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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.

Duration: 861 days

Psalm 102

Psalm 102^[a]

Prayer of an Exile

¹The prayer of one afflicted. When he is wasting away^[b] and pours out his anguish before the Lord.

²^[c]O Lord, give heed to my prayer;
    let my plea for help reach you.
³Do not conceal your face^[d] from my sight
    in the time of my distress.
Incline your ear to me;
    on the day when I call out to you, answer me speedily.
⁴For my days are fading away like smoke,
    and my bones are burning like live coals.
⁵My heart^[e] is stricken, withered like grass;
    I am too exhausted to eat my bread.
⁶As a result of my incessant groaning,
    I am now nothing more than skin and bones.
⁷I am like a pelican^[f] of the wilderness,
    like an owl among the ruins.
⁸I am sleepless^[g] and I moan
    like a lone sparrow on a rooftop.
⁹All day long my enemies revile me;^[h]
    those who rage against me use my name as a curse.
¹⁰^[i]I eat ashes as though they were bread,
    and I mingle tears with my drink.
¹¹Because of your indignation and wrath,
    you have raised me up only to cast me down.
¹²My days are like a lengthening shadow,
    and I am withering away like grass.
¹³^[j]But, you, O Lord, are enthroned forever,
    and your renown will endure for all generations.
¹⁴You will arise and show mercy to Zion,
    for it is time for you to have pity on her;
    the appointed time^[k] has come.
¹⁵For her stones are precious to your servants,
    and her dust causes them to weep.^[l]
¹⁶The nations will revere your name,^[m] O Lord,
    and all the kings of the earth will sing of your glory.
¹⁷For the Lord will rebuild Zion
    and reveal himself in all his glory.^[n]
¹⁸He will answer the prayer of the destitute,
    and he will not ignore their petition.
¹⁹Let this be written^[o] for future generations
    so that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord:
²⁰“The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high
    and gazed on the earth from heaven,
²¹to hear the sighs of the prisoners
    and to set free those under sentence of death.”^[p]
²²Then the name of the Lord will be proclaimed in Zion,
    and his praise^[q] in Jerusalem
²³when all peoples and kingdoms come together
    to worship the Lord.^[r]
²⁴^[s]He has taken away my strength on my life’s journey;
    he has cut short my days.
²⁵So I said: “Do not carry me off, O my God,
    before half my days are done,^[t]
    for your years endure from age to age.
²⁶^[u]“Long ago you laid the foundations of the earth,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands.
²⁷They will pass away but you endure;
    they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like clothing,
    and they will perish.^[v]
²⁸“However, you remain always the same,
    and your years will have no end.^[w]
²⁹The children of your servants will be secure,
    and their descendants will dwell in your presence.”^[x]

Footnotes

Psalm 102:1 Known as the fifth of the seven Penitential Psalms (Pss 6; 32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143), this psalm combines the lament of an afflicted person overwhelmed with pain and the prayer of the community of poor returned exiles waiting to be able to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, their holy city. It shows that humanity and the universe pass away, while God remains (vv. 12-13, 26, 28). This is the proof of the Lord’s power and the reason for their hopes.
It is also the reason for the hopes of Christians, since we know that in Jesus and in his Church, God has built an imperishable dwelling place for his people, a point emphasized by the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 1:10-12) when it comments on verses 26-28 of this psalm.
Psalm 102:1 This superscription is unique, giving neither author nor liturgical or historical note; instead it assigns the prayer to a life situation—when one afflicted is close to giving up, i.e., wasting away (see Pss 61:3; 77:4; 142:4; 143:4).
Psalm 102:2 One day, possibly during a grave sickness, the psalmist reaches the bitter conclusion of the inconsistency of human life. And the supreme outrage is that all who see him attribute his sad state to punishment sent by God, for his prayer and repentance receive no answer. The poor man experiences the depths of anguish where everything is falling apart; he can do nothing except cry out to God.
Psalm 102:3 Conceal your face: see note on Ps 13:2.
Psalm 102:5 Heart: see note on Ps 4:8. Withered like grass: see note on Ps 90:5.
Psalm 102:7 Pelican: a bird that in Christian times became a symbol of Christ all alone in Gethsemane and of the Eucharist. The word is also translated as “owl.” Owl: a symbol of desolateness and destruction (see Isa 34:11, 15; Jer 50:39; Zep 2:14).
Psalm 102:8 I am sleepless: some translations omit the words: “and I moan.”
Psalm 102:9 Enemies revile me: see note on Ps 5:10; see also Ps 109:25. Use my name as a curse: his enemies point him out as an example of divine malediction, saying: “May you become as wretched as so-and-so.”
Psalm 102:10 The Israelites indicated their penance externally by covering their heads with ashes and uttering lamentation accompanied by copious tears. To obtain God’s pity, the sick psalmist does not hold back. He covers himself with such an abundance of ashes that they are interspersed with his food, and he gives way to so many tears that they mingle with his drink. All the same, he is inexorably on his way toward death.
Psalm 102:13 The people thus experience a time of scorn. Uprooted from their temple and their land, they are too overwhelmed by the loss of what they most cherish for them to think of revenge. They have recourse to God’s tender mercies. In their misfortune, they fall back on a single certitude—the goodness of the Lord. At once, hope of restoration begins shining forth, for “the appointed time has come” (v. 14)—so much so that they do not stop at imagining the sole reestablishment of Israel, but their perspective of renewed happiness embraces all humanity.
Psalm 102:14 Appointed time: the time established by God for judgment and salvation (see Ps 75:3; Ex 9:5; 2 Sam 24:15; Dan 11:27, 35).
Psalm 102:15 The psalmist intimates that Zion must be highly cherished by the Lord for she is so dear to his servants.
Psalm 102:16 See note on Ps 46:11. Name: see note on Ps 5:12.
Psalm 102:17 And reveal himself in all his glory: may also be translated as: “and thus appear in his glory” (see v. 16 and note on Ps 46:11; see also Isa 40:1-5). The ultimate fulfillment of this hope will occur in the “new Jerusalem” (see Rev 21).
Psalm 102:19 Written: this is the only place in the Psalter that calls for a written record of God’s saving deed. The usual reference is to an oral record (see Pss 22:32; 44:2; 78:1-4).
Psalm 102:21 Prisoners . . . those under sentence of death: see note on Ps 79:11.
Psalm 102:22 Name . . . praise: see notes on Pss 5:12; 9:2.
Psalm 102:23 See notes on Pss 46:11; 47:10; see also Pss 96; 98; 100; Isa 2:2-4; Mic 4:1-3.
Psalm 102:24 Here the individual lament and the national supplication are combined. Upon meditating on the precariousness of existence before the God who endures forever, a hope arises, the hope of not being abandoned. The Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 13:8) will proclaim: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Psalm 102:25 Before half my days are done: when the normal life span is only half-completed (see Isa 38:10; Jer 17:11).
Psalm 102:26 This passage is inspired by Isa 51:6-8 and applied to the Messiah (Heb 1:10-12). The restoration of Israel and the coming of the Messiah will be the preface to the eschatological renewal or regeneration that will accompany the end of time (see Isa 65:17; 66:22; Rev 20:11; 21:1).
Psalm 102:27 Both the “foundations of the earth” and the “heavens” (v. 26, which the ever-living God has made) will perish (see Pss 1:6; 90:4; 2 Pet 3:8ff) and be of no use, like discarded clothing (see Isa 51:6).
Psalm 102:28 By contrast, the Lord remains forever the same (see Heb 13:8); he is the “first and the last” (see Deut 32:39; Isa 41:4; 46:4; 48:12).
Psalm 102:29 Because God does not change, the children of his people will be secure in the Lord (see Mal 3:6). Dwell in your presence: another translation is: “dwell in the [Promised] Land” (see Pss 25:13; 69:37; see also Ps 37:3, 29; Isa 65:9).

Psalm 107:1-32

Book V—Psalms 107–150^[a]

Psalm 107^[b]

God, Savior of Those in Distress

¹“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his kindness^[c] endures forever.”
²Let this be the prayer of the redeemed of the Lord,
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe
³and gathered together from the lands,^[d]
    from east and west, north and south.
⁴^[e]Some wandered in a barren wilderness,
    unable to discover a path to an inhabited city.
⁵They were hungry and thirsty,
    and their life was wasting away.
⁶Then they cried out to the Lord in their anguish,
    and he saved them from their distress.
⁷He led them by a direct route
    to a city in which they could dwell.
⁸Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness^[f]
    and for the wonders he does for people.
⁹He has satisfied the thirsty
    and filled the hungry with good things.
¹⁰^[g]Some sat in darkness and the shadow of death,^[h]
    bound in misery and in chains,
¹¹because they had rebelled against the words of God
    and spurned the plan of the Most High.
¹²He humbled their hearts with hard labor;^[i]
    when they stumbled, no one was there to offer help.
¹³Then they cried out to the Lord in their need,
    and he rescued them from their distress.
¹⁴He brought them forth from darkness and the shadow of death
    and tore their chains to pieces.
¹⁵Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness
    and for the wonders he does for people.
¹⁶He has broken down gates of bronze
    and cut through iron bars.
¹⁷^[j]Some were made foolish by their wicked ways
    and were afflicted because of their iniquities.
¹⁸All types of food became loathsome to them,
    and they were nearing the gates of death.^[k]
¹⁹Then they cried out to the Lord in their anguish,
    and he rescued them from their distress.
²⁰He sent forth his word^[l] and healed them,
    saving them from the grave.
²¹Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness
    and for the wonders he does for people.
²²Let them offer sacrifices in thanksgiving
    and recount his deeds with jubilation.
²³^[m]Some went down to the sea in ships
    and engaged in commerce on the mighty waters.
²⁴^[n]They beheld the works of the Lord
    and his wonders in the deep.
²⁵He spoke and raised up a storm wind
    that stirred up the waves of the sea.
²⁶They were lifted up to the heavens, then cast down to the depths;
    their courage melted away in their plight.
²⁷They reeled and staggered like drunkards,
    and they were at their wits’ end.
²⁸They cried out to the Lord in their anguish,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
²⁹He reduced the storm to a whisper,
    and the waves of the sea were hushed.
³⁰They rejoiced because of the calm,
    and he guided them to the port they sought.
³¹Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness
    and for the wonders he does for people.
³²Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
    and praise him in the council of the elders.^[o]

Footnotes

Psalm 107:1 Book V of the Psalter. Two collections are included in this final part: the pilgrimage chants or “Songs of Ascent” (Pss 120–134) and the Hallel or “Praise” psalms (113–118; 120–136; 146–150). In addition, we see a further group of psalms attributed to David (Pss 138–145). Jewish tradition also groups together Pss 113–118, known as the Egyptian Hallel, for use at the Passover. The “hymn” sung at the Last Supper (see Mk 14:26) was probably part of that Hallel.
Although cries of supplication still form part of the prayer of the psalmist, joy begins to radiate upon the face of the pilgrim who draws near to the Lord; the acclamation voiced in the presence of God will transform the conclusion of the Psalter into a prodigious symphony of happiness.
Psalm 107:1 Even though this psalm is not part of Book IV, many believe that it was originally associated with Pss 105–106 and served as a kind of conclusion to the theme-related Pss 104–107. After the account of God’s works in creation (see Ps 104:2-26) and his care for the animal world (see Ps 104:27-30) it recounts “the wonders [God] does for people” (Ps 107:8).
Psalm 107 is a thanksgiving for “God’s deliverances.” Persons in distress have cried out to him and obtained help: wandering voyagers (vv. 4-9), prisoners (vv. 10-16), the sick (vv. 17-22), and the shipwrecked (vv. 23-32). The Lord reverses situations as he pleases (vv. 33-41), but only the believer can discern the divine action. Beneath the concrete life of the era, evoked at times with humor (vv. 26-27 remind us that the Israelites were not very seaworthy), we see the history of the chosen people: the journeys of the Exodus and the Exile, their temptations and their sins.
Visibly the author takes his inspiration from the Book of Consolation (see Isa 40–55) and the writings of the sages (see Job; Wis 16). Thanksgivings that are at first private, ultimately express the gratitude of an entire people. For the believer, the events become signs: they invite him to discover in his life and that of the community of peoples a secret presence of God.
Christians pray this psalm to praise the Father for redeeming us in Christ. We have been saved by him from the hand of the infernal oppressor, gathered by him into the Church, and delivered by his love from the spiritual death to which we were doomed by the state in which Satan bound us and which was symbolized by the image of the wilderness, captivity, sickness, and the storm.
Psalm 107:1 A conventional cry of praise in the liturgy of the temple often cited in the Old Testament (see Pss 106:1; 118:1; 136:1; 1 Chr 16:34; 1 Mac 4:24; Jer 33:11; Dan 3:89). Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5.
Psalm 107:3 From the lands: e.g., Assyria, Babylonia, Egypt, and Moab, into which the catastrophe of 587 B.C. had dispersed the chosen people (see 2 Ki 17:6; 24:12-16; Isa 11:11f; 43:5f; Jer 52:28-30). South: literally, “[the] sea.”
Psalm 107:4 The psalmist evokes the Lord’s deliverances of his people from the wilderness in which they were lost, hungry, thirsty, and exhausted, especially during the Exodus (see Jos 5:6), which prefigured the just completed return from the Exile (see Neh 1:3). Jesus would later indicate that he delivered people from the same four situations as the Way to the Father (see Jn 14:6), the Bread of Heaven (see Jn 6:41), the Water of Life (see Jn 4:14), and the Giver of Rest (see Mt 11:28).
Psalm 107:8 This refrain is repeated in verses 15, 21, 31. Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5. Wonders: see note on Ps 9:2 concerning God’s wonders.
Psalm 107:10 The psalmist evokes God’s deliverance of his people from foreign bondage, especially in the return from the Exile (see Isa 43:5f; 49:12; Zec 8:7f). In addition, guilt, darkness, grinding toil, and the constriction of chains, gates, and bars are apt figures for the fallen state of human beings.
Psalm 107:10 See Pss 105:18; 149:8; Isa 42:7; 49:9. The Exile was a chastisement (see Lev 26:41ff; Job 33:19; 36:8ff; Prov 3:12), announced by the Prophets. Shadow of death: see note on Ps 23:4.
Psalm 107:12 Humbled their hearts with hard labor: i.e., a labor that broke their spirit. Another translation is: “subjected them to bitter labor.”
Psalm 107:17 The psalmist evokes God’s deliverance of his people from the chastisement of sickness unto death incurred because of sin.
Psalm 107:18 Gates of death: metaphorical description for death (see Pss 9:14; 88:4) in keeping with the ancient custom of picturing the realm of death as a city in the netherworld with a series of gates that prevented return to the land of the living (see Job 38:17; Mt 16:18).
Psalm 107:20 The word is here personified as God’s messenger of healing and deliverance from the grave (see Ps 147:15; Job 33:23ff; Wis 16:12; Isa 55:11; Mt 8:8; Jn 1:1).
Psalm 107:23 The psalmist evokes God’s deliverance of his people from the perils of the sea.
Psalm 107:24 The merchants who cross the seas in search of wealth witness God’s wonderful deeds at sea (see Ps 104:24-26) and his ability to calm a storm on the surging waters (see Pss 65:8; 77:20).
Psalm 107:32 The merchants are urged to render worship to God by declaring, both in communal worship and in places of leadership, what he has done for them.

2 Samuel 15:19-37

¹⁹David and Ittai. Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite: “Why should you also come with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. For you are a foreigner, and in addition you are also an exile from your own country. ²⁰You arrived only yesterday. How can I ask you to wander about with us today when truly I do not know where I am going? Go back home, therefore, and take your countrymen with you, and may the Lord grant you his kindness and his faithful love.”

²¹However, Ittai replied to the king: “As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there your servant will also be.”

²²David then said to Ittai: “Go ahead, then, and march on!” Therefore, Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him. ²³Everyone in the countryside wept aloud as the king and all the people crossed the Wadi Kidron and moved on toward the desert wilderness.^[a]

²⁴David and the Priests. Zadok was also there, as well as all the Levites with him, as they carried the Ark of the Covenant of God. They set down the Ark of God beside Abiathar until all those who were with them had marched out of the city.

²⁵Then the king said to Zadok: “Take the Ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and permit me to see both the Ark and the place where it dwells. ²⁶But if he says: ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then here I am. Let him do with me as he sees fit.”

²⁷The king also said to Zadok the priest: “Aren’t you a seer? You and Abiathar can return safely into the city with your sons, your own son Ahimaaz, and Abiathar’s son Jonathan. ²⁸I shall wait at the fords of the wilderness until I receive word from you.” ²⁹Therefore, Zadok and Abiathar took the Ark of God back to Jerusalem and remained there.

³⁰David then ascended to the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, with his head covered and walking barefoot. All the people with him also covered their heads and wept as they went. ³¹When it was revealed to David that Ahithophel was among the conspirators with Absalom, he said: “O Lord, I beg you to turn the counsel of Ahithophel into folly.”

³²David and Hushai. When David arrived at the summit where God was worshiped, Hushai the Archite came forth to meet him with his tunic torn and with dirt upon his head. ³³David said to him: “If you come with me, you will only be a burden to me. ³⁴However, if you return to the city and say to Absalom: ‘I will be your servant, O king. As I was formerly your father’s servant, now I will be your servant,’ you will make it possible for me to frustrate the advice of Ahithophel.

³⁵“The priests Zadok and Abiathar will be with you there. Report to them everything that you hear in the royal palace. ³⁶Their two sons are there with them: Zadok’s son Ahimaaz, and Abiathar’s son Jonathan. Through them you shall send word to me of everything you hear.”

³⁷So David’s friend Hushai came into the city just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.

Acts 21:37-22:16

³⁷Just as he was about to be taken into the barracks, Paul said to the commander, “May I say something to you?” The commander replied, “So you speak Greek? ³⁸Then you are not the Egyptian^[a] who recently started a revolt and led the four thousand assassins into the desert.” ³⁹Paul asserted, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city. May I have your permission to speak to the people?” ⁴⁰When the permission was granted, Paul stood on the steps and raised his hand to the people for silence. As soon as quiet was restored, he started speaking to them in Aramaic.^[b]

Chapter 22

Paul’s Speech to the People of Jerusalem.^[c] ¹“Brethren and fathers, listen to what I have to say to you in my defense.” ²When they heard him addressing them in Aramaic, they became even more quiet than before.

Then he continued, ³“I am a Jew, born atTarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city. As a pupil of Gamaliel, I was thoroughly trained in the Law of our ancestors. I have always been zealous toward God, just as all of you are today. ⁴I even persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, sending both men and women to prison in chains, ⁵as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify. From them I also received letters to our brethren in Damascus, and I set out to bring prisoners back from there to Jerusalem for punishment.

⁶“While I was on my way and drawing near Damascus, around midday a great light from the sky suddenly shone all around me. ⁷I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ⁸I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’

⁹“Now those who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. ¹⁰I asked, ‘What do you want me to do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus. There you will be told everything that you have been appointed to do.’ ¹¹I could not see because of the brilliance of that light, and so my companions led me by the hand to Damascus.

¹²“A man named Ananias, who was a devout observer of the Law and highly regarded by all the Jews who lived there, ¹³came to see me. Standing beside me, he said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ Instantly, I saw him.

¹⁴“Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear him speak. ¹⁵For you will be his witness^[d] to tell all what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶And now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.’

Mark 10:46-52

⁴⁶Jesus Heals a Blind Man.^[a] Then they came to Jericho. And as Jesus, his disciples, and a huge crowd were leaving Jericho, a blind man, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus,^[b] was sitting by the roadside asking for alms. ⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” ⁴⁸Many rebuked him and told him to be silent, but he only shouted all the louder, “Son of David, have pity on me!”

⁴⁹Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart! Stand up! He is calling you!” ⁵⁰Casting aside his cloak, he jumped up and went to Jesus. ⁵¹Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “Rabbi,^[c] let me receive my sight.” ⁵²Jesus said to him, “Go on your way! Your faith has made you well.” Immediately, he received his sight and followed him along the road.

New Catholic Bible (NCB)

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Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 102[a]

Prayer of an Exile

Footnotes

Book V—Psalms 107–150[a]

Psalm 107[b]

God, Savior of Those in Distress

Footnotes

Footnotes

Chapter 22

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 102^[a]

Book V—Psalms 107–150^[a]

Psalm 107^[b]