Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 140
Prayer for Rescue
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.
1 Rescue me, Lord, from evil men.
Keep me safe from violent men(A)
2 who plan evil in their hearts.
They stir up wars all day long.(B)
3 They make their tongues
as sharp as a snake’s bite;
viper’s venom is under their lips.(C)
4 Protect me, Lord,
from the clutches of the wicked.(D)
Keep me safe from violent men
who plan to make me stumble.[a](E)
5 The proud hide a trap with ropes for me;
they spread a net along the path
and set snares for me.(F)
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Listen, Lord, to my cry for help.(G)
7 Lord God, my strong Savior,
You shield my head on the day of battle.(H)
8 Lord, do not grant the desires of the wicked;
do not let them achieve their goals.
Otherwise, they will become proud.(I)
Psalm 142
A Cry of Distress
A Davidic Maskil. When he was in the cave.(A) A prayer.
1 I cry aloud to the Lord;(B)
I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy.(C)
2 I pour out my complaint before Him;
I reveal my trouble to Him.(D)
3 Although my spirit is weak within me,
You know my way.(E)
Along this path I travel
they have hidden a trap for me.(F)
4 Look to the right and see:[a]
no one stands up for me;
there is no refuge for me;
no one cares about me.(G)
5 I cry to You, Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my portion in the land of the living.”(H)
6 Listen to my cry,
for I am very weak.(I)
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.(J)
7 Free me from prison
so that I can praise Your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because You deal generously with me.(K)
Psalm 141
Protection from Sin and Sinners
A Davidic psalm.
1 Lord, I call on You; hurry to help me.
Listen to my voice when I call on You.(A)
2 May my prayer be set before You as incense,(B)
the raising of my hands as the evening offering.(C)
3 Lord, set up a guard for my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips.(D)
4 Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing
or perform wicked acts
with men who commit sin.
Do not let me feast on their delicacies.(E)
5 Let the righteous one strike me—
it is an act of faithful love;
let him rebuke me—
it is oil for my head;
let me[a] not refuse it.(F)
Even now my prayer is against
the evil acts of the wicked.[b](G)
6 When their rulers[c] will be thrown off
the sides of a cliff,
the people[d] will listen to my words,
for they are pleasing.(H)
Psalm 143
A Cry for Help
A Davidic psalm.
1 Lord, hear my prayer.
In Your faithfulness listen to my plea,
and in Your righteousness answer me.(A)
2 Do not bring Your servant into judgment,(B)
for no one alive is righteous in Your sight.(C)
3 For the enemy has pursued me,
crushing me to the ground,
making me live in darkness
like those long dead.(D)
4 My spirit is weak within me;
my heart is overcome with dismay.(E)
5 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all You have done;
I reflect on the work of Your hands.(F)
6 I spread out my hands to You;
I am like parched land before You.(G)
7 Answer me quickly, Lord;
my spirit fails.(H)
Don’t hide Your face from me,
or I will be like those
going down to the Pit.(I)
8 Let me experience
Your faithful love in the morning,
for I trust in You.(J)
Reveal to me the way I should go
because I long for You.(K)
9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord;
I come to You for protection.[a](L)
10 Teach me to do Your will,
for You are my God.(M)
May Your gracious Spirit
lead me on level ground.(N)
24 Mephibosheth,(A) Saul’s grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet, trimmed his mustache, or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely. 25 When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, “Mephibosheth, why didn’t you come with me?”
26 “My lord the king,” he replied, “my servant Ziba betrayed me. Actually your servant said: ‘I’ll saddle the donkey for myself[a] so that I may ride it and go with the king’—for your servant is lame.(B) 27 Ziba slandered your servant to my lord the king.(C) But my lord the king is like the Angel of God,(D) so do whatever you think best.[b] 28 For my grandfather’s entire family deserves death from my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table.(E) So what further right do I have to keep on making appeals to the king?”
29 The king said to him, “Why keep on speaking about these matters of yours? I hereby declare: you and Ziba are to divide the land.”(F)
30 Mephibosheth said to the king, “Instead, since my lord the king has come to his palace safely, let Ziba take it all!”
31 Barzillai the Gileadite(G) had come down from Rogelim and accompanied the king to the Jordan River to see him off at the Jordan. 32 Barzillai was a very old man—80 years old—and since he was a very wealthy man, he had provided for the needs of the king while he stayed in Mahanaim.(H)
33 The king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me, and I’ll provide for you[c] at my side in Jerusalem.”
34 Barzillai replied to the king, “How many years of my life are left that I should go up to Jerusalem with the king? 35 I’m now 80 years old.(I) Can I discern what is pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or drinks? Can I still hear the voice of male and female singers? Why should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king?(J) 36 Since your servant is only going with the king a little way across the Jordan, why should the king repay me with such a reward? 37 Please let your servant return so that I may die in my own city near the tomb of my father and mother. But here is your servant Chimham:(K) let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him what seems good to you.”[d]
38 The king replied, “Chimham will cross over with me, and I will do for him what seems good to you,[e] and whatever you desire from me I will do for you.” 39 So all the people crossed the Jordan, and then the king crossed. The king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and Barzillai returned to his home.
40 The king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went with him. All the troops of Judah and half of Israel’s escorted the king. 41 Suddenly, all the men of Israel came to the king. They asked him, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, take you away secretly and transport the king and his household across the Jordan, along with all of David’s men?”
42 All the men of Judah responded to the men of Israel, “Because the king is our relative. Why does this make you angry? Have we ever eaten anything of the king’s or been honored at all?”[f]
43 The men of Israel answered the men of Judah: “We have 10 shares in the king,(L) so we have a greater claim to David than you. Why then do you despise us? Weren’t we the first to speak of restoring our king?”(M) But the words of the men of Judah were harsher than those of the men of Israel.
24 After some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and listened to him on the subject of faith in Christ Jesus. 25 Now as he spoke about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come,(A) Felix became afraid and replied, “Leave for now, but when I find time I’ll call for you.” 26 At the same time he was also hoping that money would be given to him by Paul.[a] For this reason he sent for him quite often and conversed with him.
27 After two years had passed, Felix received a successor, Porcius Festus,(B) and because he wished to do a favor for the Jews,(C) Felix left Paul in prison.(D)
Appeal to Caesar
25 Three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.(E) 2 Then the chief priests and the leaders of the Jews presented their case against Paul to him; and they appealed,(F) 3 asking him to do them a favor against Paul,[b] that he might summon him to Jerusalem. They were preparing an ambush along the road to kill him. 4 However, Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to go there shortly.(G) 5 “Therefore,” he said, “let the men of authority among you go down with me and accuse him, if there is any wrong in this man.”
6 When he had spent not more than eight or 10 days among them, he went down to Caesarea. The next day, seated at the judge’s bench, he commanded Paul to be brought in.(H) 7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him and brought many serious charges that they were not able to prove,(I) 8 while Paul made the defense that, “Neither against the Jewish law,(J) nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I sinned at all.”
9 Then Festus, wanting to do a favor for the Jews,(K) replied to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem, there to be tried before me on these charges?”
10 But Paul said: “I am standing at Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as even you can see very well. 11 If then I am doing wrong, or have done anything deserving of death, I do not refuse to die, but if there is nothing to what these men accuse me of, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar!”(L)
12 After Festus conferred with his council, he replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go!”
The Question about the Messiah
35 So(A) Jesus asked this question as He taught in the temple complex,(B) “How can the scribes(C) say that the Messiah(D) is the Son of David?(E) 36 David(F) himself says by the Holy Spirit:(G)
The Lord(H) declared to my Lord,
‘Sit at My right hand(I)
until I put Your enemies under Your feet.’(J)[a]
37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how then can the Messiah be his Son?” And the large crowd was listening to Him with delight.
Warning against the Scribes
38 He(K) also said in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes,(L) and who want greetings in the marketplaces,(M) 39 the front seats(N) in the synagogues,(O) and the places of honor(P) at banquets.(Q) 40 They devour(R) widows’(S) houses and say long prayers(T) just for show. These will receive harsher punishment.”
The Widow’s Gift
41 Sitting(U) across from the temple treasury,(V) He watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich(W) people were putting in large sums. 42 And a poor(X) widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little.[b] 43 Summoning His disciples,(Y) He said to them, “I assure you:(Z) This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury.(AA) 44 For they all gave out of their surplus,(AB) but she out of her poverty(AC) has put in everything she possessed(AD)—all she had to live on.”(AE)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.