Book of Common Prayer
Qoph.
145
I cried with all my heart; answer me, O Lord!
I will observe Your statutes.
146
I cried to You; save me
And I will keep Your testimonies.
147
I rise before dawn and cry [in prayer] for help;
I wait for Your word.
148
My eyes anticipate the night watches and I awake before the call of the watchman,
That I may meditate on Your word.
149
Hear my voice according to Your [steadfast] lovingkindness;
O Lord, renew and refresh me according to Your ordinances.
150
Those who follow after wickedness approach;
They are far from Your law.
151
You are near, O Lord,
And all Your commandments are truth.
152
Of old I have known from Your testimonies
That You have founded them forever.(A)
Resh.
153
Look upon my agony and rescue me,
For I do not forget Your law.
154
Plead my cause and redeem me;
Revive me and give me life according to [the promise of] Your word.
155
Salvation is far from the wicked,
For they do not seek Your statutes.
156
Great are Your tender mercies and steadfast love, O Lord;
Revive me and give me life according to Your ordinances.
157
Many are my persecutors and my adversaries,
Yet I do not turn away from Your testimonies.
158
I see the treacherous and loathe them,
Because they do not respect Your law.
159
Consider how I love Your precepts;
Revive me and give me life, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.
160
The sum of Your word is truth [the full meaning of all Your precepts],
And every one of Your righteous ordinances endures forever.
Shin.
161
Princes persecute me without cause,
But my heart stands in [reverent] awe of Your words [so I can expect You to help me].(B)
162
I rejoice at Your word,
As one who finds great treasure.
163
I hate and detest falsehood,
But I love Your law.
164
[a]Seven times a day I praise You,
Because of Your righteous ordinances.
165
Those who love Your law have great peace;
Nothing makes them stumble.(C)
166
I hope and wait [with complete confidence] for Your salvation, O Lord,
And I do Your commandments.(D)
167
My soul keeps Your testimonies [hearing and accepting and obeying them];
I love them greatly.
168
I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies,
For all my ways are [fully known] before You.
Tav.
169
Let my [mournful] cry come before You, O Lord;
Give me understanding [the ability to learn and a teachable heart] according to Your word [of promise].
170
Let my supplication come before You;
Deliver me according to Your word.
171
Let my lips speak praise [with thanksgiving],
For You teach me Your statutes.
172
Let my tongue sing [praise for the fulfillment] of Your word,
For all Your commandments are righteous.
173
Let Your hand be ready to help me,
For I have chosen Your precepts.
174
I long for Your salvation, O Lord,
And Your law is my delight.
175
Let my soul live that it may praise You,
And let Your ordinances help me.
176
I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
Seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments.(E)
Blessedness of the Fear of the Lord.
A Song of [a]Ascents.
128 Blessed [happy and sheltered by God’s favor] is everyone who fears the Lord [and worships Him with obedience],
Who walks in His ways and lives according to His commandments.(A)
2
For you shall eat the fruit of [the labor of] your hands,
You will be happy and blessed and it will be well with you.
3
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
Within the innermost part of your house;
Your children will be like olive plants
Around your table.
4
Behold, for so shall the man be blessed and divinely favored
Who fears the Lord [and worships Him with obedience].
5
May the Lord bless you from Zion [His holy mountain],
And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life;
6
Indeed, may you see your [family perpetuated in your] children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!
Prayer for the Overthrow of Zion’s Enemies.
A Song of [b]Ascents.
129 “Many times they have persecuted me (Israel) from my youth,”
Let Israel now say,
2
“Many times they have persecuted me from my youth,
Yet they have not prevailed against me.
3
“The [enemies, like] plowers plowed on my back;
They made their furrows [of suffering] long [in Israel].”
4
The Lord is righteous;
He has cut in two the [thick] cords of the wicked [which enslaved the people of Israel].
5
May all who hate Zion
Be put to shame and turned backward [in defeat].
6
Let them be like the grass on the housetops,
Which withers before it grows up,
7
With which the reaper does not fill his hand,
Nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
8
Nor do those who pass by say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you;
We bless you in the name of the Lord.”
Hope in the Lord’s Forgiving Love.
A Song of [c]Ascents.
130 Out of the [d]depths [of distress] I have cried to You, O Lord.
2
Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
3
If You, Lord, should keep an account of our sins and treat us accordingly,
O Lord, who could stand [before you in judgment and claim innocence]?(B)
4
But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared and worshiped [with submissive wonder].(C)
5
I wait [patiently] for the Lord, my soul [expectantly] waits,
And in His word do I hope.
6
My soul waits for the Lord
More than the watchmen for the morning;
More than the watchmen for the morning.
7
O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is lovingkindness,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
8
And He will redeem Israel
From all his sins.
Prophecy against the Shepherds of Israel
34 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, the [spiritual] shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Woe (judgment is coming) to the [spiritual] shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? 3 You eat the fat [the choicest of meat], and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the best of the livestock, but you do not feed the flock. 4 You have not strengthened those who are weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bandaged the crippled, you have not brought back those gone astray, you have not looked for the lost; but you have ruled them with force and violence. 5 They were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the predators of the field. 6 My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the face of the earth and no one searched or sought them.”’”(A)
7 Therefore, you [spiritual] shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 “As I live,” says the Lord God, “certainly because My flock has become prey, My flock has even become food for every predator of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock; 9 therefore, you [spiritual] shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My flock from them and make them stop tending the flock, so that the shepherds cannot feed themselves anymore. I will rescue My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.”’”
The Restoration of Israel
11 For thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I Myself will search for My flock and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd cares for his sheep on the day that he is among his scattered flock, so I will care for My sheep; and I will rescue them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. 14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed My flock and I will let them lie down [to rest],” says the Lord God. 16 “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bandage the crippled, and strengthen the weak and the sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong [who have become hard-hearted and perverse]. I will feed them with judgment and punishment.(B)
12 I am writing to you, little children (believers, dear ones), because your sins have been forgiven for His name’s sake [you have been pardoned and released from spiritual debt through His name because you have confessed His name, believing in Him as Savior]. 13 I am writing to you, fathers [those believers who are spiritually mature], because you know Him who has existed from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men [those believers who are growing in spiritual maturity], because you have been victorious and have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children [those who are new believers, those spiritually immature], because you have come to know the Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has existed from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and vigorous, and the word of God remains [always] in you, and you have been victorious over the evil one [by accepting Jesus as Savior].
Do Not Love the World
15 Do not love the world [of sin that opposes God and His precepts], nor the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life [pretentious confidence in one’s resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father, but are from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and with it its lusts [the shameful pursuits and ungodly longings]; but the one who does the will of God and carries out His purposes lives forever.
5 Jesus sent out these twelve, instructing them: “Do not go among the Gentiles, and do not go into a city of the Samaritans; 6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9 Do not take gold, or silver, or [even] copper money in your money belt, 10 or a provision bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker deserves his support. 11 Whatever city or village you enter, ask who in it is worthy [who welcomes you and your message], and stay at his house until you leave [that city]. 12 As you go into the house, give it your greeting [that is, ‘Peace be to this house’]. 13 If [the family living in] the house is worthy [welcoming you and your message], give it your [blessing of] [a]peace [that is, a blessing of well-being and prosperity, the favor of God]. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. 14 Whoever does not welcome you, nor listen to your message, as you leave that house or city, [b]shake the dust [of it] off your feet [in contempt, breaking all ties].(A) 15 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of [c]Sodom and Gomorrah than for that city [since it rejected the Messiah’s messenger].
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