Book of Common Prayer
Prayer of an Afflicted Man for Mercy on Himself and on Zion.
A Prayer of the afflicted when he is weak and [a]pours out his complaint before the Lord.
102 (A)Hear my prayer, Lord!
And let my cry for help (B)come to You.
2 (C)Do not hide Your face from me on the day of my distress;
(D)Incline Your ear to me;
On the day when I call (E)answer me quickly.
3 For my days (F)have ended in smoke,
And my (G)bones have been scorched like a hearth.
4 My heart (H)has been struck like [b]grass and has (I)withered,
Indeed, I (J)forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the [c]loudness of my groaning
My (K)bones [d]cling to my flesh.
6 I resemble a (L)pelican of the wilderness;
I have become like an owl of the ruins.
7 I (M)lie awake,
I have become like a solitary bird on a housetop.
8 My enemies (N)have taunted me all day long;
Those who [e](O)deride me [f]have used my name as a (P)curse.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread,
And (Q)mixed my drink with weeping
10 (R)Because of Your indignation and Your wrath;
For You have (S)lifted me up and thrown me away.
11 My days are like a [g](T)lengthened shadow,
And [h]I (U)wither away like [i]grass.
12 But You, Lord, [j](V)remain forever,
And Your [k](W)name remains to all generations.
13 You will (X)arise and have (Y)compassion on Zion;
For (Z)it is time to be gracious to her,
For the (AA)appointed time has come.
14 Surely Your servants [l]take pleasure in her stones,
And feel pity for her dust.
15 [m]So the [n](AB)nations will fear the name of the Lord,
And (AC)all the kings of the earth, Your glory.
16 For the Lord has (AD)built up Zion;
He has (AE)appeared in His glory.
17 He has (AF)turned His attention to the prayer of the [o]destitute
And has not despised their prayer.
18 [p]This will be (AG)written for the (AH)generation to come,
[q]That (AI)a people yet to be created [r]may praise [s]the Lord:
19 For He (AJ)looked down from His holy height;
(AK)From heaven the Lord looked [t]upon the earth,
20 To hear the (AL)groaning of the prisoner,
To (AM)set free [u]those who were doomed to death,
21 So that people may (AN)tell of the name of the Lord in Zion,
And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 When (AO)the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
23 He has broken my strength in the way;
He has (AP)shortened my days.
24 I say, “My God, (AQ)do not take me away in the middle of my days,
Your (AR)years are [v]throughout all generations.
25 In time of old You (AS)founded the earth,
And the (AT)heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 [w]Even they will (AU)perish, but You endure;
All of them will wear out like a garment;
Like clothing You will change them and they will pass away.
27 But You are [x](AV)the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.
28 The (AW)children of Your servants will continue,
And their [y](AX)descendants will be established before You.”
BOOK 5
The Lord Rescues People from Many Troubles.
107 (A)Give thanks to the Lord, for (B)He is good,
For His mercy is everlasting.
2 (C)The redeemed of the Lord shall say so,
Those whom He has (D)redeemed from the hand of the enemy
3 And (E)gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the [a]south.
4 They (F)wandered in the wilderness in a [b]desert region;
They did not find a way to [c]an inhabited (G)city.
5 They were hungry [d]and thirsty;
Their (H)souls felt weak within them.
6 Then they (I)cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them from their distresses.
7 He also had them walk on a [e](J)straight way,
To go to [f](K)an inhabited city.
8 (L)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [g]wonders to the sons of mankind!
9 For He has (M)satisfied the [h]thirsty soul,
And He has filled the (N)hungry soul with what is good.
10 There were those who (O)lived in darkness and in [i]the shadow of death,
(P)Prisoners in misery and [j]chains,
11 Because they had (Q)rebelled against the words of God
And (R)rejected the (S)plan of the Most High.
12 Therefore He humbled their heart with labor;
They stumbled and there was (T)no one to help.
13 Then they (U)cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them from their distresses.
14 He (V)brought them out of darkness and [k]the shadow of death
And (W)broke their bands apart.
15 (X)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [l]wonders to the sons of mankind!
16 For He has (Y)shattered gates of bronze
And cut off bars of iron.
17 Fools, because of [m]their rebellious way,
And (Z)because of their guilty deeds, were afflicted.
18 Their (AA)souls loathed all kinds of food,
And they (AB)came close to the (AC)gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them from their distresses.
20 He (AD)sent His word and (AE)healed them,
And (AF)saved them from their [n]destruction.
21 (AG)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [o]wonders to the sons of mankind!
22 They shall also offer (AH)sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And (AI)tell of His works with joyful singing.
23 Those who (AJ)go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters;
24 They have seen the works of the Lord,
And His [p]wonders in the deep.
25 For He (AK)spoke and raised a (AL)stormy wind,
Which (AM)lifted the waves [q]of the sea.
26 They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths;
Their soul (AN)melted away in their misery.
27 They reeled and (AO)staggered like a drunken person,
And [r]were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
29 He (AP)caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves [s]of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He guided them to their desired harbor.
31 (AQ)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [t](AR)wonders to the sons of mankind!
32 They shall also (AS)exalt Him (AT)in the congregation of the people,
And (AU)praise Him at the seat of the elders.
22 Now he got up that same night and took his two wives, his two female slaves, and his eleven children, and crossed the shallow place of the (A)Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream. And he sent across whatever he had.
Jacob Wrestles
24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man (B)wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of [a]Jacob’s hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “(C)I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then (D)he said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but [b]Israel; for you have contended with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 And (E)Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob named the place [c]Peniel, for he said, “(F)I have seen God face to face, yet my [d]life has been [e]spared.” 31 Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over (G)Penuel, and he was limping on his hip. 32 Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the tendon of the hip which is on the socket of the hip, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the tendon of the hip.
Jacob Meets Esau
33 Then Jacob raised his eyes and looked, and behold, (H)Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children [f]among Leah and Rachel, and the two slave women. 2 He put the slave women and their children [g]in front, and Leah and her children [h]next, and Rachel and Joseph [i]last. 3 But he himself passed on ahead of them and (I)bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and (J)fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. 5 He raised his eyes and saw the women and the children, and said, “[j]Who are these with you?” So he said, “(K)The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the slave women came forward [k]with their children, and they bowed down. 7 And Leah likewise came forward with her children, and they bowed down; and afterward Joseph came forward with Rachel, and they bowed down. 8 And he said, “What do you mean by (L)all this company which I have met?” And he said, “(M)To find favor in the sight of my lord.” 9 But Esau said, “(N)I have plenty, my brother; let what you have be your own.” 10 Jacob said, “No, please, if now I have found favor in your sight, then accept my gift from my hand, [l]for I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably. 11 Please accept my [m](O)gift which has been brought to you, (P)because God has dealt graciously with me and because I have [n]plenty.” So he urged him, and he accepted it.
12 Then [o]Esau said, “Let’s journey on and go, and I will go ahead of you.” 13 But he said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail and that the flocks and herds that are nursing are [p]a matter of concern to me. And if they are driven hard just one day, all the flocks will die. 14 Please let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will proceed at my leisure, at the pace of the cattle that are ahead of me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord at (Q)Seir.”
15 Then Esau said, “Please let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” But he said, “[q]What need is there? (R)Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” 16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. 17 But Jacob journeyed to [r](S)Succoth, and built for himself a house and made booths for his livestock; therefore the place is named Succoth.
Children of God Love One Another
3 See [a](A)how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called (B)children of God; and in fact we are. For this reason the world does not know us: because (C)it did not know Him. 2 (D)Beloved, now we are (E)children of God, and (F)it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He (G)appears, we will be (H)like Him, because we will (I)see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this (J)hope set on Him (K)purifies himself, just as He is pure.
4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and (L)sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He (M)appeared in order to (N)take away sins; and (O)in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who remains in Him (P)sins continually; no one who sins continually has seen Him or [b](Q)knows Him. 7 (R)Little children, make sure no one (S)deceives you; (T)the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is (U)of the devil; for the devil [c]has been sinning from the beginning. (V)The Son of God (W)appeared for this purpose, (X)to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who has been (Y)born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin continually, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the (Z)children of God and the (AA)children of the devil are obvious: [d]anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who (AB)does not love his (AC)brother and sister.
31 The Jews (A)picked up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus replied to them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, “We are not stoning You for a good work, but for (B)blasphemy; and because You, being a man, (C)make Yourself out to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in (D)your (E)Law: ‘(F)I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be nullified), 36 are you saying of Him whom the Father (G)sanctified and (H)sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘(I)I am the Son of God’? 37 (J)If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe (K)the works, so that you may [a]know and understand that (L)the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” 39 Therefore (M)they were seeking again to arrest Him, and (N)He eluded their grasp.
40 And He went away (O)again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He stayed there. 41 Many came to Him and were saying, “While John performed no (P)sign, yet (Q)everything John said about this Man was true.” 42 And (R)many believed in Him there.
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