◀ All Reading Plans / Book of Common Prayer / Ps. 131 132 [133]; Ps. 140 142; Jer. 26:1–16; Rom. 11:1–12; John 10:19–42 (New Catholic Bible)

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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.

Duration: 861 days

Psalm 131-133

Psalm 131^[a]

Childlike Trust in God

¹A song of ascents. Of David.

O Lord, my heart^[b] is not proud,
    nor are my eyes raised too high.
I do not concern myself with great affairs
    or with things too sublime for me.
²Rather, I have stilled and calmed my soul,^[c]
    hushed it like a weaned child.
Like a weaned child held in its mother’s arms,
    so is my soul within me.
³O Israel, put your hope in the Lord
    both now and forevermore.^[d]

Psalm 132^[e]

The Divine Promises Made to David

¹A song of ascents.

Remember, O Lord, for David’s sake,
    all the difficulties he endured.^[f]
²^[g]He swore an oath to the Lord
    and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
³“I will not enter the house I live in
    or lie down on the bed where I sleep,
⁴neither will I allow myself to fall asleep
    or even to close my eyes,
⁵until I find a home for the Lord,
    a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
⁶We heard of it in Ephrathah;
    we came upon it^[h] in the fields of Jaar.
⁷^[i]Let us enter his dwelling place,
    let us worship at his footstool.
⁸Arise, O Lord, and go up to your resting place,
    you and the Ark of your might.
⁹Let your priests clothe themselves with righteousness,^[j]
    and let your saints shout for joy.
¹⁰For the sake of your servant David,
    do not reject your anointed one.^[k]
¹¹The Lord swore this oath^[l] to David,
    an oath that he will not renounce:
“One of your own descendants
    I will place on your throne.
¹²If your sons keep my covenant
    and the statutes that I will teach them,
their sons will also rule
    on your throne from age to age.”^[m]
¹³For the Lord has chosen Zion;
    he has designated it for his home:
¹⁴“This will be my resting place forever;
    here I will reside, for such is my wish.
¹⁵^[n]“I will bless it with abundant provisions
    and satisfy its poor with their fill of bread.
¹⁶I will clothe its priests with salvation,
    and its saints will shout for joy.
¹⁷“There I will raise up a horn for David^[o]
    and prepare a lamp for my anointed one.
¹⁸I will clothe his enemies with shame,
    but on his head there will be a resplendent crown.”^[p]

Psalm 133^[q]

The Blessings of Brotherly Accord

¹A song of ascents. Of David.^[r]

How wonderful and delightful it is
    for brothers to live together in unity.^[s]
²It is like fragrant ointment poured on the head,
    running down upon the beard,
running down upon the beard of Aaron,
    and flowing on the collar of his robes.^[t]
³It is like the dew of Hermon
    falling upon the mountains of Zion.^[u]
For there the Lord has bestowed his blessing,
    life forevermore.

Footnotes

Psalm 131:1 Certainly the Prophets dared to state that God was like a mother for his people (see Isa 66:12f; Hos 11:4). But here is a man who has not fled from the experience of life; he lays bare the depth of his heart: the soul of a child before God. This psalm strikes us with great freshness and simplicity, and it is the most moving and evangelical of the psalms. A believer of the Old Testament has discovered the voice of spiritual childhood: “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:3).
We can pray this psalm with the awareness that after practicing abandonment to God’s hands, Jesus offers it as an ideal for us also, for like him we are children of the heavenly Father: “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29). We must flee from all desire to go beyond God and his help (see Mt 23:11; Jas 4:6f; 1 Pet 5:5f). The Father alone can make our labors fruitful through Christ (see Jn 15:1-17; 1 Cor 3:5-8); without Christ we can do nothing (see Jn 15:5).
Psalm 131:1 Heart: see note on Ps 4:8. The psalmist has completely submitted himself to God in all humility (see Mic 6:8). He is not like the proud who rely only on themselves (see note on Ps 31:24). He knows that true holiness begins in a heart bereft of pride (see Prov 18:12), with eyes that do not envy (see Pss 18:28; 101:5; Prov 16:5), and a manner of life that is not presumptuous, not preoccupied with great things (see Jer 45:5) and achievements that are too sublime, i.e., too difficult or arduous, beyond one’s powers (see Deut 17:8; 30:11).
Psalm 131:2 Soul: see note on Ps 6:4. The psalmist keeps a guard over his desires. He is like a weaned child, who no longer frets for what it used to find indispensable and walks trustingly by its mother or lies peacefully in its mother’s arms.
Psalm 131:3 Likewise all Israel, all God’s people, must hope only in the Lord. Weaned away from insubstantial ambitions, we must hanker for the sole solid fare: “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me, and to accomplish his work” (Jn 4:34).
Psalm 132:1 By means of this psalm, the pilgrims, assembled for the procession, sing the glory of Zion, the dwelling place of God and the residence of his anointed, i.e., the king descended from David and like him, was consecrated with holy oil. Doubtless, this is a celebration of the anniversary of the bringing of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem at the time of King David (see 2 Sam 6; 1 Chr 13–16). This hymn provides a splendid occasion to remind God of the commitment he made in favor of his people: David had sworn to build a dwelling in which to house the Ark, sign of the divine presence, and it was the Lord who promised him that he would ensure his lineage on the royal throne (see oracle of Nathan: 2 Sam 7; 1 Chr 17) at Jerusalem, where the king had projected to build God’s residence.
Each new reign gave birth to a new hope, for every one of David’s descendants is “anointed,” that is, “Messiah” in Hebrew and “Christ” in Greek. When the fallibility of the monarchy became flagrant, the hope subsisted with more intensity. All Israel awaits a last descendant of David, a true Messiah, who will permanently restore God’s reign and his worship forever. It will be the time of God’s glory and salvation; it will be the coming of Jesus Christ, Son of David, whom Luke (Lk 1:69) presents to us by citing verse 17 of this psalm. Verses 8-10, 16 are cited by the Chronicler at the end of the prayer of Solomon (see 2 Chr 6:41f).
Therefore, as we pray this psalm, we can remind God of the merits of David as well as those of Christ, asking him to fulfill the oaths made to David as supplementary motives for fulfilling those made to Christ. We can urge him to enthrone his Son fully in the heavenly Zion and establish therein his perfect kingship for the benefit of his faithful and the eternal confusion of his enemies.
Psalm 132:1 All the difficulties he endured: in the conquest of Jerusalem (see 2 Sam 5:6-12) and in bringing the Ark to Jerusalem (2 Sam 6:1-23). Some translate: “and all his anxious care,” i.e., to build the temple (see 2 Sam 7:1-17; 1 Ki 8:17).
Psalm 132:2 Although the oath and vow of David have not been recorded in the Bible, it is clear that when David heard that God had blessed Obed-edom, the guardian of the ark (see 2 Sam 6:12), he immediately made efforts to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. Mighty One of Jacob: a title used by Jacob in Gen 49:24 and by Isaiah (49:26; 60:16) that emphasizes God’s action in saving and redeeming his people. Jacob: a synonym for Israel (see Gen 32:28f).
Psalm 132:6 It . . . it: often regarded as referring to the Ark, but more likely it refers to the call to worship that follows. Ephrathah: David’s hometown near Bethlehem (see Ru 4:11; Mic 5:1). Fields of Jaar: i.e., Kiriath-jearim, where the Ark remained for a few generations (see 1 Sam 7:1f; 2 Sam 6:2; 1 Chr 13:5f).
Psalm 132:7 Together with David and his men, the people wished to worship the Lord in Jerusalem. The Ark had been transported by the priests until it was placed in the tabernacle at Shiloh (see 1 Sam 4:3). With the capture of the Ark by the Philistines, it was taken from city to city (see 1 Sam 4–6) until David brought it to Jerusalem and inaugurated a new era in God’s rule over Israel: the Davidic era. The Ark was the footstool of the Lord’s throne (see Ps 99:5) and symbolized God’s earthly rule (see Ps 99:1f; Num 10:35f; 2 Chr 6:41f). Arise, O Lord: the invocation whenever the Ark set out in the days of Moses (see Num 10:35).
Psalm 132:9 Righteousness: here synonymous with salvation (see 2 Chr 6:41), signifying victory, blessing, and deliverance (see Pss 4:2; 22:32; 24:5). Saints: the People of God who should be faithful to him (see note on Ps 34:10)
Psalm 132:10 The Messiah or Christ is the anointed one of the Lord (see Ps 2:2; 1 Sam 10:1), the descendant of David awaited by Israel.
Psalm 132:11 Swore this oath: no oath is mentioned in 2 Sam 7. However, elsewhere God’s promise to David is called a covenant (see Pss 89:4, 29, 35, 40; 2 Sam 23:5; Isa 55:3), and covenants were made with an oath.
Psalm 132:12 God’s sovereignty decrees that the dynasty of David will rule, but God’s holiness and justice stipulate that such will hold only if David and his descendants are loyal to his covenant statutes.
Psalm 132:15 The Lord will bless his people abundantly in his royal presence (see Deut 15:4-6); the poor and the priests will share in this new age.
Psalm 132:17 I will raise up a horn for David: a line close to Ezek 29:21; it has a Messianic sense (see Isa 11:1; Jer 33:15; Zec 3:8). The word “horn” here designates a powerful descendant (see Ps 75:6); God will strengthen the Davidic race from which the Messiah will arise (see Lk 1:69). Prepare a lamp for my anointed one: promise recorded in the Books of Kings (see 1 Ki 11:36; 15:4; 2 Ki 8:19). The house in which light no longer dawns is uninhabited (see Job 18:5; Jer 25:10). The Messiah will be the light of the Gentiles (see Isa 42:6; 49:6; Lk 2:32).
Psalm 132:18 This word of promise contains the Christian hope in the majesty, rule, and dominion of the Lord Jesus, who will put down all God’s enemies (see 1 Cor 15:25-28; Rev 19:17-21).
Psalm 133:1 The fragrant oil of anointing and the beneficial dew—such images speak for themselves for a Palestinian; for the poet, they evoke the charm of a living community gathered together around the priests and Levites in the holy city on the occasion of a pilgrimage. The holy city (v. 3), the priesthood (v. 2), and the communion of brothers—all is newness of grace at this moment.
This psalm easily finds an appropriate place on our lips to proclaim the advantages of concord among Christians in the bosom of the house of God, the Church. John the apostle reveals the evils of discord. The person who hates another is a murderer and remains in sin and death. Such a person is not loved by God and can receive no gift from him (see 1 Jn 3:15-17). Fraternal love constitutes the sign of true faith and with it the key to all the divine goods (see Mt 22:34-40; Jn 13:34f; 15:12-17). Only this love manifests that we are true children of God, born of him, and at the same time true disciples of Christ (see Jn 13:35; 1 Jn 4:7).
Psalm 133:1 Of David: these words, omitted from some MSS, refer to the reunion of the tribes of Israel at David’s anointing in Hebron (see 2 Sam 5:1ff).
Psalm 133:1 The psalmist pronounces a blessing on those who live together in unity, as, for example, those on pilgrimage who included people from many different walks of life, regions, and tribes, coming together for one purpose—to worship the Lord in Jerusalem.
Psalm 133:2 Brotherly accord is compared with the copious oil running down the head, beard, and robes of the priests who were anointed. Just as the holy oil poured on the priests consecrated them to the Lord’s service, so brotherly unity sanctifies God’s people. Thus, the fellowship of God’s people on earth is an expression of the priesthood of all believers (see Ex 19:6), promised to Israel and renewed for the Church in Christ (see 1 Pet 2:9f).
Psalm 133:3 Dew of Hermon . . . mountains of Zion: because of its height (nearly ten thousand feet above sea level) and the rain, snow, and dew that fell atop it, Mount Hermon was famous for its rich foliage even during the dry summer months (see Ps 89:13; Deut 33:28; Song 5:2; Hos 14:6). Thus, the dew of Mount Hermon would make the mountains of Zion just as fruitful (see Gen 27:28; Hag 1:10; Zec 8:12). The psalmist indicates that no matter how harsh the conditions of the pilgrimage might be, the fellowship of God’s people was refreshing. For there . . . life forevermore: the divine blessing almost personified (see Lev 25:21; Deut 28:8) will procure happiness and salvation (see Pss 28:9; 36:11) in a definitive manner (see Pss 61:5; 73:26; Deut 30:16, 20).

Psalm 140

Psalm 140^[a]

Prayer for Deliverance from the Snares of the Wicked

¹For the director.^[b] A psalm of David.

²^[c]Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers;
    protect me from those who are violent,
³who plan evil schemes in their hearts^[d]
    and stir up strife continually.
⁴Their tongues^[e] are as sharp as those of a serpent,
    while the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah
⁵Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
    protect me from those who are violent,
    who are determined to cause my downfall.
⁶The arrogant^[f] have set a hidden trap for me;
    they have spread out cords as a net,
    laying snares for me along the way. Selah
⁷^[g]I say to the Lord, “You are my God.
    Listen, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.”
⁸O Lord, my God, my strong deliverer,
    you shield my head on the day of battle.
⁹Do not grant the desires of the wicked, O Lord;
    do not permit their evil plots to succeed,
    or they will become proud. Selah
¹⁰^[h]Those who surround me raise up their heads;
    let them be overwhelmed by the malice they threaten.
¹¹May burning coals rain down on them;
    may they be flung down into the miry depths,
    never again to rise.^[i]
¹²Do not permit slanderers to find rest in the land;
    may evil hunt the violent to their death.
¹³^[j]I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor
    and upholds the cause of the needy.
¹⁴Then the upright will give thanks to your name,
    and the righteous will dwell in your presence.

Footnotes

Psalm 140:1 More than once already we have heard the voice of a suffering, righteous person; he is the persecuted victim of the wicked, thieves, and calumniators. He calls down the vengeance of God on his enemies, while retaining his trust in the Lord. The state of the righteous and the harshness of the wicked are expressed in images often used. The opposition that biblical prayer places between poverty and violence, humility and arrogance, simplicity and falsehood is inescapable. To recite this psalm is to bear human misfortune, to become poor.
We can pray this psalm in the name of the Church who is continuously assailed by treacherous adversaries, both material and spiritual. Knowing the futility of earthly help, the Church takes her heavenly Spouse, Christ, as her sole refuge. He provides spiritual armor that is efficacious against the attacks of the enemy (see Eph 6:13-17; 1 Thes 5:8).
Psalm 140:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation.
Psalm 140:2 The psalmist prays for deliverance from evildoers who sow discord with their speech and devise evil schemes, leading to anarchy and continuous agitation. Instead of following God’s way, they have chosen the alternative way of the “father of lies” who was “a murderer from the beginning” (Jn 8:44).
Psalm 140:3 Hearts: see note on Ps 4:8.
Psalm 140:4 Tongues: see note on Ps 5:10.
Psalm 140:6 The wicked seek to entrap the righteous as a fowler catches animals with a snare, net, or trap (see Pss 31:5; 119:110; 141:10; 142:4; Mt 22:15; Lk 11:54). Arrogant: see note on Ps 31:24.
Psalm 140:7 The psalmist seeks protection from the Lord of the covenant, for he alone is God and the Master of the world.
Psalm 140:10 The psalmist’s plea now becomes an imprecatory prayer, which is an expression for God’s just rule. Using metaphors for the divine judgment (burning coals and miry depths), he asks for redress (see notes on Pss 5:11; 35).
Psalm 140:11 Allusion to Sodom (see Gen 19) and Dathan (see Num 16). See also Pss 11:6; 36:13; 55:24; 141:10.
Psalm 140:13 The psalmist is confident that the Lord, the just Judge (see Pss 7:9f; 9:5), will vindicate the righteous poor (see notes on Pss 22:27; 34:7), who will then praise his name (see note on Ps 7:18) and live in his presence (see notes on Pss 23:5-6; 27:4).

Psalm 142

Psalm 142^[a]

Prayer in Time of Abandonment

¹A maskil^[b] of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.

²^[c]I cry out to the Lord with my plea;
    I entreat the Lord to grant me mercy.
³Before him I pour out my complaint
    and tell my troubles in his presence.
⁴^[d]No matter how faint my spirit is within me,
    you are there to guide my steps.
Along the path on which I travel^[e]
    they have hidden a trap for me.
⁵I look to my right,
    but there is no friend who knows me.
There is no refuge available to me;
    no one cares whether I live or perish.^[f]
⁶^[g]I cry out to you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my refuge,
    my portion in the land of the living.”^[h]
⁷Listen to my plea for help,
    for I am in desperate straits.
Rescue me from those who seek to persecute me,
    for they are too strong for me.^[i]
⁸Set me free from my prison,^[j]
    so that I may praise your name.
Then the righteous will assemble around me
    because of your great generosity to me.

Footnotes

Psalm 142:1 The psalmist issues a prayer for deliverance from powerful enemies. Whether he is King David (see 1 Sam 22:10) or someone unknown, he has been trodden upon by everyone and is undergoing the agony and passion of so many others. He is also an image of Christ, isolated and suffering without protest.
Often we too find ourselves exhausted on our journey through life, strewn as it is with many snares. For some, it is social or political oppression that prevents us from leading a fully human and Christian existence. For others, religious persecution itself intervenes to restrain or destroy our goods and freedom. Upon each one, our spiritual enemies (the world and the devil) impose a continuous struggle, both fierce and treacherous, that each must wage practically without human help. In these struggles, we can make use of this psalm to direct to God an ardent and confident appeal.
Psalm 142:1 Maskil: see note on Ps 32; When he was in the cave: see Ps 57:1; 1 Sam 22:10; 24:1f.
Psalm 142:2 The psalmist uses the formal third person (customary when addressing kings) to pour out his troubles to God.
Psalm 142:4 The psalmist is at the point of spiritual exhaustion (see Pss 76:13; 77:3; 143:4; Jon 2:8), and only God can help for he knows the faithful’s destiny, his present and future life (see Ps 139:24). Yet the Lord is not present to help him along this path of his enemies, which is filled with snares. My right: i.e., the place where one’s witness or legal counsel stood (see Pss 16:8; 109:31; 110:5; 121:5).
Psalm 142:4 Along the path on which I travel: the present path on which the psalmist is traveling, i.e., the path of his opponents, which is covered with such snares as to fill him with dread, in contrast to the path of the Lord, which leads to such salvation as to fill him with hope (vv. 7-8).
Psalm 142:5 No one cares whether I live or perish: the psalmist is like an outcast for whom no one cares and whom no one comes forward to protect. He is alone and extremely vulnerable.
Psalm 142:6 The psalmist reiterates his distress and his plea for deliverance, confessing that the Lord is his refuge (see Ps 91:2; Jer 17:17) and his hope (my portion in the land of the living: see Pss 16:5; 73:26; 119:57; Lam 3:24). In turn, he will give thanks for his deliverance (see note on Ps 7:18), and the righteous will rejoice in the Lord with him (see Pss 22:25; 34:3; 64:10; 107:42).
Psalm 142:6 Hence, the psalmist cries out to the Lord for help. The Lord is his Covenant God; he most of all should be solicitous for his servant. In the land of the living: i.e., here below, during his earthly life (see Ps 27:13).
Psalm 142:7 The enemies of the psalmist are too strong for him. Unless the Lord comes to his aid, the afflicted man is lost. There is no one else who can save him.
Psalm 142:8 Prison: a word that may denote actual imprisonment or may be a metaphor for the psalmist’s desperate plight characterized by adversity and isolation (see Ps 107:10; Isa 42:7). Assemble around me: the Greek and Syriac translate this phrase as “hope [or wait] around me” (see Job 36:2). All the friends of God are united in praise and joy (see Pss 22:26; 34:4; 64:11; 107:42).

Jeremiah 26:1-16

Chapter 26

Jeremiah’s Arrest and Conviction.^[a]^[b] ¹At the beginning of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, the son of Josiah, this word came from the Lord to Jeremiah: ²Thus says the Lord: Stand in the court of the Lord’s house and speak to all the people from the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord. Tell them everything I order you to say, without omitting a single word. ³Perhaps they will listen and all of them will turn from their evil ways, causing me to relent in my determination to inflict disaster upon them because of their evil deeds.

⁴Say to them: Thus says the Lord: If you refuse to listen to me and to live according to my law that I have set before you, ⁵and if you fail to heed the words of my servants the prophets, whom I send to you time and again even though you do not listen to them, ⁶then I will treat this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city an object of cursing for all the nations of the earth.

⁷The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord. ⁸But when Jeremiah had finished saying everything that the Lord had commanded him to proclaim to all the people, then the priests, the prophets, and all the people seized him and cried out, “You will be put to death for this. ⁹Why have you prophesied in the Lord’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and that this city will be desolate and deserted?” And all the people crowded around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.

¹⁰When the high officials of Judah heard what was happening, they came up from the king’s palace to the house of the Lord and took their places there at the entry of the New Gate^[c] of the house of the Lord. ¹¹The priests and the prophets then addressed the officials and all the people, saying, “This man deserves to be condemned to death because he has prophesied against this city all the things that you heard with your own ears.”

¹²Then Jeremiah replied to all the officials and all the people, saying, “The Lord himself sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the things you have heard. ¹³Now, therefore, if you amend your ways and your actions and listen to the word of the Lord, your God, the Lord will relent in his determination to inflict the disaster that he has decreed for you. ¹⁴As for me, I am in your hands. Do with me whatever seems right and proper to you. ¹⁵However, you can be certain that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants. For truly the Lord sent me to speak all these things for you to hear.”

¹⁶Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man does not deserve to be sentenced to death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord, our God.”

Romans 11:1-12

Chapter 11

The Remnant of Israel.^[a] ¹I ask, then: Has God rejected his people? Of course not! I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. ²God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. You surely must know what Scripture asserts in the passage about Elijah where he pleads with God against Israel: ³“Lord, they have killed your Prophets, they have torn down your altars. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.”

⁴What was God’s response to him? “I have spared for myself seven thousand men who have not knelt before Baal.” ⁵So too, at the present time, there is a remnant, chosen by grace. ⁶But if it is by grace, then it is no longer by works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

⁷What follows, then? Israel was unable to attain what it was seeking. The elect attained it, but the rest were hardened, ⁸as it is written:

“God gave them a spirit of lethargy:
eyes that could not see
and ears that could not hear,
down to this very day.”

⁹And David says:

“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
¹⁰Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.”

¹¹A Providential Misstep.^[b] And so I ask: Have they stumbled so that they might fall? By no means! However, through their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, and this has stirred them to envy. ¹²Now if their transgression results in riches for the world, and their loss results in riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full participation bring!

John 10:19-42

¹⁹Once again, these words provoked a division among the Jews. ²⁰Many of them were saying, “He is possessed and out of his mind. Why should we listen to him?” ²¹But others said, “No one possessed by a demon could speak like this. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”^[a]

I and the Father Are One

²²Feast of the Dedication.^[b] At that time, the feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³and Jesus was walking in the temple along the Portico of Solomon.^[c] ²⁴The Jews gathered around him and asked, “How much longer will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” ²⁵Jesus replied,

“I have told you,
but you do not believe.
The works that I do in my Father’s name
bear witness to me,
²⁶but you do not believe
because you are not my sheep.
²⁷“My sheep listen to my voice.
I know them, and they follow me.
²⁸I give them eternal life,
and they will never perish.
No one will ever snatch them from my hand.
²⁹My Father who has given them to me
is greater than all,
and no one can snatch them
out of the Father’s hand.
³⁰I and the Father are one.”^[d]

³¹Once again, the Jews picked up rocks to stone him, ³²but Jesus said to them, “I have performed in your presence many good works from my Father. For which of these works are you going to stone me?” ³³The Jews answered, “We are not going to stone you for any good work you have done, but for blasphemy. Even though you are a man, you are claiming to be God.” ³⁴Jesus replied,

“Is it not written in your Law,^[e]
‘I said: You are gods’?
³⁵If those to whom
the word of God was addressed
are called ‘gods’
—and Scripture cannot be set aside—
³⁶how can you say, ‘You blaspheme,’
to the one whom the Father has consecrated
and sent into the world
for saying, ‘I am the Son of God’?
³⁷“If I am not performing
the works of my Father,
then do not believe me.
³⁸However, if I am doing them,
then even if you do not believe me,
at least believe my works,
so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me
and I am in the Father.”

³⁹They again tried to seize him, but he escaped from their clutches.

⁴⁰The Testimony of John the Baptist.^[f] He went back across the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and he remained there. ⁴¹Many people came to him, and they were saying, “John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” ⁴²And many there came to believe in him.

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Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 131[a]

Childlike Trust in God

Psalm 132[e]

The Divine Promises Made to David

Psalm 133[q]

The Blessings of Brotherly Accord

Footnotes

Psalm 140[a]

Prayer for Deliverance from the Snares of the Wicked

Footnotes

Psalm 142[a]

Prayer in Time of Abandonment

Footnotes

Chapter 26

Footnotes

Chapter 11

Footnotes

I and the Father Are One

Footnotes

Psalm 131^[a]

Psalm 132^[e]

Psalm 133^[q]

Psalm 140^[a]

Psalm 142^[a]