Book of Common Prayer
BOOK I
(Psalms 1–41)
Psalm 1
The Two Ways
1 How happy is the man
who does not follow[a] the advice of the wicked
or take[b] the path of sinners
or join a group[c] of mockers!(A)
2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.(B)
3 He is like a tree planted beside streams of water[d]
that bears its fruit in season[e](C)
and whose leaf does not wither.(D)
Whatever he does prospers.(E)
4 The wicked are not like this;
instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.(F)
5 Therefore the wicked will not survive[f] the judgment,(G)
and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous.
Psalm 2
Coronation of the Son
1 Why(J) do the nations rebel[g](K)
and the peoples plot in vain?(L)
2 The kings of the earth take their stand,(M)
and the rulers conspire together
against the Lord and His Anointed One:[h](N)
3 “Let us tear off their chains
and free ourselves from their restraints.”[i](O)
4 The One enthroned[j] in heaven laughs;
the Lord ridicules them.(P)
5 Then He speaks to them in His anger
and terrifies them in His wrath:(Q)
6 “I have consecrated My King[k]
on Zion, My holy mountain.”(R)
7 I will declare the Lord’s decree:
He said to Me, “You are My Son;[l]
today I have become Your[m] Father.(S)
8 Ask of Me,
and I will make the nations Your[n] inheritance
and the ends of the earth Your[o] possession.(T)
9 You will break[p] them with a rod of iron;
You[q] will shatter them like pottery.”[r](U)
10 So now, kings, be wise;
receive instruction, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with reverential awe
and rejoice with trembling.(V)
12 Pay homage to[s] the Son or He[t] will be angry
and you will perish in your rebellion,[u](W)
for His[v] anger may ignite at any moment.(X)
All those who take refuge in Him[w] are happy.(Y)
Psalm 3
Confidence in Troubled Times
A psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom.(Z)
1 Lord, how my foes increase!
There are many who attack me.(AA)
2 Many say about me,
“There is no help for him in God.”(AB)
3 But You, Lord, are a shield around me,(AC)
my glory,(AD) and the One who lifts up my head.(AE)
4 I cry aloud to the Lord,
and He answers me from His holy mountain.(AF)
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again because the Lord sustains me.(AG)
6 I am not afraid of the thousands of people
who have taken their stand against me on every side.(AH)
7 Rise up, Lord!(AI)
Save me, my God!
You strike all my enemies on the cheek;(AJ)
You break the teeth of the wicked.(AK)
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;(AL)
may Your blessing be on Your people.(AM)
Psalm 4
A Night Prayer
For the choir director: with stringed instruments.(AN) A Davidic psalm.
1 Answer me when I call,
God, who vindicates me.[x](AO)
You freed me from affliction;(AP)
be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
2 How long, exalted men, will my honor be insulted?(AQ)
How long will you love what is worthless(AR)
and pursue a lie?
3 Know that the Lord has set apart
the faithful for Himself;
the Lord will hear when I call to Him.
4 Be angry[y] and do not sin;(AS)
on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still.(AT)
5 Offer sacrifices in righteousness[z](AU)
and trust in the Lord.(AV)
6 Many are saying, “Who can show us anything good?”
Look on us with favor, Lord.(AW)
Psalm 7
Prayer for Justice
A Shiggaion[a] of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush,[b] a Benjaminite.
1 Yahweh my God, I seek refuge in You;(A)
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me(B)
2 or they[c] will tear me like a lion,
ripping me apart with no one to rescue me.[d](C)
3 Yahweh my God, if I have done this,
if there is injustice on my hands,(D)
4 if I have done harm to one at peace with me(E)
or have plundered[e] my adversary without cause,(F)
5 may an enemy pursue and overtake me;
may he trample me to the ground(G)
and leave my honor in the dust.(H)
6 Rise up, Lord, in Your anger;
lift Yourself up against the fury of my adversaries;(I)
awake for me;[f](J)
You have ordained[g] a judgment.(K)
7 Let the assembly of peoples gather around You;(L)
take Your seat[h] on high over it.(M)
8 The Lord judges the peoples;(N)
vindicate me, Lord,
according to my righteousness and my integrity.[i](O)
9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,(P)
but establish the righteous.(Q)
The One who examines the thoughts and emotions[j]
is a righteous God.(R)
10 My shield is with[k] God,(S)
who saves the upright in heart.(T)
11 God is a righteous judge
and a God who shows His wrath every day.(U)
12 If anyone does not repent,
God[l] will sharpen His sword;(V)
He has strung[m] His bow and made it ready.(W)
13 He has prepared His deadly weapons;
He tips His arrows with fire.(X)
14 See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil,
conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit.(Y)
15 He dug a pit and hollowed it out
but fell into the hole he had made.(Z)
16 His trouble comes back on his own head,
and his violence falls on the top of his head.(AA)
17 I will thank the Lord for His righteousness;
I will sing about the name of Yahweh the Most High.(AB)
Daniel’s Captivity in Babylon
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim(A) king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar[a](B) king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. 2 The Lord handed Jehoiakim king of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God.(C) Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon,[b](D) to the house of his god,[c] and put the vessels in the treasury of his god.
3 The king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his court officials,[d] to bring some of the Israelites from the royal family(E) and from the nobility— 4 young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom,(F) knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king’s palace(G)—and to teach them the Chaldean language(H) and literature. 5 The king assigned them daily provisions from the royal food and from the wine that he drank.(I) They were to be trained for three years, and at the end of that time they were to serve in the king’s court.[e](J) 6 Among them, from the descendants of Judah, were Daniel,(K) Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them other names: he gave the name Belteshazzar to Daniel, Shadrach to Hananiah, Meshach to Mishael, and Abednego to Azariah.(L)
Faithfulness in Babylon
8 Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food(M) or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief official not to defile himself.(N) 9 God had granted Daniel favor and compassion from the chief official,(O) 10 yet he said to Daniel, “My lord the king assigned your food and drink. I’m afraid of what would happen if he saw your faces looking thinner than those of the other young men your age. You would endanger my life[f] with the king.”
11 So Daniel said to the guard whom the chief official had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for 10 days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king’s food, and deal with your servants based on what you see.” 14 He agreed with them about this and tested them for 10 days. 15 At the end of 10 days they looked better and healthier[g] than all the young men who were eating the king’s food.(P) 16 So the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.
Faithfulness Rewarded
17 God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding(Q) in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams(R) of every kind. 18 At the end of the time that the king had said to present them, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king interviewed them, and among all of them, no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.(S) So they began to serve in the king’s court. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them 10 times[h](T) better than all the diviner-priests and mediums(U) in his entire kingdom. 21 Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.(V)
Prologue: Our Declaration
1 What was from the beginning,(A)
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have observed
and have touched with our hands,
concerning the Word(B) of life—
2 that life was revealed,(C)
and we have seen it
and we testify and declare to you
the eternal life that was with the Father
and was revealed to us(D)—
3 what we have seen and heard
we also declare to you,
so that you may have fellowship(E) along with us;
and indeed our fellowship is with the Father(F)
and with His Son Jesus Christ.
4 We are writing these things[a]
so that our[b] joy(G) may be complete.
Fellowship with God
5 Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light,(H) and there is absolutely no darkness in Him.(I) 6 If we say, “We have fellowship(J) with Him,” yet we walk in darkness,(K) we are lying and are not practicing[c] the truth.(L) 7 But if we walk in the light(M) as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus(N) His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say, “We have no sin,”(O) we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive(P) us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say, “We don’t have any sin,” we make Him a liar, and His word(Q) is not in us.(R)
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.
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