Book of Common Prayer

(A psalm by David.)

Who Can Enter the Lord's Temple?

(A psalm by David.)

The Voice of the Lord in a Storm

(A psalm by David for the music leader.^[a])

The Wonderful Name of the Lord

(For the music leader.^[a] A psalm by the clan of Korah.)

The Joy of Worship

Nehemiah's Concern for the Poor

5 Some of the men and their wives complained about the Jews in power ² and said, “We have large families, and it takes a lot of grain merely to keep us alive.”

³ Others said, “During the famine we even had to mortgage our fields, vineyards, and homes to them in order to buy grain.”

⁴ Then others said, “We had to borrow money from those in power to pay the government tax on our fields and vineyards. ⁵ We are Jews just as they are, and our children are as good as theirs. But we still have to sell our children as slaves, and some of our daughters have already been raped. We are completely helpless; our fields and vineyards have even been taken from us.”

⁶ When I heard their complaints and their charges, I became very angry. ^7 (A) So I thought it over and said to the leaders and officials, “How can you charge your own people interest?”

Then I called a public meeting and accused the leaders ⁸ by saying, “We have tried to buy back all of our people who were sold into exile. But here you are, selling more of them for us to buy back!” The officials and leaders did not say a word, because they knew this was true.

⁹ I continued, “What you have done is wrong! We must honor our God by the way we live, so the Gentiles can't find fault with us. ¹⁰ My relatives, my friends, and I are also lending money and grain, but we must no longer demand payment in return. ¹¹ Now give back the fields, vineyards, olive orchards, and houses you have taken and also the interest you have been paid.”

¹² The leaders answered, “We will do whatever you say and return their property, without asking to be repaid.”

So I made the leaders promise in front of the priests to give back the property. ¹³ Then I emptied my pockets and said, “If you don't keep your promise, that's what God will do to you. He will empty out everything you own, even taking away your houses.”

The people answered, “We will keep our promise.” Then they praised the Lord and did as they had promised.

Nehemiah Is Generous

¹⁴ I was governor of Judah from the twentieth year that Artaxerxes^[a] was king until the thirty-second year. And during these entire twelve years, my relatives and I refused to accept the food that I was allowed. ¹⁵ Each governor before me had been a burden to the people by making them pay for his food and wine and by demanding forty silver coins a day. Even their officials had been a burden to the people. But I respected God, and I didn't think it was right to be so hard on them. ¹⁶ I spent all my time getting the wall rebuilt and did not buy any property. Everyone working for me did the same thing. ¹⁷ I usually fed 150 of our own Jewish people and their leaders, as well as foreign visitors from surrounding lands. ¹⁸ Each day one ox, six of the best sheep, and lots of chickens were prepared. Then every ten days, a large supply of wine was brought in. I knew what a heavy burden this would have been for the people, and so I did not ask for my food allowance as governor.

¹⁹ I pray that God will bless me for everything I have done for my people.

Paul's Last Visit to Troas

⁷ On the first day of the week^[a] we met to break bread together.^[b] Paul spoke to the people until midnight because he was leaving the next morning. ⁸ In the upstairs room where we were meeting, there were a lot of lamps. ⁹ A young man by the name of Eutychus was sitting on a window sill. While Paul was speaking, the young man got very sleepy. Finally, he went to sleep and fell three floors all the way down to the ground. When they picked him up, he was dead.

¹⁰ Paul went down and bent over Eutychus. He took him in his arms and said, “Don't worry! He's alive.” ¹¹ After Paul had gone back upstairs, he broke bread, and ate with us. He then spoke until dawn and left. ¹² Then the followers took the young man home alive and were very happy.

Worry

(Matthew 6.25-34)

²² Jesus said to his disciples:

I tell you not to worry about your life! Don't worry about having something to eat or wear. ²³ Life is more than food or clothing. ²⁴ Look at the crows! They don't plant or harvest, and they don't have storehouses or barns. But God takes care of them. You are much more important than any birds. ²⁵ Can worry make you live longer?^{[a] 26} If you don't have power over small things, why worry about everything else?

^27 (A) Look how the wild flowers grow! They don't work hard to make their clothes. But I tell you Solomon with all his wealth^[b] wasn't as well clothed as one of these flowers. ²⁸ God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. Won't he do even more for you? You have such little faith!

²⁹ Don't keep worrying about having something to eat or drink. ³⁰ Only people who don't know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father knows what you need. ³¹ But put God's work first, and these things will be yours as well.