Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 6
A Prayer for Mercy
For the choir director: with stringed instruments, according to Sheminith.(A) A Davidic psalm.
1 Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger;
do not discipline me in Your wrath.(B)
2 Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak;[a](C)
heal me,(D) Lord, for my bones are shaking;(E)
3 my whole being is shaken with terror.(F)
And You, Lord—how long?(G)
4 Turn, Lord! Rescue me;
save me because of Your faithful love.(H)
5 For there is no remembrance of You in death;
who can thank You in Sheol?(I)
Psalm 12
Oppression by the Wicked
For the choir director: according to Sheminith.(A) A Davidic psalm.
1 Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains;
the loyal have disappeared from the human race.(B)
2 They lie to one another;
they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.(C)
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips
and the tongue that speaks boastfully.(D)
4 They say, “Through our tongues we have power;[a]
our lips are our own—who can be our master?”(E)
5 “Because of the oppression of the afflicted
and the groaning of the poor,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord.
“I will put the one who longs for it in a safe place.”(F)
6 The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in an earthen furnace,
purified seven times.(G)
Psalm 94
The Just Judge
1 Lord, God of vengeance—
God of vengeance, appear.(A)
2 Rise up, Judge of the earth;
repay the proud what they deserve.(B)
3 Lord, how long will the wicked—
how long will the wicked gloat?(C)
4 They pour out arrogant words;
all the evildoers boast.(D)
5 Lord, they crush Your people;
they afflict Your heritage.(E)
6 They kill the widow and the foreigner
and murder the fatherless.(F)
7 They say, “The Lord doesn’t see it.
The God of Jacob doesn’t pay attention.”(G)
8 Pay attention, you stupid people!
Fools, when will you be wise?(H)
9 Can the One who shaped the ear not hear,
the One who formed the eye not see?(I)
10 The One who instructs nations,
the One who teaches man knowledge—
does He not discipline?(J)
11 The Lord knows man’s thoughts;
they are meaningless.(K)
12 Lord, happy is the man You discipline
and teach from Your law(L)
13 to give him relief from troubled times
until a pit is dug for the wicked.(M)
14 The Lord will not forsake His people
or abandon His heritage,(N)
15 for justice will again be righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow[a] it.(O)
16 Who stands up for me against the wicked?
Who takes a stand for me against evildoers?(P)
17 If the Lord had not been my helper,
I would soon rest in the silence of death.(Q)
18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,”
Your faithful love will support me, Lord.(R)
19 When I am filled with cares,
Your comfort brings me joy.(S)
20 Can a corrupt throne—
one that creates trouble by law—
become Your ally?(T)
21 They band together against the life of the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.(U)
22 But the Lord is my refuge;
my God is the rock of my protection.(V)
23 He will pay them back for their sins
and destroy them for their evil.
The Lord our God will destroy them.(W)
Jeremiah’s Complaint
10 Woe is me, my mother,
that you gave birth to me,(A)
a man who incites dispute and conflict
in all the land.
I did not lend or borrow,
yet everyone curses me.(B)
The Lord’s Response
11 The Lord said:
I will certainly set you free and care for you.[a]
I will certainly intercede for you
in a time of trouble,
in your time of distress, with the enemy.
12 Can anyone smash iron,
iron from the north, or bronze?
13 I will give up your wealth
and your treasures as plunder,
without cost,(C) for all your sins
in all your borders.
14 Then I will make you serve your enemies[b]
in a land you do not know,
for My anger will kindle a fire
that will burn against you.(D)
Jeremiah’s Prayer for Vengeance
15 You know,(E) Lord;
remember me and take note of me.
Avenge me against my persecutors.(F)
In Your patience,[c] don’t take me away.
Know that I suffer disgrace for Your honor.(G)
16 Your words were found, and I ate them.(H)
Your words became a delight to me
and the joy of my heart,
for I am called by Your name,(I)
Yahweh God of Hosts.
17 I never sat with the band of revelers,
and I did not celebrate with them.
Because Your hand was on me, I sat alone,(J)
for You filled me with indignation.
18 Why has my pain become unending,
my wound incurable,(K)
refusing to be healed?
You truly have become like a mirage to me—
water that is not reliable.
Jeremiah Told to Repent
19 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
If you return, I will restore you;
you will stand in My presence.
And if you speak noble words,
rather than worthless ones,
you will be My spokesman.(L)
It is they who must return to you;
you must not return to them.
20 Then I will make you a fortified wall of bronze
to this people.
They will fight against you
but will not overcome you,
for I am with you
to save you and deliver you.(M)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
21 I will deliver you from the power of evil people
and redeem you from the control of the ruthless.
15 Therefore, all who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal(A) this also to you. 16 In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained. 17 Join in imitating me, brothers, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross(B) of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory(C) is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things, 20 but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious(D) body,(E) by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.
Jesus Predicts His Crucifixion
20 Now some Greeks were among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 So they came to Philip,(A) who was from Bethsaida(B) in Galilee,(C) and requested of him, “Sir,(D) we want to see Jesus.”
22 Philip went and told Andrew;(E) then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus replied to them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man(F) to be glorified.
24 “I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat(G) falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop.[a](H) 25 The one who loves his life will lose it,(I) and the one who hates(J) his life(K) in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me. Where I am, there My servant(L) also will be.(M) If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor(N) him.
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