Book of Common Prayer
Morning Prayer for Justice
Psalm 5
1 For the music director, on the wind instruments, a psalm of David.
2 Hear my words, Adonai,
consider my groaning.
3 Listen to the sound of my cry for help,
my King and my God, for I pray to you.
4 Adonai, in the morning You hear my voice.
In the morning I order my prayer before You and watch expectantly.
5 For You are not a God who rejoices in evil.
No wickedness dwells with you.
6 Braggarts will not stand before your eyes.
You hate all wrongdoers.
7 You destroy those who speak falsehood.
A person of bloodshed and deceit Adonai detests.
8 But because of your great lovingkindness, I will enter Your House.
I will bow toward Your holy Temple, in awe of You.
9 Lead me, Adonai, in Your righteousness, because of my enemies.
Make Your path straight before me.
10 For nothing upright is in their mouth.
Inside them is a ruin—their throat an open grave.
They flatter with their tongue.[a]
11 Declare them guilty, O God!
Let them fall by their own schemes.
Banish them because of their many transgressions—
for they have rebelled against You.
12 But let all who take refuge in You rejoice!
Let them always shout for joy!
You will shelter them and they exult—those who love Your Name.
13 For You bless the righteous, Adonai.
You surround him with favor as a shield.
Prayer for Mercy
Psalm 6
1 For the music director, on the eight-string lyre, a psalm of David.
2 Adonai, do not rebuke me in Your anger!
Do not discipline me in Your wrath.
3 Be gracious to me, Adonai, for I am weak.
Heal me, Adonai—for my bones are shuddering with fear,
4 as is my soul—
and You, Adonai—how long?
5 Turn toward me, Adonai, deliver my soul!
Save me—because of Your mercy.
6 For there is no memory of You in death,
in Sheol who will praise You?
7 I am worn out with my groaning.
Every night I make my bed swim,
drenching my pillow with my tears.
8 My eyes are weakened with grief—
they age because of my enemies.
9 Away from me, all you evildoers!
For Adonai heard the sound of my weeping.
10 Adonai has heard my cry for mercy.
Adonai accepts my prayer:
11 “May all my enemies be ashamed, and stricken with terror.
May they turn back in sudden disgrace.”
Freedom from Terror
Psalm 10
1 Why, Adonai, are You standing far off?
Why hide Yourself in times of trouble?
2 In pride the wicked hotly hunts the poor.
Let them be caught in the plots they have planned.
3 For the wicked one boasts about his soul’s desire.
The greedy one curses, reviling Adonai.
4 The wicked one, with his nose in the air, never seeks Him.
All his thoughts are: “There is no God.”
5 His ways are secure at all times.
He haughtily disregards Your judgments.
He snorts at all his adversaries.
6 He says in his heart: “I’ll never be shaken!
From generation to generation nothing bad will happen.”
7 His mouth is full of cursing, lies and oppression.
On his tongue are trouble and iniquity.[a]
8 He lies in ambush near villages.
In hidden places he slays the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for the helpless.
9 He lurks in a hiding place like a lion in a thicket.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless.
He catches the unfortunate one, dragging him away in his net.
10 The victim is crushed, brought down,
and falls into his mighty claws.
11 He says in his heart: “God has forgotten.
He hides His face—He will never see it.”
12 Arise, Adonai! O God, lift up Your hand.
Do not forget the afflicted.
13 Why does the wicked one revile God?
He says in his heart:
“You will never require anything.”
14 You saw—for You see trouble and grief,
to take it in Your hand.
The victim puts his trust in You—
You are the helper of the orphan.
15 Break the arm of the wicked, evil one!
Call him to account for his wickedness—
until no more is found.
16 Adonai is King forever and ever!
Nations will be wiped off His land.
17 You hear, Adonai, the desire of the meek.
You encourage them and incline Your ear.
18 You vindicate the orphan and oppressed,
so that man, who is earthly, may terrify no more.
Judgment from Heaven
Psalm 11
1 For the music director, a psalm of David.
In Adonai I have taken shelter.
How can you say to my soul:
“Fly like a bird to your mountain?
2 For look, the wicked bend the bow.
They fix their arrow on the bowstring
so they can shoot from the shadows
at those who are upright in heart.
3 If our foundations are destroyed,
what should the righteous do?”
4 Adonai is in His holy Temple.
Adonai’s throne is in heaven.[b]
His eyes are watching.
His eyelids observe the children of men.
5 Adonai examines the righteous.
But the wicked and one loving violence His soul hates.
6 On the wicked He will rain down fire, brimstone
and scorching wind as the portion of their cup!
7 For Adonai is righteous—He loves justice.
The upright will see His face.
The Prophet Reveals Destruction
3 Hear this word that Adonai has spoken against you, Bnei Yisrael, against the whole family that I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying:
2 “Only you have I known from among
all the families of the earth.
Therefore, I will punish you
for all your iniquities.
3 Can two walk together
unless they meet by appointment?
4 Does a lion roar in the forest
when he has no prey?
Does a young lion growl from his den
unless he has taken prey?
5 Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground
if it has no bait?
Will a snare spring up from the ground
without taking anything?
6 If a shofar alarm sounds in a city,
will people not tremble?
If there is calamity in a city,
has not Adonai caused it?
7 For the Lord Adonai, will do nothing,
unless He has revealed His counsel
to His servants the prophets.[a]
8 A lion has roared, who will not fear?
My Lord Adonai has spoken,
who shall not prophesy?
9 Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod
and the citadels in the land of Egypt:
“Assemble on Samaria’s mountains:
Behold the great tumult within it,
even the oppression within it.”
10 They do not know how to be honest,
—declares Adonai—
those who are saving up violence and destruction in their citadels.
11 Therefore thus says my Lord Adonai:
“An adversary will surround the land!
He will bring down your strength.
Your citadels will be plundered
12 Therefore I intend to keep reminding you of these things, even though you know them and are well-grounded in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right to stir you up with a reminder, as long as I remain alive in this “tent” of a body[a]— 14 knowing that my death[b] is soon, as our Lord Yeshua the Messiah has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort for you to always remember these things even after my departure.
Distinguishing True Testimony from Tales
16 For we did not follow cleverly concocted tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, a voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory: “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased!” [c] 18 And we ourselves heard this voice come out of heaven, when we were with Him on the holy mountain. [d] 19 Furthermore, we have the reliable prophetic word. You do well by paying attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. [e] 20 Above all understand this: no prophecy of Scripture comes about from a person’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever brought forth by human will; rather, people spoke from God as they were moved by the Ruach ha-Kodesh.[f]
12 Then Yeshua entered the Temple[a] and drove out all those selling and buying in the Temple. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers[b] and the seats of those selling doves. [c] 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’[d] but you are making it ‘a den of thieves’!”[e]
14 The blind and lame came to Him in the Temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the ruling kohanim and Torah scholars saw the wonders He performed, and the children crying out in the Temple and saying, “Hoshia-na to Ben-David,” they became indignant. 16 And they said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” “Yes,” Yeshua said to them. “Haven’t you ever read,
‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing toddlers
You have prepared praise for Yourself’?”[f]
17 Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He spent the night there.
Faith Moves Mountains
18 Now early in the morning, as He was returning to the city, He became hungry. 19 Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came up to it and found nothing on it except leaves only. And He said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree shriveled up at once.
20 When the disciples saw it they were astonished. “How did the fig tree shrivel on the spot?” they asked.
21 Yeshua answered them, “Amen, I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, trusting, you shall receive.”
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.