Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 131
A Childlike Spirit
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 Lord, my heart is not proud;
my eyes are not haughty.(A)
I do not get involved with things
too great or too wondrous for me.(B)
2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted my soul
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like a weaned child.(C)
3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
both now and forever.(D)
Psalm 132
David and Zion Chosen
A song of ascents.
1 Lord, remember David
and all the hardships he endured,(E)
2 and how he swore an oath to the Lord,
making a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:(F)
3 “I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
4 I will not allow my eyes to sleep
or my eyelids to slumber(G)
5 until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”(H)
6 We heard of the ark in Ephrathah;[a](I)
we found it in the fields of Jaar.[b](J)
7 Let’s go to his dwelling place;
let’s worship at his footstool.(K)
8 Rise up, Lord, come to your resting place,
you and your powerful ark.(L)
9 May your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and may your faithful people shout for joy.(M)
10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.[c](N)
11 The Lord swore an oath to David,
a promise he will not abandon:
“I will set one of your offspring[d]
on your throne.(O)
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and my decrees that I will teach them,
their sons will also sit on your throne forever.”(P)
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his home:(Q)
14 “This is my resting place forever;
I will make my home here
because I have desired it.(R)
15 I will abundantly bless its food;
I will satisfy its needy with bread.(S)
16 I will clothe its priests with salvation,
and its faithful people will shout for joy.(T)
17 There I will make a horn grow for David;(U)
I have prepared a lamp[e] for my anointed one.(V)
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,(W)
but the crown he wears[f] will be glorious.”(X)
Psalm 133
Living in Harmony
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 How delightfully good
when brothers live together in harmony!(Y)
2 It is like fine oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down Aaron’s beard
onto his robes.(Z)
3 It is like the dew of Hermon[g]
falling on the mountains of Zion.(AA)
For there the Lord has appointed the blessing—
life forevermore.(AB)
Psalm 140
Prayer for Rescue
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 Rescue me, Lord, from evil men.
Keep me safe from violent men(A)
2 who plan evil in their hearts.
They stir up wars all day long.(B)
3 They make their tongues
as sharp as a snake’s bite;
viper’s venom is under their lips.(C)Selah
4 Protect me, Lord,
from the power of the wicked.(D)
Keep me safe from violent men
who plan to make me stumble.[a](E)
5 The proud hide a trap with ropes for me;
they spread a net along the path
and set snares for me.(F)Selah
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Listen, Lord, to my cry for help.(G)
7 Lord, my Lord, my strong Savior,
you shield my head on the day of battle.(H)
8 Lord, do not grant the desires of the wicked;
do not let them achieve their goals.
Otherwise, they will become proud.(I)Selah
Psalm 142
A Cry of Distress
A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave.(A) A prayer.
1 I cry aloud to the Lord;(B)
I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy.(C)
2 I pour out my complaint before him;
I reveal my trouble to him.(D)
3 Although my spirit is weak within me,
you know my way.(E)
Along this path I travel
they have hidden a trap for me.(F)
4 Look to the right and see:[a]
no one stands up for me;
there is no refuge for me;
no one cares about me.(G)
5 I cry to you, Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my portion in the land of the living.”(H)
6 Listen to my cry,
for I am very weak.(I)
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.(J)
7 Free me from prison
so that I can praise your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because you deal generously with me.(K)
Jeremiah’s Speech in the Temple
26 At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim(A) son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: 2 “This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple and speak all the words I have commanded you to speak to all Judah’s cities that are coming to worship there. Do not hold back a word.(B) 3 Perhaps they will listen and turn—each from his evil way of life—so that I might relent(C) concerning the disaster that I plan to do to them because of the evil of their deeds. 4 You are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen to me by living according to my instruction that I set before you(D) 5 and by listening to the words of my servants the prophets(E)—whom I have been sending to you time and time again,[a](F) though you did not listen— 6 I will make this temple like Shiloh.(G) I will make this city an example for cursing for all the nations of the earth.’”
Jeremiah Seized
7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the temple of the Lord. 8 When he finished the address the Lord had commanded him to deliver to all the people, immediately the priests, the prophets, and all the people took hold of him, yelling, “You must surely die! 9 How dare you prophesy in the name of the Lord, ‘This temple will become like Shiloh and this city will become an uninhabited ruin’!” Then all the people crowded around Jeremiah at the Lord’s temple.
10 When the officials of Judah heard about these things, they went from the king’s palace to the Lord’s temple and sat at the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s temple.[b](H) 11 Then the priests and prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man deserves the death sentence because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.”(I)
Jeremiah’s Defense
12 Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people, “The Lord sent me to prophesy all the words that you have heard against this temple and city. 13 So now, correct your ways and deeds,(J) and obey the Lord your God so that he might relent concerning the disaster he had pronounced against you. 14 As for me, here I am in your hands; do to me what you think is good and right. 15 But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood(K) on yourselves, on this city, and on its residents, for it is certain the Lord has sent me to speak all these things directly to you.”
Jeremiah Released
16 Then the officials and all the people told the priests and prophets, “This man doesn’t deserve the death sentence, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God!”
Israel’s Rejection Not Total
11 I ask, then, has God rejected his people?(A) Absolutely not!(B) For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,(C) from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.(D) Or don’t you know(E) what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he pleads with God against Israel? 3 Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and they are trying to take my life 4 But what was God’s answer to him? I have left seven thousand for myself who have not bowed down to Baal.[b](G) 5 In the same way, then, there is also at the present time a remnant chosen by grace.(H) 6 Now if by grace,(I) then it is not by works; otherwise grace ceases to be grace.[c]
7 What then? Israel did not find what it was looking for,(J) but the elect did find it. The rest were hardened,(K) 8 as it is written,
9 And David says,
Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a pitfall and a retribution to them.
10 Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and their backs be bent continually.[e](M)
Israel’s Rejection Not Final
11 I ask, then, have they stumbled so as to fall? Absolutely not! On the contrary, by their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles(N) to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their transgression brings riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness bring!(O)
19 Again the Jews were divided(A) because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon(B) and he’s crazy. Why do you listen to him?” 21 Others were saying, “These aren’t the words of someone who is demon-possessed. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” (C)
Jesus at the Festival of Dedication
22 Then the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon’s Colonnade.(D) 24 The Jews surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense?[a] If you are the Messiah,(E) tell us plainly.”[b](F)
25 “I did tell you and you don’t believe,” Jesus answered them. “The works(G) that I do in my Father’s name testify about me. 26 But you don’t believe because you are not of my sheep.[c](H) 27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life,(I) and they will never perish.(J) No one will snatch(K) them out of my hand. 29 My Father,(L) who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”(M)
Renewed Efforts to Stone Jesus
31 Again the Jews picked up rocks to stone him.(N)
32 Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works(O) from the Father. For which of these works are you stoning me?”
33 “We aren’t stoning(P) you for a good work,” the Jews answered, “but for blasphemy, because you—being a man—make yourself God.”
34 Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law,[d] I said, you are gods?[e](Q) 35 If he called those to whom the word(R) of God came ‘gods’—and the Scripture(S) cannot be broken— 36 do you say, ‘You are blaspheming’ to the one the Father set apart and sent into the world, because I said: I am the Son of God?(T) 37 If I am not doing my Father’s works,(U) don’t believe me. 38 But if I am doing them and you don’t believe me, believe the works. This way you will know and understand[f] that the Father is in me and I in the Father.”(V) 39 Then they were trying again to seize him,(W) but he escaped their grasp.(X)
Many beyond the Jordan Believe in Jesus
40 So he departed again across the Jordan(Y) to the place where John(Z) had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. 41 Many came to him(AA) and said, “John never did a sign, but everything John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.
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