Book of Common Prayer
To the Music Director: A Davidic Song
A Prayer for Deliverance
140 [a]Deliver me, Lord, from evil people,
preserve me from violent men,
2 who craft evil plans in their minds,
inciting wars every day.[b]
3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;
the venom of vipers is on their lips.
4 Protect me, Lord, from the control of evil people,
from violent men who have planned to trip me.
5 The arrogant have laid a trap for me;
they have spread a net with ropes,
lining it with snares along the way.
6 So I say to the Lord, “You are my God;
listen to my voice
as I plead for mercy, Lord.
7 Lord, my Lord, my strong deliverer,
you have protected my head in the time[c] of battle.
8 Never grant, Lord, the desires of the wicked;
never condone their plans
so they cannot exalt themselves.
9 May those who surround me discover
that the trouble they talk about falls on their own head!
10 May burning coals fall on them;
may they be cast into fire,
and into miry pits, never to rise again.
11 Let not the slanderer[d] become established in the land.
May evil quickly hunt down the violent man.
12 I know that the Lord will act on behalf of the tormented,
providing justice for the needy.
13 Surely the righteous will give thanks to your name,
while the upright live in your presence.
A Davidic Song, when he was in the cave.[a] A prayer.
A Call to God for Help
142 My voice cries out to the Lord;
my voice pleads for mercy to the Lord.
2 I pour out my complaint to him,
telling him all of my troubles.
3 Though my spirit grows faint within me,
you are aware of my path.
Wherever I go,
they have hidden a trap for me.
4 I look to my right[b] and observe—
no one is concerned about me.
There is nowhere I can go for refuge,
and no one cares for me.
5 So I cry to you, Lord,
declaring, “You are my refuge,
my only[c] possession while I am on this earth.”[d]
6 Pay attention to my cry,
for I have been brought very low.
Deliver me from my tormentors,
for they are far too strong for me.
7 Break me out of this prison,
so I can give thanks to your name.
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal generously with me.
A Davidic Song
A Prayer for Maturity
141 Lord, I call to you,
be quick to listen to me when I cry out!
2 Let my prayer be like incense offered before you,
and my uplifted hands like the evening sacrifice.
3 Lord, set a guard over my mouth;
keep watch over the door to my lips.
4 Don’t let my heart turn toward evil
or involve itself in wicked activities
with men who practice iniquity.
Let me not feast on their delicacies.
5 Let one who is righteous strike me;
It is an act of gracious love.
Let him rebuke me,
because it is oil for my head;
do not let my head refuse it.
My prayers continuously will be
against their wicked activities.
6 When their judges are thrown off the cliff,
the people[a] will hear my words,
for they are appropriate.
7 Just as one plows and breaks up the earth,
our[b] bones are scattered
near the entrance to the place of the dead.[c]
8 Nevertheless, my eyes are on you, Lord God,
as I seek protection in you.
Don’t leave me defenseless!
9 Protect me from the trap laid for me
and from the snares of those who practice evil.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I come through.
A Davidic Song
Longing for God
143 Lord, hear my prayer;
pay attention to my request, because you are faithful;
answer me in your righteousness.
2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant,
for no living person is righteous in your sight.
3 For those who oppose me are pursuing my life,
crushing me to the ground,
making me sit in darkness
like those who died long ago.
4 As a result, my spirit is desolate within me,
and my mind within me is appalled.
5 I remember the former times,
meditating on everything you have done.
I think about the work[a] of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands toward you,
longing for you like a parched land.
7 Answer me quickly, Lord;
my spirit is failing.
Do not hide your face from me;
otherwise, I will become like those who descend to the Pit.[b]
8 In the morning let me hear of your gracious love,
for in you I trust.
Cause me to know the way I should take,
because I have set my hope on you.
9 Deliver me from my enemies, Lord.
I have taken refuge in you.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
11 For the sake of your name, Lord,
preserve my life.
Because you are righteous,
bring me out of trouble.
12 Because of your gracious love,
you will cut off my enemies.
You will destroy all who oppose me,
for I am your servant.
The Philistine Monopoly on Metal Working
19 No blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel because the Philistines thought, “This will keep the Hebrews from making swords or spears.” 20 Everyone in Israel would have to go to the Philistines so each person could sharpen his plow, his mattock, his axe, and his sickle.[a] 21 The charge was one pin[b] for plows, mattocks, three pronged forks,[c] and axes, or for setting the goads. 22 On the day of battle, none of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan were armed with swords or spears, but Saul and his son Jonathan did have[d] them. 23 Now a garrison of the Philistines had gone out to the pass of Michmash.
Jonathan’s Heroic Exploits
14 One day Jonathan told his armor bearer,[e] “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine garrison which is on the other side,” but he did not tell his father. 2 Saul was sitting on the outskirts of Geba under the pomegranate tree which was at Migron, and with him[f] were about 600 men. 3 Along with him were Ahitub’s son Ahijah, Ichabod’s brother, who was Phineas’ son and a grandson of Eli the priest of the Lord at Shiloh, who was carrying the ephod. The people did not know that Jonathan had gone.
4 Now in the pass[g] through which Jonathan planned to get across to the Philistine garrison, there was a sharp crag[h] on one side and a sharp crag on the other side. The name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other was Seneh. 5 One crag rose on the north opposite Michmash, and the other on the south opposite Geba.
6 Jonathan told his armor bearer,[i] “Come, let’s go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised ones. Perhaps the Lord will work for us, since nothing prevents the Lord from delivering, whether by many or by a few.”
7 His armor bearer told him, “Do whatever you want.[j] Let’s move out![k] I’m right here with you, as you wish.”[l]
8 Jonathan said, “Look, we’re going over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. 9 If they say to us, ‘Stay there until we come to you,’ then we will stay where we are[m] and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up and fight us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hands, and this will be the sign for us.”
11 When the two of them showed themselves to the Philistine garrison, the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have been hiding.”
12 The men of the garrison responded to Jonathan and his armor bearer: “Come up and fight us, and we will show you something.”
Jonathan then told his armor bearer, “Follow me, for the Lord has given them into Israel’s control.”
13 Jonathan crawled up on his hands and feet, with his armor bearer following him. The Philistines[n] fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer who was behind him also killed some. 14 In the initial attack, Jonathan and his armor bearer struck down about twenty men in an area of about half an acre[o] of land. 15 There was terror in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even the garrison and the raiders were terrified. The earth shook, and there was even greater terror.[p]
Saul Becomes a Believer
9 Meanwhile, still spewing death threats against the Lord’s disciples, Saul went to the high priest. 2 He asked him for letters to take with him[a] to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he might bring them in chains to Jerusalem. 3 As Saul[b] traveled along and was approaching Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. 4 He dropped to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”
5 He asked, “Who are you, Lord?”[c]
The voice[d] said, “I’m Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 Now get up, go into the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”
7 Meanwhile, the men who were traveling with Saul[e] were standing speechless, for they heard the voice but didn’t see anyone. 8 When Saul got up off the ground, he couldn’t see anything, even though his eyes were open. So his companions[f] took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. 9 For three days he couldn’t see, and he didn’t eat or drink anything.
Jesus is Crucified(A)
26 As they led Jesus[a] away, they grabbed Simon, a man from Cyrene, as he was coming in from the country, and they put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large crowd of people followed him, including some women who kept mourning and wailing for him.
28 But Jesus turned to them and said, “Women[b] of Jerusalem, stop crying for me. Instead, cry for yourselves and for your children, 29 because the time is surely coming when people[c] will say, ‘How blessed are the women who couldn’t bear children and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then people[d] will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’, and to the hills, ‘Cover us up!’[e] 31 And if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
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