Book of Common Prayer
A psalm of David.
25 In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.
2 I trust in you.
Don’t let me be put to shame.
Don’t let my enemies win the battle over me.
3 Those who put their hope in you
will never be put to shame.
But those who lie to other people for no reason
will be put to shame.
4 Lord, show me your ways.
Teach me how to follow you.
5 Guide me in your truth. Teach me.
You are God my Savior.
I put my hope in you all day long.
6 Lord, remember your great mercy and love.
You have shown them to your people for a long time.
7 Don’t remember the sins I committed when I was young.
Don’t remember how often I refused to obey you.
Remember me because you love me.
Lord, you are good.
8 The Lord is honest and good.
He teaches sinners to walk in his ways.
9 He shows those who aren’t proud how to do what is right.
He teaches them his ways.
10 All the Lord’s ways are loving and faithful
toward those who obey what his covenant commands.
11 Lord, be true to your name.
Forgive my sin, even though it is great.
12 Who are the people who have respect for the Lord?
God will teach them the ways they should choose.
13 Things will always go well for them.
Their children will be given the land.
14 The Lord shares his plans with those who have respect for him.
He makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes always look to the Lord.
He alone can set my feet free from the trap.
16 Turn to me and help me.
I am lonely and hurting.
17 Take away the troubles of my heart.
Set me free from my great pain.
18 Look at how I’m hurting! See how much I suffer!
Take away all my sins.
19 Look at how many enemies I have!
See how terrible their hatred is for me!
20 Guard my life. Save me.
Don’t let me be put to shame.
I go to you for safety.
21 May my honest and good life keep me safe.
Lord, I have put my hope in you.
22 God, set Israel free
from all their troubles!
For the director of music. A psalm of David to the tune of “The Death of the Son.”
9 Lord, I will give thanks to you with all my heart.
I will tell about all the wonderful things you have done.
2 I will be glad and full of joy because of you.
Most High God, I will sing the praises of your name.
3 My enemies turn back.
They fall down and die right in front of you.
4 You have proved that I haven’t done anything wrong.
You have sat on your throne and judged fairly.
5 You have punished the nations. You have destroyed evil people.
You have erased their names from your book for ever and ever.
6 My enemies have been destroyed forever.
You have leveled their cities to the ground.
Even the memory of them is gone.
7 The Lord rules forever.
He has set up his throne so that he can judge people.
8 He rules the world in keeping with what is right.
He judges all its people fairly.
9 The Lord is a place of safety for those who have been treated badly.
He keeps them safe in times of trouble.
10 Lord, those who know you will trust in you.
You have never deserted those who look to you.
11 Sing the praises of the Lord. He rules from his throne in Zion.
Tell among the nations what he has done.
12 The God who pays back murderers remembers.
He doesn’t forget the cries of those who are hurting.
13 Lord, see how badly my enemies treat me!
Help me! Don’t let me go down to the gates of death!
14 Then I can give praise to you
at the gates of the city of Zion.
There I will be full of joy
because you have saved me.
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug.
Their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
16 The Lord is known to be fair by the things he does.
Evil people are trapped by what they have done.
17 Sinful people go down to the place of the dead.
So do all the nations that forget God.
18 But God will never forget needy people.
The hope of those who are hurting will never die.
19 Lord, rise up. Don’t let people win the battle.
Let the nations come to you and be judged.
20 Lord, strike them with terror.
Let the nations know they are only human beings.
A psalm of David.
15 Lord, who can live in your sacred tent?
Who can stay on your holy mountain?
2 Anyone who lives without blame
and does what is right.
They speak the truth from their heart.
3 They don’t tell lies about other people.
They don’t do wrong to their neighbors.
They don’t say anything bad about them.
4 They hate evil people.
But they honor those who have respect for the Lord.
They keep their promises even when it hurts.
They do not change their mind.
5 They lend their money to poor people without charging interest.
They don’t accept money to harm those who aren’t guilty.
Anyone who lives like that
will always be secure.
The Proverbs of Solomon
10 These are the proverbs of Solomon.
A wise son makes his father glad.
But a foolish son brings sorrow to his mother.
2 Riches that are gained by sinning aren’t worth anything.
But doing what is right saves you from death.
3 The Lord gives those who do right the food they need.
But he lets those who do wrong go hungry.
4 Hands that don’t want to work make you poor.
But hands that work hard bring wealth to you.
5 A child who gathers crops in summer is wise.
But a child who sleeps at harvest time brings shame.
6 Blessings are like crowns on the heads of those who do right.
But the trouble caused by what sinners say destroys them.
7 The names of those who do right are used in blessings.
But the names of those who do wrong will rot.
8 A wise heart accepts commands.
But foolish chattering destroys you.
9 Anyone who lives without blame walks safely.
But anyone who takes a crooked path will get caught.
10 An evil wink gets you into trouble.
And foolish chattering destroys you.
11 The mouths of those who do right pour out life like a fountain.
But the mouths of sinners hide their evil plans.
12 Hate stirs up fights.
But love erases all sins by forgiving them.
1 I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus, just as God our Savior commanded. Christ Jesus also commanded it. We have put our hope in him.
2 Timothy, I am sending you this letter. You are my true son in the faith.
May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy and peace.
Paul Warns Timothy to Oppose False Teachers
3 Timothy, stay there in Ephesus. That is what I told you to do when I went into Macedonia. I want you to command certain people not to teach things that aren’t true. 4 And command them not to spend their time on stories that are made up. They must not waste time on family histories that never end. These things only lead to fights about ideas. They don’t help God’s work move forward. His work is done by faith. 5 Love is the purpose of my command. Love comes from a pure heart. It comes from a good sense of what is right and wrong. It comes from faith that is honest and true. 6 Some have turned from these teachings. They would rather talk about things that have no meaning. 7 They want to be teachers of the law. And they are very sure about that law. But they don’t know what they are talking about.
8 We know that the law is good if it is used properly. 9 We also know that the law isn’t made for godly people. It is made for those who break the law. It is for those who refuse to obey. It is for ungodly and sinful people. It is for those who aren’t holy and who don’t believe. It is for those who kill their fathers or mothers. It is for murderers. 10 It is for those who commit sexual sins. It is for those who commit homosexual acts. It is for people who buy and sell slaves. It is for liars. It is for people who tell lies in court. It is for those who are a witness to things that aren’t true. And it is for anything else that is the opposite of true teaching. 11 True teaching agrees with the good news about the glory of the blessed God. He trusted me with that good news.
The Lord Pours Out His Grace on Paul
12 I am thankful to Christ Jesus our Lord. He has given me strength. I thank him that he considered me faithful. I thank him for appointing me to serve him. 13 I used to speak evil things against Jesus. I tried to hurt his followers. I really pushed them around. But God showed me mercy anyway. I did those things without knowing any better. I wasn’t a believer. 14 Our Lord poured out more and more of his grace on me. Along with it came faith and love from Christ Jesus.
15 Here is a saying that you can trust. It should be accepted completely. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the worst sinner of all. 16 But for that very reason, God showed me mercy. And I am the worst of sinners. He showed me mercy so that Christ Jesus could show that he is very patient. I was an example for those who would come to believe in him. Then they would receive eternal life. 17 The eternal King will never die. He can’t be seen. He is the only God. Give him honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Jesus and Beelzebul
22 A man controlled by demons was brought to Jesus. The man was blind and could not speak. Jesus healed him. Then the man could speak and see. 23 All the people were amazed. They said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
24 The Pharisees heard this. So they said, “This fellow drives out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons.”
25 Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said to them, “Every kingdom that fights against itself will be destroyed. Every city or family that is divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he fights against himself. Then how can his kingdom stand? 27 You say I drive out demons by the power of Beelzebul. Then by whose power do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28 But suppose I drive out demons by the Spirit of God. Then the kingdom of God has come to you.
29 “Or think about this. How can you enter a strong man’s house and just take what the man owns? You must first tie him up. Then you can rob his house.
30 “Anyone who is not with me is against me. Anyone who does not gather sheep with me scatters them. 31 So here is what I tell you. Every kind of sin and every evil word spoken against God will be forgiven. But speaking evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. A person like that won’t be forgiven either now or in days to come.
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