Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 41
Victory in spite of Betrayal
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 Happy is one who is considerate of the poor;
the Lord will save him in a day of adversity.(A)
2 The Lord will keep him and preserve him;
he will be blessed in the land.(B)
You will not give him over to the desire of his enemies.(C)
3 The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed;
you will heal him on the bed where he lies.(D)
4 I said, “Lord, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you.”(E)
5 My enemies speak maliciously about me:
“When will he die and be forgotten?” (F)
6 When one of them comes to visit, he speaks deceitfully;
he stores up evil in his heart;
he goes out and talks.(G)
7 All who hate me whisper together about me;
they plan to harm me.(H)
8 “Something awful has overwhelmed him,[a]
and he won’t rise again from where he lies!” (I)
9 Even my friend[b] in whom I trusted,
one who ate my bread,
has raised his heel against me.(J)
10 But you, Lord, be gracious to me and raise me up;
then I will repay them.(K)
11 By this I know that you delight in me:(L)
my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.(M)
12 You supported me because of my integrity(N)
and set me in your presence forever.(O)
13 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and amen.(P)
Psalm 52
God Judges the Proud
For the choir director. A Maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite went and reported to Saul, telling him, “David went to Ahimelech’s house.”(A)
1 Why boast about evil, you hero!(B)
God’s faithful love is constant.(C)
2 Like a sharpened razor,
your tongue devises destruction,
working treachery.(D)
3 You love evil instead of good,
lying instead of speaking truthfully.(E)Selah
4 You love any words that destroy,
you treacherous tongue!(F)
5 This is why God will bring you down forever.
He will take you, ripping you out of your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.(G)Selah
6 The righteous will see and fear,
and they will derisively say about that hero,[a](H)
7 “Here is the man
who would not make God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches,
taking refuge in his destructive behavior.”(I)
Psalm 44
Israel’s Complaint
For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.
1 God, we have heard with our ears—
our ancestors have told us—
the work you accomplished in their days,
in days long ago:(A)
2 In order to plant them,
you displaced the nations by your hand;
in order to settle them,
you brought disaster on the peoples.(B)
3 For they did not take the land by their sword—
their arm did not bring them victory—
but by your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face,(C)
because you were favorable toward them.(D)
4 You are my King, my God,
who ordains[a] victories for Jacob.(E)
5 Through you we drive back our foes;
through your name we trample our enemies.(F)
6 For I do not trust in my bow,
and my sword does not bring me victory.(G)
7 But you give us victory over our foes
and let those who hate us be disgraced.(H)
8 We boast in God all day long;(I)
we will praise your name forever.(J)Selah
9 But you have rejected and humiliated us;
you do not march out with our armies.(K)
10 You make us retreat from the foe,
and those who hate us
have taken plunder for themselves.(L)
11 You hand us over to be eaten like sheep
and scatter us among the nations.(M)
12 You sell your people for nothing;
you make no profit from selling them.(N)
13 You make us an object of reproach to our neighbors,
a source of mockery and ridicule to those around us.(O)
14 You make us a joke among the nations,
a laughingstock[b] among the peoples.(P)
15 My disgrace is before me all day long,
and shame has covered my face,(Q)
16 because of the taunts[c] of the scorner and reviler,
because of the enemy and avenger.(R)
17 All this has happened to us,
but we have not forgotten you
or betrayed your covenant.(S)
18 Our hearts have not turned back;
our steps have not strayed from your path.(T)
19 But you have crushed us in a haunt of jackals
and have covered us with deepest darkness.(U)
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
and spread out our hands to a foreign god,(V)
21 wouldn’t God have found this out,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?(W)
22 Because of you we are being put to death all day long;
we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.(X)
The Two Witnesses
11 Then I was given a measuring reed(A) like a rod,[a] with these words: “Go[b] and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count those who worship there. 2 But exclude the courtyard outside the temple.(B) Don’t measure it, because it is given to the nations,[c](C) and they will trample the holy city(D) for forty-two months.(E) 3 I will grant[d] my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth.”(F) 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord[e] of the earth.(G) 5 If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies;(H) if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. 6 They have authority to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy.(I) They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood(J) and to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.(K)
The Witnesses Martyred
7 When they finish their testimony, the beast(L) that comes up out of the abyss(M) will make war on them, conquer them, and kill them. 8 Their dead bodies[f](N) will lie in the main street[g] of the great city,(O) which figuratively[h] is called Sodom(P) and Egypt,(Q) where also their Lord was crucified. 9 And some of[i] the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations(R) will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb.(S) 10 Those who live on the earth will gloat(T) over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
The Witnesses Resurrected
11 But after three and a half days, the breath[j] of life(U) from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard[k] a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.(V) 13 At that moment a violent earthquake took place,(W) a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe(X) has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming soon!
A House Divided
14 Now(A) he was driving out a demon(B) that was mute.(C) When the demon came out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul,(D) the ruler(E) of the demons.”(F) 16 And others, as a test,(G) were demanding of him a sign(H) from heaven.
17 Knowing their thoughts,(I) he told them, “Every kingdom divided(J) against itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls. 18 If Satan(K) also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom(L) stand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons(M) drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 20 If I drive out demons by the finger of God,(N) then the kingdom of God(O) has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his estate, his possessions are secure. 22 But when one stronger than he attacks and overpowers(P) him, he takes from him all his weapons[a](Q) he trusted(R) in, and divides up his plunder.(S) 23 Anyone who is not with me is against me,(T) and anyone who does not gather with me scatters.
An Unclean Spirit’s Return
24 “When(U) an unclean spirit(V) comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest,(W) and not finding rest, it then[b] says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ 25 Returning, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits(X) more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first.”(Y)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.