Book of Common Prayer
BOOK I
(Psalms 1–41)
Psalm 1
The Two Ways
1 How happy is the man
who does not follow[a] the advice of the wicked
or take[b] the path of sinners
or join a group[c] of mockers!(A)
2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.(B)
3 He is like a tree planted beside streams of water[d]
that bears its fruit in season[e](C)
and whose leaf does not wither.(D)
Whatever he does prospers.(E)
4 The wicked are not like this;
instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.(F)
5 Therefore the wicked will not survive[f] the judgment,(G)
and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous.
Psalm 2
Coronation of the Son
1 Why(J) do the nations rebel[g](K)
and the peoples plot in vain?(L)
2 The kings of the earth take their stand,(M)
and the rulers conspire together
against the Lord and His Anointed One:[h](N)
3 “Let us tear off their chains
and free ourselves from their restraints.”[i](O)
4 The One enthroned[j] in heaven laughs;
the Lord ridicules them.(P)
5 Then He speaks to them in His anger
and terrifies them in His wrath:(Q)
6 “I have consecrated My King[k]
on Zion, My holy mountain.”(R)
7 I will declare the Lord’s decree:
He said to Me, “You are My Son;[l]
today I have become Your[m] Father.(S)
8 Ask of Me,
and I will make the nations Your[n] inheritance
and the ends of the earth Your[o] possession.(T)
9 You will break[p] them with a rod of iron;
You[q] will shatter them like pottery.”[r](U)
10 So now, kings, be wise;
receive instruction, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with reverential awe
and rejoice with trembling.(V)
12 Pay homage to[s] the Son or He[t] will be angry
and you will perish in your rebellion,[u](W)
for His[v] anger may ignite at any moment.(X)
All those who take refuge in Him[w] are happy.(Y)
Psalm 3
Confidence in Troubled Times
A psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom.(Z)
1 Lord, how my foes increase!
There are many who attack me.(AA)
2 Many say about me,
“There is no help for him in God.”(AB)
3 But You, Lord, are a shield around me,(AC)
my glory,(AD) and the One who lifts up my head.(AE)
4 I cry aloud to the Lord,
and He answers me from His holy mountain.(AF)
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again because the Lord sustains me.(AG)
6 I am not afraid of the thousands of people
who have taken their stand against me on every side.(AH)
7 Rise up, Lord!(AI)
Save me, my God!
You strike all my enemies on the cheek;(AJ)
You break the teeth of the wicked.(AK)
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;(AL)
may Your blessing be on Your people.(AM)
Psalm 4
A Night Prayer
For the choir director: with stringed instruments.(AN) A Davidic psalm.
1 Answer me when I call,
God, who vindicates me.[x](AO)
You freed me from affliction;(AP)
be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
2 How long, exalted men, will my honor be insulted?(AQ)
How long will you love what is worthless(AR)
and pursue a lie?
3 Know that the Lord has set apart
the faithful for Himself;
the Lord will hear when I call to Him.
4 Be angry[y] and do not sin;(AS)
on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still.(AT)
5 Offer sacrifices in righteousness[z](AU)
and trust in the Lord.(AV)
6 Many are saying, “Who can show us anything good?”
Look on us with favor, Lord.(AW)
Psalm 7
Prayer for Justice
A Shiggaion[a] of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush,[b] a Benjaminite.
1 Yahweh my God, I seek refuge in You;(A)
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me(B)
2 or they[c] will tear me like a lion,
ripping me apart with no one to rescue me.[d](C)
3 Yahweh my God, if I have done this,
if there is injustice on my hands,(D)
4 if I have done harm to one at peace with me(E)
or have plundered[e] my adversary without cause,(F)
5 may an enemy pursue and overtake me;
may he trample me to the ground(G)
and leave my honor in the dust.(H)
6 Rise up, Lord, in Your anger;
lift Yourself up against the fury of my adversaries;(I)
awake for me;[f](J)
You have ordained[g] a judgment.(K)
7 Let the assembly of peoples gather around You;(L)
take Your seat[h] on high over it.(M)
8 The Lord judges the peoples;(N)
vindicate me, Lord,
according to my righteousness and my integrity.[i](O)
9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,(P)
but establish the righteous.(Q)
The One who examines the thoughts and emotions[j]
is a righteous God.(R)
10 My shield is with[k] God,(S)
who saves the upright in heart.(T)
11 God is a righteous judge
and a God who shows His wrath every day.(U)
12 If anyone does not repent,
God[l] will sharpen His sword;(V)
He has strung[m] His bow and made it ready.(W)
13 He has prepared His deadly weapons;
He tips His arrows with fire.(X)
14 See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil,
conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit.(Y)
15 He dug a pit and hollowed it out
but fell into the hole he had made.(Z)
16 His trouble comes back on his own head,
and his violence falls on the top of his head.(AA)
17 I will thank the Lord for His righteousness;
I will sing about the name of Yahweh the Most High.(AB)
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand?(A)
Who has gathered the dust of the earth in a measure
or weighed the mountains in a balance
and the hills in the scales?
13 Who has directed[a] the Spirit of the Lord,
or who gave Him His counsel?(B)
14 Who did He consult with?
Who gave Him understanding(C)
and taught Him the paths of justice?
Who taught Him knowledge
and showed Him the way of understanding?
15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are considered as a speck of dust in the scales;
He lifts up the islands like fine dust.
16 Lebanon is not enough for fuel,
or its animals enough for a burnt offering.(D)
17 All the nations are as nothing before Him;
they are considered by Him
as nothingness and emptiness.(E)
18 Who will you compare God with?
What likeness will you compare Him to?(F)
19 To an idol?—something that a smelter casts,
and a metalworker plates with gold
and makes silver welds for it?(G)
20 To one who shapes a pedestal,
choosing wood that does not rot?[b]
He looks for a skilled craftsman
to set up an idol that will not fall over.(H)
21 Do you not know?(I)
Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you
from the beginning?
Have you not considered
the foundations of the earth?(J)
22 God is enthroned above the circle of the earth;
its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.(K)
He stretches out the heavens like thin cloth(L)
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.(M)
23 He reduces princes to nothing(N)
and makes judges of the earth irrational.
Greeting
1 Paul,(A) an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will:(B)
To the faithful saints(C) in Christ Jesus at Ephesus.[a](D)
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s Rich Blessings
3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.(E) 4 For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight.[b](F) In love[c] 5 He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, 6 to the praise of His glorious grace(G) that He favored us with in the Beloved.(H)
7 We have redemption in Him(I) through His blood, the forgiveness(J) of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will,(K) according to His good pleasure that He planned in Him(L) 10 for the administration[d] of the days of fulfillment[e]—to bring everything together in the Messiah,(M) both things in heaven and things on earth(N) in Him.(O)
11 We have also received an inheritance[f] in Him, predestined(P) according to the purpose of the One who works out everything in agreement with the decision of His will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope(Q) in the Messiah might bring praise to His glory.(R)
13 When you heard the message of truth,(S) the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.(T) 14 He is the down payment(U) of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession,[g] to the praise of His glory.
The Messiah’s Herald
1 The beginning(A) of the gospel(B) of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.(C) 2 As it is written in Isaiah(D) the prophet:[a](E)
Look, I am sending My messenger(F) ahead of You,
who will prepare Your way.[b]
3 A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:(G)
Prepare the way for the Lord;(H)
make His paths straight!(I)[c]
4 John came baptizing[d](J) in the wilderness(K) and preaching a baptism of repentance[e](L) for the forgiveness(M) of sins.(N) 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem(O) were flocking to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan(P) River as they confessed(Q) their sins.(R) 6 John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts(S) and wild honey.(T) 7 He was preaching: “Someone more powerful(U) than I will come after me.(V) I am not worthy(W) to stoop down and untie the strap of His sandals.(X) 8 I have baptized you with[f] water,(Y) but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”(Z)
The Baptism of Jesus
9 In(AA) those days Jesus came from Nazareth(AB) in Galilee(AC) and was baptized in the Jordan by John. 10 As soon as He came up out of the water, He saw the heavens(AD) being torn open and the Spirit descending to Him like a dove. 11 And a voice(AE) came from heaven:(AF)
The Temptation of Jesus
12 Immediately(AJ) the Spirit(AK) drove(AL) Him into the wilderness.(AM) 13 He was in the wilderness 40 days, being tempted(AN) by Satan.(AO) He was with the wild animals,(AP) and the angels(AQ) began to serve Him.
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