Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 5
The Refuge of the Righteous
For the choir director: with the flutes. A Davidic psalm.
1 Listen to my words, Lord;
consider my sighing.(A)
2 Pay attention to the sound of my cry,(B)
my King and my God,(C)
for I pray to You.
3 At daybreak,(D) Lord, You hear my voice;
at daybreak I plead my case to You(E) and watch expectantly.
4 For You are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil cannot dwell with You.(F)
5 The boastful cannot stand in Your presence;(G)
You hate all evildoers.(H)
6 You destroy those who tell lies;(I)
the Lord abhors a man of bloodshed and treachery.(J)
7 But I enter Your house
by the abundance of Your faithful love;(K)
I bow down toward Your holy temple
in reverential awe of You.(L)
8 Lord, lead me in Your righteousness(M)
because of my adversaries;[a]
make Your way straight before me.(N)
9 For there is nothing reliable in what they say;[b](O)
destruction is within them;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongues.(P)
10 Punish them, God;
let them fall by their own schemes.(Q)
Drive them out(R) because of their many crimes,
for they rebel against You.(S)
11 But let all who take refuge in You rejoice;(T)
let them shout for joy forever.
May You shelter them,(U)
and may those who love Your name boast about You.(V)
12 For You, Lord, bless the righteous one;
You surround him with favor like a shield.(W)
Psalm 6
A Prayer for Mercy
For the choir director: with stringed instruments, according to Sheminith.(X) A Davidic psalm.
1 Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger;
do not discipline me in Your wrath.(Y)
2 Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak;[c](Z)
heal me,(AA) Lord, for my bones are shaking;(AB)
3 my whole being is shaken with terror.(AC)
And You, Lord—how long?(AD)
4 Turn, Lord! Rescue me;
save me because of Your faithful love.(AE)
5 For there is no remembrance of You in death;
who can thank You in Sheol?(AF)
Psalm 10
1 Lord,[a][b] why do You stand so far away?(A)
Why do You hide in times of trouble?(B)
2 In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue the afflicted;
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.(C)
3 For the wicked one boasts about his own cravings;(D)
the one who is greedy curses[c] and despises the Lord.(E)
4 In all his scheming,
the wicked arrogantly thinks:[d]
“There is no accountability,
since God does not exist.”(F)
5 His ways are always secure;[e]
Your lofty judgments are beyond his sight;
he scoffs at all his adversaries.(G)
6 He says to himself, “I will never be moved—
from generation to generation without calamity.”(H)
7 Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth;
trouble and malice are under his tongue.(I)
8 He waits in ambush near the villages;(J)
he kills the innocent in secret places.
His eyes are on the lookout for the helpless;(K)
9 he lurks in secret like a lion in a thicket.
He lurks in order to seize the afflicted;
he seizes the afflicted and drags him in his net.
10 So he is oppressed and beaten down;
the helpless fall because of his strength.(L)
11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He hides His face and will never see.”(M)
12 Rise up, Lord God! Lift up Your hand.(N)
Do not forget the afflicted.(O)
13 Why has the wicked person despised God?
He says to himself, “You will not demand an account.”(P)
14 But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief,
observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands.(Q)
The helpless entrusts himself to You;
You are a helper of the fatherless.(R)
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil person;(S)
call his wickedness into account
until nothing remains of it.[f](T)
16 The Lord is King forever and ever;(U)
the nations will perish from His land.(V)
17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;[g]
You will strengthen their hearts.
You will listen carefully,(W)
18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed
so that men of the earth may terrify them no more.(X)
Psalm 11
Refuge in the Lord
For the choir director. Davidic.
1 I have taken refuge in the Lord.(Y)
How can you say to me,
“Escape to the mountain like a bird
2 For look, the wicked string the bow;
they put the[i] arrow on the bowstring
to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.(AA)
3 When the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”(AB)
4 The Lord is in His holy temple;(AC)
the Lord’s throne is in heaven.(AD)
His eyes watch; He examines[j] everyone.
5 The Lord examines the righteous and the wicked.
He hates the lover of violence.(AE)
6 He will rain burning coals[k] and sulfur on the wicked;
a scorching wind will be their portion.[l](AF)
7 For the Lord is righteous; He loves righteous deeds.
The upright will see His face.(AG)
25 “Who will you compare Me to,(A)
or who is My equal?” asks the Holy One.
26 Look up[a] and see:
who created(B) these?
He brings out the starry host by number;
He calls all of them by name.(C)
Because of His great power and strength,
not one of them is missing.
27 Jacob, why do you say,
and Israel, why do you assert:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my claim is ignored by my God”?(D)
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Yahweh is the everlasting God,(E)
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never grows faint or weary;
there is no limit to His understanding.(F)
29 He gives strength to the weary
and strengthens the powerless.
30 Youths may faint and grow weary,
and young men stumble and fall,
31 but those who trust in the Lord
will renew their strength;(G)
they will soar on wings like eagles;(H)
they will run and not grow weary;
they will walk and not faint.
Prayer for Spiritual Insight
15 This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,[a] would give you a spirit[b](A) of wisdom and revelation(B) in the knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the perception of your mind[c] may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope(C) of His calling,(D) what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power(E) to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength.
God’s Power in Christ
20 He demonstrated this power in the Messiah by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand(F) in the heavens(G)— 21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given,[d](H) not only in this age but also in the one to come.(I) 22 And He put everything under His feet(J)[e] and appointed Him as head(K) over everything for the church, 23 which is His body,(L) the fullness(M) of the One who fills all things(N) in every way.
Ministry in Galilee
14 After(A) John was arrested,(B) Jesus went to Galilee,(C) preaching(D) the good news[a][b](E) of God:[c](F) 15 “The time(G) is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God(H) has come(I) near.(J) Repent(K) and believe(L) in the good news!”
The First Disciples
16 As(M) He was passing along by the Sea of Galilee,(N) He saw Simon(O) and Andrew,(P) Simon’s brother. They were casting a net into the sea,(Q) since they were fishermen.
17 “Follow Me,”(R) Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for[d](S) people!”(T) 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed(U) Him.(V) 19 Going on a little farther, He saw James(W) the son of Zebedee(X) and his brother John.(Y) They were in their boat mending their nets. 20 Immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him.(Z)
Driving Out an Unclean Spirit
21 Then(AA) they went into Capernaum,(AB) and right away He entered the synagogue(AC) on the Sabbath(AD) and began to teach.(AE) 22 They were astonished(AF) at His teaching(AG) because, unlike the scribes,(AH) He was teaching them as one having authority.
23 Just then a man with an unclean(AI) spirit(AJ) was in their synagogue.(AK) He cried out,[e] 24 “What do You have to do with us,[f] Jesus—Nazarene?(AL) Have You come to destroy(AM) us? I know who You are—the Holy(AN) One of God!”(AO)
25 But Jesus rebuked(AP) him and said, “Be quiet,[g](AQ) and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit convulsed him,(AR) shouted with a loud voice, and came out of him.
27 Then they were all amazed,(AS) so they began to argue(AT) with one another, saying, “What is this? A new teaching(AU) with authority He commands even the unclean(AW) spirits,(AX) and they obey Him.” 28 News about Him then spread throughout the entire vicinity of Galilee.(AY)
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