Book of Common Prayer
Save Me, O God
For the choir director. According to [a]Shoshannim. Of David.
69 Save me, O God,
For the (A)waters have [b]threatened my life.
2 I have sunk in deep (B)clay, and there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters, and a [c](C)flood overflows me.
3 I am (D)weary with my calling out; my throat is parched;
My (E)eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 Those (F)who hate me without cause are more than the hairs of my head;
Those who would [d]destroy me (G)are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies;
(H)What I did not steal, I then have to restore.
5 O God, it is You who knows (I)my folly,
And [e](J)all my guilt is not hidden from You.
6 May those who hope for You not (K)be ashamed through me, O Lord Yahweh of hosts;
May those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,
7 Because (L)for Your sake I have borne reproach;
(M)Dishonor has covered my face.
8 I have become (N)estranged [f]from my brothers
And a foreigner to my mother’s sons.
9 For (O)zeal for Your house has consumed me,
And (P)the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
10 When I wept (Q)in my soul with fasting,
It became my reproach.
11 When I made (R)sackcloth my clothing,
I became (S)a byword to them.
12 Those who (T)dwell at the gate moan about me,
And I am (U)the drunkards’ songs.
13 But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Yahweh, (V)at an acceptable time;
O God, in the (W)abundance of Your lovingkindness,
Answer me with the truth of Your salvation.
14 Deliver me from the (X)mire and do not let me sink;
May I be (Y)delivered from [g]my foes and from the [h](Z)deep waters.
15 May the [i](AA)flood of water not overflow me
Nor the deep swallow me up,
Nor the (AB)pit shut its mouth on me.
16 Answer me, O Yahweh, for (AC)Your lovingkindness is good;
(AD)According to the abundance of Your compassion, (AE)turn to me,
17 And (AF)do not hide Your face from Your slave,
For I am (AG)in distress; answer me quickly.
18 Oh draw near to my soul and (AH)redeem it;
(AI)Ransom me because of my enemies!
19 You know my (AJ)reproach and my shame and my dishonor;
All my adversaries are [j]before You.
20 Reproach has (AK)broken my heart and I am so sick.
And (AL)I hoped for sympathy, but there was none,
And for (AM)comforters, but I found none.
21 They also gave me [k](AN)gall [l]for my food
And for my thirst they (AO)gave me vinegar to drink.
22 May (AP)their table before them become a snare;
And [m](AQ)when they are in peace, may it become a trap.
23 May their (AR)eyes darken so that they cannot see,
And make their (AS)loins quake continually.
24 (AT)Pour out Your indignation on them,
And may Your burning anger overtake them.
25 May their [n](AU)camp be desolate;
May none dwell in their tents.
26 For they have (AV)persecuted him whom (AW)You Yourself have struck down,
And they recount the pain of those whom (AX)You have [o]wounded.
27 Add (AY)iniquity to their iniquity,
And (AZ)may they not come into (BA)Your righteousness.
28 May they be (BB)blotted out of the (BC)book of life
And may they not be [p](BD)recorded with the righteous.
29 But I am (BE)afflicted and in pain;
[q]May Your salvation, O God, (BF)set me securely on high.
30 I will (BG)praise the name of God with song
And (BH)magnify Him with (BI)thanksgiving.
31 And this will (BJ)please Yahweh better than an ox
Or a young bull with horns and hoofs.
32 The (BK)humble [r]see it and are glad;
You who seek God, (BL)let your heart [s]revive.
33 For (BM)Yahweh hears the needy
And (BN)does not despise His who are prisoners.
BOOK 3
The Nearness of God Is My Good
A Psalm of Asaph.
73 Surely God is (A)good to Israel,
To those who are (B)pure in heart!
2 But as for me, (C)my feet had almost stumbled,
My steps [a]had almost slipped.
3 For I was (D)envious of the boastful,
I saw the (E)peace of the wicked.
4 For there are no pains in their death,
And their [b]body is fat.
5 They are (F)not [c]in trouble as other [d]men,
And they are not (G)stricken along with the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore lofty pride is (H)their necklace;
The (I)garment of violence covers them.
7 Their eye [e]bulges from (J)fatness;
The delusions of their heart overflow.
8 They (K)scoff and [f]wickedly speak of oppression;
They (L)speak from on high.
9 They have (M)set their mouth [g]against the heavens,
And their tongue goes through the earth.
10 Therefore [h]his people return here, to his place,
And waters of (N)fullness are [i]drunk by them.
11 They say, “(O)How does God know?
And is there knowledge with the Most High?”
12 Behold, (P)these are the wicked;
And always (Q)at ease, they have increased in wealth.
13 Surely (R)in vain I have [j]kept my heart pure
And (S)washed my hands in innocence;
14 For I have been stricken (T)all day long
And [k](U)reproved every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will recount thus,”
Behold, I would have betrayed the (V)generation of Your children.
16 When I (W)gave thought to know this,
It was trouble in my sight
17 Until I came into the [l](X)sanctuary of God;
Then I understood their (Y)end.
18 Surely You set them in (Z)slippery places;
You cause them to fall to [m](AA)destruction.
19 How they become (AB)desolate in a moment!
They are completely swept away by (AC)terrors!
20 Like a (AD)dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when (AE)aroused, You will (AF)despise their [n]form.
21 When my (AG)heart was embittered
And I was (AH)pierced [o]within,
22 Then I was (AI)senseless and ignorant;
I was like [p]an (AJ)animal [q]before You.
23 Nevertheless (AK)I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 With Your counsel You will (AL)lead me,
And afterward (AM)take me [r]in glory.
25 (AN)Whom have I in heaven but You?
And [s]besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My (AO)flesh and my heart fail,
But God is the rock of my heart and my (AP)portion forever.
27 For, behold, (AQ)those who are far from You will (AR)perish;
You have [t]destroyed everyone who [u](AS)is unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, (AT)the nearness of God is my good;
I have set Lord Yahweh as my (AU)refuge,
That I may (AV)recount all Your works.
9 Be glad, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be merry during the days of young manhood. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the (A)sights of your eyes. Yet know that (B)God will bring you to judgment for all these things. 10 So, remove vexation from your heart and put away (C)evil from your flesh because childhood and the prime of life are vanity.
Remember Your Creator in Your Youth
12 (D)Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the (E)evil days happen and the years draw near in which you will say, “I have no delight in them”; 2 before the (F)sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; 3 in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and valiant men (G)bend down, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and (H)those who look through [a]windows grow dark; 4 and the doors on the street are shut as the (I)sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the (J)daughters of song will [b]sing softly. 5 Furthermore, [c]men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blooms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal (K)home, but the (L)mourners go about in the street. 6 Remember Him before the silver [d]cord is [e]snapped and the (M)golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the spring is broken and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; 7 then the (N)dust will return to the earth as it was, and the [f](O)spirit will return to (P)God who gave it. 8 “(Q)Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”
Fear God and Keep His Commandments
9 In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out, and [g]arranged (R)many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find (S)delightful words and (T)words of truth written uprightly.
11 The (U)words of wise men are like (V)goads, and masters of these collections are like [h]well-driven (W)nails; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 But in addition to this, my son, be warned: the making of (X)many books is endless, and much (Y)devotion to books is wearying to the flesh.
13 The end of the matter, all that has been heard: (Z)fear God and (AA)keep His commandments, because this is the end of the matter for (AB)all mankind. 14 For (AC)God will bring every work to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also [a]walk in step with (A)the Spirit. 26 Let us not become those with (B)vain glory, challenging one another, envying one another.
Bear One Another’s Burdens
6 (C)Brothers, even if [b]anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are (D)spiritual, (E)restore such a one (F)in a spirit of gentleness, each of you looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. 2 (G)Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill (H)the law of Christ. 3 For (I)if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But each one must (J)examine his own work, and then he will have reason for (K)boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. 5 For (L)each one will bear his own load.
6 (M)And the one who is instructed in (N)the word is to share in all good things with the one who instructs him. 7 (O)Do not be deceived, (P)God is not mocked, for (Q)whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 (R)For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap (S)corruption, but (T)the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 (U)And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we (V)do not grow weary. 10 So then, [c](W)while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the (X)household of (Y)the faith.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
21 (A)From that time [a]Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and (B)suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. 22 And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “[b]God forbid it, Lord! This shall never [c]happen to You.” 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, (C)Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on [d]God’s interests, but man’s.”
Take Up Your Cross
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and (D)take up his cross and follow Me. 25 For (E)whoever wishes to save his [e]life will lose it; but whoever loses his [f]life for My sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the (F)Son of Man (G)is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and (H)will then [g]repay each one according to his [h]deeds.
28 “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the (I)Son of Man (J)coming in His kingdom.”
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.