Book of Common Prayer
145 I call with all my heart, O Lord;
answer me that I may keep your statutes.
146 I call to you to save me
that I may observe your testimonies.
147 I rise before dawn and cry out;
I put my hope in your words.
148 My eyes greet the night watches
as I meditate on your promise.(A)
149 Hear my voice in your mercy, O Lord;
by your judgment give me life.
150 Malicious persecutors draw near me;
they are far from your law.
151 You are near, O Lord;
reliable are all your commandments.
152 Long have I known from your testimonies
that you have established them forever.
Resh
153 Look at my affliction and rescue me,
for I have not forgotten your law.
154 Take up my cause and redeem me;(B)
for the sake of your promise give me life.
155 Salvation is far from sinners
because they do not cherish your statutes.
156 Your compassion is great, O Lord;
in accord with your judgments, give me life.
157 Though my persecutors and foes are many,
I do not turn from your testimonies.
158 I view the faithless with loathing(C)
because they do not heed your promise.
159 See how I love your precepts, Lord;
in your mercy give me life.
160 Your every word is enduring;
all your righteous judgments are forever.
Shin
161 Princes persecute me without reason,
but my heart reveres only your word.
162 I rejoice at your promise,
as one who has found rich spoil.
163 Falsehood I hate and abhor;
your law I love.
164 Seven times a day I praise you
because your judgments are righteous.
165 Lovers of your law have much peace;(D)
for them there is no stumbling block.
166 I look for your salvation, Lord,
and I fulfill your commandments.
167 I observe your testimonies;
I love them very much.
168 I observe your precepts and testimonies;
all my ways are before you.
Taw
169 Let my cry come before you, Lord;(E)
in keeping with your word, give me understanding.
170 Let my prayer come before you;
rescue me according to your promise.
171 May my lips pour forth your praise,
because you teach me your statutes.
172 May my tongue sing of your promise,
for all your commandments are righteous.
173 Keep your hand ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
174 I long for your salvation, Lord;
your law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live to praise you;
may your judgments give me help.
176 I have wandered like a lost sheep;
seek out your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments.(F)
Psalm 128[a]
The Blessed Home of the Just
1 A song of ascents.
I
Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
and who walk in his ways.(A)
2 What your hands provide you will enjoy;
you will be blessed and prosper:(B)
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your home,
Your children like young olive plants
around your table.(C)
4 Just so will the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
II
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion;
may you see Jerusalem’s prosperity
all the days of your life,(D)
6 and live to see your children’s children.(E)
Peace upon Israel!(F)
Psalm 129[b]
Against Israel’s Enemies
1 A song of ascents.
I
Viciously have they attacked me from my youth,
let Israel say now.(G)
2 Viciously have they attacked me from my youth,(H)
yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 Upon my back the plowers plowed,
as they traced their long furrows.(I)
4 But the just Lord cut me free
from the ropes of the wicked.[c]
II
5 May they recoil in disgrace,
all who hate Zion.
6 May they be like grass on the rooftops[d]
withered in early growth,(J)
7 Never to fill the reaper’s hands,
nor the arms of the binders of sheaves,
8 And with none passing by to call out:
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you![e]
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”(K)
Psalm 130[f]
Prayer for Pardon and Mercy
1 A song of ascents.
I
Out of the depths[g] I call to you, Lord;
2 Lord, hear my cry!
May your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.(L)
3 If you, Lord, keep account of sins,
Lord, who can stand?(M)
4 But with you is forgiveness
and so you are revered.[h]
II
5 I wait for the Lord,
my soul waits
and I hope for his word.(N)
6 My soul looks for the Lord
more than sentinels for daybreak.(O)
More than sentinels for daybreak,
7 let Israel hope in the Lord,
For with the Lord is mercy,
with him is plenteous redemption,(P)
8 And he will redeem Israel
from all its sins.(Q)
30 As for you, prophesy against them all these words and say to them:
The Lord roars from on high,
from his holy dwelling he raises his voice;
Mightily he roars over his sheepfold,
a shout like that of vintagers echoes(A)
over all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 The uproar spreads
to the end of the earth;
For the Lord has an indictment against the nations,
he enters into judgment against all flesh:
The wicked shall be given to the sword—
oracle of the Lord.
32 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Look! disaster stalks
nation after nation;
A violent storm surges
from the recesses of the earth.
33 On that day, those whom the Lord has slain will be strewn from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned, they will not be gathered, they will not be buried; they shall lie like dung upon the ground.(B)
34 Howl, you shepherds, and wail!
roll on the ground, leaders of the flock!
The time for your slaughter has come;
like choice rams you shall fall.
35 There is no flight for the shepherds,
no escape for the leaders of the flock.(C)
36 Listen! Wailing from the shepherds,
howling from the leaders of the flock!
For the Lord lays waste their grazing place;
37 desolate are the peaceful pastures,
from the burning wrath of the Lord.
38 Like a lion he leaves his lair,
and their land is made desolate
By the sweeping sword,
and the burning wrath of the Lord.(D)
14 [a]But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach?(A) 15 And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written,(B) “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring [the] good news!”[b] 16 But not everyone has heeded the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?”(C) 17 Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.(D) 18 But I ask, did they not hear? Certainly they did; for
“Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”(E)
19 But I ask, did not Israel understand?(F) First Moses says:
“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
with a senseless nation I will make you angry.”
20 (G)Then Isaiah speaks boldly and says:
“I was found [by] those who were not seeking me;
I revealed myself to those who were not asking for me.”
21 But regarding Israel he says, “All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contentious people.”
Chapter 10
The Good Shepherd. 1 [a]“Amen, amen, I say to you,(A) whoever does not enter a sheepfold[b] through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. 2 But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 [c]When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,(B) because they recognize his voice. 5 But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” 6 Although Jesus used this figure of speech,[d] they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
7 [e]So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 [f]All who came [before me] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.(C) 12 A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them.(D) 13 This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.(E) 16 I have other sheep[g] that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.(F) 17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.(G) 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.[h] This command I have received from my Father.”(H)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.