Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 5
The Refuge of the Righteous
For the choir director: with the flutes. A Davidic psalm.
1 Listen to my words, Lord;
consider my sighing.(A)
2 Pay attention to the sound of my cry,(B)
my King and my God,(C)
for I pray to You.
3 At daybreak,(D) Lord, You hear my voice;
at daybreak I plead my case to You(E) and watch expectantly.
4 For You are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil cannot dwell with You.(F)
5 The boastful cannot stand in Your presence;(G)
You hate all evildoers.(H)
6 You destroy those who tell lies;(I)
the Lord abhors a man of bloodshed and treachery.(J)
7 But I enter Your house
by the abundance of Your faithful love;(K)
I bow down toward Your holy temple
in reverential awe of You.(L)
8 Lord, lead me in Your righteousness(M)
because of my adversaries;[a]
make Your way straight before me.(N)
9 For there is nothing reliable in what they say;[b](O)
destruction is within them;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongues.(P)
10 Punish them, God;
let them fall by their own schemes.(Q)
Drive them out(R) because of their many crimes,
for they rebel against You.(S)
11 But let all who take refuge in You rejoice;(T)
let them shout for joy forever.
May You shelter them,(U)
and may those who love Your name boast about You.(V)
12 For You, Lord, bless the righteous one;
You surround him with favor like a shield.(W)
Psalm 6
A Prayer for Mercy
For the choir director: with stringed instruments, according to Sheminith.(X) A Davidic psalm.
1 Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger;
do not discipline me in Your wrath.(Y)
2 Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak;[c](Z)
heal me,(AA) Lord, for my bones are shaking;(AB)
3 my whole being is shaken with terror.(AC)
And You, Lord—how long?(AD)
4 Turn, Lord! Rescue me;
save me because of Your faithful love.(AE)
5 For there is no remembrance of You in death;
who can thank You in Sheol?(AF)
Psalm 10
1 Lord,[a][b] why do You stand so far away?(A)
Why do You hide in times of trouble?(B)
2 In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue the afflicted;
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.(C)
3 For the wicked one boasts about his own cravings;(D)
the one who is greedy curses[c] and despises the Lord.(E)
4 In all his scheming,
the wicked arrogantly thinks:[d]
“There is no accountability,
since God does not exist.”(F)
5 His ways are always secure;[e]
Your lofty judgments are beyond his sight;
he scoffs at all his adversaries.(G)
6 He says to himself, “I will never be moved—
from generation to generation without calamity.”(H)
7 Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth;
trouble and malice are under his tongue.(I)
8 He waits in ambush near the villages;(J)
he kills the innocent in secret places.
His eyes are on the lookout for the helpless;(K)
9 he lurks in secret like a lion in a thicket.
He lurks in order to seize the afflicted;
he seizes the afflicted and drags him in his net.
10 So he is oppressed and beaten down;
the helpless fall because of his strength.(L)
11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He hides His face and will never see.”(M)
12 Rise up, Lord God! Lift up Your hand.(N)
Do not forget the afflicted.(O)
13 Why has the wicked person despised God?
He says to himself, “You will not demand an account.”(P)
14 But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief,
observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands.(Q)
The helpless entrusts himself to You;
You are a helper of the fatherless.(R)
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil person;(S)
call his wickedness into account
until nothing remains of it.[f](T)
16 The Lord is King forever and ever;(U)
the nations will perish from His land.(V)
17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;[g]
You will strengthen their hearts.
You will listen carefully,(W)
18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed
so that men of the earth may terrify them no more.(X)
Psalm 11
Refuge in the Lord
For the choir director. Davidic.
1 I have taken refuge in the Lord.(Y)
How can you say to me,
“Escape to the mountain like a bird
2 For look, the wicked string the bow;
they put the[i] arrow on the bowstring
to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.(AA)
3 When the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”(AB)
4 The Lord is in His holy temple;(AC)
the Lord’s throne is in heaven.(AD)
His eyes watch; He examines[j] everyone.
5 The Lord examines the righteous and the wicked.
He hates the lover of violence.(AE)
6 He will rain burning coals[k] and sulfur on the wicked;
a scorching wind will be their portion.[l](AF)
7 For the Lord is righteous; He loves righteous deeds.
The upright will see His face.(AG)
16 Better a little with the fear of the Lord
than great treasure with turmoil.(A)
19 A slacker’s way is like a thorny hedge,
but the path of the upright is a highway.(F)
20 A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish man despises his mother.(G)
21 Foolishness brings joy to one without sense,
but a man with understanding walks a straight path.(H)
22 Plans fail when there is no counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.(I)
24 For the discerning the path of life leads upward,
so that he may avoid going down to Sheol.
25 The Lord destroys the house of the proud,
but He protects the widow’s territory.(K)
26 The Lord detests the plans of an evil man,
but pleasant words are pure.(L)
27 The one who profits dishonestly(M) troubles his household,
but the one who hates bribes will live.(N)
28 The mind of the righteous person thinks before answering,(O)
but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil things.(P)
32 Anyone who ignores discipline despises himself,(U)
but whoever listens to correction acquires good sense.[d](V)
33 The fear of the Lord is what wisdom teaches,
and humility comes before honor.(W)
An Approved Worker
14 Remind them of these things, charging them before God[a] not to fight about words;(A) this is in no way profitable and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.(B) 16 But avoid irreverent, empty speech, for this will produce an even greater measure of godlessness.(C) 17 And their word will spread like gangrene; Hymenaeus(D) and Philetus are among them. 18 They have deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already taken place,(E) and are overturning the faith of some.(F) 19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, having this inscription:(G)
The Lord knows those who are His,(H)[b] and
Everyone who names the name(I) of the Lord
must turn away from unrighteousness.(J)
20 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver bowls,(K) but also those of wood and clay, some for honorable[c] use, some for dishonorable.[d](L) 21 So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable,[e] he will be a special[f] instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.(M)
22 Flee(N) from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace,(O) along with those who call on the Lord(P) from a pure heart. 23 But reject foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they breed quarrels. 24 The Lord’s(Q) slave must not quarrel,(R) but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach,[g] and patient, 25 instructing his opponents with gentleness.(S) Perhaps God will grant them repentance(T) leading them to the knowledge of the truth. 26 Then they may come to their senses and escape the Devil’s trap,(U) having been captured by him to do his will.(V)
36 While you have the light,(A) believe in the light so that you may become sons of light.” Jesus said this, then went away and hid from them.(B)
Isaiah’s Prophecies Fulfilled
37 Even though He had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in Him. 38 But this was to fulfill(C) the word of Isaiah(D) the prophet, who said:[a]
39 This is why they were unable to believe, because Isaiah also said:
40 He has blinded(G) their eyes
and hardened their hearts,(H)
so that they would not see with their eyes
or understand with their hearts,
and be converted,(I)
and I would heal them.(J)[c]
41 Isaiah said these things because[d] he saw His glory(K) and spoke about Him.
42 Nevertheless, many did believe in Him even among the rulers,(L) but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, so they would not be banned from the synagogue. 43 For they loved praise from men(M) more than praise from God.[e](N)
A Summary of Jesus’ Mission
44 Then Jesus cried out, “The one who believes in Me(O) believes not in Me, but in Him who sent Me. 45 And the one who sees Me sees Him(P) who sent Me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me would not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears My words and doesn’t keep(Q) them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world(R) but to save the world.(S) 48 The one who rejects Me(T) and doesn’t accept My sayings has this as his judge:[f] The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day.(U) 49 For I have not spoken on My own, but the Father(V) Himself who sent Me has given Me a command as to what I should say and what I should speak. 50 I know that His command is eternal life.(W) So the things that I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”(X)
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