Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 72
A Prayer for the King
Solomonic.(A)
1 God, give Your justice to the king
and Your righteousness to the king’s son.(B)
2 He will judge Your people with righteousness
and Your afflicted ones with justice.(C)
3 May the mountains bring prosperity[a] to the people
and the hills, righteousness.(D)
4 May he vindicate the afflicted among the people,
help the poor,
and crush the oppressor.(E)
5 May he continue[b] while the sun endures
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.(F)
6 May he be like rain that falls on the cut grass,
like spring showers that water the earth.(G)
7 May the righteous[c] flourish in his days
and prosperity[d] abound
until the moon is no more.(H)
8 May he rule from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates
to the ends of the earth.(I)
9 May desert tribes kneel before him
and his enemies lick the dust.(J)
10 May the kings of Tarshish
and the coasts and islands bring tribute,
the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.(K)
11 Let all kings bow down to him,
all nations serve him.(L)
12 For he will rescue the poor who cry out
and the afflicted who have no helper.(M)
13 He will have pity on the poor and helpless
and save the lives of the poor.(N)
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their lives are[e] precious[f] in his sight.(O)
15 May he live long!
May gold from Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be offered for him continually,
and may he be blessed all day long.(P)
16 May there be plenty of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains.
May its crops be like Lebanon.
May people flourish in the cities
like the grass of the field.(Q)
17 May his name endure forever;
as long as the sun shines,
may his fame increase.
May all nations be blessed by him
and call him blessed.(R)
י Yod
73 Your hands made me and formed me;(A)
give me understanding
so that I can learn Your commands.(B)
74 Those who fear You will see me and rejoice,(C)
for I put my hope in Your word.(D)
75 I know, Lord, that Your judgments are just
and that You have afflicted me fairly.(E)
76 May Your faithful love comfort me
as You promised Your servant.
77 May Your compassion come to me(F)
so that I may live,
for Your instruction is my delight.(G)
78 Let the arrogant be put to shame(H)
for slandering me with lies;
I will meditate on Your precepts.
79 Let those who fear You,
those who know Your decrees, turn to me.
80 May my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes(I)
so that I will not be put to shame.
כ Kaf
81 I long for Your salvation;(J)
I put my hope in Your word.(K)
82 My eyes grow weary
looking for what You have promised;(L)
I ask, “When will You comfort me?”
83 Though I have become like a wineskin dried by smoke,
I do not forget Your statutes.
84 How many days must Your servant wait?
When will You execute judgment on my persecutors?(M)
85 The arrogant have dug pits for me;(N)
they violate Your instruction.
86 All Your commands are true;
people persecute me with lies—help me!(O)
87 They almost ended my life on earth,
but I did not abandon Your precepts.
88 Give me life in accordance with Your faithful love,
and I will obey the decree You have spoken.
ל Lamed
89 Lord, Your word is forever;(P)
it is firmly fixed in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness is for all generations;(Q)
You established the earth, and it stands firm.(R)
91 They stand today in accordance with Your judgments,(S)
for all things are Your servants.(T)
92 If Your instruction had not been my delight,
I would have died in my affliction.(U)
93 I will never forget Your precepts,
for You have given me life through them.(V)
94 I am Yours; save me,(W)
for I have sought Your precepts.(X)
95 The wicked hope to destroy me,(Y)
but I contemplate Your decrees.
96 I have seen a limit to all perfection,
but Your command is without limit.
22 Just then David’s soldiers and Joab returned from a raid and brought a large amount of plundered goods with them. Abner was not with David in Hebron because David had dismissed him, and he had gone in peace. 23 When Joab and all his army arrived, Joab was informed, “Abner son of Ner came to see the king, the king dismissed him, and he went in peace.”
24 Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look here, Abner came to you. Why did you dismiss him? Now he’s getting away. 25 You know that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you and to find out about your activities and everything you’re doing.” 26 Then Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner. They brought him back from the well[a] of Sirah, but David was unaware of it. 27 When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside to the middle of the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died in revenge for the death of Asahel,[b] Joab’s brother.(A)
28 David heard about it later and said: “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. 29 May it hang over Joab’s head and his father’s whole house, and may the house of Joab never be without someone who has a discharge or a skin disease,(B) or a man who can only work a spindle,[c] or someone who falls by the sword or starves.” 30 Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.(C)
31 David then ordered Joab and all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth,(D) and mourn over Abner.” And King David walked behind the funeral procession.[d]
32 When they buried Abner in Hebron, the king wept aloud at Abner’s tomb. All the people wept, 33 and the king sang a lament for Abner:(E)
Should Abner die as a fool dies?
34 Your hands were not bound,
your feet not placed in bronze shackles.
You fell like one who falls victim to criminals.
And all the people wept over him even more.
35 Then they came to urge David to eat bread while it was still day, but David took an oath: “May God punish me and do so severely if I taste bread or anything else before sunset!”(F) 36 All the people took note of this, and it pleased them. In fact, everything the king did pleased them. 37 On that day all the troops and all Israel were convinced that the king had no part in the killing of Abner son of Ner.
38 Then the king said to his soldiers, “You must know that a great leader has fallen in Israel today. 39 As for me, even though I am the anointed king, I have little power today. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too fierce for me.(G) May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil!”(H)
Paul and Silas in Prison
16 Once, as we were on our way to prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit of prediction.[a](A) She made a large profit for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you[b] the way of salvation, are the slaves of the Most High God.” 18 And she did this for many days.
But Paul was greatly aggravated and turning to the spirit, said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out right away.[c](B)
19 When her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas(C) and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. 20 Bringing them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are seriously disturbing our city. They are Jews 21 and are promoting customs that are not legal for us as Romans to adopt or practice.”(D)
22 Then the mob joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods.(E) 23 After they had inflicted many blows on them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to keep them securely guarded. 24 Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.(F)
47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 He saw them being battered(A) as they rowed,[a] because the wind was against them. Around three in the morning[b] He came toward them walking on the sea and wanted to pass by them. 49 When they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost(B) and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were terrified.(C) Immediately He spoke with them and said, “Have courage!(D) It is I.(E) Don’t be afraid.”(F) 51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astounded,[c] 52 because they had not understood about the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.(G)
Miraculous Healings
53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret(H) and beached the boat. 54 As they got out of the boat, people immediately recognized Him. 55 They hurried throughout that vicinity and began to carry the sick(I) on mats to wherever they heard He was. 56 Wherever He would go, into villages, towns, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him that they might touch just the tassel(J) of His robe.(K) And everyone who touched it was made well.
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