Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 80[a]
Prayer for the Persecuted People
1 For the director.[b] According to “Lilies.” Eduth. A psalm of Asaph.
2 [c]Listen to us, O shepherd of Israel,[d]
you who lead Joseph like a flock.
As you sit enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
3 over Ephraim,[e] Benjamin, and Manasseh.
Stir up your power
and come to save us.
4 Restore us, O Lord of hosts;
let your face shine[f] upon us,
and we will be saved.
5 O Lord of hosts,[g]
how long will you be angry
at your people’s prayers?
6 You have fed them with the bread of tears
and made them drink tears beyond measure.
7 You have made us an object of contention to our neighbors,
a source of mockery to our enemies.
8 Restore us, O Lord of hosts;
let your face shine upon us,
and we will be saved.
9 [h]You brought a vine[i] out of Egypt;
you dispersed the nations and planted it.
10 You prepared the ground for it;
then it took root and filled the land.
11 The mountains were covered with its shade
and the cedars of God[j] with its shoots.
12 It sent out its boughs as far as the Sea,[k]
its shoots as far as the river.
13 [l]Why have you broken down its walls
so that all who pass by pluck its grapes?[m]
14 The boars from the forest ravage it,
and wild beasts of the field feed on it.
15 Turn once again to us, O Lord of hosts;[n]
look down from heaven and see;
take care of this vine,
16 this shoot[o] that your right hand has planted,
the son that you yourself made strong.
17 Let those who would burn it or cut it down
perish when confronted by your rebuke.
18 Let your hand rest upon the man at your right,[p]
the son of man that you yourself made strong.
19 Then we will never again turn away from you;
give us life and we will call upon your name.[q]
20 Restore us, O Lord of hosts;
let your face shine upon us,
and we will be saved.
Psalm 77[a]
Lament and Consolation in Distress
1 For the director.[b] For Jeduthun. A psalm of Asaph.
2 [c]I cry aloud to God,
for when I cry out to God, he hears me.[d]
3 In the time of my distress I seek the Lord;
at night I stretch out my hands unceasingly,
and my soul refuses to be consoled.
4 [e]I groan as I think of God;
my spirit grows faint as I meditate on him. Selah
5 You keep my eyes from closing in sleep;
I am much too distraught to speak.
6 I reflect on the days of old
and recall the years long past.
7 At night I meditate in my heart,[f]
and as I reflect, my spirit questions:
8 [g]“Will the Lord cast us off forever
and never again show us his favor?
9 Has his kindness[h] vanished forever?
Has his promise ceased for all time?
10 Has God forgotten how to be merciful?
Has he shut up his compassion in anger?” Selah
11 [i]And I say: “This is my grief—
that the right hand[j] of the Most High has changed.”
12 I will remember the works of the Lord;
I will call to mind your wonders in the past.
13 I will reflect on all your deeds
and ponder your wondrous works.[k]
14 O God, your way is holy.[l]
What god is as great as our God?
15 You are the God who works wonders;
you have displayed your might to the nations.
16 With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.[m] Selah
17 [n]When the waters[o] beheld you, O God,
when the waters beheld you, they writhed;
the very depths trembled.
18 The clouds poured forth their water,
the skies thundered,
your arrows[p] flashed back and forth.
19 The crash of your thunder resounded in the heavens;
your flashes of lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and shook.[q]
20 Your path led through the sea,
your way, through the mighty waters,
though none could trace your footsteps.[r]
21 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.[s]
Psalm 79[a]
Prayer for Restoration
1 A psalm of Asaph.[b]
[c]O God, the nations have invaded your heritage;
they have profaned your holy temple
and turned Jerusalem into a heap of ruins.
2 They have given the corpses of your servants
as food to the birds of the air,
the flesh of your saints
to the beasts of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and no one is left to bury them.[d]
4 We have become the scorn of our neighbors,
mocked and derided by those around us.[e]
5 [f]How long, O Lord?[g] Will you be angry forever?
How long will your rage continue to blaze like a fire?
6 [h]Pour out your wrath on the nations
that refuse to acknowledge you,
on the kingdoms
that fail to call on your name.[i]
7 For they have devoured Jacob
and ravaged his homeland.
8 Do not hold against us the sins of our ancestors;
let your mercy come quickly to meet us,
for we are in desperate straits.[j]
9 [k]Help us, O God, our Savior,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us and wipe away our sins
for your name’s sake.[l]
10 Why should the nations ask,
“Where is their God?”
Before our eyes make it clearly known among those nations
that you avenge[m] the blood of your servants.
11 Let the groans of the captives come before you;
through your great power
save those who have been sentenced to death.[n]
12 Repay our neighbors sevenfold[o] in their breasts, O Lord,
for the insults with which they taunted you.
13 Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will offer thanks to you[p] forever;
from generation to generation
we will proclaim your praise.
Chapter 7
David’s Concern for the Ark.[a] 1 When King David was settled in his palace and the Lord had granted him rest from all his enemies surrounding him, 2 he said to the prophet Nathan: “Here I am, dwelling in a house of cedar, while the Ark of God dwells in a tent.” 3 Nathan replied to the king: “Do not hesitate to do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.”
4 However, that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: 5 “Go and tell my servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord: “Are you determined to build a house for me to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelled in a house from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt to this very day. I have been moving from place to place while living in a tent and a tabernacle. 7 In all of my travels everywhere among the Israelites, did I ever ask any of the judges whom I had appointed to shepherd my people Israel why they had never built me a house of cedar?” ’ ”
The Lord’s Promises.8 “Now then, this is what you are to say to my servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “I was the one who took you from the pastures and your work of caring for the sheep to be the ruler of my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all of your enemies who dared to challenge you. Moreover, I intend to make your name as famous as the names of the greatest men on the earth.
10 “ ‘ “I also shall provide a place for my people Israel, and there I will plant them so that they may dwell there and never again be disturbed. Nor will the wicked afflict them anymore, as was the case formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. I will grant you rest from all of your enemies.
“ ‘ “Moreover, I, the Lord, promise that I will establish a royal house for you. 12 [b]And when it is time for you to be with your ancestors, I will designate as your heir one of your sons to succeed you, and I shall establish his kingdom forever. 13 It is he who will build a house in honor of my name, and I shall ensure that his royal throne will stand firm forever.
14 “ ‘ “I shall be a father to him, and he will be my son. If he does wrong, I shall punish him as any father would do and not fail to inflict chastisements upon him. 15 However, I will never withdraw my steadfast love from him as I withdrew it from Saul and shielded you from his vindictive plots. 16 Your descendants and your kingdom will stand firm forever before me, and your throne shall endure forever.” ’ ”
17 Nathan then related all these promises and this entire revelation to David.
Chapter 18
Paul in Corinth.[a] 1 At that point, Paul departed from Athens and moved on to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius[b] had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. He went to visit them, 3 and because they were tentmakers just as he was, he stayed with them and they worked together.[c] 4 Every Sabbath, he entered into discussions in the synagogue, attempting to convert both Jews and Greeks.
5 After Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted all his efforts to preaching the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6 When they opposed him and began to hurl insults, he shook out his garments in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I have a clear conscience. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles.”
7 With that, he left and went to the house of a man named Titus Justus, a worshiper of God, who lived next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord along with his entire household. Many Corinthians who heard Paul came to believe and were baptized.
9 One night, the Lord appeared to Paul in a vision[d] and said, “Do not be afraid. Continue with your preaching, and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you. No one will attack you or try to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people.” 11 And so he remained there for eighteen months, teaching the word of God to them.
11 The Demand for a Sign.[a] The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with him. To put him to the test they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 12 Sighing from the depths of his spirit, he said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Then he left them, got into the boat again, and sailed across to the other side.
14 The Yeast of the Pharisees.[b] They had forgotten to bring any bread with them, and they had only one loaf in the boat. 15 Jesus then gave them this warning, “Be careful, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” 16 They talked about this to one another and concluded: “It is because we have no bread.”
17 Becoming aware of what they were discussing, he said to them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes and fail to see? Do you have ears and fail to hear?
“And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets filled with fragments did you collect?” They answered, “Twelve.” 20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets filled with fragments did you collect?” They answered, “Seven.” 21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
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