Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 75[a]
For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style;[b] a psalm of Asaph, a song.
75 We give thanks to you, O God. We give thanks.
You reveal your presence;[c]
people tell about your amazing deeds.
2 God says,[d]
“At the appointed times,[e]
I judge[f] fairly.
3 When the earth and all its inhabitants dissolve in fear,[g]
I make its pillars secure.”[h] (Selah)
4 [i] I say to the proud, “Do not be proud,”
and to the wicked, “Do not be so confident of victory.[j]
5 Do not be so certain you have won.[k]
Do not speak with your head held so high.[l]
6 For victory does not come from the east or west,
or from the wilderness.[m]
7 For God is the judge.[n]
He brings one down and exalts another.[o]
8 For the Lord holds in his hand a cup
full of foaming wine mixed with spices,[p]
and pours it out.[q]
Surely all the wicked of the earth
will slurp it up and drink it to its very last drop.”[r]
9 As for me, I will continually tell what you have done;[s]
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 God says,[t]
“I will bring down all the power of the wicked;
the godly will be victorious.”[u]
Psalm 76[v]
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of Asaph, a song.
76 God has revealed himself in Judah;[w]
in Israel his reputation[x] is great.
2 He lives in Salem;[y]
he dwells in Zion.[z]
3 There he shattered the arrows,[aa]
the shield, the sword, and the rest of the weapons of war.[ab] (Selah)
4 You shine brightly and reveal your majesty,
as you descend from the hills where you killed your prey.[ac]
5 The bravehearted[ad] were plundered;[ae]
they “fell asleep.”[af]
All the warriors were helpless.[ag]
6 At the sound of your battle cry,[ah] O God of Jacob,
both rider[ai] and horse “fell asleep.”[aj]
7 You are awesome! Yes, you!
Who can withstand your intense anger?[ak]
8 From heaven you announced what their punishment would be.[al]
The earth[am] was afraid and silent
9 when God arose to execute judgment,
and to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. (Selah)
10 Certainly[an] your angry judgment upon men will bring you praise;[ao]
you reveal your anger in full measure.[ap]
11 Make vows to the Lord your God and repay them.
Let all those who surround him[aq] bring tribute to the awesome one.
12 He humbles princes;[ar]
the kings of the earth regard him as awesome.[as]
Psalm 23[a]
A psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd,[b]
I lack nothing.[c]
2 He takes me to lush pastures,[d]
he leads me to refreshing water.[e]
3 He restores my strength.[f]
He leads me down[g] the right paths[h]
for the sake of his reputation.[i]
4 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley,[j]
I fear[k] no danger,[l]
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff reassure me.[m]
5 You prepare a feast before me[n]
in plain sight of my enemies.
You refresh[o] my head with oil;
my cup is completely full.[p]
6 Surely your goodness and faithfulness[q] will pursue[r] me all my days,[s]
and I will live in[t] the Lord’s house[u] for the rest of my life.[v]
Psalm 27[a]
By David.
27 The Lord is my light[b] and my salvation.
I fear no one.[c]
The Lord protects my life.
I am afraid of no one.[d]
2 When evil men attack me[e]
to devour my flesh,[f]
when my adversaries and enemies attack me,[g]
they stumble and fall.[h]
3 Even when an army is deployed against me,
I do not fear.[i]
Even when war is imminent,[j]
I remain confident.[k]
4 I have asked the Lord for one thing—
this is what I desire!
I want to live[l] in the Lord’s house[m] all the days of my life,
so I can gaze at the splendor[n] of the Lord
and contemplate in his temple.
5 He will surely[o] give me shelter[p] in the day of danger;[q]
he will hide me in his home.[r]
He will place me[s] on an inaccessible rocky summit.[t]
6 Now I will triumph
over my enemies who surround me.[u]
I will offer sacrifices in his dwelling place and shout for joy.[v]
I will sing praises to the Lord.
7 Hear me,[w] O Lord, when I cry out.
Have mercy on me and answer me.
8 My heart tells me to pray to you,[x]
and I do pray to you, O Lord.[y]
9 Do not reject me.[z]
Do not push your servant away in anger.
You are my deliverer.[aa]
Do not forsake or abandon me,
O God who vindicates me.
10 Even if my father and mother abandoned me,[ab]
the Lord would take me in.[ac]
11 Teach me how you want me to live,[ad] Lord;
lead me along a level path[ae] because of those who wait to ambush me.[af]
12 Do not turn me over to my enemies,[ag]
for false witnesses who want to destroy me testify against me.[ah]
13 Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience
the Lord’s favor in the land of the living?[ai]
14 Rely[aj] on the Lord!
Be strong and confident![ak]
Rely on the Lord!
3 “But approach, you sons of omen readers,
you offspring of adulteresses and prostitutes![a]
4 At whom are you laughing?
At whom are you opening your mouth
and sticking out your tongue?
You are the children of rebels,
the offspring of liars,[b]
5 you who inflame your lusts[c] among the oaks[d] and under every green tree,
who slaughter children near the streams under the rocky overhangs.[e]
6 Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love;
they, they are the object of your devotion.[f]
You pour out liquid offerings to them,
you make an offering.
Because of these things how can I relent from judgment?[g]
7 On every high, elevated hill you prepare your bed;
you go up there to offer sacrifices.
8 Behind the door and doorpost you put your symbols.[h]
Indeed,[i] you depart from me[j] and go up
and invite them into bed with you.[k]
You purchase favors from them;[l]
you love their bed,
and gaze longingly[m] on their naked bodies.[n]
9 You take olive oil as tribute[o] to your king,[p]
along with many perfumes.[q]
You send your messengers to a distant place;
you go all the way to Sheol.[r]
10 Because of the long distance you must travel, you get tired,[s]
but you do not say, ‘I give up.’[t]
You get renewed energy,[u]
so you don’t collapse.[v]
11 Whom are you worried about?
Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully
and not remember me
or think about me?[w]
Because I have been silent for so long,[x]
you are not afraid of me.[y]
12 I will denounce your so-called righteousness and your deeds,[z]
but they will not help you.
13 When you cry out for help, let your idols[aa] help you!
The wind blows them all away,[ab]
a breeze carries them away.[ac]
But the one who looks to me for help[ad] will inherit the land
and will have access to[ae] my holy mountain.”
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with[a] the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited,[b] provoking[c] one another, being jealous[d] of one another.
Support One Another
6 Brothers and sisters,[e] if a person[f] is discovered in some sin,[g] you who are spiritual[h] restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness.[i] Pay close attention[j] to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too. 2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Let each one examine[k] his own work. Then he can take pride[l] in himself and not compare himself with[m] someone else. 5 For each one will carry[n] his own load.
6 Now the one who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with the one who teaches[o] it. 7 Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool.[p] For a person[q] will reap what he sows, 8 because the person who sows to his own flesh[r] will reap corruption[s] from the flesh,[t] but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 So we must not grow weary[u] in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up.[v] 10 So then,[w] whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith.[x]
The Disciples’ Failure to Heal
14 When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and experts in the law[a] arguing with them. 15 When the whole crowd saw him, they were amazed and ran[b] at once and greeted him. 16 He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 A member of the crowd said to him, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that makes him mute. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to cast it out, but[c] they were not able to do so.”[d] 19 He answered them,[e] “You[f] unbelieving[g] generation! How much longer[h] must I be with you? How much longer must I endure[i] you?[j] Bring him to me.” 20 So they brought the boy[k] to him. When the spirit saw him, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He[l] fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus[m] asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 It has often thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if you are able to do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 Then Jesus said to him, “‘If you are able?’[n] All things are possible for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
25 Now when Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked[o] the unclean spirit,[p] saying to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 It shrieked, threw him into terrible convulsions, and came out. The boy[q] looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He is dead!” 27 But Jesus gently took his hand and raised him to his feet, and he stood up.
28 Then,[r] after he went into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?” 29 He told them, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”[s]
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