Book of Common Prayer
Protestation of Integrity and Prayer for Protection.
A Psalm of David.
26 [a](A)Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have (B)walked in my integrity,
And I have (C)trusted in the Lord [b](D)without wavering.
2 (E)Examine me, O Lord, and try me;
(F)Test my [c]mind and my heart.
3 For Your (G)lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And I have (H)walked in Your [d]truth.
4 I do not (I)sit with [e]deceitful men,
Nor will I go with [f](J)pretenders.
5 I (K)hate the assembly of evildoers,
And I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I shall (L)wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go about (M)Your altar, O Lord,
7 That I may proclaim with the voice of (N)thanksgiving
And declare all Your [g]wonders.
8 O Lord, I (O)love the habitation of Your house
And the place [h]where Your (P)glory dwells.
9 (Q)Do not [i]take my soul away along with sinners,
Nor my life with (R)men of bloodshed,
10 In whose hands is a (S)wicked scheme,
And whose right hand is full of (T)bribes.
11 But as for me, I shall (U)walk in my integrity;
(V)Redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 (W)My foot stands on a (X)level place;
In the (Y)congregations I shall bless the Lord.
A Prayer for Help, and Praise for Its Answer.
A Psalm of David.
28 To You, O Lord, I call;
My (A)rock, do not be deaf to me,
For if You (B)are silent to me,
I will become like those who (C)go down to the pit.
2 Hear the (D)voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help,
When I (E)lift up my hands (F)toward [a]Your holy (G)sanctuary.
3 (H)Do not drag me away with the wicked
And with those who work iniquity,
Who (I)speak peace with their neighbors,
While evil is in their hearts.
4 Requite them (J)according to their work and according to the evil of their practices;
Requite them according to the deeds of their hands;
Repay them their [b]recompense.
5 Because they (K)do not regard the works of the Lord
Nor the deeds of His hands,
He will tear them down and not build them up.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
Because He (L)has heard the voice of my supplication.
7 The Lord is my (M)strength and my (N)shield;
My heart (O)trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore (P)my heart exults,
And with (Q)my song I shall thank Him.
8 The Lord is [c]their (R)strength,
And He is a [d](S)saving defense to His anointed.
9 (T)Save Your people and bless (U)Your inheritance;
Be their (V)shepherd also, and (W)carry them forever.
Wickedness of Men and Lovingkindness of God.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.
36 Transgression speaks to the ungodly within [a]his heart;
There is (A)no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For [b]it (B)flatters him in his own eyes
Concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it.
3 The (C)words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has (D)ceased to [c]be wise and to do good.
4 He (E)plans wickedness upon his bed;
He sets himself on a (F)path that is not good;
He (G)does not despise evil.
5 Your (H)lovingkindness, O Lord, [d]extends to the heavens,
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
6 Your (I)righteousness is like the [e]mountains of God;
Your (J)judgments are like a great deep.
O Lord, You (K)preserve man and beast.
7 How (L)precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
And the children of men (M)take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8 They (N)drink their fill of the [f]abundance of Your house;
And You give them to drink of the (O)river of Your delights.
9 For with You is the (P)fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.
The Vanity of Life.
For the choir director, for [a]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will (A)guard my ways
That I (B)may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard (C)my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was (D)mute [b]and silent,
I [c]refrained even from good,
And my [d]sorrow grew worse.
3 My (E)heart was hot within me,
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, make me to know (F)my end
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how (G)transient I am.
5 “Behold, You have made (H)my days as handbreadths,
And my (I)lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Surely every man [e]at his best is [f]a mere (J)breath. [g]Selah.
6 “Surely every man (K)walks about as [h]a phantom;
Surely they make an (L)uproar for nothing;
He (M)amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.
7 “And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My (N)hope is in You.
8 “(O)Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Make me not the (P)reproach of the foolish.
9 “I have become (Q)mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is (R)You who have done it.
10 “(S)Remove Your plague from me;
Because of (T)the opposition of Your hand I am [i]perishing.
11 “With (U)reproofs You chasten a man for iniquity;
You (V)consume as a moth what is precious to him;
Surely (W)every man is a mere breath. Selah.
The Folly of Idolatry
9 Those who fashion [a]a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be (A)put to shame. 10 Who has fashioned a god or cast [b]an idol to (B)no profit? 11 Behold, all his companions will be (C)put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them together be put to shame.
12 The (D)man shapes iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, [c]fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and [d]his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. 13 (E)Another shapes wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with red chalk. He works it with planes and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of (F)man, so that it may sit in a (G)house. 14 Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a [e]cypress or an oak and [f]raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow. 15 Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also (H)makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and (I)falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” 17 But the rest of it he (J)makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also (K)prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.”
18 They do not (L)know, nor do they understand, for He has (M)smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. 19 No one [g]recalls, nor is there (N)knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then [h]I make the rest of it into an (O)abomination, [i]I fall down before a block of wood!” 20 He [j](P)feeds on ashes; a (Q)deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver [k]himself, nor say, “(R)Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
The Christian’s Walk
17 (A)So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, (B)that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the (C)futility of their mind, 18 being (D)darkened in their understanding, [a](E)excluded from the life of God because of the (F)ignorance that is in them, because of the (G)hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having (H)become callous, (I)have given themselves over to (J)sensuality [b]for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not (K)learn [c]Christ in this way, 21 if indeed you (L)have heard Him and have (M)been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you (N)lay aside the (O)old [d]self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the (P)lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be (Q)renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and (R)put on the (S)new [e]self, which [f](T)in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
25 Therefore, (U)laying aside falsehood, (V)speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are (W)members of one another. 26 (X)Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not (Y)give the devil [g]an opportunity. 28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather (Z)he must labor, (AA)performing with his own hands what is good, (AB)so that he will have something to share with [h]one who has need. 29 Let no [i](AC)unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for (AD)edification [j]according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 (AE)Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, [k]by whom you were (AF)sealed for the day of redemption. 31 (AG)Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be (AH)put away from you, along with all (AI)malice. 32 (AJ)Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, (AK)just as God in Christ also has forgiven [l]you.
19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.
20 And He *came [a](A)home, and the (B)crowd *gathered again, (C)to such an extent that they could not even eat [b]a meal. 21 When (D)His own [c]people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “(E)He has lost His senses.” 22 The scribes who came down (F)from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by [d](G)Beelzebul,” and “(H)He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.” 23 (I)And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in (J)parables, “How can (K)Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 If (L)Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but [e]he is finished! 27 (M)But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.
28 “(N)Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but (O)whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
31 (P)Then His mother and His brothers *arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they *said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” 33 Answering them, He *said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” 34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He *said, “(Q)Behold My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever (R)does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.