Book of Common Prayer
Deliver Me, O Lord, from Evil Men
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
140 (A)Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
preserve me from (B)violent men,
2 who plan evil things in their heart
and (C)stir up wars continually.
3 They make (D)their tongue sharp as (E)a serpent's,
and (F)under their lips is the (G)venom of asps. Selah
4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
preserve me from (H)violent men,
who have planned to trip up my feet.
5 The arrogant have (I)hidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread (J)a net;[a]
beside the way they have set (K)snares for me. Selah
6 (L)I say to the Lord, You are my God;
give ear to (M)the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!
7 O Lord, my Lord, (N)the strength of my salvation,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 (O)Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their[b] evil plot, or (P)they will be exalted! Selah
You Are My Refuge
A Maskil[a] of David, when he was in (A)the cave. A Prayer.
142 With my voice I (B)cry out to the Lord;
with my voice I (C)plead for mercy to the Lord.
2 I (D)pour out my complaint before him;
I tell my trouble before him.
3 When my spirit (E)faints within me,
you know my way!
In the path where I walk
they have (F)hidden a trap for me.
4 (G)Look to the (H)right and see:
(I)there is none who takes notice of me;
(J)no refuge remains to me;
no one cares for my soul.
5 I cry to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my (K)refuge,
my (L)portion in (M)the land of the living.”
6 (N)Attend to my cry,
for (O)I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
(P)for they are too strong for me!
7 (Q)Bring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will (R)deal bountifully with me.
Give Ear to My Voice
A Psalm of David.
141 O Lord, I call upon you; (A)hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
2 Let (B)my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and (C)the lifting up of my hands as (D)the evening sacrifice!
3 (E)Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
(F)keep watch over the door of my lips!
4 (G)Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who (H)work iniquity,
and (I)let me not eat of their delicacies!
5 (J)Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.
Yet (K)my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
6 When their judges are (L)thrown over the cliff,[a]
then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
so shall our bones (M)be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.[b]
My Soul Thirsts for You
A Psalm of David.
143 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
(A)give ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your (B)faithfulness answer me, in your (C)righteousness!
2 (D)Enter not into judgment with your servant,
for no one living is righteous (E)before you.
3 For the enemy has pursued my soul;
(F)he has crushed my life to the ground;
(G)he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit (H)faints within me;
my heart within me is appalled.
5 (I)I remember the days of old;
(J)I meditate on all that you have done;
I ponder the work of your hands.
6 (K)I stretch out my hands to you;
(L)my soul thirsts for you like (M)a parched land. Selah
7 (N)Answer me quickly, O Lord!
(O)My spirit fails!
(P)Hide not your face from me,
(Q)lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
8 (R)Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I (S)trust.
(T)Make me know the way I should go,
(U)for to you I lift up my soul.
21 “And (A)I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see (B)my judgment that I have executed, and (C)my hand that I have laid on them. 22 (D)The house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God, from that day forward. 23 And (E)the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they dealt so treacherously with me that (F)I hid my face from them and (G)gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. 24 I dealt with them (H)according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them.
The Lord Will Restore Israel
25 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Now (I)I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on (J)the whole house of Israel, and (K)I will be jealous for my holy name. 26 They shall (L)forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when (M)they dwell securely in their land with (N)none to make them afraid, 27 (O)when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies' lands, (P)and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations. 28 (Q)Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore. 29 (R)And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when (S)I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord God.”
3 See (A)what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called (B)children of God; and so we are. The reason why (C)the world does not know us is that (D)it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are (E)God's children (F)now, and what we will be (G)has not yet appeared; but we know that (H)when he appears[a] (I)we shall be like him, because (J)we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who (K)thus hopes in him (L)purifies himself as he is pure.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; (M)sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that (N)he appeared in order to (O)take away sins, and (P)in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; (Q)no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, (R)let no one deceive you. (S)Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 (T)Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was (U)to destroy the works of the devil. 9 (V)No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's[b] seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, (W)nor is the one who (X)does not love his brother.
24 (A)“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant[a] above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. (B)If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign[b] those of his household.
Have No Fear
26 “So have no fear of them, (C)for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on (D)the housetops. 28 And (E)do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him (F)who can destroy both soul and body in hell.[c] 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?[d] And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But (G)even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; (H)you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 (I)So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but (J)whoever denies me before men, (K)I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.