Book of Common Prayer
A Morning Prayer for Protection
For the director of music. For flutes. A song of David.
5 Lord, listen to my words.
Understand what I am thinking.
2 Listen to my cry for help.
My king and my God, I pray to you.
3 Lord, every morning you hear my voice.
Every morning, I tell you what I need.
And I wait for your answer.
4 You are not a God who is pleased with what is wicked.
You do not live with those who do evil.
5 Those people who make fun of you cannot stand before you.
You hate all those who do wrong.
6 You destroy liars.
The Lord hates those who kill and trick others.
7 Because of your great love,
I can come into your Temple.
Because I fear and respect you,
I can worship in your holy Temple.
8 Lord, since I have many enemies,
show me the right thing to do.
Show me clearly how you want me to live.
9 With their mouths my enemies do not tell the truth.
In their hearts they want to destroy people.
Their throats are like open graves.
They use their tongues for telling lies.
10 God, declare them guilty!
Let them fall into their own traps.
Send them away because their sins are many.
They have turned against you.
11 But let everyone who trusts you be happy.
Let them sing glad songs forever.
Protect those who love you.
They are happy because of you.
12 Lord, you bless those who do what is right.
You protect them like a soldier’s shield.
A Prayer for Mercy in Troubled Times
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. By the sheminith. A song of David.
6 Lord, don’t correct me when you are angry.
Don’t punish me when you are very angry.
2 Lord, be kind to me because I am weak.
Heal me, Lord, because my bones ache.
3 I am very upset.
Lord, how long will it be?
4 Lord, return and save me.
Save me because of your kindness.
5 Dead people don’t remember you.
Those in the grave don’t praise you.
6 I am tired of crying to you.
Every night my bed is wet with tears.
My bed is soaked from my crying.
7 My eyes are weak from so much crying.
They are weak from crying about my enemies.
8 Get away from me, all you who do evil.
The Lord has heard my crying.
9 The Lord has heard my cry for help.
The Lord will answer my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed and troubled.
They will turn and suddenly leave in shame.
A Complaint About Evil People
10 Lord, why are you so far away?
Why do you hide when there is trouble?
2 Proudly the wicked chase down those who suffer.
The wicked set traps to catch them.
3 They brag about the things they want.
They bless the greedy but hate the Lord.
4 The wicked people are too proud.
They do not look for God.
There is no room for God in their thoughts.
5 They always succeed.
They are far from keeping your laws.
They make fun of their enemies.
6 They say to themselves, “Nothing bad will ever happen to me.
I will never be ruined.”
7 Their mouths are full of curses, lies and threats.
They use their tongues for sin and evil.
8 They hide near the villages.
They look for innocent people to kill.
They watch in secret for the helpless.
9 They wait in hiding like a lion.
They wait to catch poor people.
They catch the poor in nets.
10 The poor are thrown down and crushed.
They are defeated because the others are stronger.
11 The wicked think,
“God has forgotten us.
He doesn’t see what is happening.”
12 Lord, rise up and punish the wicked.
Don’t forget those who need help.
13 Why do wicked people hate God?
They say to themselves, “God won’t punish us.”
14 Lord, surely you see these cruel and evil things.
Look at them and do something.
People in trouble look to you for help.
You are the one who helps the orphans.
15 Break the power of wicked men.
Punish them for the evil they have done.
16 The Lord is King forever and ever.
Remove from your land those nations that do not worship you.
17 Lord, you have heard what the poor people want.
Do what they ask. Listen to them.
18 Protect the orphans. Put an end to suffering.
Then they will no longer be afraid of evil people.
A Statement About Trust in God
For the director of music. Of David.
11 I trust in the Lord for protection.
So why do you say to me,
“Fly like a bird to your mountain.
2 Like hunters, the wicked string their bows.
They set their arrows on the bowstrings.
They shoot from dark places
at those who are honest.
3 When all that is good falls apart,
what can good people do?”
4 The Lord is in his holy temple.
The Lord sits on his throne in heaven.
And he sees what people do.
He keeps his eye on them.
5 The Lord tests those who do right.
But he hates the wicked and those who love to hurt others.
6 He will send hot coals on the wicked.
Burning sulfur and a whirlwind is what they will get.
7 The Lord does what is right, and he loves justice.
So honest people will see his face.
16 It is better to be poor and respect the Lord
than to be wealthy and have much trouble.
17 It is better to eat vegetables with those who love you
than to eat meat with those who hate you.
18 A person who quickly gets angry causes trouble.
But a person who controls his temper stops a quarrel.
19 A lazy person’s life is as difficult as walking through a patch of thorns.
But an honest person’s life is as easy as walking down a smooth highway.
20 A wise son makes his father happy.
But a foolish person hates his mother.
21 A man without wisdom enjoys being foolish.
But a man with understanding does what is right.
22 Plans fail without good advice.
But plans succeed when you get advice from many others.
23 People enjoy giving good answers!
Saying the right word at the right time is so pleasing!
24 A wise person does things that will make his life better.
He avoids whatever would cause his death.
25 The Lord will tear down the proud person’s house.
But he will protect the property of a widow.
26 The Lord hates evil thoughts.
But he is pleased with kind words.
27 A greedy person brings trouble to his family.
But the person who can’t be paid to do wrong will live.
28 Good people think before they answer.
But the wicked simply give evil answers.
29 The Lord does not listen to the wicked.
But he hears the prayers of those who do right.
30 Good news makes you feel better.
Your happiness will show in your eyes.
31 A wise person pays attention to correction
that will improve his life.
32 A person who refuses correction hates himself.
But a person who accepts correction gains understanding.
33 Respect for the Lord will teach you wisdom.
If you want to be honored, you must not be proud.
A Worker Pleasing to God
14 Continue teaching these things. And warn people before God not to argue about words. Arguing about words does not help anyone, and it ruins those who listen. 15 Do the best you can to be the kind of person that God will approve, and give yourself to him. Be a worker who is not ashamed of his work—a worker who uses the true teaching in the right way. 16 Stay away from those who talk about useless worldly things. That kind of talk will lead a person more and more away from God. 17 Their evil teaching will spread like a sickness inside the body. Hymenaeus and Philetus are men like that. 18 They have left the true teaching. They say that the rising from death of all men has already taken place. And those two men are destroying the faith of some people. 19 But God’s strong foundation continues to stand. These words are written on that foundation: “The Lord knows those who belong to him.”[a] And also these words are written on that foundation, “Everyone who says that he believes in the Lord must stop doing wrong.”
20 In a large house there are things made of gold and silver. But also there are things made of wood and clay. Some things are used for special purposes, and others are made for ordinary jobs. 21 If anyone makes himself clean from evil things, he will be used for special purposes. He will be made holy, and the Master can use him. He will be ready to do any good work.
22 Stay away from the evil desires of youth. Try hard to live right and to have faith, love, and peace. Work for these things together with those who have pure hearts and who trust in the Lord. 23 Stay away from foolish and stupid arguments. You know that such arguments grow into bigger arguments. 24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel! He must be kind to everyone. He must be a good teacher. He must be patient. 25 The Lord’s servant must gently teach those who do not agree with him. Maybe God will let them change their hearts so that they can accept the truth. 26 The devil has trapped them and causes them to do what he wants. But maybe they can wake up and free themselves from the devil’s trap.
36 So believe in the light while you still have it. Then you will become sons of light.” When Jesus had said this, he left and hid himself from them.
Some Don’t Believe in Jesus
37 Though Jesus had done many miracles before the people, they still did not believe in him. 38 This was to make clear the full meaning of what Isaiah the prophet said:
“Lord, who believed the things we told them?
Who has seen the Lord’s power?” Isaiah 53:1
39 This is why the people could not believe: Isaiah also said,
40 “He has blinded their eyes.
He has closed their minds.
This is so that they will not see with their eyes
nor understand in their minds.
This is so they will not
come back to me and be forgiven.” Isaiah 6:10
41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.
42 But many people believed in Jesus, even many of the leaders. But because of the Pharisees, they did not say that they believed in him. They were afraid that they would be put out of the synagogue. 43 They loved praise from men more than praise from God.
44 Then Jesus cried out, “He who believes in me is really believing in the One who sent me. 45 He who sees me sees the One who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world. I came so that whoever believes in me would not stay in darkness.
47 “If anyone hears my words and does not obey them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 There is a judge for the one who refuses to believe in me and does not accept my words. The word I have taught will be his judge on the last day. 49 The things I taught were not from myself. The Father who sent me told me what to say and what to teach. 50 And I know that eternal life comes from what the Father commands. So whatever I say is what the Father told me to say.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.