Book of Common Prayer
BOOK I (Psalms 1-41)
The Righteous and the Wicked[a]
1 How blessed is the person,
who does not take[b] the advice of the wicked,
who does not stand on the path with sinners,
and who does not sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But he delights in the Lord’s instruction,[c]
and meditates in his instruction[d] day and night.
3 He will be like a tree planted by streams of water,
yielding its fruit in its season,
and whose leaf does not wither.
He will prosper in everything he does.
4 But this is not the case with the wicked.
They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not escape[e] judgment,
nor will sinners have a place[f] in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will be destroyed.
The Nations and God’s Anointed
2 Why are the nations in an uproar,
and their people involved in a vain plot?
2 As the kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and his anointed one, they say,[g]
3 “Let us tear off their shackles from us,[h]
and cast off their chains.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
5 In his anger he rebukes them,
and in his wrath he terrifies them:
6 “I have set my king on Zion,
my holy mountain.”
The Anointed King Speaks
7 Let me announce the decree of the Lord
that he told me:
“You are my son,
today I have become your father.
8 Ask of me, and I will give you
the nations as your inheritance,
the ends of the earth as your possession.
9 You will break them with an iron rod,
you will shatter them like pottery.”
10 Therefore, kings, act wisely!
Earthly rulers, be warned!
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss[i] the son before he becomes[j] angry,
and you die where you stand.[k]
Indeed, his wrath can flare up quickly.
How blessed are those who take refuge in him.
A Davidic Psalm, when he fled from his son Absalom.
God Delivers His Servants
3 Lord, I have so many persecutors!
Many are rising up against me!
2 Many are saying about me,
“God will never deliver him!”
3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
4 I cry aloud[l] to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5 I lie down and sleep,
I wake up, because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not fear multitudes of[m] people,
who set themselves against me on every side.
7 Arise, Lord!
Deliver me, my God!
For you strike the jaw of all my enemies,
and you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Deliverance comes from the Lord!
May your blessing be on your people.
To the Director: With stringed instruments. A Davidic Psalm
Trust God under Adversity
4 When I call, answer me,
my righteous God![n]
When I was in distress, you set me free.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
2 You people,
how long will you malign my reputation?
How long will you love what is vain[o]
and what is false?
3 But understand this:[p]
the Lord has set apart the godly for himself!
The Lord will hear me when I cry out to him!
A Davidic psalm,[a] which he sang to the Lord, because of the words of Cush the descendant of Benjamin.
A Prayer for Vindication
7 Lord, my God,
I seek refuge in you.
Deliver me from those who persecute me!
Rescue me!
2 Otherwise, they will rip me to shreds like a lion,
tearing me[b] apart with no one to rescue me.[c]
3 Lord, my God, if I have done this thing,
if there is injustice on my hands,
4 if I have rewarded those who did me good with evil,
if I have plundered my enemy without justification,
5 then, let my enemy pursue me,
let him overtake me,
and let him trample my life to the ground.
Let him put my honor into the dust.
6 Get up, Lord, in your anger!
Rise up, because of the fury of my enemies;
Arouse yourself for me;
you have ordained justice.
7 Let the assembly of the peoples gather around you,
and you will sit[d] high above them.
8 For the Lord will judge the peoples.
Judge me according to my righteousness, Lord,
and according to my integrity, Exalted One.
9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
but establish the righteous.
For you are the righteous God
who discerns the inner thoughts.[e]
10 God is my shield,[f]
the one who delivers the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
a God who is angry with sinners[g] every day.
12 If the ungodly one[h] doesn’t repent,
God will sharpen his sword;
he will string his bow and prepare it.
13 He prepares weapons of death for himself,
he makes his arrows into fiery shafts.
14 But the wicked one[i] travails with evil,
he conceives malice and gives birth to lies.
15 He digs a pit, even excavates it;
then he fell into the hole that he had made.
16 The trouble[j] he planned will return on his own head,
and his violence will descend on his skull.
17 But as for me,
I will praise the Lord for his righteousness,
and I will sing to the name of the Lord Most High.
5 Meanwhile, about this time Haggith’s son Adonijah began to seek a reputation for himself and decided,[a] “I’m going to be king!” So he prepared chariots, cavalry, and 50 soldiers to serve as a security detail to guard him.[b] 6 His father had never challenged him at any time during his life by asking him, “Why are you acting like this?” Adonijah[c] was very handsome and had been born after Absalom. 7 He had the support of Zeruiah’s son Joab and of Abiathar the priest, who followed Adonijah[d] and assisted him, 8 but Zadok the priest, Jehoiada’s son Benaiah, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s personal elite forces would have nothing to do with Adonijah.
9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fatted cattle by the Serpent Stone[e] near En-rogel,[f] inviting all of his relatives, the king’s sons, and all of the men of Judah who worked for the king, 10 but he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, David’s[g] personal elite forces, or his brother Solomon.
Nathan and Bathsheba Confer about Adonijah
11 “Haven’t you heard?” Nathan asked Solomon’s mother Bathsheba. “Haggith’s son Adonijah has become king and David, our true king,[h] isn’t aware of it. 12 If you listen to me, you’ll save your life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go right now to King David and ask him, ‘Your majesty, you promised your servant that “Your son Solomon will certainly become king after me and will sit on my throne,” didn’t you? So why has Adonijah become king?’ 14 Then, while you are still talking to the king, I’ll come in after you and verify your statement.”
15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his private room. Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to him.[i] 16 Bathsheba knelt and bowed down to the king, and the king asked her, “What do you wish?”
17 “Your majesty,” she replied, “you promised your servant in the name of[j] the Lord your God, ‘Your son Solomon will certainly become king after me and will sit on my throne.’ 18 Now look, Adonijah has become king, and your majesty is not aware of it. 19 Adonijah[k] has sacrificed myriads of oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep, and he has invited all of the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited your servant Solomon. 20 And as for you, your majesty, everyone in Israel is looking to you to tell them who will sit on your majesty’s throne after you.[l] 21 Otherwise, as soon as your majesty is laid to rest with his ancestors, my son Solomon and I will be branded as traitors.”[m]
22 While she was still talking to the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23 They informed the king, “Nathan the prophet is here.”
When he had been ushered into the presence of the king, Nathan bowed low in front of the king with his face to the ground 24 and asked, “Your majesty, did you say ‘Adonijah will be king after me and will sit on my throne’? 25 Well now, he went down today and sacrificed lots of oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep, and has invited all the king’s sons, the army commanders, and Abiathar the priest. They’re having a party together and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 Of course, he never invited me, Zadok the priest, Jehoiada’s son Benaiah, nor your servant Solomon. 27 Were you behind this, your majesty, without letting your servants know who would sit on your majesty’s throne after him?”
David Affirms Solomon as King
28 “Call Bathsheba for me,” King David replied. So she came in and stood in front of the king. 29 “As the Lord lives,” the king said with an oath, “who has redeemed me from all sorts of troubles, 30 I certainly did tell you in the name of[n] the Lord God of Israel, ‘Your son Solomon will be king after me and will sit on my throne in my place.’ I’m certainly going to make this happen today!”
31 “King David,” Bathsheba said as she bowed low in front of the king with her face to the ground, “your majesty, may you live forever.”
Paul Presents His Case to Agrippa
26 Then Agrippa told Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” So Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense.
2 “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, that I can defend myself today against all the accusations of the Jewish leaders,[a] 3 since you are especially familiar with all the Jewish customs and controversies. I beg you, therefore, to listen patiently to me. 4 All the Jews know how I lived from the earliest days of my youth with my own people and in Jerusalem. 5 They have known for a long time, if they would but testify to it, that I lived as a Pharisee, adhering to the standards of our strictest religious party.
6 “And now I stand here on trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our ancestors. 7 Our twelve tribes, worshiping day and night with intense devotion, hope to attain it. It is because of this hope, O King, that I am accused by the Jews. 8 Why is it thought incredible by all of you that God should raise the dead? 9 Indeed, I myself thought it my duty to take extreme measures against the name of Jesus from Nazareth.[b] 10 That is what I did in Jerusalem. I received authority from the high priests and locked many of the saints in prison. And when I cast my vote against them, they were put to death. 11 I would even punish them frequently in every synagogue and try to make them blaspheme. Raging furiously against them, I would hunt them down even in distant cities.
12 “That is how I happened to be traveling to Damascus with authority based on a commission from the high priests. 13 On the road at noon, O King, I saw a light from heaven that was brighter than the sun. It flashed around me and those who were traveling with me.
14 “All of us fell to the ground, and I heard a voice asking me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me? It is hurting you to keep on kicking against the cattle prods.’[c]
15 “I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’[d]
“The Lord answered, ‘I’m Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But get up and stand on your feet, because I’ve appeared to you for the very purpose of appointing you to be my servant and witness of what you’ve seen and of what I’ll show you. 17 I’ll continue to rescue you from your people and from the gentiles to whom I’m sending you. 18 You will help them understand[e] and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan’s control to God, so that their sins will be forgiven and they will receive a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
19 “And so, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. 20 Instead, I first told the people in Damascus and Jerusalem, then all the people in Judea—and after that the gentiles—to repent, turn to God, and perform deeds that are consistent with such repentance. 21 For this reason the Jewish leaders[f] grabbed me in the Temple and kept trying to kill me. 22 I’ve had help from God to this day, and so I stand here to testify to both the powerful and the lowly alike, stating only what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that the Messiah[g] would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead and would bring light both to our people and to the gentiles.”
Signs of the End(A)
14 “So when you see the destructive desecration standing where it should not be (let the reader take note),[a] then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 15 Anyone who’s on his housetop must not come down and go into his house to take anything out of it, 16 and the one who’s in the field must not turn back to get his coat.
17 “How terrible it will be for women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days! 18 Pray that it may not be in winter, 19 because those days will be a time of suffering,[b] a kind that has not happened from the beginning of creation—which God himself created—until now, and certainly will never happen again. 20 If the Lord had not shortened those days, no one[c] would survive. But for the sake of the elect whom he has chosen, he has shortened those days.
21 “At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look here! The Messiah!’,[d] or, ‘Look there!’ don’t believe it, 22 because false messiahs[e] and false prophets will have arisen and will produce signs and omens intending to deceive, if possible, the elect. 23 So be on your guard! I’ve told you everything beforehand.”
The Coming of the Son of Man(B)
24 “But after the troubles[f] of those days,
‘The sun will be darkened,
the moon will not reflect its light,
25 the stars will be falling out of the sky,
and the powers that are in the heavens will be disrupted.’[g]
26 Then people[h] will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’[i] with great power and glory. 27 He’ll send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the most remote part of earth to the most remote part of heaven.”
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