assembly of peoples gather around You;(L)
take Your seat[h] on high over it.(M)
8 The Lord judges the peoples;(N)
vindicate me, Lord,
according to my righteousness and my integrity.[i](O)
9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,(P)
but establish the righteous.(Q)
The One who examines the thoughts and emotions[j]
is a righteous God.(R)
10 My shield is with[k] God,(S)
who saves the upright in heart.(T)
11 God is a righteous judge
and a God who shows His wrath every day.(U)
12 If anyone does not repent,
God[l] will sharpen His sword;(V)
He has strung[m] His bow and made it ready.(W)
13 He has prepared His deadly weapons;
He tips His arrows with fire.(X)
14 See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil,
conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit.(Y)
15 He dug a pit and hollowed it out
but fell into the hole he had made.(Z)
16 His trouble comes back on his own head,
and his violence falls on the top of his head.(AA)
17 I will thank the Lord for His righteousness;
I will sing about the name of Yahweh the Most High.(AB)
A Collection of Solomon’s Proverbs
10 Solomon’s proverbs:(A)
A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son, heartache to his mother.(B)
2 Ill-gotten gains do not profit anyone,
but righteousness rescues from death.(C)
4 Idle hands make one poor,
but diligent hands bring riches.(F)
5 The son who gathers during summer is prudent;
the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.(G)
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.(H)
7 The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.(I)
8 A wise heart accepts commands,(J)
but foolish lips will be destroyed.
9 The one who lives with integrity lives securely,(K)
but whoever perverts his ways will be found out.(L)
10 A sly wink of the eye(M) causes grief,
and foolish lips will be destroyed.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,(N)
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.(O)
12 Hatred stirs up conflicts,
but love covers all offenses.(P)
15 This you know: All those in Asia(A) have turned away from me,(B) including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord grant mercy(C) to the household of Onesiphorus,(D) because he often refreshed me(E) and was not ashamed of my chains.(F) 17 On the contrary, when he was in Rome,(G) he diligently searched for me and found me. 18 May the Lord grant that he obtain mercy(H) from Him on that day. And you know very well how much he ministered at Ephesus.(I)
Be Strong in Grace
2 You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace(J) that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And what you have heard from me(K) in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful(L) men who will be able to teach others also.
3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.(M) 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the recruiter. 5 Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops.(N) 7 Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
8 Keep your attention on Jesus Christ as risen from the dead(O) and descended from David. This is according to my gospel. 9 I suffer for it to the point of being bound like a criminal, but God’s message is not bound. 10 This is why I endure(P) all things for the elect:(Q) so that they also may obtain salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.(R) 11 This saying is trustworthy:(S)
27 “Now My soul is troubled. What should I say—Father, save Me(A) from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name!”[a](B)
Then a voice(C) came from heaven:(D) “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again!”(E)
29 The crowd standing there heard it and said it was thunder. Others said that an angel had spoken to Him.
30 Jesus responded, “This voice came, not for Me, but for you.(F) 31 Now is the judgment of this world.(G) Now the ruler of this world(H) will be cast out.(I) 32 As for Me, if I am lifted up[b] from the earth I will draw all people to Myself.”(J) 33 He said this to signify what kind of death He was about to die.(K)
34 Then the crowd replied to Him, “We have heard from the scripture that the Messiah will remain forever.(L) So how can You say, ‘The Son of Man(M) must be lifted up’?[c] Who is this Son of Man?”
35 Jesus answered, “The light will be with you only a little longer.(N) Walk while you have the light(O) so that darkness doesn’t overtake you.(P) The one who walks in darkness doesn’t know where he’s going.(Q) 36 While you have the light,(R) believe in the light so that you may become sons of light.” Jesus said this, then went away and hid from them.(S)
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