Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 38
Prayer of a Suffering Sinner
A Davidic psalm for remembrance.(A)
1 Lord, do not punish me in Your anger
or discipline me in Your wrath.(B)
2 For Your arrows have sunk into me,
and Your hand has pressed down on me.(C)
3 There is no health in my body
because of Your indignation;
there is no strength[a] in my bones
because of my sin.(D)
4 For my sins have flooded over my head;
they are a burden too heavy for me to bear.(E)
5 My wounds are foul and festering
because of my foolishness.(F)
6 I am bent over and brought low;
all day long I go around in mourning.(G)
7 For my loins are full of burning pain,
and there is no health in my body.(H)
8 I am faint and severely crushed;
I groan because of the anguish of my heart.(I)
9 Lord, my every desire is known to[b] You;
my sighing is not hidden from You.(J)
10 My heart races, my strength leaves me,
and even the light of my eyes has faded.[c](K)
11 My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction,
and my relatives stand at a distance.(L)
12 Those who seek my life set traps,
and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me;
they plot treachery all day long.(M)
13 I am like a deaf person; I do not hear.
I am like a speechless person
who does not open his mouth.(N)
14 I am like a man who does not hear
and has no arguments in his mouth.(O)
15 I put my hope in You, Lord;
You will answer, Lord my God.(P)
16 For I said, “Don’t let them rejoice over me—
those who are arrogant toward me when I stumble.”(Q)
17 For I am about to fall,
and my pain is constantly with me.(R)
18 So I confess my guilt;
I am anxious because of my sin.(S)
19 But my enemies are vigorous and powerful;[d]
many hate me for no reason.(T)
20 Those who repay evil for good
attack me for pursuing good.(U)
ד Dalet
25 My life is down in the dust;(A)
give me life(B) through Your word.
26 I told You about my life,
and You listened to me;
teach me Your statutes.(C)
27 Help me understand
the meaning of Your precepts
so that I can meditate on Your wonders.(D)
28 I am weary[a] from grief;
strengthen me through Your word.(E)
29 Keep me from the way of deceit
and graciously give me Your instruction.
30 I have chosen the way of truth;
I have set Your ordinances before me.(F)
31 I cling to Your decrees;
Lord, do not put me to shame.(G)
32 I pursue the way of Your commands,
for You broaden my understanding.[b](H)
ה He
33 Teach me, Lord, the meaning[c] of Your statutes,
and I will always keep them.[d](I)
34 Help me understand Your instruction,(J)
and I will obey it
and follow it with all my heart.(K)
35 Help me stay on the path of Your commands,(L)
for I take pleasure in it.(M)
36 Turn my heart to Your decrees(N)
and not to material gain.(O)
37 Turn my eyes
from looking at what is worthless;(P)
give me life in Your ways.[e](Q)
38 Confirm what You said to Your servant,(R)
for it produces reverence for You.
39 Turn away the disgrace I dread;(S)
indeed, Your judgments are good.
40 How I long for Your precepts!(T)
Give me life through Your righteousness.
ו Vav
41 Let Your faithful love come to me, Lord,(U)
Your salvation, as You promised.(V)
42 Then I can answer the one who taunts me,(W)
for I trust in Your word.
43 Never take the word of truth from my mouth,
for I hope in Your judgments.(X)
44 I will always obey Your instruction,
forever and ever.(Y)
45 I will walk freely in an open place(Z)
because I seek Your precepts.(AA)
46 I will speak of Your decrees before kings
and not be ashamed.(AB)
47 I delight in Your commands,
which I love.(AC)
48 I will lift up my hands(AD) to Your commands,
which I love,
and will meditate on Your statutes.(AE)
Jonathan Protects David
20 David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done?(A) What did I do wrong? How have I sinned against your father so that he wants to take my life?”
2 Jonathan said to him, “No, you won’t die. Listen, my father doesn’t do anything, great or small, without telling me.[a] So why would he hide this matter from me? This can’t be true.”
3 But David said, “Your father certainly knows that you have come to look favorably on me. He has said, ‘Jonathan must not know of this, or else he will be grieved.’” David also swore, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, there is but a step between me and death.”(B)
4 Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”
5 So David told him, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon,(C) and I’m supposed to sit down and eat with the king.(D) Instead, let me go, and I’ll hide in the field until the third night.(E) 6 If your father misses me at all, say, ‘David urgently requested my permission to quickly go to his town Bethlehem(F) for an annual sacrifice(G) there involving the whole clan.’ 7 If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant is safe, but if he becomes angry, you will know he has evil intentions. 8 Deal faithfully with your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant with you before the Lord.(H) If I have done anything wrong,(I) then kill me yourself; why take me to your father?”
9 “No!” Jonathan responded. “If I ever find out my father has evil intentions against you, wouldn’t I tell you about it?”
10 So David asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
11 He answered David, “Come on, let’s go out to the field.” So both of them went out to the field. 12 “By the Lord, the God of Israel, I will sound out my father by this time tomorrow or the next day. If I find out that he is favorable toward you, will I not send for you and tell you?[b] 13 If my father intends to bring evil on you, may God punish Jonathan and do so severely(J) if I do not tell you[c] and send you away so you may go in peace. May the Lord be with you,(K) just as He was with my father. 14 If I continue to live, treat me with the Lord’s faithful love, but if I die, 15 don’t ever withdraw your faithful love from my household—not even when the Lord cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”(L) 16 Then Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David,(M) saying, “May the Lord hold David’s enemies accountable.”[d](N) 17 Jonathan once again swore to David[e] in his love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.(O)
18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the New Moon;(P) you’ll be missed because your seat will be empty. 19 The following day hurry down and go to the place where you hid on the day this incident began and stay beside the rock Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows beside it as if I’m aiming at a target. 21 Then I will send the young man and say, ‘Go and find the arrows!’ Now, if I expressly say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you—get them,’ then come, because as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no problem. 22 But if I say this to the youth: ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you!’(Q) then go, for the Lord is sending you away. 23 As for the matter you and I have spoken about,(R) the Lord will be a witness[f] between you and me forever.”(S)
18 At daylight, there was a great commotion[a] among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter. 19 After Herod had searched and did not find him, he interrogated the guards and ordered their execution. Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.(A)
Herod’s Death
20 He had been very angry with the Tyrians and Sidonians.[b] Together they presented themselves before him. They won over Blastus, who was in charge of the king’s bedroom, and through him they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food from the king’s country.(B) 21 So on an appointed day, dressed in royal robes and seated on the throne, Herod delivered a public address to them. 22 The assembled people began to shout, “It’s the voice of a god and not of a man!” 23 At once an angel of the Lord(C) struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he became infected with worms and died.(D) 24 Then God’s message flourished and multiplied.(E) 25 After they had completed their relief mission, Barnabas and Saul returned to[c] Jerusalem, taking along John who is called Mark.(F)
The Call of Matthew
13 Then(A) Jesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to Him, and He taught(B) them. 14 Then, moving on, He saw Levi(C) the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office,(D) and He said to him, “Follow Me!”(E) So he got up and followed(F) Him.
Dining with Sinners
15 While He was reclining at the table in Levi’s house, many tax collectors(G) and sinners(H) were also guests[a](I) with Jesus and His disciples, because there were many who were following Him. 16 When the scribes(J) of the Pharisees[b](K) saw that He was eating(L) with sinners(M) and tax collectors,(N) they asked His disciples, “Why does He eat[c] with tax collectors and sinners?”
17 When Jesus heard this, He told them, “Those who are well don’t need(O) a doctor,(P) but the sick(Q) do need one. I didn’t come to call the righteous,(R) but sinners.”(S)
A Question about Fasting
18 Now(T) John’s(U) disciples(V) and the Pharisees[d](W) were fasting.(X) People came and asked Him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”
19 Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests[e] cannot fast while the groom(Y) is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the time[f] will come(Z) when the groom is taken away from them,(AA) and then they will fast(AB) in that day. 21 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new patch pulls away from the old cloth,(AC) and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine(AD) into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst(AE) the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins.[g] But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.