Book of Common Prayer
BOOK 1
The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.
1 How blessed is the man who (A)does not walk in the (B)counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the [a](C)path of sinners,
Nor (D)sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his (E)delight is (F)in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates (G)day and (H)night.
3 He will be like (I)a tree firmly planted by [b]streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its [c]leaf does not wither;
And [d]in whatever he does, (J)he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
But they are like (K)chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore (L)the wicked will not stand in the (M)judgment,
Nor sinners in (N)the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord [e](O)knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of (P)the wicked will perish.
The Reign of the Lord’s Anointed.
2 Why are (Q)the [f]nations in an uproar
And the peoples (R)devising a vain thing?
2 The (S)kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
(T)Against the Lord and against His [g](U)Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us (V)tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!”
4 He who [h]sits in the heavens (W)laughs,
The Lord (X)scoffs at them.
5 Then He will speak to them in His (Y)anger
And (Z)terrify them in His fury, saying,
6 “But as for Me, I have [i]installed (AA)My King
Upon Zion, (AB)My holy mountain.”
7 “I will surely tell of the [j]decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, ‘You are (AC)My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 ‘Ask of Me, and (AD)I will surely give (AE)the [k]nations as Your inheritance,
And the very (AF)ends of the earth as Your possession.
9 ‘You shall [l](AG)break them with a [m]rod of iron,
You shall (AH)shatter them like [n]earthenware.’”
10 Now therefore, O kings, (AI)show discernment;
Take warning, O [o]judges of the earth.
11 [p]Worship the Lord with [q](AJ)reverence
And rejoice with (AK)trembling.
12 [r]Do homage to (AL)the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For (AM)His wrath may [s]soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who (AN)take refuge in Him!
Morning Prayer of Trust in God.
A Psalm of David, when [t]he fled from Absalom his son.
3 O Lord, how (AO)my adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up against me.
2 Many are saying [u]of my soul,
“There is no [v](AP)deliverance for him in God.” [w]Selah.
3 But You, O Lord, are (AQ)a shield about me,
My (AR)glory, and the One who (AS)lifts my head.
4 I was crying to the Lord with my voice,
And He (AT)answered me from (AU)His holy [x]mountain. Selah.
5 [y]I (AV)lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.
6 I will (AW)not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have (AX)set themselves against me round about.
7 (AY)Arise, O Lord; (AZ)save me, O my God!
For You [z]have (BA)smitten all my enemies on the [aa]cheek;
You [ab]have (BB)shattered the teeth of the wicked.
8 [ac](BC)Salvation belongs to the Lord;
Your (BD)blessing [ad]be upon Your people! Selah.
Evening Prayer of Trust in God.
[ae]For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
4 (BE)Answer me when (BF)I call, O God [af]of my righteousness!
You have [ag](BG)relieved me in my distress;
Be (BH)gracious to me and (BI)hear my prayer.
2 O sons of men, how long will (BJ)my [ah]honor become (BK)a reproach?
How long will you love (BL)what is worthless and aim at (BM)deception? [ai]Selah.
3 But know that the Lord has [aj](BN)set apart the (BO)godly man for Himself;
The Lord (BP)hears when I call to Him.
4 [ak](BQ)Tremble, [al](BR)and do not sin;
[am](BS)Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
5 Offer [an]the (BT)sacrifices of righteousness,
And (BU)trust in the Lord.
6 Many are saying, “(BV)Who will show us any good?”
(BW)Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord!
7 You have put (BX)gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound.
8 In peace I will [ao]both (BY)lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O Lord, make me to (BZ)dwell in safety.
The Lord Implored to Defend the Psalmist against the Wicked.
A [a]Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord [b]concerning Cush, a Benjamite.
7 O Lord my God, (A)in You I have taken refuge;
Save me from all those who pursue me, and (B)deliver me,
2 Or he will tear [c]my soul (C)like a lion,
[d]Dragging me away, while there is none to deliver.
3 O Lord my God, if I have done this,
If there is (D)injustice in my hands,
4 If I have (E)rewarded evil to [e]my friend,
Or have (F)plundered [f]him who without cause was my adversary,
5 Let the enemy pursue [g]my soul and overtake [h]it;
And let him trample my life down to the ground
And lay my glory in the dust. [i]Selah.
6 (G)Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;
(H)Lift up Yourself against (I)the rage of my adversaries,
And (J)arouse Yourself [j]for me; You have appointed judgment.
7 Let the assembly of the (K)peoples encompass You,
And over [k]them return on high.
8 The Lord (L)judges the peoples;
[l](M)Vindicate me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.
9 O let (N)the evil of the wicked come to an end, but (O)establish the righteous;
For the righteous God (P)tries the hearts and [m]minds.
10 My (Q)shield is [n]with God,
Who (R)saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a (S)righteous judge,
And a God who has (T)indignation every day.
12 If [o]a man (U)does not repent, He will (V)sharpen His sword;
He has (W)bent His bow and [p]made it ready.
13 He has also prepared [q]for Himself deadly weapons;
He makes His (X)arrows fiery shafts.
14 Behold, he travails with wickedness,
And he (Y)conceives mischief and brings forth falsehood.
15 He has dug a pit and hollowed it out,
And has (Z)fallen into the hole which he made.
16 His (AA)mischief will return upon his own head,
And his (AB)violence will descend upon [r]his own pate.
9 “Only (A)give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart (B)all the days of your life; but (C)make them known to your sons and your grandsons. 10 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words (D)so they may learn to [a]fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may (E)teach their children.’ 11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, (F)and the mountain burned with fire to the very heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud and thick gloom. 12 Then the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—only a voice. 13 So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, (G)the Ten [b]Commandments; and (H)He wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14 The Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it.
Paul Describes Himself
10 Now (A)I, Paul, myself (B)urge you by the (C)meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who (D)am [a]meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent! 2 I ask that (E)when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against (F)some, who regard us as if we walked (G)according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war (H)according to the flesh, 4 for the (I)weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but [b]divinely powerful (J)for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every (K)lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the (L)obedience of Christ, 6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever (M)your obedience is complete.
7 [c](N)You are looking at [d]things as they are outwardly. (O)If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ’s, (P)so also are we. 8 For even if (Q)I boast somewhat [e]further about our (R)authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame, 9 [f]for I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters. 10 For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his [g]personal presence is (S)unimpressive and (T)his speech contemptible.” 11 Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.
12 For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with [h]some of those who (U)commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. 13 But we will not boast (V)beyond our measure, but [i](W)within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach to you, for (X)we were the first to come even as far as you in the (Y)gospel of Christ; 15 not boasting (Z)beyond our measure, that is, in (AA)other men’s labors, but with the hope that as (AB)your faith grows, we will be, [j]within our sphere, (AC)enlarged even more by you, 16 so as to (AD)preach the gospel even to (AE)the regions beyond you, and not to boast [k](AF)in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another. 17 But (AG)he who boasts is to boast in the Lord. 18 For it is not he who (AH)commends himself that is approved, but he (AI)whom the Lord commends.
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their (A)many words. 8 So do not be like them; for (B)your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
9 “(C)Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘(D)Your kingdom come.
(E)Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘(F)Give us this day [a]our daily bread.
12 ‘And (G)forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but (H)deliver us from [b](I)evil. [c][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]
14 (J)For if you forgive [d]others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But (K)if you do not forgive [e]others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
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