Book of Common Prayer
A psalm of Solomon.
72 God, give the king the ability to judge fairly.
He is your royal son. Help him to do what is right.
2 May he rule your people in the right way.
May he be fair to those among your people who are hurting.
3 May the mountains and the hills produce rich crops,
because the people will do what is right.
4 May the king stand up for those who are hurting.
May he save the children of those who are in need.
May he crush those who treat others badly.
5 May the king rule as long as the sun shines
and the moon gives its light.
May he rule for all time to come.
6 May he be like rain falling on the fields.
May he be like showers watering the earth.
7 May godly people do well as long as he rules.
May they have more than they need as long as the moon lasts.
8 May the king rule from sea to sea.
May his kingdom reach from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
9 May the desert tribes bow down to him.
May his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of places far away
bring him gifts.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
give him presents.
11 May all kings bow down to him.
May all nations serve him.
12 The king will save needy people who cry out to him.
He will save those who are hurting and have no one else to help.
13 He will take pity on those who are weak and in need.
He will save them from death.
14 He will save them from people who treat others badly.
He will save them from people who do mean things to them.
Their lives are very special to him.
15 May the king live a long time!
May gold from Sheba be given to him.
May people always pray for him.
May they ask the Lord to bless him all day long.
16 May there be plenty of grain everywhere in the land.
May it sway in the wind on the tops of the hills.
May the crops grow well, like those in Lebanon.
May they grow like the grass of the field.
17 May the king’s name be remembered forever.
May his fame last as long as the sun shines.
Then all nations will be blessed because of him.
They will call him blessed.
18 Give praise to the Lord God, the God of Israel.
Only he can do wonderful things.
19 Give praise to his glorious name forever.
May his glory fill the whole earth.
Amen and Amen.
20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, end here.
י Yodh
73 You made me and formed me with your own hands.
Give me understanding so that I can learn your commands.
74 May those who have respect for you be filled with joy when they see me.
I have put my hope in your word.
75 Lord, I know that your laws are right.
You were faithful to your promise when you made me suffer.
76 May your faithful love comfort me
as you have promised me.
77 Show me your tender love so that I can live.
I take delight in your law.
78 May proud people be put to shame for treating me badly for no reason.
I will think deeply about your rules.
79 May those who have respect for you come to me.
Then I can teach them your covenant laws.
80 May I follow your orders with all my heart.
Then I won’t be put to shame.
כ Kaph
81 I deeply long for you to save me.
I have put my hope in your word.
82 My eyes grow tired looking for what you have promised.
I say, “When will you comfort me?”
83 I’m as useless as a wineskin that smoke has dried up.
But I don’t forget to follow your orders.
84 How long do I have to wait?
When will you punish those who attack me?
85 Proud people do what is against your law.
They dig pits for me to fall into.
86 All your commands can be trusted.
Help me, because people attack me without any reason.
87 They almost wiped me off the face of the earth.
But I have not turned away from your rules.
88 Keep me alive, because of your faithful love.
Do this so that I may obey the covenant laws you have given.
ל Lamedh
89 Lord, your word lasts forever.
It stands firm in the heavens.
90 You will be faithful for all time to come.
You made the earth, and it continues to exist.
91 Your laws continue to this very day,
because all things serve you.
92 If I had not taken delight in your law,
I would have died because of my suffering.
93 I will never forget your rules.
You have kept me alive, because I obey them.
94 Save me, because I belong to you.
I’ve tried to obey your rules.
95 Sinful people are waiting to destroy me.
But I will spend time thinking about your covenant laws.
96 I’ve learned that everything has its limits.
But your commands are perfect. They are always there when I need them.
Jerusalem Will Be Glorious
54 “Jerusalem, sing!
You are now like a woman who never had a child.
Burst into song! Shout for joy!
You who have never had labor pains,
you are now all alone.
But you will have more children than a woman who still has a husband,”
says the Lord.
2 “Make a large area for your tent.
Spread out its curtains.
Go ahead and make your tent wider.
Make its ropes longer.
Drive the stakes down deeper.
3 You will spread out to the right and the left.
Your children after you will drive out the nations that are now living in your land.
They will make their homes in the deserted cities of those nations.
4 “Do not be afraid. You will not be put to shame anymore.
Do not be afraid of being dishonored.
People will no longer make fun of you.
You will forget the time when you suffered as slaves in Egypt.
You will no longer remember the shame
of being a widow in Babylon.
5 I made you. I am now your husband.
My name is the Lord Who Rules Over All.
I am the Holy One of Israel.
I have set you free.
I am the God of the whole earth.
6 You were like a wife who was deserted.
And her heart was broken.
You were like a wife who married young.
And her husband sent her away.
But now I am calling you to come back,” says your God.
7 “For a brief moment I left you.
But because I love you so much, I will bring you back.
8 For a moment I turned my face away from you.
I was very angry with you.
But I will show you my loving concern.
My faithful love will continue forever,”
says the Lord. He is the one who set you free.
9 “During Noah’s time I made a promise.
I said I would never cover the earth with water again.
In the same way, I have promised not to be angry with you.
I will never punish you again.
10 The mountains might shake.
The hills might be removed.
But my faithful love for you will never be shaken.
And my covenant that promises peace to you will never be removed,”
says the Lord. He shows you his loving concern.
11 “Suffering city, you have been beaten by storms.
You have not been comforted.
I will rebuild you with turquoise stones.
I will rebuild your foundations with lapis lazuli.
12 I will line the top of your city wall with rubies.
I will make your gates out of gleaming jewels.
And I will make all your walls out of precious stones.
13 I will teach all your children.
And they will enjoy great peace.
14 When you do what is right,
you will be made secure.
Your leaders will not be mean to you.
You will not have anything to be afraid of.
You will not be terrified anymore.
Terror will not come near you.
15 People might attack you. But I will not be the cause of it.
Those who attack you will give themselves up to you.
16 “I created blacksmiths.
They fan the coals into flames of fire.
They make weapons that are fit for their work.
I also created those who destroy others.
17 But no weapon used against you will succeed.
People might bring charges against you.
But you will prove that they are wrong.
Those are the things I do for my servants.
I make everything right for them,”
announces the Lord.
Hagar and Sarah
21 You who want to be under the authority of the law, tell me something. Don’t you know what the law says? 22 It is written that Abraham had two sons. The slave woman gave birth to one of them. The free woman gave birth to the other one. 23 Abraham’s son by the slave woman was born in the usual way. But his son by the free woman was born because of God’s promise.
24 These things are examples. The two women stand for two covenants. One covenant comes from Mount Sinai. It gives birth to children who are going to be slaves. It is Hagar. 25 Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia. She stands for the present city of Jerusalem. That’s because she and her children are slaves. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free. She is our mother. 27 It is written,
“Be glad, woman,
you who have never had children.
Shout for joy and cry out loud,
you who have never had labor pains.
The woman who is all alone has more children
than the woman who has a husband.” (Isaiah 54:1)
28 Brothers and sisters, you are children because of God’s promise just as Isaac was. 29 At that time, the son born in the usual way tried to hurt the other son. The other son was born by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman. Get rid of her son. The slave woman’s son will never have a share of the family’s property. He’ll never share it with the free woman’s son.” (Genesis 21:10) 31 Brothers and sisters, we are not the slave woman’s children. We are the free woman’s children.
11 The Pharisees came and began to ask Jesus questions. They wanted to test him. So they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply. He said, “Why do you people ask for a sign? What I’m about to tell you is true. No sign will be given to you.” 13 Then he left them. He got back into the boat and crossed to the other side of the lake.
The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod
14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread. They had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees. And watch out for the yeast of Herod.”
16 They talked about this with each other. They said, “He must be saying this because we don’t have any bread.”
17 Jesus knew what they were saying. So he asked them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Why can’t you see or understand? Are you stubborn? 18 Do you have eyes and still don’t see? Do you have ears and still don’t hear? And don’t you remember? 19 Earlier I broke five loaves for the 5,000. How many baskets of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they replied.
20 “Later I broke seven loaves for the 4,000. How many baskets of pieces did you pick up?”
“Seven,” they answered.
21 He said to them, “Can’t you understand yet?”
Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida
22 Jesus and his disciples came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him. They begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand. Then he led him outside the village. He spit on the man’s eyes and placed his hands on him. “Do you see anything?” Jesus asked.
24 The man looked up. He said, “I see people. They look like trees walking around.”
25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened so that he could see again. He saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home. He told him, “Don’t even go into the village.”
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