Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 38
A Psalm of David; to bring to remembrance and make memorial.
1 O Lord, rebuke me not in Your wrath, neither chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
2 For Your arrows have sunk into me and stick fast, and Your hand has come down upon me and pressed me sorely.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation; neither is there any health or rest in my bones because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities have gone over my head [like waves of a flood]; as a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
5 My wounds are loathsome and corrupt because of my foolishness.
6 I am bent and bowed down greatly; I go about mourning all the day long.
7 For my loins are filled with burning; and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am faint and sorely bruised [deadly cold and quite worn out]; I groan by reason of the disquiet and moaning of my heart.
9 Lord, all my desire is before You; and my sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart throbs, my strength fails me; as for the light of my eyes, it also is gone from me.
11 My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague; and my neighbors and my near ones stand afar off.(A)
12 They also that seek and demand my life lay snares for me, and they that seek and require my hurt speak crafty and mischievous things; they meditate treachery and deceit all the day long.
13 But I, like a deaf man, hear not; and I am like a dumb man who opens not his mouth.
14 Yes, I have become like a man who hears not, in whose mouth are no arguments or replies.
15 For in You, O Lord, do I hope; You will answer, O Lord my God.
16 For I pray, Let them not rejoice over me, who when my foot slips boast against me.
17 For I am ready to halt and fall; my pain and sorrow are continually before me.
18 For I do confess my guilt and iniquity; I am filled with sorrow for my sin.(B)
19 But my enemies are vigorous and strong, and those who hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
20 They also that render evil for good are adversaries to me, because I follow the thing that is good.
21 Forsake me not, O Lord; O my God, be not far from me.
22 Make haste to help me, O Lord, my Salvation.
25 My earthly life cleaves to the dust; revive and stimulate me according to Your word!(A)
26 I have declared my ways and opened my griefs to You, and You listened to me; teach me Your statutes.
27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on and talk of Your wondrous works.(B)
28 My life dissolves and weeps itself away for heaviness; raise me up and strengthen me according to [the promises of] Your word.
29 Remove from me the way of falsehood and unfaithfulness [to You], and graciously impart Your law to me.
30 I have chosen the way of truth and faithfulness; Your ordinances have I set before me.
31 I cleave to Your testimonies; O Lord, put me not to shame!
32 I will [not merely walk, but] run the way of Your commandments, when You give me a heart that is willing.
33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I will keep it to the end [steadfastly].
34 Give me understanding, that I may keep Your law; yes, I will observe it with my whole heart.(C)
35 Make me go in the path of Your commandments, for in them do I delight.
36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetousness (robbery, sensuality, unworthy riches).(D)
37 Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity (idols and idolatry); and restore me to vigorous life and health in Your ways.
38 Establish Your word and confirm Your promise to Your servant, which is for those who reverently fear and devotedly worship You.(E)
39 Turn away my reproach which I fear and dread, for Your ordinances are good.
40 Behold, I long for Your precepts; in Your righteousness give me renewed life.
41 Let Your mercy and loving-kindness come also to me, O Lord, even Your salvation according to Your promise;
42 Then shall I have an answer for those who taunt and reproach me, for I lean on, rely on, and trust in Your word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for I hope in Your ordinances.
44 I will keep Your law continually, forever and ever [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it].
45 And I will walk at liberty and at ease, for I have sought and inquired for [and desperately required] Your precepts.
46 I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings and will not be put to shame.(F)
47 For I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love.
48 My hands also will I lift up [in fervent supplication] to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes.
24 But Pharaoh’s daughter came up out of the City of David to her house which Solomon had built for her; then he built the Millo.
25 Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he built to the Lord, and he burned incense with them before the Lord. So he finished the house.
26 And King Solomon made a fleet of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in Edom.
27 And Hiram sent with the fleet his servants, shipmen who had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.
28 They came to Ophir and got 420 talents of gold and brought it to King Solomon.
10 When the queen of Sheba heard of [the constant connection of] the fame of Solomon with the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions (problems and riddles).
2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels bearing spices, very much gold, and precious stones. When she had come to Solomon, she communed with him about all that was in her mind.
3 Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king which he failed to explain to her.
4 When the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom and skill, the house he had built,
5 The food of his table, the seating of his officials, the standing at attention of his servants, their apparel, his cupbearers, his ascent by which he went up to the house of the Lord [or the burnt offerings he sacrificed], she was breathless and overcome.
6 She said to the king, It was a true report I heard in my own land of your acts and sayings and wisdom.
7 I did not believe it until I came and my eyes had seen. Behold, the half was not told me. You have added wisdom and goodness exceeding the fame I heard.
8 Happy are your men! Happy are these your servants who stand continually before you, hearing your wisdom!
9 Blessed be the Lord your God, Who delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, He made you king to execute justice and righteousness.
10 And she gave the king 120 talents of gold and of spices a very great store and precious stones. Never again came such abundance of spices as these the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.
11 The navy also of Hiram brought from Ophir gold and a great plenty of almug (algum) wood and precious stones.
12 Of the almug wood the king made pillars for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, and lyres also and harps for the singers. No such almug wood came again or has been seen to this day.
13 King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she wanted, whatever she asked, besides his gifts to her from his royal bounty. So she returned to her own country, she and her servants.
3 Not many [of you] should become teachers ([a]self-constituted censors and reprovers of others), my brethren, for you know that we [teachers] will be judged by a higher standard and with greater severity [than other people; thus we assume the greater accountability and the more condemnation].
2 For we all often stumble and fall and offend in many things. And if anyone does not offend in speech [never says the wrong things], he is a fully developed character and a perfect man, able to control his whole body and to curb his entire nature.
3 If we set bits in the horses’ mouths to make them obey us, we can turn their whole bodies about.
4 Likewise, look at the ships: though they are so great and are driven by rough winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the impulse of the helmsman determines.
5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and it can boast of great things. See how much wood or how great a forest a tiny spark can set ablaze!
6 And the tongue is a fire. [The tongue is a] world of wickedness set among our members, contaminating and depraving the whole body and setting on fire the wheel of birth (the cycle of man’s nature), being itself ignited by hell (Gehenna).
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea animal, can be tamed and has been tamed by human genius (nature).
8 But the human tongue can be tamed by no man. It is a restless (undisciplined, irreconcilable) evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who were made in God’s likeness!
10 Out of the same mouth come forth blessing and cursing. These things, my brethren, ought not to be so.
11 Does a fountain send forth [simultaneously] from the same opening fresh water and bitter?
12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine figs? Neither can a salt spring furnish fresh water.
15 And immediately when it was morning, the chief priests, with the elders and scribes and the whole council, held a consultation; and when they had bound Jesus, they took Him away [[a]violently] and handed Him over to Pilate.(A)
2 And Pilate inquired of Him, Are You the King of the Jews? And He replied, It is as you say.
3 And the chief priests kept accusing Him of many things.
4 And Pilate again asked Him, Have [b]You no answer to make? See how many charges they are bringing against You!
5 But Jesus made no further answer at all, so that Pilate wondered and marveled.(B)
6 Now at the Feast he [was accustomed to] set free for them any one prisoner whom they requested.
7 And among the rioters in the prison who had committed murder in the insurrection there was a man named Barabbas.
8 And the throng came up and began asking Pilate to do as he usually did for them.
9 And he replied to them, Do you wish me to set free for you the King of the Jews?
10 For he was aware that it was [[c]because they were prompted] by envy that the chief priests had delivered Him up.
11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to get him to release for them Barabbas instead.
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation