Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 69
A Plea for Rescue
For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.”[a] Davidic.
1 Save me, God,
for the water has risen to my neck.(A)
2 I have sunk in deep mud, and there is no footing;
I have come into deep waters,
and a flood sweeps over me.(B)
3 I am weary from my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail, looking for my God.(C)
4 Those who hate me without cause
are more numerous than the hairs of my head;
my deceitful enemies, who would destroy me,
are powerful.(D)
Though I did not steal, I must repay.(E)
5 God, You know my foolishness,
and my guilty acts are not hidden from You.(F)
6 Do not let those who put their hope in You
be disgraced because of me,
Lord God of Hosts;
do not let those who seek You
be humiliated because of me,
God of Israel.(G)
7 For I have endured insults because of You,
and shame has covered my face.(H)
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers
and a foreigner to my mother’s sons(I)
9 because zeal for Your house has consumed me,(J)
and the insults of those who insult You
have fallen on me.(K)
10 I mourned and fasted,
but it brought me insults.(L)
11 I wore sackcloth as my clothing,
and I was a joke to them.
12 Those who sit at the city gate talk about me,
and drunkards make up songs about me.(M)
13 But as for me, Lord,
my prayer to You is for a time of favor.
In Your abundant, faithful love, God,
answer me with Your sure salvation.(N)
14 Rescue me from the miry mud; don’t let me sink.
Let me be rescued from those who hate me
and from the deep waters.(O)
15 Don’t let the floodwaters sweep over me
or the deep swallow me up;
don’t let the Pit close its mouth over me.(P)
16 Answer me, Lord,
for Your faithful love is good;
in keeping with Your great compassion,
turn to me.(Q)
17 Don’t hide Your face from Your servant,
for I am in distress.
Answer me quickly!(R)
18 Draw near to me and redeem me;
ransom me because of my enemies.(S)
19 You know the insults I endure—
my shame and disgrace.
You are aware of all my adversaries.(T)
20 Insults have broken my heart,
and I am in despair.
I waited for sympathy,
but there was none;
for comforters, but found no one.(U)
21 Instead, they gave me gall[b] for my food,
and for my thirst
they gave me vinegar to drink.(V)
22 Let their table set before them be a snare,
and let it be a trap for their allies.(W)
23 Let their eyes grow too dim to see,
and let their loins continually shake.(X)
24 Pour out Your rage on them,
and let Your burning anger overtake them.(Y)
25 Make their fortification desolate;
may no one live in their tents.(Z)
26 For they persecute the one You struck
and talk about the pain of those You wounded.(AA)
27 Add guilt to their guilt;
do not let them share in Your righteousness.(AB)
28 Let them be erased from the book of life
and not be recorded with the righteous.(AC)
29 But as for me—poor and in pain—
let Your salvation protect me, God.(AD)
30 I will praise God’s name with song
and exalt Him with thanksgiving.(AE)
31 That will please Yahweh more than an ox,
more than a bull with horns and hooves.(AF)
32 The humble will see it and rejoice.
You who seek God, take heart!(AG)
33 For the Lord listens to the needy
and does not despise
His own who are prisoners.(AH)
BOOK III
(Psalms 73–89)
Psalm 73
God’s Ways Vindicated
A psalm of Asaph.(A)
1 God is indeed good to Israel,
to the pure in heart.(B)
2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped;
my steps nearly went astray.(C)
3 For I envied the arrogant;
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(D)
4 They have an easy time until they die,[a]
and their bodies are well fed.[b](E)
5 They are not in trouble like others;
they are not afflicted like most people.(F)
6 Therefore, pride is their necklace,
and violence covers them like a garment.(G)
7 Their eyes bulge out from fatness;
the imaginations of their hearts run wild.(H)
8 They mock, and they speak maliciously;
they arrogantly threaten oppression.(I)
9 They set their mouths against heaven,
and their tongues strut across the earth.(J)
10 Therefore His people turn to them[c]
and drink in their overflowing words.[d](K)
11 The wicked say, “How can God know?
Does the Most High know everything?”(L)
12 Look at them—the wicked!
They are always at ease,
and they increase their wealth.(M)
13 Did I purify my heart
and wash my hands in innocence for nothing?(N)
14 For I am afflicted all day long
and punished every morning.(O)
15 If I had decided to say these things aloud,
I would have betrayed Your people.[e](P)
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it seemed hopeless[f](Q)
17 until I entered God’s sanctuary.
Then I understood their destiny.(R)
18 Indeed, You put them in slippery places;
You make them fall into ruin.(S)
19 How suddenly they become a desolation!
They come to an end, swept away by terrors.(T)
20 Like one waking from a dream,
Lord, when arising, You will despise their image.(U)
21 When I became embittered
and my innermost being[g] was wounded,(V)
22 I was stupid and didn’t understand;
I was an unthinking animal toward You.(W)
23 Yet I am always with You;
You hold my right hand.(X)
24 You guide me with Your counsel,
and afterward You will take me up in glory.[h](Y)
25 Who do I have in heaven but You?
And I desire nothing on earth but You.(Z)
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength[i] of my heart,
my portion forever.(AA)
27 Those far from You will certainly perish;
You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.(AB)
28 But as for me, God’s presence is my good.
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
so I can tell about all You do.(AC)
A Message concerning Jehoiakim
13 Woe for the one who builds his palace
through unrighteousness,(A)
his upper rooms through injustice,
who makes his fellow man serve without pay
and will not give him his wages,(B)
14 who says, “I will build myself a massive palace,
with spacious upper rooms.”
He will cut windows[a] in it,
and it will be paneled with cedar
and painted with vermilion.
15 Are you a king because you excel in cedar?
Didn’t your father eat and drink
and administer justice and righteousness?(C)
Then it went well with him.
16 He took up the case of the poor and needy,
then it went well.
Is this not what it means to know Me?
This is the Lord’s declaration.
17 But you have eyes and a heart for nothing
except your own dishonest profit,
shedding innocent blood
and committing extortion and oppression.
18 Therefore, this is what the Lord says concerning Jehoiakim(D) son of Josiah, king of Judah:
They will not mourn for him, saying,
“Woe, my brother!” or “Woe, my sister!”
They will not mourn for him, saying,
“Woe, lord! Woe, his majesty!”
19 He will be buried like a donkey,(E)
dragged off and thrown
outside the gates of Jerusalem.
20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out;
raise your voice in Bashan;
cry out from Abarim,(F)
for all your lovers[b] have been crushed.(G)
21 I spoke to you when you were secure.
You said, “I will not listen.”
This has been your way since youth;(H)
indeed, you have never listened to Me.
22 The wind will take charge of[c] all your shepherds,
and your lovers[d] will go into captivity.
Then you will be ashamed and humiliated(I)
because of all your evil.
23 You residents of Lebanon,
nestled among the cedars,
how you will groan[e] when labor pains come on you,
agony like a woman in labor.(J)
The Holy Spirit’s Ministries
12 So then, brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,(A) you will live. 14 All those led by God’s Spirit(B) are God’s sons.(C) 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,(D) but you received the Spirit of adoption,(E) by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”(F) 16 The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit(G) that we are God’s children, 17 and if children, also heirs(H)—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—seeing that[a] we suffer with Him(I) so that we may also be glorified with Him.
From Groans to Glory
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing(J) with the glory(K) that is going to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation(L) for God’s sons(M) to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected(N) to futility(O)—not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it(P)—in the hope 21 that the creation itself(Q) will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains(R) until now. 23 And not only that,(S) but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits(T)—we also groan within ourselves,(U) eagerly waiting for adoption,(V) the redemption of our bodies.(W) 24 Now in this hope(X) we were saved, yet hope(Y) that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see,(Z) we eagerly wait for it with patience.
26 In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should,(AA) but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us[b](AB) with unspoken groanings. 27 And He who searches the hearts(AC) knows the Spirit’s mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
41 Therefore the Jews started complaining about Him because He said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They were saying, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph,(A) whose father and mother we know? How can He now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
43 Jesus answered them, “Stop complaining among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws[a] him, and I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets:(B) And they will all be taught by God.(C)[b] Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Father(D) comes to Me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father(E) except the One who is from God.(F) He has seen the Father.(G)
47 “I assure you: Anyone who believes[c] has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna(H) in the wilderness,(I) and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die.(J) 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live(K) forever.(L) The bread that I will give for the life(M) of the world is My flesh.”(N)
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