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)
14 They raise their voices, they sing out;
they proclaim in the west
the majesty of the Lord.
15 Therefore, in the east honor the Lord!
In the islands of the west
honor the name of Yahweh,
the God of Israel.
16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs:
The Splendor of the Righteous One.(A)
But I said, “I waste away! I waste away![a]
Woe is me.”
The treacherous act treacherously;
the treacherous deal very treacherously.(B)
17 Panic, pit, and trap await you(C)
who dwell on the earth.(D)
18 Whoever flees at the sound of panic
will fall into a pit,
and whoever escapes from the pit
will be caught in a trap.
For the windows are opened from heaven,(E)
and the foundations of the earth are shaken.(F)
19 The earth is completely devastated;
the earth is split open;
the earth is violently shaken.
20 The earth staggers like a drunkard(G)
and sways like a hut.
Earth’s rebellion weighs it down,
and it falls, never to rise again.
21 On that day(H) the Lord will punish
the host of heaven above
and kings of the earth below.
22 They will be gathered together
like prisoners in a pit.(I)
They will be confined to a dungeon;(J)
after many days they will be punished.
23 The moon will be put to shame
and the sun disgraced,
because the Lord of Hosts will reign as king
on Mount Zion in Jerusalem,
and He will display His glory
in the presence of His elders.(K)
Undeserved Suffering
13 And who will harm[a] you if you are deeply committed to what is good?[b] 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness,(A) you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear(B) or be disturbed,(C)[c] 15 but honor[d] the Messiah[e] as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason[f] for the hope that is in you.(D) 16 However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear,[g][h](E) so that when you are accused,[i] those who denounce your Christian life[j] will be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer(F) for doing good, if that should be God’s will,[k] than for doing evil.
18 For Christ also suffered(G) for sins once for all,[l](H)
the righteous for the unrighteous,[m]
that He might bring you[n] to God,(I)
after being put to death in the fleshly realm[o](J)
but made alive in the spiritual realm.[p]
19 In that state[q] He also went and made a proclamation to the spirits(K) in prison[r] 20 who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah(L) while an ark was being prepared. In it a few—that is, eight people[s](M)—were saved through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not the removal of the filth of the flesh,(N) but the pledge[t] of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.(O) 22 Now that He has gone into heaven,(P) He is at God’s right hand(Q) with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him.(R)
Following Christ
4 Therefore, since Christ suffered[u] in the flesh,[v] equip[w] yourselves also with the same resolve[x]—because the one who suffered in the flesh has finished(S) with sin[y]— 2 in order to live the remaining time in the flesh, no longer for human desires,[z] but for God’s will.(T) 3 For there has already been enough time spent in doing what the pagans choose to do:[aa] carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires,(U) drunkenness, orgies,(V) carousing, and lawless idolatry. 4 So they are surprised that you don’t plunge with them into the same flood[ab] of wild living—and they slander you. 5 They will give an account to the One who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.(W) 6 For this reason the gospel was also preached to those who are now dead,(X) so that, although they might be judged by men in the fleshly(Y) realm,[ac] they might live(Z) by God in the spiritual realm.[ad]
The Third Prediction of His Death
17 While going up to Jerusalem,(A) Jesus took the 12 disciples aside privately and said to them on the way: 18 “Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death.(B) 19 Then they will hand Him over to the Gentiles(C) to be mocked, flogged,[a] and crucified, and He will be resurrected[b] on the third day.”
Suffering and Service
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached Him with her sons.(D) She knelt down to ask Him for something.(E) 21 “What do you want?” He asked her.
“Promise,”[c] she said to Him, “that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and the other on Your left, in Your kingdom.”(F)
22 But Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup[d] that I am about to drink?”[e](G)
“We are able,” they said to Him.
23 He told them, “You will indeed drink My cup.[f] But to sit at My right and left is not Mine to give; instead, it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”(H) 24 When the 10 disciples heard this, they became indignant with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and the men of high position exercise power over them. 26 It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,(I) 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,(J) and to give His life—a ransom for many.”(K)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.