Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 119[a]
א (Alef)
119 How blessed are those whose actions are blameless,[b]
who obey[c] the law of the Lord.
2 How blessed are those who observe his rules,
and seek him with all their heart,
3 who, moreover, do no wrong,
but follow in his footsteps.[d]
4 You demand that your precepts
be carefully kept.[e]
5 If only I were predisposed[f]
to keep your statutes.
6 Then I would not be ashamed,
if[g] I were focused on[h] all your commands.
7 I will give you sincere thanks,[i]
when I learn your just regulations.
8 I will keep your statutes.
Do not completely abandon me.[j]
ב (Bet)
9 How can a young person[k] maintain a pure life?[l]
By guarding it according to your instructions.[m]
10 With all my heart I seek you.
Do not allow me to stray from your commands.
11 In my heart I store up[n] your words,[o]
so I might not sin against you.
12 You deserve praise,[p] O Lord.
Teach me your statutes.
13 With my lips I proclaim
all the regulations you have revealed.[q]
14 I rejoice in the lifestyle prescribed by your rules[r]
as if[s] they were riches of all kinds.[t]
15 I will meditate on[u] your precepts
and focus on[v] your behavior.[w]
16 I find delight[x] in your statutes;
I do not forget your instructions.[y]
ג (Gimel)
17 Be kind to your servant.
Then I will live[z] and keep[aa] your instructions.[ab]
18 Open[ac] my eyes so I can truly see[ad]
the marvelous things in your law.
19 I am a resident foreigner in this land.[ae]
Do not hide your commands from me.
20 I desperately long to know[af]
your regulations at all times.
21 You reprimand arrogant people.
Those who stray from your commands are doomed.[ag]
22 Spare me[ah] shame and humiliation,
for I observe your rules.
23 Though rulers plot and slander me,[ai]
your servant meditates on your statutes.
24 Yes, I find delight in your rules;
they give me guidance.[aj]
Psalm 12[a]
For the music director, according to the sheminith style;[b] a psalm of David.
12 Deliver, Lord!
For the godly[c] have disappeared;[d]
people of integrity[e] have vanished.[f]
2 People lie to one another;[g]
they flatter and deceive.[h]
3 May the Lord cut off[i] all flattering lips,
and the tongue that boasts![j]
4 They say,[k] “We speak persuasively;[l]
we know how to flatter and boast.[m]
Who is our master?”[n]
5 “Because of the violence done to the oppressed,[o]
because of the painful cries[p] of the needy,
I will spring into action,”[q] says the Lord.
“I will provide the safety they so desperately desire.”[r]
6 The Lord’s words are absolutely reliable.[s]
They are as untainted as silver purified in a furnace on the ground,
where it is thoroughly refined.[t]
7 You, Lord, will protect them;[u]
you will continually shelter each one from these evil people,[v]
8 for the wicked seem to be everywhere,[w]
when people promote evil.[x]
Psalm 13[y]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
13 How long, Lord, will you continue to ignore me?[z]
How long will you pay no attention to me?[aa]
2 How long must I worry,[ab]
and suffer in broad daylight?[ac]
How long will my enemy gloat over me?[ad]
3 Look at me![ae] Answer me, O Lord my God!
Revive me,[af] or else I will die.[ag]
4 Then[ah] my enemy will say, “I have defeated him.”
Then[ai] my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I[aj] trust in your faithfulness.
May I rejoice because of your deliverance.[ak]
6 I will sing praises[al] to the Lord
when he vindicates me.[am]
Psalm 14[an]
For the music director, by David.
14 Fools say to themselves,[ao] “There is no God.”[ap]
They sin and commit evil deeds;[aq]
none of them does what is right.[ar]
2 The Lord looks down from heaven[as] at the human race,[at]
to see if there is anyone who is wise[au] and seeks God.[av]
3 Everyone rejects God;[aw]
they are all morally corrupt.[ax]
None of them does what is right,[ay]
not even one.
4 All those who behave wickedly[az] do not understand—[ba]
those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,
and do not call out to the Lord.
5 They are absolutely terrified,[bb]
for God defends the godly.[bc]
6 You want to humiliate the oppressed,[bd]
even though[be] the Lord is their[bf] shelter.
7 I wish the deliverance[bg] of Israel would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the well-being of his people,[bh]
may Jacob rejoice,[bi]
may Israel be happy![bj]
14 Later during the mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and have[a] some food! Dip your bread[b] in the vinegar.” So she sat down beside the harvesters. Then he handed[c] her some roasted grain. She ate until she was full and saved the rest.[d] 15 When she got up to gather grain, Boaz told[e] his male servants, “Let her gather grain even among[f] the bundles. Don’t chase her off![g] 16 Make sure you pull out[h] ears of grain for her and drop them so she can gather them up. Don’t tell her not to!”[i] 17 So she gathered grain in the field until evening. When she threshed[j] what she had gathered, it came to about thirty pounds[k] of barley.
Ruth Returns to Naomi
18 She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw[l] how much grain[m] she had gathered. Then Ruth[n] gave her the roasted grain she had saved from mealtime.[o] 19 Her mother-in-law asked her,[p] “Where did you gather grain today? Where did you work? May the one who took notice of you be rewarded!”[q] So Ruth[r] told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked. She said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be rewarded by the Lord because he[s] has shown loyalty to the living on behalf of the dead!”[t] Then Naomi said to her, “This man is a close relative of ours; he is our guardian.”[u] 21 Ruth the Moabite replied, “He even[v] told me, ‘You may go along beside my servants[w] until they have finished gathering all my harvest!’”[x] 22 Naomi then said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “It is good, my daughter, that you should go out to work with his female servants.[y] That way you will not be harmed, which could happen in another field.”[z] 23 So Ruth[aa] worked beside[ab] Boaz’s female servants, gathering grain until the end of the barley harvest as well as the wheat harvest.[ac] After that she stayed home with her mother-in-law.[ad]
Qualifications for Overseers and Deacons
3 This saying[a] is trustworthy: “If someone aspires to the office of overseer,[b] he desires a good work.” 2 The overseer[c] then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,[d] temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher, 3 not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money. 4 He must manage his own household well and keep his children in control without losing his dignity.[e] 5 But if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for the church of God? 6 He must not be a recent convert or he may become arrogant[f] and fall into the punishment that the devil will exact.[g] 7 And he must be well thought of by[h] those outside the faith,[i] so that he may not fall into disgrace and be caught by the devil’s trap.[j]
8 Deacons likewise must be dignified,[k] not two-faced,[l] not given to excessive drinking,[m] not greedy for gain, 9 holding to the mystery of the faith[n] with a clear conscience. 10 And these also must be tested first and then let them serve as deacons if they are found blameless. 11 Likewise also their wives[o] must be dignified, not slanderous, temperate, faithful in every respect. 12 Deacons must be husbands of one wife[p] and good managers of their children and their own households. 13 For those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves[q] and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.[r]
Conduct in God’s Church
14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions[s] to you 15 in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves[t] in the household of God, because it is[u] the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth. 16 And we all agree,[v] our religion contains amazing revelation:[w]
On the Kingdom of God
18 Thus Jesus[a] asked,[b] “What is the kingdom of God[c] like?[d] To[e] what should I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed[f] that a man took and sowed[g] in his garden. It[h] grew and became a tree,[i] and the wild birds[j] nested in its branches.”[k]
20 Again[l] he said, “To what should I compare the kingdom of God?[m] 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with[n] three measures[o] of flour until all the dough had risen.”[p]
The Narrow Door
22 Then[q] Jesus[r] traveled throughout[s] towns[t] and villages, teaching and making his way toward[u] Jerusalem. 23 Someone[v] asked[w] him, “Lord, will only a few[x] be saved?” So[y] he said to them, 24 “Exert every effort[z] to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once[aa] the head of the house[ab] gets up[ac] and shuts the door, then you will stand outside and start to knock on the door and beg him, ‘Lord,[ad] let us in!’[ae] But he will answer you,[af] ‘I don’t know where you come from.’[ag] 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’[ah] 27 But[ai] he will reply,[aj] ‘I don’t know where you come from![ak] Go away from me, all you evildoers!’[al] 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth[am] when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,[an] and all the prophets in the kingdom of God[ao] but you yourselves thrown out.[ap] 29 Then[aq] people[ar] will come from east and west, and from north and south, and take their places at the banquet table[as] in the kingdom of God.[at] 30 But[au] indeed,[av] some are last[aw] who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
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