Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 26
Prayer for Vindication
Of David.
1 Vindicate me, Lord,
because I have lived with integrity
and have trusted in the Lord without wavering.(A)
2 Test me, Lord, and try me;
examine my heart and mind.(B)
3 For your faithful love guides me,[a]
and I live by your truth.(C)
4 I do not sit with the worthless
or associate with hypocrites.
5 I hate a crowd of evildoers,
and I do not sit with the wicked.(D)
6 I wash my hands in innocence(E)
and go around your altar, Lord,(F)
7 raising my voice in thanksgiving(G)
and telling about your wondrous works.(H)
Psalm 28
My Strength
Of David.
1 Lord, I call to you;
my rock, do not be deaf to me.(A)
If you remain silent to me,
I will be like those going down to the Pit.(B)
2 Listen to the sound of my pleading
when I cry to you for help,
when I lift up my hands
toward your holy sanctuary.(C)
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with the evildoers,
who speak in friendly ways with their neighbors
while malice is in their hearts.(D)
4 Repay them according to what they have done—
according to the evil of their deeds.
Repay them according to the work of their hands;
give them back what they deserve.(E)
5 Because they do not consider
what the Lord has done
or the work of his hands,
he will tear them down and not rebuild them.(F)
Psalm 36
Human Wickedness and God’s Love
For the choir director. Of David, the Lord’s servant.
1 An oracle within my heart
concerning the transgression of the wicked person:
Dread of God has no effect on him.[a](A)
2 For with his flattering opinion of himself,
he does not discover and hate his iniquity.(B)
3 The words from his mouth are malicious and deceptive;(C)
he has stopped acting wisely and doing good.(D)
4 Even on his bed he makes malicious plans.(E)
He sets himself on a path that is not good,
and he does not reject evil.(F)
5 Lord, your faithful love reaches to heaven,
your faithfulness to the clouds.(G)
6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your judgments like the deepest sea.(H)
Lord, you preserve people and animals.(I)
7 How priceless your faithful love is, God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.(J)
8 They are filled from the abundance of your house.
You let them drink from your refreshing stream.(K)
9 For the wellspring of life is with you.(L)
By means of your light we see light.(M)
Psalm 39
The Fleeting Nature of Life
For the choir director, for Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 I said, “I will guard my ways
so that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle
as long as the wicked are in my presence.”(A)
2 I was speechless and quiet;
I kept silent, even from speaking good,
and my pain intensified.(B)
3 My heart grew hot within me;
as I mused, a fire burned.(C)
I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, make me aware of my end
and the number of my days
so that I will know how short-lived I am.(D)
5 In fact, you have made my days just inches long,
and my life span is as nothing to you.
Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor.(E)Selah
6 Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow.
Indeed, they rush around in vain,
gathering possessions
without knowing who will get them.(F)
7 “Now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you.(G)
8 Rescue me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the taunt of fools.(H)
9 I am speechless; I do not open my mouth
because of what you have done.(I)
10 Remove your torment from me.
Because of the force of your hand I am finished.(J)
11 You discipline a person with punishment for iniquity,
consuming like a moth what is precious to him;(K)
yes, every human being is only a vapor.(L)Selah
Amaziah’s Opposition
10 Amaziah the priest(A) of Bethel sent word to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you(B) right here in the house of Israel. The land cannot endure all his words, 11 for Amos has said this: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go into exile from its homeland.’”(C)
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Go away, you seer!(D) Flee to the land of Judah. Earn your living[a] and give your prophecies there, 13 but don’t ever prophesy(E) at Bethel again, for it is the king’s sanctuary(F) and a royal temple.”
14 So Amos answered Amaziah, “I was[b] not a prophet or the son of a prophet;[c](G) rather, I was[d] a herdsman,(H) and I took care of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from following the flock(I) and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’”(J)
16 Now hear the word of the Lord. You say:
17 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
John’s Vision of the Risen Lord
9 I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction,(A) kingdom,(B) and endurance(C) that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.(D) 10 I was in the Spirit[a](E) on the Lord’s day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet(F) 11 saying, “Write(G) on a scroll[b] what you see and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see whose voice(H) it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,(I) 13 and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man,[c](J) dressed in a robe(K) and with a golden sash wrapped around his chest.(L) 14 The hair of his head was white as wool—white as snow(M)—and his eyes like a fiery flame.(N) 15 His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace,(O) and his voice like the sound of cascading[d] waters.(P) 16 He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth,(Q) and his face was shining like the sun at full strength.(R)
The Primary Commands
34 When(A) the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him:(B) 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”
37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.[a](C) 38 This is the greatest and most important[b] command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.[c](D) 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend[d] on these two commands.”(E)
The Question about the Messiah
41 While the Pharisees were together, Jesus questioned them,(F) 42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”
They replied, “David’s.”
43 He asked them, “How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit,[e] calls him ‘Lord’:(G)
44 The Lord declared to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies under your feet’?[f][g] (H)
45 “If David calls him ‘Lord,’ how, then, can he be his son?” 46 No one was able to answer him at all,[h] and from that day no one dared to question him anymore.(I)
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