Book of Common Prayer
119 Blessed are those whose lives have integrity,
those who follow the teachings of the Lord.
2 Blessed are those who obey his written instructions.
They wholeheartedly search for him.
3 They do nothing wrong.
They follow his directions.
4 You have commanded
that your guiding principles be carefully followed.
5 I pray that my ways may become firmly established
so that I can obey your laws.
6 Then I will never feel ashamed
when I study all your commandments.
7 I will give thanks to you
as I learn your regulations, which are based on your righteousness.
8 I will obey your laws.
Never abandon me.
9 How can a young person keep his life pure?
⌞He can do it⌟ by holding on to your word.
10 I wholeheartedly searched for you.
Do not let me wander away from your commandments.
11 I have treasured your promise in my heart
so that I may not sin against you.
12 Thanks be to you, O Lord.
Teach me your laws.
13 With my lips I have repeated
every regulation that ⌞comes⌟ from your mouth.
14 I find joy in the way ⌞shown by⌟ your written instructions
more than I find joy in all kinds of riches.
15 I want to reflect on your guiding principles
and study your ways.
16 Your laws make me happy.
I never forget your word.
17 Be kind to me so that I may live
and hold on to your word.
18 Uncover my eyes
so that I may see the miraculous things in your teachings.
19 I am a foreigner in this world.
Do not hide your commandments from me.
20 My soul is overwhelmed with endless longing for your regulations.
21 You threaten arrogant people, who are condemned
and wander away from your commandments.
22 Remove the insults and contempt that have fallen on me
because I have obeyed your written instructions.
23 Even though influential people plot against me,
I reflect on your laws.
24 Indeed, your written instructions make me happy.
They are my best friends.
For the choir director; on the sheminith; a psalm by David.
12 Help, O Lord.
No godly person is left.
Faithful people have vanished from among Adam’s descendants!
2 All people speak foolishly.
They speak with flattering lips. They say one thing but mean another.
3 May the Lord cut off every flattering lip
and every bragging tongue
4 that has said,
“We will overcome with our tongues.
With lips such as ours, who can be our master?”
5 “Because oppressed people are robbed and needy people groan,
I will now arise,” says the Lord.
“I will provide safety for those who long for it.”
6 The promises of the Lord are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace and purified seven times.
7 O Lord, you will protect them.
You will keep each one safe from those people forever.
8 Wicked people parade around
when immorality increases among Adam’s descendants.
For the choir director; a psalm by David.
13 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I make decisions alone
with sorrow in my heart day after day?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look at me! Answer me, O Lord my God!
Light up my eyes,
or else I will die
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overpowered him.”
My opponents will rejoice because I have been shaken.
5 But I trust your mercy.
My heart finds joy in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord because he has been good to me.
For the choir director; by David.
14 Godless fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt.
They do disgusting things.
There is no one who does good things.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on Adam’s descendants
to see if there is anyone who acts wisely,
if there is anyone who seeks help from God.
3 Everyone has turned away.
Together they have become rotten to the core.
No one, not even one person, does good things.
4 Are all those troublemakers,
those who devour my people as if they were devouring food,
so ignorant that they do not call on the Lord?
5 There they are—panic-stricken
because God is with the person who is righteous.
6 They put the advice of oppressed people to shame
because the Lord is their refuge.
7 If only salvation for Israel would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice.
Israel will be glad.
25 Even when you have children and grandchildren and have grown old in that land, don’t become corrupt and make carved idols or statues that represent anything. I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today: [a] If you do this thing that the Lord your God considers evil, making him furious, 26 you will quickly disappear from the land you’re going to possess on the other side of the Jordan River. You won’t live very long there. You’ll be completely wiped out. 27 The Lord will scatter you among the people of the world, and only a few of you will be left among the nations where the Lord will force you to live. 28 There you will worship wooden and stone gods made by human hands. These gods can’t see, hear, eat, or smell.
29 But if you look for the Lord your God when you are among those nations, you will find him whenever you search for him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you’re in distress and all these things happen to you, then you will finally come back to the Lord your God and obey him. 31 The Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not abandon you, destroy you, or forget the promise to your ancestors that he swore he would keep.
21 I’m ashamed to admit it, but Timothy and I don’t have the strength to do those things to you.
Whatever other people dare to brag about, I, like a fool, can also brag about. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. 23 Are they Christ’s servants? It’s insane to say it, but I’m a far better one. I’ve done much more work, been in prison many more times, been beaten more severely, and have faced death more often. 24 Five times the Jewish leaders had me beaten with 39 lashes; 25 three times Roman officials had me beaten with clubs. Once people tried to stone me to death; three times I was shipwrecked, and I drifted on the sea for a night and a day. 26 Because I’ve traveled a lot, I’ve faced dangers from raging rivers, from robbers, from my own people, and from other people. I’ve faced dangers in the city, in the open country, on the sea, and from believers who turned out to be false friends. 27 Because I’ve had to work so hard, I’ve often gone without sleep, been hungry and thirsty, and gone without food and without proper clothes during cold weather. 28 Besides these external matters, I have the daily pressure of my anxiety about all the churches. 29 When anyone is weak, I’m weak too. When anyone is caught in a trap, I’m also harmed.
30 If I must brag, I will brag about the things that show how weak I am. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is praised forever, knows that I’m not lying. 32 The governor under King Aretas put guards around the city of Damascus to catch me. 33 So I was let down in a basket through an opening in the wall and escaped from him.
24 “No one can serve two masters. He will hate the first master and love the second, or he will be devoted to the first and despise the second. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Stop Worrying(A)
25 “So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes?
26 “Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?
27 “Can any of you add a single hour to your life by worrying?
28 “And why worry about clothes? Notice how the flowers grow in the field. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. 29 But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. 30 That’s the way God clothes the grass in the field. Today it’s alive, and tomorrow it’s thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you people who have so little faith?
31 “Don’t ever worry and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ 32 Everyone is concerned about these things, and your heavenly Father certainly knows you need all of them. 33 But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you.
34 “So don’t ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
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