Book of Common Prayer
ק (Qof)
145 I cried out with all my heart, “Answer me, O Lord!
I will observe your statutes.”
146 I cried out to you, “Deliver me,
so that I can keep[a] your rules.”
147 I am up before dawn crying for help.
I find hope in your word.
148 My eyes anticipate the nighttime hours,
so that I can meditate on your word.
149 Listen to me[b] because of[c] your loyal love.
O Lord, revive me, as you typically do.[d]
150 Those who are eager to do[e] wrong draw near;
they are far from your law.
151 You are near, O Lord,
and all your commands are reliable.[f]
152 I learned long ago that
you ordained your rules to last.[g]
ר (Resh)
153 See my pain and rescue me.
For I do not forget your law.
154 Fight for me[h] and defend me.[i]
Revive me with your word.
155 The wicked have no chance for deliverance,[j]
for they do not seek your statutes.
156 Your compassion is great, O Lord.
Revive me, as you typically do.[k]
157 The enemies who chase me are numerous.[l]
Yet I do not turn aside from your rules.
158 I take note of the treacherous and despise them,
because they do not keep your instructions.[m]
159 See how I love your precepts.
O Lord, revive me with your loyal love.
160 Your instructions are totally reliable;
all your just regulations endure.[n]
שׂ/שׁ (Sin/Shin)
161 Rulers pursue me for no reason,
yet I am more afraid of disobeying your instructions.[o]
162 I rejoice in your instructions,
like one who finds much plunder.[p]
163 I hate and despise deceit;
I love your law.
164 Seven times[q] a day I praise you
because of your just regulations.
165 Those who love your law are completely secure;[r]
nothing causes them to stumble.[s]
166 I hope for your deliverance, O Lord,
and I obey[t] your commands.
167 I keep your rules;
I love them greatly.
168 I keep your precepts and rules,
for you are aware of everything I do.[u]
ת (Tav)
169 Listen to my cry for help,[v] O Lord.
Give me insight by your word.
170 Listen to my appeal for mercy.[w]
Deliver me, as you promised.[x]
171 May praise flow freely from my lips,
for you teach me your statutes.
172 May my tongue sing about your instructions,[y]
for all your commands are just.
173 May your hand help me,
for I choose to obey[z] your precepts.
174 I long for your deliverance, O Lord;
I find delight in your law.
175 May I[aa] live and praise you.
May your regulations help me.[ab]
176 I have wandered off like a lost sheep.[ac]
Come looking for your servant,
for I do not forget your commands.
Psalm 128[a]
A song of ascents.[b]
128 How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers,[c]
each one who keeps his commands.[d]
2 You[e] will eat what you worked so hard to grow.[f]
You will be blessed and secure.[g]
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine[h]
in the inner rooms of your house;
your children[i] will be like olive branches,
as they sit all around your table.
4 Yes indeed, the man who fears the Lord
will be blessed in this way.[j]
5 May the Lord bless you[k] from Zion,
that you might see[l] Jerusalem prosper
all the days of your life,
6 and that you might see[m] your grandchildren.[n]
May Israel experience peace.[o]
Psalm 129[p]
A song of ascents.[q]
129 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,”
let Israel say.
2 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,
but they have not defeated me.
3 The plowers plowed my back;
they made their furrows long.
4 The Lord is just;
he cut the ropes of the wicked.”[r]
5 May all who hate Zion
be humiliated and turned back.
6 May they be like the grass on the rooftops,
which withers before one can even pull it up,[s]
7 which cannot fill the reaper’s hand,
or the lap of the one who gathers the grain.
8 Those who pass by will not say,[t]
“May you experience the Lord’s blessing!
We pronounce a blessing on you in the name of the Lord.”
Psalm 130[u]
A song of ascents.[v]
130 From the deep water[w] I cry out to you, O Lord.
2 O Lord, listen to me.[x]
Pay attention to[y] my plea for mercy.
3 If you, O Lord, were to keep track of[z] sins,
O Lord, who could stand before you?[aa]
4 But[ab] you are willing to forgive,[ac]
so that you might[ad] be honored.[ae]
5 I rely on[af] the Lord.
I rely on him with my whole being;[ag]
I wait for his assuring word.[ah]
6 I yearn for the Lord,[ai]
more than watchmen do for the morning,
yes, more than watchmen do for the morning.[aj]
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord,
for the Lord exhibits loyal love,[ak]
and is more than willing to deliver.[al]
8 He will deliver[am] Israel
from all their sins.[an]
30 “Then, Jeremiah,[a] make the following prophecy[b] against them:
‘Like a lion about to attack,[c] the Lord will roar from the heights of heaven;
from his holy dwelling on high he will roar loudly.
He will roar mightily against his land.[d]
He will shout in triumph, like those stomping juice from the grapes,[e]
against all those who live on the earth.
31 The sounds of battle[f] will resound to the ends of the earth.
For the Lord will bring charges against the nations.[g]
He will pass judgment on all humankind
and will hand the wicked over to be killed in war.’[h]
The Lord so affirms it![i]
32 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says,
‘Disaster will soon come on one nation after another.[j]
A mighty storm of military destruction[k] is rising up
from the distant parts of the earth.’
33 Those who have been killed by the Lord at that time
will be scattered from one end of the earth to the other.
They will not be mourned over, gathered up, or buried.[l]
Their dead bodies will lie scattered over the ground like manure.
34 Wail and cry out in anguish, you rulers!
Roll in the dust, you who shepherd flocks of people![m]
The time for you to be slaughtered has come.
You will lie scattered and fallen like broken pieces of fine pottery.[n]
35 The leaders will not be able to run away and hide.[o]
The shepherds of the flocks will not be able to escape.
36 Listen to the cries of anguish of the leaders.
Listen to the wails of the shepherds of the flocks.
They are wailing because the Lord
is about to destroy their lands.[p]
37 Their peaceful dwelling places will be laid waste[q]
by the fierce anger of the Lord.[r]
38 The Lord is like a lion who has left his lair.[s]
So their lands will certainly[t] be laid waste
by the warfare of the oppressive nation[u]
and by the fierce anger of the Lord.”
14 How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them?[a] 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How timely[b] is the arrival[c] of those who proclaim the good news.”[d] 16 But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”[e] 17 Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word[f] of Christ.[g]
18 But I ask, have they[h] not heard?[i] Yes, they have:[j] Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.[k] 19 But again I ask, didn’t Israel understand?[l] First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; with a senseless nation I will provoke you to anger.”[m] 20 And Isaiah is even bold enough to say, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I became well known to those who did not ask for me.”[n] 21 But about Israel he says, “All day long I held out my hands to this disobedient and stubborn people!”[o]
Jesus as the Good Shepherd
10 “I tell you the solemn truth,[a] the one who does not enter the sheepfold[b] by the door,[c] but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The doorkeeper[d] opens the door[e] for him,[f] and the sheep hear his voice. He[g] calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.[h] 4 When he has brought all his own sheep[i] out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize[j] his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger,[k] but will run away from him, because they do not recognize[l] the stranger’s voice.”[m] 6 Jesus told them this parable,[n] but they[o] did not understand[p] what he was saying to them.
7 So Jesus said again, “I tell you the solemn truth,[q] I am the door for the sheep.[r] 8 All who came before me were[s] thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.[t] 9 I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved, and will come in and go out,[u] and find pasture.[v] 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill[w] and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.[x]
11 “I am the good[y] shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life[z] for the sheep. 12 The hired hand,[aa] who is not a shepherd and does not own sheep, sees the wolf coming and abandons[ab] the sheep and runs away.[ac] So the wolf attacks[ad] the sheep and scatters them. 13 Because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep,[ae] he runs away.[af]
14 “I am the good shepherd. I[ag] know my own[ah] and my own know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life[ai] for[aj] the sheep. 16 I have[ak] other sheep that do not come from[al] this sheepfold.[am] I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice,[an] so that[ao] there will be one flock and[ap] one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me[aq]—because I lay down my life,[ar] so that I may take it back again. 18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down[as] of my own free will.[at] I have the authority[au] to lay it down, and I have the authority[av] to take it back again. This commandment[aw] I received from my Father.”
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.