Book of Common Prayer
God’s Faithfulness and Deliverance
For the music director. Of David. A psalm.[a]
40 I waited patiently for Yahweh,
And he inclined to me
and heard my cry for help.
2 And so he brought me up from the roaring pit,[b]
from the miry clay.
And he put my feet upon a rock;
he made my steps steady.
3 Then he put a new song in my mouth,
a praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and will trust Yahweh.
4 Blessed is the man who makes Yahweh his trust
and does not turn to the proud and to those who fall away to a lie.[c]
5 Many things, O Yahweh my God, you have done—
your wonderful deeds and your thoughts toward us.
There is none to compare with you.
If I tried to proclaim and tell of them,
they would be too numerous to count.
6 A sacrifice and offering you do not desire.
My ears you have opened.[d]
Burnt offering and sin offering you have not demanded.
7 Then I said, “Look, I come.
In the scroll of the book
it is written concerning me:
8 ‘I delight to do your will, O my God,
and your law is deep within me.’”[e]
9 I have brought good tidings of righteousness in the great congregation.
Look, I have not shut my lips.
O Yahweh, you surely know that.[f]
10 Your righteousness I have not hidden in the midst of my heart.
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation.
I have not concealed your loyal love or your faithfulness
from the great congregation.
11 As for you, O Yahweh, do not withhold your mercies from me.
Let your loyal love and your faithfulness
continually preserve me.
12 For evils without number have encompassed me.
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails me.
13 Be pleased, O Yahweh, to deliver me.
O Yahweh, hurry to help me.
14 Let them be shamed and abashed altogether
who seek to take away my life.[g]
Let them be repulsed and humiliated
who desire my harm.
15 Let them be appalled because of their shame,
those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
16 Let them rejoice and be glad in you,
all those who seek you.
Let them say continually, “Yahweh is great!”
—those who love your salvation.
17 But I am poor and needy.
Let my Lord consider me.
You are my help and my deliverer.
O my God, do not delay.
Answered Prayer for Deliverance from Adversaries
For the music director, with stringed instruments.
A maskil of David,
when the Ziphites went and said to Saul,
“Is not David hiding himself among us?”[a]
54 O God, by your name save me,
and by your power vindicate me.
2 O God, hear my prayer;
heed the words of my mouth.
3 For foreigners have risen against me,
and ruthless men seek my life.
They have not set God before them. Selah
4 See, God is my helper;
The Lord is with those who sustain my life.[b]
5 He will repay[c] my enemies for their[d] evil;
in your faithfulness destroy them.
6 I will freely sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name,
O Yahweh, because it is good.
7 Because he has delivered me from all trouble,
and my eye has looked with satisfaction on my enemies.
A Prayer of Repentance and Plea for Mercy
For the music director. A psalm of David.
When Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.[a]
51 Be gracious to me, O God, according to your loyal love.
According to your abundant mercies,
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and from my sin cleanse me.
3 For I myself know[b] my transgressions,[c]
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, only you, I have sinned
and have done this evil[d] in your eyes,
so that you are correct when you speak,
you are blameless when you judge.
5 Behold, in iniquity I was born,
and in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward parts,
and in the hidden parts you make me to know wisdom.
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean.
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and all my iniquities blot out.
10 Create a clean heart for me, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.[e]
11 Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and with a willing spirit sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
the God of my salvation;
then my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will proclaim your praise.
16 For you do not delight in sacrifice or I would give it.
With a burnt offering you are not pleased.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good in your favor toward Zion.
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices,
burnt offering and whole burnt offering.
Then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Listen to God Rather Than Uttering Rash Vows
5 [a] Guard your steps when you go to the house of God;
draw near to listen rather than to offer a sacrifice of fools,
for they do not know that they are doing evil.
2 Do not be rash with your mouth,
and do not let your heart be quick to utter a word before God.
For God is in heaven, and you are on earth;
therefore, let your words be few.
3 For a dream comes with many cares,
and the voice of a fool with many words.
4 When you make a vow to God,
do not delay in fulfilling it,
for he takes no pleasure[b] in fools.
Fulfill what you vow!
5 It is better that you not vow
than that you vow and not fulfill it.
6 Do not let your mouth lead your flesh into sin,
and do not tell the messenger that it was a mistake.
Why anger God at your words,
so that he destroys the work of your hands?
7 For with many dreams come vanities and numerous words.
Therefore, fear God!
The Promise to Abraham and His Descendant
15 Brothers, I am speaking according to a human perspective. Nevertheless, when[a] the covenant of a man has been ratified, no one declares it invalid or adds additional provisions to it. 16 Now to Abraham and to his descendant the promises were spoken. It does not say, “and to descendants,” as concerning many, but as concerning one, “and to your descendant,”[b] who is Christ. 17 Now I am saying this: the law, that came after four hundred and thirty years, does not revoke a covenant previously ratified by God, in order to nullify the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is from the law, it is no longer from the promise, but God graciously gave it to Abraham through the promise.
The Addition of the Law
19 Why then the law? It was added on account of transgressions, until the descendant should come to whom it had been promised, having been ordered through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now the mediator is not for one, but God is one.
21 Therefore is the law opposed to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, certainly righteousness would have been from the law. 22 But the scripture imprisoned all under sin, in order that the promise could be given by faith[c] in Jesus Christ to those who believe.
Jesus Walks on the Water
22 And immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he sent away the crowds. 23 And after he[a] sent away the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. So when[b] evening came, he was there alone. 24 But the boat was already many stadia distant from the land, being beaten by the waves, because the wind was against it. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But the disciples, when they[c] saw him walking on the sea, were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Have courage, I am he! Do not be afraid!” 28 And Peter answered him and[d] said, “Lord, if it is you,[e] command me to come to you on the water!” 29 So he said, “Come!” And getting out of the boat, Peter walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he[f] saw the strong wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 And immediately Jesus extended his[g] hand and[h] caught him and said to him, “You of little faith! Why did you doubt?” 32 And when[i] they got into the boat, the wind abated. 33 So those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God!”
Many Healed at Gennesaret
34 And after they[j] had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 And when[k] the men of that place recognized him, they sent word into that whole surrounding region, and they brought to him all those who were sick.[l] 36 And they were imploring him that they might only touch the edge[m] of his cloak, and all those who touched it[n] were cured.
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