Book of Common Prayer
Mem
97 How I (A)love Your Law!
It is my (B)meditation all the day.
98 Your (C)commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
For they are ever [a]mine.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my (D)meditation.
100 I understand (E)more than those who are old,
Because I have (F)complied with Your precepts.
101 I have (G)restrained my feet from every evil way,
So that I may keep Your word.
102 I have not (H)turned aside from Your judgments,
For You Yourself have taught me.
103 How (I)sweet are Your [b]words to my [c]taste!
Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 From Your precepts I (J)get understanding;
Therefore I (K)hate every false way.
Nun
105 Your word is a (L)lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
106 I have (M)sworn and I will confirm it,
That I will keep Your righteous judgments.
107 I am exceedingly (N)afflicted;
[d](O)Revive me, Lord, according to Your word.
108 Be pleased to accept the [e](P)voluntary offerings of my mouth, Lord,
And (Q)teach me Your judgments.
109 My [f](R)life is continually [g]in my hand,
Yet I do not (S)forget Your Law.
110 The wicked have (T)set a [h]trap for me,
Yet I have not (U)wandered from Your precepts.
111 I have (V)inherited Your testimonies forever,
For they are the (W)joy of my heart.
112 I have (X)inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, even (Y)to the end.
Samekh
113 I hate those who are (Z)double-minded,
But I love Your (AA)Law.
114 You are my (AB)hiding place and my (AC)shield;
I [i](AD)wait for Your word.
115 (AE)Leave me, you evildoers,
So that I may (AF)comply with the commandments of my God.
116 (AG)Sustain me according to Your [j]word, that I may live;
And (AH)do not let me be [k]ashamed of my hope.
117 Sustain me so that I may be (AI)safe,
That I may (AJ)have regard for Your statutes continually.
118 You have [l]rejected all those (AK)who stray from Your statutes,
For their deceitfulness is [m]useless.
119 You have [n]removed all the wicked of the earth like [o](AL)impurities;
Therefore I (AM)love Your testimonies.
120 My flesh [p](AN)trembles from the fear of You,
And I am (AO)afraid of Your judgments.
God’s Goodness and Israel’s Waywardness.
For the music director; [a]on the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.
81 (A)Sing for joy to God our (B)strength;
Shout (C)joyfully to the (D)God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song, strike (E)the tambourine,
The sweet sounding (F)lyre with the (G)harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the (H)new moon,
At the full moon, on our (I)feast day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
An ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He established it as a testimony in Joseph
When he [b](J)went throughout the land of Egypt.
I heard a (K)language I did not know:
6 “I [c](L)relieved his shoulder of the burden,
His hands were freed from the [d]basket.
7 You (M)called in trouble and I rescued you;
I (N)answered you in the hiding place of thunder;
I put you to the test at the (O)waters of Meribah. Selah
8 (P)Hear, My people, and I will admonish you;
Israel, if you (Q)would listen to Me!
9 There shall be no (R)strange god among you;
Nor shall you worship a foreign god.
10 (S)I, the Lord, am your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
(T)Open your mouth wide and I will (U)fill it.
11 “But My people (V)did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not [e]obey Me.
12 So I (W)gave [f]them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk by their own plans.
13 Oh that My people (X)would listen to Me,
That Israel would (Y)walk in My ways!
14 I would quickly (Z)subdue their enemies
And (AA)turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 (AB)Those who hate the Lord would (AC)pretend to obey Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
16 [g]But I would feed you with the [h](AD)finest of the wheat,
And with (AE)honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Unjust Judgments Rebuked.
A Psalm of Asaph.
82 God takes His (AF)position in [i]His assembly;
He (AG)judges in the midst of the (AH)gods.
2 How long will you (AI)judge unjustly
And (AJ)show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 (AK)Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
4 (AL)Rescue the weak and needy;
Save them from the hand of the wicked.
5 They (AM)do not know nor do they understand;
They (AN)walk around in darkness;
All the (AO)foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 [j]I (AP)said, “You are gods,
And all of you are (AQ)sons of the Most High.
7 Nevertheless (AR)you will die like men,
And fall like (AS)one of the princes.”
8 (AT)Arise, God, (AU)judge the earth!
For You (AV)possess all the nations.
24 So Moses went out and (A)told the people the words of the Lord. He also gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and positioned them around the tent. 25 (B)Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took away some of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. Yet they did not do it again.
26 But two men had remained in the camp; the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the [a]other, Medad. And (C)the Spirit rested upon them (and they were among those who had been registered, but had not gone out to the tent), and they prophesied in the camp. 27 So a young man ran and informed Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 Then (D)Joshua the son of Nun, the personal servant of Moses from his youth, responded and said, “(E)My lord Moses, restrain them!” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? (F)If only all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” 30 Then Moses [b]returned to the camp, both he and the elders of Israel.
The Quail and the Plague
31 (G)Now a wind burst forth from the Lord and it brought quail from the sea, and dropped them beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side all around the camp, and about [c]two cubits deep on the surface of the ground. 32 And the people [d]spent all that day, all night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quail (the one who gathered least gathered [e]ten (H)homers) and spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 (I)While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague. 34 So that place was named [f](J)Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had been greedy. 35 From Kibroth-hattaavah (K)the people set out for Hazeroth, and they [g]remained at Hazeroth.
28 And just as they did not see fit [a]to acknowledge God, (A)God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper, 29 people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are (B)gossips, 30 slanderers, [b](C)haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, (D)disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, (E)unfeeling, and unmerciful; 32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of (F)death, they not only do the same, but also (G)approve of those who practice them.
The Impartiality of God
2 Therefore you have (H)no excuse, [c]you foolish person, (I)everyone of you who passes judgment; for [d]in that matter in which (J)you judge someone else, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 And we know that the judgment of God [e]rightly falls upon those who practice such things. 3 But do you suppose this, [f](K)you foolish person who passes judgment on those who practice such things, and yet does them as well, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you think lightly of (L)the riches of His (M)kindness and [g](N)restraint and (O)patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But [h]because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart (P)you are storing up wrath for yourself (Q)on the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 (R)who will repay each person according to his deeds: 7 to those who by (S)perseverance in doing good seek (T)glory, honor, and (U)immortality, He will give (V)eternal life; 8 but to those who are (W)self-serving and (X)do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, He will give wrath and indignation. 9 There will be (Y)tribulation and distress [i]for every soul of mankind who does evil, [j]for the Jew (Z)first and also [k]for the Greek, 10 but (AA)glory, honor, and peace to everyone who does what is good, to the Jew (AB)first and also to the Greek. 11 For (AC)there is no partiality with God.
Rank in the Kingdom
18 (A)At that [a]time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “(B)Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And He called a child to Himself and set him among them, 3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you [b]change and (C)become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 So whoever will humble himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever receives one such child in My name, receives Me; 6 but (D)whoever (E)causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to [c]sin, it is better for him that a [d]heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depths of the sea.
Stumbling Blocks
7 “Woe to the world because of its [e]stumbling blocks! For (F)it is inevitable that [f]stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person through whom the [g]stumbling block comes!
8 “And (G)if your hand or your foot is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; it is better for you to enter life maimed or without a foot, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And (H)if your eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into the [h](I)fiery hell.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.