Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 119
Delight in God’s Word
א Alef
1 How[a] happy are those whose way is blameless,(A)
who live according to the Lord’s instruction!(B)
2 Happy are those who keep His decrees(C)
and seek Him with all their heart.(D)
3 They do nothing wrong;(E)
they follow His ways.
4 You have commanded that Your precepts(F)
be diligently kept.
5 If only my ways were committed
to keeping Your statutes!(G)
6 Then I would not be ashamed(H)
when I think about all Your commands.
7 I will praise You with a sincere heart(I)
when I learn Your righteous judgments.
8 I will keep Your statutes;
never abandon me.(J)
ב Bet
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping Your[b] word.(K)
10 I have sought You with all my heart;(L)
don’t let me wander from Your commands.(M)
11 I have treasured Your word in my heart(N)
so that I may not sin against You.
12 Lord, may You be praised;
teach me Your statutes.(O)
13 With my lips I proclaim
all the judgments from Your mouth.(P)
14 I rejoice in the way revealed by Your decrees(Q)
as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts(R)
and think about Your ways.(S)
16 I will delight in Your statutes;(T)
I will not forget Your word.
ג Gimel
17 Deal generously with Your servant(U)
so that I might live;
then I will keep Your word.
18 Open my eyes so that I may contemplate
wonderful things from Your instruction.
19 I am a stranger on earth;(V)
do not hide Your commands from me.
20 I am continually overcome
with longing for Your judgments.(W)
21 You rebuke the proud,
the ones under a curse,(X)
who wander from Your commands.(Y)
22 Take insult and contempt away from me,(Z)
for I have kept Your decrees.
23 Though princes sit together speaking against me,(AA)
Your servant will think about Your statutes;(AB)
24 Your decrees are my delight
and my counselors.(AC)
Psalm 12
Oppression by the Wicked
For the choir director: according to Sheminith.(A) A Davidic psalm.
1 Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains;
the loyal have disappeared from the human race.(B)
2 They lie to one another;
they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.(C)
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips
and the tongue that speaks boastfully.(D)
4 They say, “Through our tongues we have power;[a]
our lips are our own—who can be our master?”(E)
5 “Because of the oppression of the afflicted
and the groaning of the poor,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord.
“I will put the one who longs for it in a safe place.”(F)
6 The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in an earthen furnace,
purified seven times.(G)
7 You, Lord, will guard us;[b]
You will protect us[c] from this generation forever.(H)
8 The wicked wander[d] everywhere,
and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.(I)
Psalm 13
A Plea for Deliverance
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.
1 Lord, how long will You forget me?
Forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?(J)
2 How long will I store up anxious concerns[e] within me,
agony in my mind every day?
How long will my enemy dominate me?(K)
3 Consider me and answer, Lord my God.
Restore brightness to my eyes;(L)
otherwise, I will sleep in death.
4 My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,”
and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.(M)
5 But I have trusted in Your faithful love;(N)
my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance.(O)
6 I will sing to the Lord
because He has treated me generously.(P)
Psalm 14
A Portrait of Sinners
For the choir director. Davidic.
1 The fool says in his heart, “God does not exist.”(Q)
They are corrupt; they do vile deeds.
There is no one who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race(R)
to see if there is one who is wise,
one who seeks God.
3 All have turned away;
all alike have become corrupt.
There is no one who does good,
not even one.[f](S)
4 Will evildoers never understand?
They consume My people as they consume bread;(T)
they do not call on the Lord.(U)
The Lord versus the Nations’ Gods
41 “Be silent before Me, islands!(A)
And let peoples renew their strength.
Let them approach, then let them testify;
let us come together for the trial.
2 Who has stirred him up from the east?(B)
He calls righteousness to his feet.[a](C)
The Lord hands nations over to him,(D)
and he subdues kings.
He makes them like dust with his sword,
like wind-driven stubble with his bow.
3 He pursues them, going on safely,
hardly touching the path with his feet.
4 Who has performed and done this,
calling the generations from the beginning?
I, Yahweh, am the first,
and with the last(E)—I am He.”(F)
5 The islands see and are afraid,
the whole earth trembles.(G)
They approach and arrive.
6 Each one helps the other,
and says to another, “Take courage!”
7 The craftsman encourages the metalworker;(H)
the one who flattens with the hammer
supports the one who strikes the anvil,
saying of the soldering, “It is good.”
He fastens it with nails so that it will not fall over.(I)
8 But you, Israel, My servant,(J)
Jacob, whom I have chosen,(K)
descendant of Abraham, My friend(L)—
9 I brought[b] you from the ends of the earth
and called you from its farthest corners.
I said to you: You are My servant;
I have chosen you and not rejected you.(M)
10 Do not fear, for I am with you;(N)
do not be afraid, for I am your God.(O)
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.(P)
11 Be sure that all who are enraged against you
will be ashamed and disgraced;(Q)
those who contend with you
will become as nothing and will perish.
12 You will look for those who contend with you,
but you will not find them.
Those who war against you
will become absolutely nothing.
13 For I, Yahweh your God,(R)
hold your right hand
and say to you: Do not fear,
I will help you.
14 Do not fear, you worm Jacob,(S)
you men[c] of Israel:
I will help you—
this is the Lord’s declaration.
Your Redeemer(T) is the Holy One of Israel.(U)
15 See, I will make you into a sharp threshing board,
new, with many teeth.
You will thresh mountains and pulverize them
and make hills into chaff.(V)
16 You will winnow them(W)
and a wind will carry them away,
a gale will scatter them.
But you will rejoice in the Lord;
you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.
From Death to Life
2 And you were dead(A) in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world,(B) according to the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens,[a](C) the spirit(D) now working in the disobedient.[b] 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly(E) desires, carrying out the inclinations(F) of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath(G) as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy,(H) because of His great love(I) that He had for us,[c] 5 made us alive(J) with the Messiah even though we were dead(K) in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens,(L) 7 so that in the coming ages(M) He might display the immeasurable riches(N) of His grace through His kindness(O) to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace(P) through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are His creation, created(Q) in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time(R) so that we should walk in them.
Healings at Capernaum
29 As(A) soon as they left the synagogue,(B) they went into Simon(C) and Andrew’s(D) house(E) with James(F) and John.(G) 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. 31 So He went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up.(H) The fever(I) left her,[a] and she began to serve(J) them.(K)
32 When(L) evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all those who were sick(M) and those who were demon-possessed.(N) 33 The whole town was assembled at the door, 34 and He healed(O) many who were sick with various diseases(P) and drove out(Q) many demons.(R) But He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew Him.(S)
Preaching in Galilee
35 Very(T) early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place.(U) And He was praying(V) there. 36 Simon(W) and his companions went searching for Him. 37 They found Him and said, “Everyone’s looking for You!”
38 And He said to them, “Let’s go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach(X) there too. This is why I have come.” 39 So He went into all of Galilee,(Y) preaching in their synagogues(Z) and driving out demons.
A Man Cleansed
40 Then(AA) a man with a serious skin disease(AB) came to Him and, on his knees,[b](AC) begged Him: “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”(AD)
41 Moved with compassion,(AE) Jesus reached out His hand and touched(AF) him. “I am willing,” He told him. “Be made clean.” 42 Immediately the disease(AG) left him, and he was healed.[c] 43 Then He sternly warned(AH) him and sent him away(AI) at once, 44 telling him, “See that you say nothing to anyone;(AJ) but go and show(AK) yourself to the priest,(AL) and offer(AM) what Moses prescribed for your cleansing,(AN) as a testimony(AO) to them.” 45 Yet he went out and began to proclaim(AP) it widely and to spread the news,(AQ) with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But He was out in deserted places, and they would come to Him from everywhere.
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