Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 102
Affliction in Light of Eternity
A prayer of an afflicted person who is weak and pours out his lament before the Lord.(A)
1 Lord, hear my prayer;
let my cry for help come before You.(B)
2 Do not hide Your face from me in my day of trouble.
Listen closely to me;
answer me quickly when I call.(C)
3 For my days vanish like smoke,
and my bones burn like a furnace.(D)
4 My heart is afflicted, withered like grass;(E)
I even forget to eat my food.(F)
5 Because of the sound of my groaning,
my flesh sticks to my bones.(G)
6 I am like a desert owl,[a]
like an owl among the ruins.(H)
7 I stay awake;(I)
I am like a solitary bird on a roof.
8 My enemies taunt me all day long;
they ridicule and curse me.(J)
9 I eat ashes like bread
and mingle my drinks with tears(K)
10 because of Your indignation and wrath;
for You have picked me up and thrown me aside.(L)
11 My days are like a lengthening shadow,
and I wither away like grass.(M)
12 But You, Lord, are enthroned forever;(N)
Your fame endures to all generations.(O)
13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to show favor to her—
the appointed time has come.(P)
14 For Your servants take delight in its stones
and favor its dust.(Q)
15 Then the nations will fear the name of Yahweh,
and all the kings of the earth Your glory,(R)
16 for the Lord will rebuild Zion;
He will appear in His glory.(S)
17 He will pay attention to the prayer of the destitute
and will not despise their prayer.(T)
18 This will be written for a later generation,
and a newly created people will praise the Lord:(U)
19 He looked down from His holy heights—
the Lord gazed out from heaven to earth(V)—
20 to hear a prisoner’s groaning,
to set free those condemned to die,[b](W)
21 so that they might declare
the name of Yahweh in Zion
and His praise in Jerusalem,(X)
22 when peoples and kingdoms are assembled
to serve the Lord.(Y)
23 He has broken my[c] strength in midcourse;
He has shortened my days.(Z)
24 I say: “My God, do not take me
in the middle of my life![d]
Your years continue through all generations.(AA)
25 Long ago You established the earth,
and the heavens are the work of Your hands.(AB)
26 They will perish, but You will endure;
all of them will wear out like clothing.
You will change them like a garment,
and they will pass away.(AC)
27 But You are the same,
and Your years will never end.(AD)
28 Your servants’ children will dwell securely,
and their offspring will be established before You.”(AE)
Psalm 142
A Cry of Distress
A Davidic Maskil. When he was in the cave.(A) A prayer.
1 I cry aloud to the Lord;(B)
I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy.(C)
2 I pour out my complaint before Him;
I reveal my trouble to Him.(D)
3 Although my spirit is weak within me,
You know my way.(E)
Along this path I travel
they have hidden a trap for me.(F)
4 Look to the right and see:[a]
no one stands up for me;
there is no refuge for me;
no one cares about me.(G)
5 I cry to You, Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my portion in the land of the living.”(H)
6 Listen to my cry,
for I am very weak.(I)
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.(J)
7 Free me from prison
so that I can praise Your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because You deal generously with me.(K)
Psalm 143
A Cry for Help
A Davidic psalm.
1 Lord, hear my prayer.
In Your faithfulness listen to my plea,
and in Your righteousness answer me.(L)
2 Do not bring Your servant into judgment,(M)
for no one alive is righteous in Your sight.(N)
3 For the enemy has pursued me,
crushing me to the ground,
making me live in darkness
like those long dead.(O)
4 My spirit is weak within me;
my heart is overcome with dismay.(P)
5 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all You have done;
I reflect on the work of Your hands.(Q)
6 I spread out my hands to You;
I am like parched land before You.(R)
7 Answer me quickly, Lord;
my spirit fails.(S)
Don’t hide Your face from me,
or I will be like those
going down to the Pit.(T)
8 Let me experience
Your faithful love in the morning,
for I trust in You.(U)
Reveal to me the way I should go
because I long for You.(V)
9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord;
I come to You for protection.[b](W)
10 Teach me to do Your will,
for You are my God.(X)
May Your gracious Spirit
lead me on level ground.(Y)
Jeremiah Compelled to Preach
7 You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived.
You seized me and prevailed.
I am a laughingstock all the time;(A)
everyone ridicules me.
8 For whenever I speak, I cry out,
I proclaim, “Violence and destruction!”(B)
because the word of the Lord has become for me
constant disgrace and derision.
9 If I say, “I won’t mention Him
or speak any longer in His name,”
His message becomes a fire burning in my heart,(C)
shut up in my bones.
I become tired of holding it in,
and I cannot prevail.
10 For I have heard the gossip of many people,
“Terror is on every side
Report him; let’s report him!”
Everyone I trusted[b] watches for my fall.(E)
“Perhaps he will be deceived
so that we might prevail against him
and take our vengeance on him.”
11 But the Lord is with me like a violent warrior.(F)
Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
Since they have not succeeded, they will be utterly shamed,
an everlasting humiliation that will never be forgotten.
Warning against Idolatry
14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I am speaking as to wise people. Judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup(A) of blessing(B) that we give thanks for, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread(C) that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one(D) body, for all of us share that one bread.
Self-Examination
27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way will be guilty of sin against the body[a] and blood of the Lord. 28 So a man should examine himself; in this way he should eat the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body,[b] eats and drinks judgment(A) on himself. 30 This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep.(B) 31 If we were properly evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged, 32 but when we are judged,(C) we are disciplined by the Lord, so that we may not be condemned(D) with the world.
Jesus Prays for Himself
17 Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said:
Father,
the hour has come.
Glorify Your Son
so that the Son(A) may glorify You,(B)
2 for You gave Him authority
over all flesh;[a](C)
so He may give eternal life(D)
to all You have given Him.(E)
3 This is eternal life:
that they may know You, the only(F) true(G) God,
and the One You have sent(H)—Jesus Christ.(I)
4 I have glorified You on the earth
by completing the work You gave Me to do.
5 Now, Father,(J) glorify Me in Your presence
with that glory(K) I had with You
before the world existed.(L)
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 I have revealed Your name(M)
to the men You gave Me(N) from the world.(O)
They were Yours, You gave them to Me,(P)
and they have kept Your word.(Q)
7 Now they know that all things
You have given to Me are from You,
8 because the words that You gave Me,(R)
I have given them.
They have received them
and have known for certain
that I came from You.(S)
They have believed that You sent Me.
9 I pray[b] for them.
I am not praying for the world
but for those You have given Me,(T)
because they are Yours.
10 Everything I have is Yours,
and everything You have is Mine,(U)
and I have been glorified in them.
11 I am no longer in the world,
but they are in the world,
and I am coming to You.(V)
Holy(W) Father,
protect[c] them by Your name(X)
that You have given Me,
so that they may be one(Y) as We are(Z) one.
12 While I was with them,
I was protecting them by Your name
that You have given Me.
I guarded(AA) them and not one of them is lost,
except the son of destruction,[d]
so that the Scripture(AB) may be fulfilled.(AC)
13 Now I am coming to You,
and I speak these things in the world
so that they may have My joy completed in them.
14 I have given them Your word.
The world hated(AD) them
because they are not of the world,(AE)
as I am not of the world.(AF)
15 I am not praying
that You take them out of the world
but that You protect them from the evil one.(AG)
16 They are not of the world,
as I am not of the world.(AH)
17 Sanctify[e](AI) them by the truth;(AJ)
Your word is truth.
18 As You sent Me into the world,(AK)
I also have sent them into the world.
19 I sanctify Myself for them,
so they also may be sanctified by the truth.
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 I pray not only for these,
but also for those who believe in Me
through their message.
21 May they all be one,(AL)
as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You.(AM)
May they also be one[f] in Us,
so the world may believe You sent Me.
22 I have given them the glory(AN) You have given Me.
May they be one as We are one.
23 I am in them and You are in Me.(AO)
May they be made completely one,
so the world may know You have sent Me
and have loved(AP) them as You have loved Me.(AQ)
24 Father,
I desire those You have given Me
to be with Me where I am.(AR)
Then they will see My glory,
which You have given Me
because You loved Me before the world’s foundation.
25 Righteous Father!
The world has not known You.
However, I have known You,(AS)
and these have known that You sent Me.
26 I made Your name(AT) known to them
and will make it known,
so the love You have loved Me with
may be in them and I may be in them.(AU)
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