Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 120
A Cry for Truth and Peace
A song of ascents.
1 In my distress I called to the Lord,
and He answered me.(A)
2 “Lord, deliver me from lying lips
and a deceitful tongue.”(B)
3 What will He give you,
and what will He do to you,
you deceitful tongue?(C)
4 A warrior’s sharp arrows
with burning charcoal
5 What misery that I have stayed in Meshech,[b](E)
that I have lived among the tents of Kedar
6 I have lived too long
with those who hate peace.(G)
7 I am for peace; but when I speak,
they are for war.(H)
Psalm 121
The Lord Our Protector
A song of ascents.
1 I lift my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?(I)
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.(J)
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
your Protector will not slumber.(K)
4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel
does not slumber or sleep.(L)
5 The Lord protects you;
the Lord is a shelter right by your side.[d](M)
6 The sun will not strike you by day
or the moon by night.(N)
7 The Lord will protect you from all harm;
He will protect your life.(O)
8 The Lord will protect your coming and going
both now and forever.(P)
Psalm 122
A Prayer for Jerusalem
A Davidic song of ascents.
1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”(Q)
2 Our feet are standing
within your gates, Jerusalem(R)—
3 Jerusalem, built as a city should be,
solidly joined together,(S)
4 where the tribes, Yahweh’s tribes, go up
to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.(T)
(This is an ordinance for Israel.(U))
5 There, thrones for judgment are placed,
thrones of the house of David.(V)
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you prosper;(W)
7 may there be peace within your walls,
prosperity within your fortresses.”(X)
8 Because of my brothers and friends,
I will say, “Peace be with you.”(Y)
9 Because of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.(Z)
Psalm 123
Looking for God’s Favor
A song of ascents.
1 I lift my eyes to You,
the One enthroned in heaven.(AA)
2 Like a servant’s eyes on his master’s hand,
like a servant girl’s eyes on her mistress’s hand,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God
until He shows us favor.(AB)
3 Show us favor, Lord, show us favor,
for we’ve had more than enough contempt.(AC)
4 We’ve had more than enough
scorn from the arrogant
and contempt from the proud.(AD)
Psalm 124
The Lord Is on Our Side
A Davidic song of ascents.
1 If the Lord had not been on our side—
let Israel say—
2 If the Lord had not been on our side(AE)
when men attacked us,(AF)
3 then they would have swallowed us alive
in their burning anger against us.(AG)
4 Then the waters would have engulfed us;
the torrent would have swept over us;
5 the raging waters would have swept over us.(AH)
6 Praise the Lord,
who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth.(AI)
7 We have escaped like a bird from the hunter’s net;
the net is torn, and we have escaped.(AJ)
8 Our help is in the name of Yahweh,
the Maker of heaven and earth.(AK)
Psalm 125
Israel’s Stability
A song of ascents.
1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion.
It cannot be shaken; it remains forever.(AL)
2 Jerusalem—the mountains surround her.
And the Lord surrounds His people,
both now and forever.(AM)
3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
so that the righteous will not apply their hands to injustice.(AN)
4 Do what is good, Lord, to the good,
to those whose hearts are upright.(AO)
5 But as for those who turn aside to crooked ways,
the Lord will banish them with the evildoers.(AP)
Peace be with Israel.(AQ)
Psalm 126
Zion’s Restoration
A song of ascents.
1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,[e]
we were like those who dream.(AR)
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter then,(AS)
and our tongues with shouts of joy.(AT)
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”(AU)
3 The Lord had done great things for us;
we were joyful.(AV)
4 Restore our fortunes,[f] Lord,
like watercourses in the Negev.(AW)
5 Those who sow in tears
will reap with shouts of joy.(AX)
6 Though one goes along weeping,
carrying the bag of seed,
he will surely come back with shouts of joy,
carrying his sheaves.(AY)
Psalm 127
The Blessing of the Lord
A Solomonic song of ascents.
Judah’s King Josiah
22 Josiah(A) was eight years old when he became king and reigned 31 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.(B) 2 He did what was right in the Lord’s sight and walked in all the ways of his ancestor David;(C) he did not turn to the right or the left.(D)
Josiah Repairs the Temple
3 In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent the court secretary Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, to the Lord’s temple,(E) saying, 4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest so that he may total up the money brought into the Lord’s temple—the money the doorkeepers have collected from the people.(F) 5 It is to be put into the hands of those doing the work—those who oversee the Lord’s temple. They in turn are to give it to the workmen in the Lord’s temple to repair the damage.(G) 6 They are to give it to the carpenters, builders, and masons to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the temple.(H) 7 But no accounting is to be required from them for the money put into their hands since they work with integrity.”(I)
The Book of the Law Found
8 Hilkiah the high priest told Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the book of the law(J) in the Lord’s temple,” and he gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.
9 Then Shaphan the court secretary went to the king and reported,[a] “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the temple and have put it into the hand of those doing the work—those who oversee the Lord’s temple.” 10 Then Shaphan the court secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book,” and Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.(K)
11 When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.(L) 12 Then he commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam(M) son of Shaphan, Achbor(N) son of Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and the king’s servant Asaiah: 13 “Go and inquire of the Lord for me, the people, and all Judah about the instruction in this book that has been found. For great is the Lord’s wrath that is kindled against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this book in order to do everything written about us.”(O)
The Lord’s Supper
17 Now in giving the following instruction I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For to begin with, I hear that when you come together as a church there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 There must, indeed, be factions(A) among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you. 20 Therefore, when you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s Supper.(B) 21 For at the meal, each one eats his own supper ahead of others. So one person is hungry while another gets drunk! 22 Don’t you have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you look down on the church of God and embarrass those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you for this!
The Son of Man Forgives and Heals
9 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town.(A) 2 Just then(B) some men[a] brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.”(C)
3 At this, some of the scribes said among themselves, “He’s blaspheming!”(D)
4 But perceiving their thoughts,(E) Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?[b] 5 For which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He told the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” 7 And he got up and went home. 8 When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck[c][d] and gave glory(F) to God who had given such authority to men.
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