Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 37
Instruction in Wisdom
Davidic.
1 Do[a] not be agitated by evildoers;
do not envy those who do wrong.(A)
2 For they wither quickly like grass
and wilt like tender green plants.(B)
3 Trust in the Lord and do what is good;(C)
dwell in the land and live securely.[b](D)
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and He will give you your heart’s desires.(E)
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in Him, and He will act,(F)
6 making your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like the noonday.(G)
7 Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him;(H)
do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,
by the man who carries out evil plans.(I)
8 Refrain from anger and give up your rage;
do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.(J)
9 For evildoers will be destroyed,
but those who put their hope in the Lord
will inherit the land.[c](K)
10 A little while, and the wicked person will be no more;
though you look for him, he will not be there.(L)
11 But the humble will inherit the land[d](M)
and will enjoy abundant prosperity.(N)
12 The wicked person schemes against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him.(O)
13 The Lord laughs at him(P)
because He sees that his day is coming.(Q)
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the[e] bow
to bring down the afflicted and needy
and to slaughter those whose way is upright.(R)
15 Their swords will enter their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.(S)
16 The little that the righteous man has is better
than the abundance of many wicked people.(T)
17 For the arms[f] of the wicked will be broken,(U)
but the Lord supports the righteous.(V)
18 The Lord watches over the blameless all their days,
and their inheritance will last forever.(W)
19 They will not be disgraced in times of adversity;
they will be satisfied in days of hunger.(X)
20 But the wicked will perish;
the Lord’s enemies, like the glory of the pastures,
will fade away—
they will fade away like smoke.(Y)
21 The wicked man borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous one is gracious and giving.(Z)
22 Those who are blessed by Him will inherit the land,[g]
but those cursed by Him will be destroyed.(AA)
23 A man’s steps are established by the Lord,
and He takes pleasure in his way.(AB)
24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,
because the Lord holds his hand.[h](AC)
25 I have been young and now I am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned
or his children begging for bread.(AD)
26 He is always generous, always lending,
and his children are a blessing.(AE)
27 Turn away from evil and do what is good,
and dwell there[i] forever.(AF)
28 For the Lord loves justice
and will not abandon His faithful ones.(AG)
They are kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked will be destroyed.(AH)
29 The righteous will inherit the land[j]
and dwell in it permanently.(AI)
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;
his tongue speaks what is just.(AJ)
31 The instruction of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not falter.(AK)
32 The wicked one lies in wait for the righteous
and seeks to kill him;(AL)
33 the Lord will not leave him
in the power of the wicked one
or allow him to be condemned when he is judged.(AM)
34 Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
and He will exalt you to inherit the land.
You will watch when the wicked are destroyed.(AN)
35 I have seen a wicked, violent man
well-rooted[k] like a flourishing native tree.(AO)
36 Then I passed by and[l] noticed he was gone;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.(AP)
Habakkuk’s Third Prayer
3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. According to Shigionoth.[a](A)
2 Lord, I have heard the report about You;
Lord, I stand in awe of Your deeds.
Revive Your work in these years;
make it known in these years.
In Your wrath remember mercy!
3 God comes from Teman,
the Holy One from Mount Paran.(B)
His splendor covers the heavens,
and the earth is full of His praise.(C)
4 His brilliance is like light;
rays are flashing from His hand.
This is where His power is hidden.
5 Plague goes before Him,
and pestilence follows in His steps.
6 He stands and shakes[b] the earth;
He looks and startles the nations.
The age-old mountains break apart;
the ancient hills sink down.
His pathways are ancient.
7 I see the tents of Cushan[c] in distress;
the tent curtains of the land of Midian tremble.
8 Are You angry at the rivers, Lord?
Is Your wrath against the rivers?
Or is Your rage against the sea
when You ride on Your horses,
Your victorious chariot?
9 You took the sheath from Your bow;
the arrows are ready[d] to be used with an oath.[e](D)
You split the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains see You and shudder;(E)
a downpour of water sweeps by.
The deep roars with its voice(F)
and lifts its waves[f] high.
11 Sun and moon stand still in their lofty residence,(G)
at the flash of Your flying arrows,
at the brightness of Your shining spear.
12 You march across the earth with indignation;
You trample down the nations in wrath.
13 You come out to save Your people,
to save Your anointed.[g]
You crush the leader of the house of the wicked
and strip him from foot[h] to neck.
14 You pierce his head
with his own spears;
his warriors storm out to scatter us,
gloating as if ready to secretly devour the weak.
15 You tread the sea with Your horses,
stirring up the great waters.(H)
Habakkuk’s Confidence in God Expressed
16 I heard, and I trembled within;(I)
my lips quivered at the sound.
Rottenness entered my bones;
I trembled where I stood.
Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress
to come against the people invading us.
17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there is no fruit on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will triumph in Yahweh;
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!(J)
Reaching Forward to God’s Goal
12 Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold(A) of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers, I do not[a] consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind(B) and reaching forward to what is ahead, 14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly[b] call in Christ Jesus.(C) 15 Therefore, all who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal(D) this also to you. 16 In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained. 17 Join in imitating me, brothers, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross(E) of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory(F) is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things, 20 but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious(G) body,(H) by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.
Jesus Prays for Himself
17 Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said:
Father,
the hour has come.
Glorify Your Son
so that the Son(A) may glorify You,(B)
2 for You gave Him authority
over all flesh;[a](C)
so He may give eternal life(D)
to all You have given Him.(E)
3 This is eternal life:
that they may know You, the only(F) true(G) God,
and the One You have sent(H)—Jesus Christ.(I)
4 I have glorified You on the earth
by completing the work You gave Me to do.
5 Now, Father,(J) glorify Me in Your presence
with that glory(K) I had with You
before the world existed.(L)
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 I have revealed Your name(M)
to the men You gave Me(N) from the world.(O)
They were Yours, You gave them to Me,(P)
and they have kept Your word.(Q)
7 Now they know that all things
You have given to Me are from You,
8 because the words that You gave Me,(R)
I have given them.
They have received them
and have known for certain
that I came from You.(S)
They have believed that You sent Me.
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