Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 56
A Call for God’s Protection
For the choir director: according to “A Silent Dove Far Away.” A Miktam of David. When the Philistines seized him in Gath.(A)
1 Be gracious to me, God, for a man is trampling me;
he fights and oppresses me all day long.
2 My adversaries trample me all day,
for many arrogantly fight against me.[a](B)
3 When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.(C)
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?(D)
5 They twist my words all day long;
all their thoughts against me are evil.(E)
6 They stir up strife,[b] they lurk,
they watch my steps
while they wait to take my life.(F)
7 Will they escape in spite of such sin?
God, bring down the nations in wrath.(G)
8 You yourself have recorded my wanderings.[c]
Put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?(H)
9 Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call.(I)
This I know: God is for me.(J)
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mere humans do to me?(K)
12 I am obligated by vows[d] to you, God;
I will make my thanksgiving sacrifices to you.(L)
13 For you rescued me from death,
even my feet from stumbling,
to walk before God in the light of life.(M)
Psalm 57
Praise for God’s Protection
For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. When he fled before Saul into the cave.(N)
1 Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
for I take refuge in you.
I will seek refuge in the shadow of your wings
until danger passes.(O)
2 I call to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.[e](P)
3 He reaches down from heaven and saves me,
challenging the one who tramples me.(Q)Selah
God sends his faithful love and truth.(R)
4 I am surrounded by lions;
I lie down among devouring lions—
people whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.(S)
5 God, be exalted above the heavens;
let your glory be over the whole earth.(T)
6 They prepared a net for my steps;
I was despondent.
They dug a pit ahead of me,
but they fell into it!(U)Selah
7 My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident.
I will sing; I will sing praises.(V)
8 Wake up, my soul!
Wake up, harp and lyre!
I will wake up the dawn.(W)
9 I will praise you, Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.(X)
10 For your faithful love is as high as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches the clouds.(Y)
11 God, be exalted above the heavens;(Z)
let your glory be over the whole earth.(AA)
Psalm 58
A Cry against Injustice
For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David.
1 Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones?[f]
Do you judge people fairly?(AB)
2 No, you practice injustice in your hearts;
with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.(AC)
3 The wicked go astray from the womb;
liars wander about from birth.(AD)
4 They have venom like the venom of a snake,
like the deaf cobra that stops up its ears,(AE)
5 that does not listen to the sound of the charmers
who skillfully weave spells.(AF)
6 God, knock the teeth out of their mouths;
Lord, tear out the young lions’ fangs.(AG)
7 May they vanish like water that flows by;
may they aim their blunted arrows.[g](AH)
8 Like a slug that moves along in slime,
like a woman’s miscarried child,
may they not see the sun.(AI)
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
whether green or burning—
he will sweep them away.[h](AJ)
10 The righteous one will rejoice
when he sees the retribution;(AK)
he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.(AL)
11 Then people will say,
“Yes, there is a reward for the righteous!
There is a God who judges on earth!” (AM)
Psalm 64
Protection from Evildoers
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 God, hear my voice when I am in anguish.(A)
Protect my life from the terror of the enemy.(B)
2 Hide me from the scheming of wicked people,(C)
from the mob of evildoers,(D)
3 who sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim bitter words like arrows,(E)
4 shooting from concealed places at the blameless.
They shoot at him suddenly and are not afraid.(F)
5 They adopt[a] an evil plan;
they talk about hiding traps and say,
“Who will see them?” [b](G)
6 They devise crimes and say,
“We have perfected a secret plan.”(H)
The inner man and the heart are mysterious.(I)
7 But God will shoot them with arrows;
suddenly, they will be wounded.(J)
8 They will be made to stumble;
their own tongues work against them.
All who see them will shake their heads.(K)
9 Then everyone will fear
and will tell about God’s work,
for they will understand what he has done.(L)
10 The righteous one rejoices in the Lord
and takes refuge in him;
all those who are upright in heart
will offer praise.(M)
Psalm 65
God’s Care for the Earth
For the choir director. A psalm of David. A song.
1 Praise is rightfully yours,[c]
God, in Zion;
vows to you will be fulfilled.(N)
2 All humanity will come to you,
the one who hears prayer.(O)
3 Iniquities overwhelm me;
only you can atone for our rebellions.(P)
4 How happy is the one you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house,(Q)
the holiness of your temple.[d](R)
5 You answer us in righteousness,
with awe-inspiring works,
God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the distant seas.(S)
6 You establish the mountains by your power;
you are robed with strength.(T)
7 You silence the roar of the seas,
the roar of their waves,
and the tumult of the nations.(U)
8 Those who live far away are awed by your signs;
you make east and west shout for joy.(V)
9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly,
enriching it greatly.
God’s stream is filled with water,
for you prepare the earth in this way,
providing people with grain.(W)
10 You soften it with showers and bless its growth,
soaking its furrows and leveling its ridges.(X)
11 You crown the year with your goodness;
your carts overflow with plenty.[e](Y)
12 The wilderness pastures overflow,
and the hills are robed with joy.(Z)
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks
and the valleys covered with grain.(AA)
They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing.(AB)
17 Wake yourself, wake yourself up!
Stand up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk the cup of his fury(A)
from the Lord’s hand;
you who have drunk the goblet to the dregs—
the cup that causes people to stagger.
18 There is no one to guide her
among all the children she has raised;
there is no one to take hold of her hand
among all the offspring she has brought up.
19 These two things have happened to you:(B)
devastation and destruction,
famine and sword.
Who will grieve for you?
How can I[a] comfort you?
20 Your children have fainted;
they lie at the head of every street
like an antelope in a net.
They are full of the Lord’s fury,
the rebuke of your God.
21 So listen to this, suffering
and drunken one—but not with wine.(C)
22 This is what your Lord says—
the Lord, even your God,
who defends his people(D)—
“Look, I have removed from your hand
the cup that causes staggering;
that goblet, the cup of my fury.
You will never drink it again.
23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,
who said to you,(E)
‘Lie down, so we can walk over you.’
You made your back like the ground,
and like a street for those who walk on it.
4 Now I say that as long as the heir(A) is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner(B) of everything. 2 Instead, he is under guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elements[a] of the world.(C) 4 When the time came to completion, God sent his Son,(D) born of a woman,(E) born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.(F) 6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son(G) into our[b] hearts, crying, “Abba,[c] Father!” (H) 7 So you are no longer a slave(I) but a son,(J) and if a son, then God has made you an heir.(K)
Paul’s Concern for the Galatians
8 But in the past, since you didn’t know God,(L) you were enslaved to things[d] that by nature are not gods. 9 But now, since you know God,(M) or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless(N) elements?(O) Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? 10 You are observing special days, months, seasons, and years.(P) 11 I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted.
A Gentile Mother’s Faith
24 He got up and departed from(A) there to the region of Tyre.[a](B) He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it, but he could not escape notice. 25 Instead, immediately after hearing about him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit(C) came and fell at his feet.(D) 26 The woman was a Gentile,[b](E) a Syrophoenician by birth, and she was asking him to cast the demon(F) out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, because it isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”(G)
28 But she replied to him, “Lord,(H) even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
29 Then he told her, “Because of this reply, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” 30 When she went back to her home, she found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.
Jesus Does Everything Well
31 Again, leaving the region of Tyre,(I) he went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,(J) through[c] the region of the Decapolis.(K) 32 They brought to him a deaf(L) man who had difficulty speaking(M) and begged Jesus to lay his hand on(N) him. 33 So he took him away from the crowd in private. After putting his fingers in the man’s ears and spitting,(O) he touched his tongue. 34 Looking up to heaven,(P) he sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!”[d] (that is, “Be opened!”). 35 Immediately his ears were opened,(Q) his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly.(R) 36 He ordered them to tell no one,(S) but the more he ordered them, the more they proclaimed it.(T)
37 They were extremely astonished and said, “He has done everything well.(U) He even makes the deaf(V) hear and the mute speak.”(W)
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