Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 75
God Judges the Wicked
For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.”[a] A psalm of Asaph.(A) A song.
1 We give thanks to You, God;
we give thanks to You, for Your name is near.
People tell about Your wonderful works.(B)
2 “When I choose a time,
I will judge fairly.(C)
3 When the earth and all its inhabitants shake,
I am the One who steadies its pillars.(D)
4 I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn.(E)
5 Do not lift up your horn against heaven
or speak arrogantly.’”(F)
6 Exaltation does not come
from the east, the west, or the desert,
7 for God is the Judge:
He brings down one and exalts another.(G)
8 For there is a cup in the Lord’s hand,
full of wine blended with spices, and He pours from it.
All the wicked of the earth will drink,
draining it to the dregs.(H)
9 As for me, I will tell about Him forever;
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.(I)
10 “I will cut off all the horns of the wicked,(J)
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”(K)
Psalm 76
God, the Powerful Judge
For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph.(L) A song.
1 God is known in Judah;
His name is great in Israel.(M)
2 His tent is in Salem,[b]
His dwelling place in Zion.(N)
3 There He shatters the bow’s flaming arrows,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.(O)
4 You are resplendent and majestic
coming down from the mountains of prey.(P)
5 The brave-hearted have been plundered;
they have slipped into their final sleep.
None of the warriors was able to lift a hand.(Q)
6 At Your rebuke, God of Jacob,
both chariot and horse lay still.(R)
7 And You—You are to be feared.[c]
When You are angry,
who can stand before You?(S)
8 From heaven You pronounced judgment.
The earth feared and grew quiet(T)
9 when God rose up to judge
and to save all the lowly of the earth.(U)
10 Even human wrath will praise You;
You will clothe Yourself
with their remaining wrath.[d](V)
Psalm 23
The Good Shepherd
A Davidic psalm.
1 The Lord is my shepherd;(A)
there is nothing I lack.(B)
2 He lets me lie down in green pastures;(C)
He leads me beside quiet waters.(D)
3 He renews my life;
He leads me along the right paths[a]
for His name’s sake.(E)
4 Even when I go through the darkest valley,[b]
I fear no danger,
for You are with me;(F)
Your rod and Your staff[c]—they comfort me.(G)
Psalm 27
My Stronghold
Davidic.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom should I fear?(A)
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom should I be afraid?(B)
2 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh,(C)
my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.(D)
3 Though an army deploys against me,
my heart is not afraid;
though a war breaks out against me,
still I am confident.(E)
4 I have asked one thing from the Lord;
it is what I desire:
to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,(F)
gazing on the beauty of the Lord(G)
and seeking Him in His temple.(H)
5 For He will conceal me in His shelter
in the day of adversity;
He will hide me under the cover of His tent;
He will set me high on a rock.(I)
6 Then my head will be high
above my enemies around me;(J)
I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy.(K)
I will sing and make music to the Lord.(L)
7 Lord, hear my voice when I call;
be gracious to me and answer me.(M)
8 My heart says this about You,
“You[a] are to seek My face.”
Lord, I will seek Your face.(N)
9 Do not hide Your face from me;(O)
do not turn Your servant away in anger.(P)
You have been my helper;(Q)
do not leave me or abandon me,
God of my salvation.
10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord cares for me.(R)
Pagan Religion Denounced
3 But come here,
you sons of a sorceress,
offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute![a]
4 Who is it you are mocking?
Who is it you are opening your mouth
and sticking out your tongue at?
Isn’t it you, you rebellious children,(A)
you race of liars,
5 who burn with lust among the oaks,
under every green tree,(B)
who slaughter children in the wadis
below the clefts of the rocks?(C)
6 Your portion is among the smooth stones of the wadi;
indeed, they are your lot.
You have even poured out a drink offering to them;
you have offered a grain offering;
should I be satisfied with these?
7 You have placed your bed
on a high and lofty mountain;(D)
you also went up there to offer sacrifice.
8 You have set up your memorial
behind the door and doorpost.
For away from Me, you stripped,
went up, and made your bed wide,(E)
and you have made a bargain[b] for yourself with them.
You have loved their bed;
you have gazed on their genitals.[c][d]
9 You went to the king with oil
and multiplied your perfumes;
you sent your couriers far away(F)
and sent them down even to Sheol.
10 You became weary on your many journeys,
but you did not say, “I give up!”(G)
You found a renewal of your strength;[e]
therefore you did not grow weak.
11 Who was it you dreaded and feared,
so that you lied and didn’t remember Me
or take it to heart?
Have I not kept silent for such a long time[f](H)
and you do not fear Me?
12 I will expose your righteousness,
and your works—they will not profit you.
13 When you cry out,
let your collection of idols deliver you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
a breath will take them away.
But whoever takes refuge in Me
will inherit the land(I)
and possess My holy mountain.(J)
25 Since we live(A) by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit. 26 We must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.(B)
Carry One Another’s Burdens
6 Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle(C) spirit,(D) watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted.(E) 2 Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.(F) 3 For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing,(G) he deceives himself. 4 But each person should examine his own work,(H) and then he will have a reason for boasting in himself alone, and not in respect to someone else. 5 For each person will have to carry his own load.
6 The one who is taught the message must share(I) all his good things with the teacher. 7 Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, 8 because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit(J) will reap eternal life(K) from the Spirit. 9 So we must not get tired(L) of doing good,(M) for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work(N) for the good(O) of all, especially for those who belong to the household(P) of faith.(Q)
The Power of Faith over a Demon
14 When(A) they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes disputing(B) with them. 15 All of a sudden, when the whole crowd saw Him, they were amazed[a] and ran to greet Him. 16 Then He asked them, “What are you arguing with them about?”
17 Out of the crowd, one man answered Him, “Teacher,(C) I brought my son to You. He has a spirit(D) that makes him unable to speak.(E) 18 Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”
19 He replied to them, “You unbelieving(F) generation! How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to Me.” 20 So they brought him to Him. When the spirit saw Him, it immediately convulsed the boy. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 “How long has this been happening to him?” Jesus asked his father.
“From childhood,” he said. 22 “And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy(G) him. But if You can do anything, have compassion(H) on us and help us.”
23 Then Jesus said to him, “‘If You can’?[b][c] Everything is possible(I) to the one who believes.”(J)
24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe! Help my unbelief.”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly coming together, He rebuked(K) the unclean(L) spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf(M) spirit,[d] I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!”
26 Then it came out, shrieking and convulsing(N) him[e] violently. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him,(O) and he stood up.
28 After He went into a house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
29 And He told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer(P) [and fasting].”[f](Q)
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