Book of Common Prayer
97 Oh, how I love your teachings!
They are in my thoughts all day long.
98 Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
because your commandments are always with me.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
because your written instructions are in my thoughts.
100 I have more wisdom than those with many years of experience,
because I have obeyed your guiding principles.
101 I have kept my feet ⌞from walking⌟ on any evil path
in order to obey your word.
102 I have not neglected your regulations,
because you have taught me.
103 How sweet the taste of your promise is!
It tastes sweeter than honey.
104 From your guiding principles I gain understanding.
That is why I hate every path that leads to lying.
105 Your word is a lamp for my feet
and a light for my path.
106 I took an oath, and I will keep it.
I took an oath to follow your regulations,
which are based on your righteousness.
107 I have suffered so much.
Give me a new life, O Lord, as you promised.
108 Please accept the praise I gladly give you, O Lord,
and teach me your regulations.
109 I always take my life into my own hands,
but I never forget your teachings.
110 Wicked people have set a trap for me,
but I have never wandered away from your guiding principles.
111 Your written instructions are mine forever.
They are the joy of my heart.
112 I have decided to obey your laws.
They offer a reward that never ends.
113 I hate two-faced people,
but I love your teachings.
114 You are my hiding place and my shield.
My hope is based on your word.
115 Get away from me, you evildoers,
so that I can obey the commandments of my God.
116 Help me God, as you promised, so that I may live.
Do not turn my hope into disappointment.
117 Hold me, and I will be safe,
and I will always respect your laws.
118 You reject all who wander away from your laws,
because their lies mislead them.
119 You get rid of all wicked people on earth as if they were rubbish.
That is why I love your written instructions.
120 My body shudders in fear of you,
and I am afraid of your regulations.
For the choir director; on the gittith; [a] by Asaph.
81 Sing joyfully to God, our strength.
Shout happily to the God of Jacob.
2 Begin a psalm, and strike a tambourine.
Play lyres and harps with their pleasant music.
3 Blow the ram’s horn on the day of the new moon,
on the day of the full moon,
on our festival days.
4 This is a law for Israel,
a legal decision from the God of Jacob.
5 These are the instructions God set in place for Joseph
when Joseph rose to power over Egypt.
I heard a message I did not understand:
6 “I removed the burden from his shoulder.
His hands were freed from the basket.
7 When you were in trouble, you called out ⌞to me⌟, and I rescued you.
I was hidden in thunder, but I answered you.
I tested your ⌞loyalty⌟ at the oasis of Meribah. Selah
8 Listen, my people, and I will warn you.
Israel, if you would only listen to me!
9 Never keep any strange god among you.
Never worship a foreign god.
10 I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 “But my people did not listen to me.
Israel wanted nothing to do with me.
12 So I let them go their own stubborn ways
and follow their own advice.
13 If only my people would listen to me!
If only Israel would follow me!
14 I would quickly defeat their enemies.
I would turn my power against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe in front of him,
and their time ⌞for punishment⌟ would last forever.
16 But I would feed Israel with the finest wheat
and satisfy them with honey from a rock.”
A psalm by Asaph.
82 God takes his place in his own assembly.
He pronounces judgment among the gods:
2 “How long are you going to judge unfairly?
How long are you going to side with wicked people?” Selah
3 Defend weak people and orphans.
Protect the rights of the oppressed and the poor.
4 Rescue weak and needy people.
Help them escape the power of wicked people.
5 Wicked people do not know or understand anything.
As they walk around in the dark,
all the foundations of the earth shake.
6 I said, “You are gods.
You are all sons of the Most High.
7 You will certainly die like humans
and fall like any prince.”
8 Arise, O God!
Judge the earth, because all the nations belong to you.
15 Truth is missing.
Those who turn away from evil make themselves victims.
The Lord sees it, and he’s angry
because there’s no justice.
16 He sees that there’s no one to help.
He’s astounded that there’s no one to intercede.
So with his own power he wins a victory.
His righteousness supports him.
17 He puts on righteousness like a coat of armor
and a helmet of salvation on his head.
He wears clothes of vengeance.
He wraps himself with fury as a coat.
18 He will pay them back according to their deeds.
He will pay back his opponents with wrath and punish his enemies.
He will pay back the people who live on the coastlands.
19 The people of the west will fear the name of the Lord.
Those in the east will fear his glory.
He will come like a rushing stream.
The wind of the Lord pushes him.
20 “Then a Savior will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who turn from rebellion,” declares the Lord.
21 “This is my promise [a] to them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I put in your mouth will not leave you. They will be with your children and your grandchildren permanently,” says the Lord.
News about Paul’s Coworkers
15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
16 May the Lord be merciful to the family of Onesiphorus. He often took care of my needs and wasn’t ashamed that I was a prisoner. 17 When he arrived in Rome, he searched hard for me and found me. 18 May the Lord grant that Onesiphorus finds mercy when that day comes. You know very well that he did everything possible to help me in Ephesus.
Remain Focused on Jesus
2 My child, find your source of strength in the kindness [a] of Christ Jesus. 2 You’ve heard my message, and it’s been confirmed by many witnesses. Entrust this message to faithful individuals who will be competent to teach others.
3 Join me in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Whoever serves in the military doesn’t get mixed up in non-military activities. This pleases his commanding officer. 5 Whoever enters an athletic competition wins the prize only when playing by the rules. 6 A hard-working farmer should have the first share of the crops. 7 Understand what I’m saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things.
8 Always think about Jesus Christ. He was brought back to life and is a descendant of David. This is the Good News that I tell others. 9 I’m suffering disgrace for spreading this Good News. I have even been put into prison like a criminal. However, God’s word is not imprisoned. 10 For that reason, I endure everything for the sake of those who have been chosen so that they, too, may receive salvation from Christ Jesus with glory that lasts forever. 11 This is a statement that can be trusted:
If we have died with him, we will live with him.
12 If we endure, we will rule with him.
If we disown him, he will disown us.
13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful
because he cannot be untrue to himself.
A Discussion about Divorce(A)
10 Jesus left there and went into the territory of Judea along the other side of the Jordan River. Crowds gathered around him again, and he taught them as he usually did.
2 Some Pharisees came to test him. They asked, “Can a husband divorce his wife?”
3 Jesus answered them, “What command did Moses give you?”
4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to give his wife a written notice to divorce her.”
5 Jesus said to them, “He wrote this command for you because you’re heartless. 6 But God made them male and female in the beginning, at creation. 7 That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and will remain united with his wife, 8 and the two will be one. So they are no longer two but one. 9 Therefore, don’t let anyone separate what God has joined together.”
10 When they were in a house, the disciples asked him about this. 11 He answered them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman is committing adultery. 12 If a wife divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.”
Jesus Blesses Children(B)
13 Some people brought little children to Jesus to have him hold them. But the disciples told the people not to do that.
14 When Jesus saw this, he became irritated. He told them, “Don’t stop the children from coming to me. Children like these are part of God’s kingdom. 15 I can guarantee this truth: Whoever doesn’t receive God’s kingdom as a little child receives it will never enter it.”
16 Jesus put his arms around the children and blessed them by placing his hands on them.
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