Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 5[a]
Morning Prayer for Divine Help
1 For the director.[b] With flutes. A psalm of David.
2 Listen to my words, O Lord;
pay heed to my sighs.
3 Hear my cry for help,
my King and my God;
for to you I pray.
4 O Lord, at daybreak[c] you hear my voice;
at daybreak I bring my petition before you
and await your reply.
5 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil cannot remain in your presence.
6 The arrogant shrink before your gaze;
you hate all who do evil.
7 You destroy all who tell lies;
the Lord detests the violent and the deceitful.
8 But I will enter your house
because of your great kindness,[d]
and I will bow down in your holy temple,
filled with awe of you.
9 Lead me in your ways of righteousness, O Lord,
for I am surrounded by enemies;
make your path straight before me.[e]
10 For there is nothing trustworthy in their mouth;[f]
their heart devises treacherous schemes.
Their throat is a wide open grave;
with their tongue they utter flattery.
11 Punish them, O God;
may their intrigues result in their downfall.
Cast them out because of their many transgressions,
for they have rebelled against you.[g]
12 But may all who take refuge in you rejoice;
may they shout for joy forever.
Grant them your protection
so that those who love your name[h] may rejoice in you.
13 Truly, you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you surround them with your goodwill as with a shield.
Psalm 6[i]
Evening Prayer for God’s Mercy
1 For the director.[j] With stringed instruments. “Upon the eighth.” A psalm of David.
2 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or punish me in your wrath.
3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am tottering;
help me, O Lord, for my body is in agony.[k]
4 My soul[l] is also filled with anguish.
But you, O Lord—how long?
5 Turn, O Lord, and deliver my soul;
save me because of your kindness.[m]
6 For among the dead who remembers you?
In the netherworld who sings your praises?[n]
7 I am exhausted from my sighing;
every night I flood my bed with my tears,
and I soak my couch with my weeping.
8 My eyes grow dim because of my grief;
they are worn out[o] because of all my foes.
9 Depart from me, all you evildoers,[p]
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
10 The Lord has listened to my pleas;
the Lord has accepted my prayer.
11 All my enemies will be shamed and terrified;
they will flee in utter confusion.[q]
Psalm 10[a]
Prayer for Help against Oppressors
1 Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you remain hidden in times of trouble?
2 In his arrogance the wicked hunts down the poor;
let him be ensnared by the schemes he has devised.
3 The wicked boasts of his wicked desires;
he upholds the greedy and renounces the Lord.
4 Filled with arrogance, he does not seek God,
but thinks, “God does not exist.”[b]
5 The wicked always seems to prosper;
your judgments are far from his mind,
and he scoffs at all those who oppose him.
6 He says in his heart,[c] “I will not be swayed;
I will never experience misfortune.”
7 His mouth is filled with curses, deceit, and threats;[d]
his tongue breeds evil and malice.
8 He lies in wait near the villages,
and from ambush he slays the innocent;
his eyes are on the watch for the helpless.
9 He lies in wait like a lurking lion,
ready to strike the helpless;
he snares his victims,
seizing them in his net.
10 He crouches and lies low,
and the poor are overwhelmed by his might.
11 He thinks in his heart,
“God has forgotten;
he hides his face and will never see what is happening.”
12 Arise, O Lord! Lift up your hand, O God!
Do not forget the afflicted.
13 Why should the wicked reject God
and say in his heart,
“He will not call me to account”?
14 But you note our troubles and our grief
so that you may resolve our difficulties.
The helpless entrusts himself to you;
you are the recourse of the fatherless.
15 Break the arms of the sinner and the evildoer;
seek out the wicked
until no more endure.[e]
16 [f]The Lord is King forever and ever;
the heathen will disappear from his land.
17 You listen, O Lord, to the longings of the poor;
you strengthen their courage and heed their prayers.
18 You ensure justice for the fatherless and the oppressed
so that no one on earth may fill them with terror.
Psalm 11[g]
Unshakable Confidence in God
1 For the director.[h] Of David.
[i]In the Lord I take refuge.
How can you say to me,
“Flee like a bird to your mountains!
2 For behold, the wicked are bending their bows
as they fit their arrows to the string
so that from the shadows
they can shoot at those who are upright.[j]
3 If the foundations[k] are destroyed,
what can be done by those who are righteous?”
4 [l]The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord, whose throne is in heaven.
His eyes are fixed on the world;
his gaze examines everyone.
5 The Lord tests the upright and the wicked;
he detests the lover of violence.
6 Upon the wicked he will rain down
fiery coals and brimstone;[m]
a scorching wind will be their allotted portion.
7 For the Lord is just
and he loves righteous deeds;
the upright will behold his face.[n]
16 It is better to have a little and fear the Lord[a]
than to possess immense wealth and suffer anguish.
17 Better a dish of herbs served with love
than a fattened ox accompanied by hatred.
18 An ill-tempered man provokes quarrels,
but a patient man quiets dissension.
19 The path of the idler[b] is covered with thorns,
but the path of the upright is a broad highway.
20 A wise son is a joy to his father,
but a foolish son has no respect for his mother.
21 Folly delights the one without sense,
but a man of understanding follows a straight path.
22 Plans miscarry when counsel is lacking,
but they succeed when there are many counselors.
23 A man is joyful when he utters apt answers,
and even more satisfying is a word in season.
24 The path of life leads upward for the prudent man
so that he may escape going down to the netherworld.[c]
25 The Lord tears down the proud man’s house,[d]
but he preserves the widow’s boundaries.
26 The Lord abhors the thoughts of the wicked,
but he is pleased with the words of the pure.
27 He who is greedy for dishonest gain brings disaster on a house,
but he who refuses to accept bribes will have life.
28 The righteous man reflects before answering,
but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil.
29 The Lord keeps his distance from the wicked,
but he listens to the prayer of the righteous.
30 A kindly glance gives joy to the heart,
and good news refreshes the bones.
31 He who accepts saving reproof has life
and will enjoy the company of the wise.
32 He who rejects correction despises himself,
but whoever accepts admonition will gain understanding.
33 The fear of the Lord[e] provides instruction in wisdom,
and to be humble is the way to honor.
14 A True Servant of the Lord.[a] Remind people of these things, and warn them before God[b] that they must stop arguing over words. This does no good and only causes harm to those who are listening. 15 Make every effort to present yourself before God as one who is worthy of his approval, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, but who imparts the word of truth without any alteration.
16 Avoid idle and worldly chatter, for those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly, 17 and their teaching will spread like a plague. Included among these are Hymenaeus[c] and Philetus, 18 who have gone astray from the truth. They claim that the resurrection has already taken place, and they damage the faith of some. 19 However, the foundation that God has sealed[d] remains firm, and it bears this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his own,” and “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
20 In every large house, there are utensils not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay—some for noble purposes and some for ordinary purposes. 21 If someone avoids these things I have mentioned, he will be regarded as a vessel of special value, dedicated and useful for the master of the house, and ready to perform any good work.
22 Turn away from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord[e] with a pure heart. 23 Avoid foolish and stupid speculations, for you are well aware that they only result in quarrels.
24 A servant of the Lord should not engage in quarrels but should be kind to everyone. He should be a good teacher and patient, 25 correcting with gentleness those who oppose him. For God may grant them repentance so that they may come to recognize the truth 26 and regain their senses, enabling them to escape the snare of the devil who had held them captive and subjected them to his will.
36 While you have the light,
believe in the light
so that you may become children of light.”
After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid himself from their sight.
37 The Choice To Believe in the Light.[a] Although he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of the prophet Isaiah,
“Lord, who has believed our preaching?
To whom has the power of the Lord been revealed?”
39 They therefore could not believe for as Isaiah said,
40 “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts,
lest they see with their eyes
and understand with their hearts,
and thereby be converted,
so that I could heal them.”[b]
41 Isaiah said this because he saw his glory, and his words referred to him.
42 Nevertheless, there were many, even among the authorities, who believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess their faith in him, for fear of being banned from the synagogue.[c] 43 For they valued human glory more highly than the glory that comes from God.
44 The Choice To Believe in Jesus.[d] Then Jesus cried out,
“Whoever believes in me
believes not only in me
but in him who sent me.
45 And whoever sees me
sees the one who sent me.
46 I have come into the world as light
so that everyone who believes in me
may not have to remain in darkness.
47 [e]“But if anyone listens to my words
and fails to observe them,
I will not pass judgment on him,
for I did not come to judge the world
but to save the world.
48 Anyone who rejects me
and does not accept my words
already has a judge.
On the last day,
the word that I have spoken
will serve as his judge.
49 “For I have not spoken on my own,
but the Father who sent me
has himself given me command
about what I am to say
and how I am to speak.
50 I know that his commandment
is eternal life.
Therefore, what I speak
is what the Father has told me to say.”
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