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)
36 Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king and reigned 11 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah, from Rumah. 37 He did what was evil(A) in the Lord’s sight just as his ancestors had done.
Jehoiakim’s Rebellion and Death
24 During(B) Jehoiakim’s reign,(C) Nebuchadnezzar(D) king of Babylon(E) attacked.(F) Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years, and then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 The Lord sent Chaldean, Aramean,(G) Moabite,(H) and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim. He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord He had spoken through His servants the prophets.(I) 3 Indeed, this happened to Judah at the Lord’s command to remove them from His sight.(J) It was because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all he had done,(K) 4 and also because of all the innocent blood he had shed. He had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood,(L) and the Lord would not forgive.
5 The rest of the events of Jehoiakim’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.(M) 6 Jehoiakim rested with his fathers, and his son Jehoiachin became king in his place.(N)
7 Now the king of Egypt did not march out of his land again,(O) for the king of Babylon took everything that belonged to the king of Egypt,(P) from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.(Q)
Judah’s King Jehoiachin
8 Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became king and reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan, from Jerusalem.(R) 9 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight as his father had done.
Deportations to Babylon
10 At that time(S) the servants of Nebuchadnezzar(T) king of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. 11 Then King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it. 12 Jehoiachin king of Judah, along with his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials, surrendered to the king of Babylon.(U)
So the king of Babylon took him captive in the eighth year of his reign. 13 He also carried off from there all the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king’s palace, and he cut into pieces all the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made(V) for the Lord’s sanctuary, just as God had predicted.(W) 14 Then he deported all Jerusalem and all the commanders and all the fighting men,(X) 10,000 captives,(Y) and all the craftsmen and metalsmiths.(Z) Except for the poorest people of the land,(AA) no one remained.
15 Nebuchadnezzar deported Jehoiachin to Babylon. Also, he took the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.(AB) 16 The king of Babylon also brought captive into Babylon all 7,000 fighting men and 1,000 craftsmen and metalsmiths—all strong and fit for war. 17 Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s[a] uncle,[b] king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.(AC)
Unity Yet Diversity in the Body
12 For as the body is one(A) and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ.(B) 13 For we were all baptized by[a] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.(C) 14 So the body is not one part but many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” in spite of this it still belongs to the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” in spite of this it still belongs to the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has placed each one of the parts in one body just as He wanted.(D) 19 And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? 20 Now there are many parts, yet one body.
21 So the eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 But even more, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary. 23 And those parts of the body that we think to be less honorable,(E) we clothe these with greater honor, and our unpresentable parts have a better presentation. 24 But our presentable parts have no need of clothing. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, 25 so that there would be no division(F) in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. 26 So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
Healing the Blind
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, shouting, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”(A)
28 When He entered the house, the blind men approached Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe(B) that I can do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they answered Him.
29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith!” 30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Be sure that no one finds out!”[a](C) 31 But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout that whole area.
Driving Out a Demon
32 Just as they were going out, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to Him.(D) 33 When the demon had been driven out, the man[b] spoke. And the crowds were amazed, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”
34 But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons!”(E)
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