Book of Common Prayer
ZAYIN
49 Remember your word to your servant,
because you gave me hope.
50 This is my comfort in my affliction,
for your word has revived me.
51 The arrogant mock me excessively,
but I don’t swerve from your law.
52 I remember your ordinances of old, Yahweh,
and have comforted myself.
53 Indignation has taken hold on me,
because of the wicked who forsake your law.
54 Your statutes have been my songs
in the house where I live.
55 I have remembered your name, Yahweh, in the night,
and I obey your law.
56 This is my way,
that I keep your precepts.
HETH
57 Yahweh is my portion.
I promised to obey your words.
58 I sought your favor with my whole heart.
Be merciful to me according to your word.
59 I considered my ways,
and turned my steps to your statutes.
60 I will hurry, and not delay,
to obey your commandments.
61 The ropes of the wicked bind me,
but I won’t forget your law.
62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks to you,
because of your righteous ordinances.
63 I am a friend of all those who fear you,
of those who observe your precepts.
64 The earth is full of your loving kindness, Yahweh.
Teach me your statutes.
TETH
65 You have treated your servant well,
according to your word, Yahweh.
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
67 Before I was afflicted, I went astray;
but now I observe your word.
68 You are good, and do good.
Teach me your statutes.
69 The proud have smeared a lie upon me.
With my whole heart, I will keep your precepts.
70 Their heart is as callous as the fat,
but I delight in your law.
71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
that I may learn your statutes.
72 The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by the sons of Korah.
49 Hear this, all you peoples.
Listen, all you inhabitants of the world,
2 both low and high,
rich and poor together.
3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom.
My heart will utter understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb.
I will solve my riddle on the harp.
5 Why should I fear in the days of evil,
when iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
6 Those who trust in their wealth,
and boast in the multitude of their riches—
7 none of them can by any means redeem his brother,
nor give God a ransom for him.
8 For the redemption of their life is costly,
no payment is ever enough,
9 that he should live on forever,
that he should not see corruption.
10 For he sees that wise men die;
likewise the fool and the senseless perish,
and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inward thought is that their houses will endure forever,
and their dwelling places to all generations.
They name their lands after themselves.
12 But man, despite his riches, doesn’t endure.
He is like the animals that perish.
13 This is the destiny of those who are foolish,
and of those who approve their sayings. Selah.
14 They are appointed as a flock for Sheol.[a]
Death shall be their shepherd.
The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning.
Their beauty shall decay in Sheol,[b]
far from their mansion.
15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,[c]
for he will receive me. Selah.
16 Don’t be afraid when a man is made rich,
when the glory of his house is increased;
17 for when he dies he will carry nothing away.
His glory won’t descend after him.
18 Though while he lived he blessed his soul—
and men praise you when you do well for yourself—
19 he shall go to the generation of his fathers.
They shall never see the light.
20 A man who has riches without understanding,
is like the animals that perish.
For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Mahalath.” A contemplation by David.
53 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity.
There is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven on the children of men,
to see if there are any who understood,
who seek after God.
3 Every one of them has gone back.
They have become filthy together.
There is no one who does good, no, not one.
4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and don’t call on God?
5 There they were in great fear, where no fear was,
for God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you.
You have put them to shame,
because God has rejected them.
6 Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When God brings back his people from captivity,
then Jacob shall rejoice,
and Israel shall be glad.
8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob,
and it falls on Israel.
9 All the people will know,
including Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart,
10 “The bricks have fallen,
but we will build with cut stone.
The sycamore fig trees have been cut down,
but we will put cedars in their place.”
11 Therefore Yahweh will set up on high against him the adversaries of Rezin,
and will stir up his enemies,
12 The Syrians in front,
and the Philistines behind;
and they will devour Israel with open mouth.
For all this, his anger is not turned away,
but his hand is stretched out still.
13 Yet the people have not turned to him who struck them,
neither have they sought Yahweh of Armies.
14 Therefore Yahweh will cut off from Israel head and tail,
palm branch and reed, in one day.
15 The elder and the honorable man is the head,
and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail.
16 For those who lead this people lead them astray;
and those who are led by them are destroyed.
17 Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men,
neither will he have compassion on their fatherless and widows;
for everyone is profane and an evildoer,
and every mouth speaks folly.
For all this his anger is not turned away,
but his hand is stretched out still.
2 But false prophets also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction. 2 Many will follow their immoral[a] ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned. 3 In covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words: whose sentence now from of old doesn’t linger, and their destruction will not slumber.
4 For if God didn’t spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus,[b] and committed them to pits of darkness to be reserved for judgment; 5 and didn’t spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood on the world of the ungodly, 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, having made them an example to those who would live in an ungodly way, 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was very distressed by the lustful life of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man dwelling among them was tormented in his righteous soul from day to day with seeing and hearing lawless deeds), 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 but chiefly those who walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries,
1 The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in the prophets,
“Behold,[a] I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you:(A)
3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord!
Make his paths straight!’”(B)
4 John came baptizing[b] in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. 5 All the country of Judea and all those of Jerusalem went out to him. They were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins. 6 John was clothed with camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen. 8 I baptized you in[c] water, but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.”
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