Book of Common Prayer
Protestation of Integrity and Prayer for Protection.
A Psalm of David.
26 [a](A)Vindicate me, Lord, for I have (B)walked in my integrity,
And I have (C)trusted in the Lord [b](D)without wavering.
2 (E)Examine me, Lord, and put me to the test;
(F)Refine my [c]mind and my heart.
3 For Your [d](G)goodness is before my eyes,
And I have (H)walked in Your truth.
4 I do not (I)sit with [e]deceitful people,
Nor will I go with [f](J)pretenders.
5 I (K)hate the assembly of evildoers,
And I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I will (L)wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go around (M)Your altar, Lord,
7 That I may proclaim with the voice of (N)thanksgiving
And declare all Your [g]wonders.
8 Lord, I (O)love the dwelling of Your house,
And the place [h]where Your (P)glory remains.
9 (Q)Do not [i]take my soul away along with sinners,
Nor my life with (R)men of bloodshed,
10 In whose hands is a (S)wicked scheme,
And whose right hand is full of (T)bribes.
11 But as for me, I will (U)walk in my integrity;
(V)Redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 (W)My foot stands on (X)level ground;
In the (Y)congregations I will bless the Lord.
A Prayer for Help, and Praise for Its Answer.
A Psalm of David.
28 To You, Lord, I call;
My (A)rock, do not be deaf to me,
For if You (B)are silent to me,
I will become like those who (C)go down to the pit.
2 Hear the (D)sound of my pleadings when I cry to You for help,
When I (E)raise my hands (F)toward [a]Your holy (G)sanctuary.
3 (H)Do not drag me away with the wicked
And with those who practice injustice,
Who (I)speak peace with their neighbors,
While evil is in their hearts.
4 Give back to them (J)according to their work and according to the evil of their practices;
Give back to them according to the work of their hands;
Repay them what is due them.
5 Because they (K)do not regard the works of the Lord
Nor the deeds of His hands,
He will tear them down and not build them up.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
Because He (L)has heard the sound of my pleading.
7 The Lord is my (M)strength and my (N)shield;
My heart (O)trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore (P)my heart triumphs,
And with (Q)my song I shall thank Him.
8 The Lord is [b]their (R)strength,
And He is a refuge of (S)salvation to His anointed.
9 (T)Save Your people and bless (U)Your inheritance;
Be their (V)shepherd also, and (W)carry them forever.
Wickedness of Humanity and Goodness of God.
For the music director. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.
36 [a]Wrongdoing speaks to the ungodly within [b]his heart;
There is (A)no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For it (B)flatters him in his own eyes
Concerning the discovery of his wrongful deed and the hatred of it.
3 The (C)words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has (D)ceased to [c]be wise and to do good.
4 He (E)plans wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself on a (F)path that is not good;
He (G)does not reject evil.
5 Your (H)mercy, Lord, [d]extends to the heavens,
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
6 Your (I)righteousness is like the [e]mountains of God;
Your (J)judgments are like the great deep.
Lord, You [f](K)protect mankind and animals.
7 How (L)precious is Your mercy, God!
And the sons of mankind (M)take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8 They (N)drink their fill of the [g]abundance of Your house;
And You allow them to drink from the (O)river of Your delights.
9 For the (P)fountain of life is with You;
In Your light we see light.
The Futility of Life.
For the music director, for [a]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will (A)keep watch over my ways
So that I (B)do not sin with my tongue;
I will keep watch over (C)my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was (D)mute [b]and silent,
I [c]refused to say even something good,
And my pain was stirred up.
3 My (E)heart was hot within me,
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, let me know (F)my end,
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how (G)transient I am.
5 Behold, You have made (H)my days like [d]hand widths,
And my (I)lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Certainly all mankind standing is [e]a mere (J)breath. Selah
6 Certainly every person (K)walks around as [f]a fleeting shadow;
They certainly make an (L)uproar for nothing;
He (M)amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.
7 “And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My (N)hope is in You.
8 (O)Save me from all my wrongdoings;
Do not make me an object of (P)reproach for the foolish.
9 I have become (Q)mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is (R)You who have done it.
10 (S)Remove Your plague from me;
Because of (T)the opposition of Your hand I am [g]perishing.
11 With (U)rebukes You punish a person for wrongdoing;
You (V)consume like a moth what is precious to him;
Certainly (W)all mankind is mere breath! Selah
Amos Accused; Gives an Answer
10 Then Amaziah, the (A)priest of Bethel, sent word to (B)Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has (C)conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words. 11 For this is what Amos says: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’” 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “(D)Go, you seer, flee to the land of Judah; and eat bread there and do your prophesying there! 13 But (E)do not prophesy at Bethel any longer, for it is a (F)sanctuary of the king and a royal [a]residence.”
14 Then Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the (G)son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a [b]grower of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from [c]following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go (H)prophesy to My people Israel.’ 16 So now hear the word of the Lord: you are saying, ‘You (I)shall not prophesy against Israel (J)nor shall you [d]prophesy against the house of Isaac.’ 17 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘Your (K)wife will become a prostitute in the city, your (L)sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be parceled up by a measuring line, and you yourself will die [e]upon (M)unclean soil. Furthermore Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’”
The Patmos Vision
9 (A)I, John, your (B)brother and (C)fellow participant in the tribulation and (D)kingdom and [a](E)perseverance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos (F)because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was (G)in the [b]Spirit on (H)the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice (I)like the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying, “(J)Write [c]on a scroll what you see, and send it to the (K)seven churches: to (L)Ephesus, (M)Smyrna, (N)Pergamum, (O)Thyatira, (P)Sardis, (Q)Philadelphia, and (R)Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw (S)seven golden lampstands; 13 and (T)in the middle of the lampstands I saw one (U)like [d]a son of man, (V)clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and (W)wrapped around the chest with a golden sash. 14 His head and His (X)hair were white like white wool, like snow; and (Y)His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His (Z)feet were like [e]burnished bronze when it has been heated to a glow in a furnace, and His (AA)voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held (AB)seven stars, and out of His mouth came a (AC)sharp two-edged sword; and His (AD)face was like (AE)the sun [f]shining in its strength.
34 (A)But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced (B)the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, [a](C)a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him: 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘(D)You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and [b]foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘(E)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 (F)Upon these two commandments [c]hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”
41 (G)Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: 42 “What do you think about the [d]Christ? Whose son is He?” They *said to Him, “(H)The son of David.” 43 He *said to them, “Then [e]how does David [f](I)in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying,
44 ‘(J)The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Until I put Your enemies under Your feet”’?
45 Therefore, if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ [g]how is He his son?” 46 (K)No one was able to offer Him a word in answer, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him any more questions.
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