Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 37[a]
Fate of the Wicked and Reward of the Righteous
1 Of David.
Do not fume because of evildoers
or envy those who do wrong.
2 They will wither quickly like the grass
and fade away like the green herb.[b]
3 Put your trust in the Lord and do good,
that you may dwell in the land[c] and be secure.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will grant you what your heart[d] desires.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
place your trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause, like the noonday.[e]
7 Wait quietly for the Lord
and be patient until he comes.
Do not fret over the man who prospers
because of his evil schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn away from wrath;
do not fret—it does nothing but harm.
9 For evildoers will be destroyed,
but those who wait for the Lord will inherit the land.[f]
10 In a short while, the wicked will be no more;
no matter how diligently you search, you will not be able to find him.
11 But the meek[g] will possess the land
and enjoy an abundance of peace.
12 The wicked man plots against the righteous
and grinds his teeth at the sight of them.
13 But the Lord laughs at them,
knowing that their day[h] is approaching.
14 The wicked draw their swords
and string their bows
to bring down the poor[i] and the needy
and to slaughter those who are upright.
15 Their swords will enter their own hearts,[j]
and their bows will be shattered.
16 Preferable is the little that the righteous possess
than the great wealth of the wicked.
17 For the power of the wicked will be overcome,
but the Lord protects the righteous.
18 The Lord looks after the lives of the upright,[k]
and their heritage will last forever.
19 They will not be confounded in times of evil,
and in days of famine they eat their fill.
20 But the wicked will perish,
all those who are enemies of the Lord.
Like the beauty of the meadows[l] they will wither away;
like smoke they will disappear.
21 The wicked man borrows but neglects to repay,
whereas the righteous man is generous in giving.
22 For those blessed by the Lord will possess the land,
but those who are cursed will perish.
23 The Lord makes a man’s steps secure
when he approves of his conduct.
24 Even if he stumbles, he will never fall headlong,
for the Lord holds him by the hand.[m]
25 From my youth until my present old age,
I have never seen the righteous man abandoned
or his children reduced to begging for bread.
26 He is always compassionate and generous in lending,
and his children will be blessed.[n]
27 If you shun evil and do good,
you will dwell in the land forever.
28 For the Lord loves the just,[o]
and he will not forsake his faithful ones.
Those who follow evil paths will be destroyed,
and the children of the wicked will be cut off,
29 whereas the righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.[p]
30 [q]The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks what is right.
31 The law of his God is in his heart,
and his steps do not waver.
32 [r]The wicked man keeps close watch on the righteous
and seeks an opportunity to kill him.
33 But the Lord will not abandon the righteous
to the power of the wicked,
nor will he allow him to be condemned
when he is brought to trial.
34 Wait for the Lord
and follow the path he has laid out;
then he will exalt you to inherit the land,
and you will see the destruction of the wicked.
35 [s]I have seen a wicked man inflicting terror
and towering like a verdant tree.
36 I passed by again, and he was gone;
I searched for him, but he was not to be found.
37 [t]Pay attention to the innocent and behold the upright,
for the man of peace will have a future.
38 But the wicked will be completely destroyed,
and their children will be cut off.
39 [u]The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their refuge in times of trouble.
40 The Lord will help them and deliver them;
he will rescue them from the wicked and save them
because they flee to him for refuge.
13 Then Daniel was brought into the king’s presence. The king said to him, “Are you the Daniel who was one of the Jewish exiles that my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have been told that the Spirit of God is in you, and that you are renowned for your knowledge, understanding, and exceptional wisdom.
15 “Now the wise men and the enchanters have been brought in to me to read this writing and reveal its meaning to me, but they have been unable to interpret it. 16 Yet I have been told that you can give interpretations and solve problems. If you are able to read this writing and make known its interpretation, you shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around your neck, and rank third in the government of the kingdom.”
17 Daniel Explains the Writing. Then Daniel replied to the king, “Your Majesty, keep the gifts for yourself or give them to someone else. However, I will read the writing to Your Majesty and make known to you its interpretation.
18 “O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom with power, glory, and majesty. 19 He made him so powerful that the nations and peoples of every language trembled with fear before him. He killed those whom he wished to kill; he spared those whom he wished to spare; he honored those whom he wished to honor, and he degraded those whom he wished to degrade.
20 “However, when his heart became filled with pride and his spirit became hardened with arrogance, he was deposed from his kingly throne and stripped of his glory. 21 He was banished from human society, and his mind became like that of an animal. He was forced to live with the wild asses, he fed on grass like oxen, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God has sovereignty over the kingdom of men and appoints whomever he wishes to rule it.
22 “Even though you, Belshazzar, his son, were aware of all this, you did not humble your heart. 23 You have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You ordered the vessels of his temple to be brought to you, and you, your nobles, your wives, and your concubines have drunk your wine from them. You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze and iron, of wood and stone, that neither see, nor hear, nor have intelligence. But you have not glorified the God in whose hands are your breath of life and the entire course of your life.
24 “That is why he sent the hand that wrote the inscription. 25 The words inscribed are Mene, Tekel, and Peres.[a] This is what the words mean:
26 “Mene: God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.
27 “Tekel: you have been weighed on the scales and been found wanting.
28 “Peres: your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
29 Then, at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, with a gold chain around his neck, and a proclamation was made declaring that Daniel would rank third in the government of the kingdom.
30 On that very night Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, was slain.
Epilogue[a]
So That You May Know[b]
13 I write these things to you
who believe in the name of the Son of God
so that you may know
that you have eternal life.
Prayer for Sinners[c]
14 And thus we can have confidence in him
that if we ask anything
that is in accordance with his will,
he hears us.
15 And if we know that he hears us
in regard to whatever we ask him,
we may be sure
that all we ask of him will be ours.
16 If anyone sees a brother commit a sin
that does not lead to death,
he should intercede for him,
and God will grant him life—
provided that the sin is not deadly.
There is a sin that leads to death,
and I do not say
that you should pray about it.[d]
17 All wrongdoing is sinful,
but not all sins are deadly.
The Great Certitudes[e]
18 We know that one born of God does not continue to sin,
because he who is born of God protects him,
and the evil one has no power over him.
19 We know
that we are from God
and that the entire world
lies under the power of the evil one.
20 We also know
that the Son of God has come
and given us understanding
so that we can know the one who is true.
And we are in the one who is true,
since we are in his Son Jesus Christ.
He is the true God and eternal life.
21 Dear children,
keep away from idols.
Chapter 5
Jesus Calls the First Disciples.[a] 1 One day, as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with people crowding around him to hear the word of God, 2 he caught sight of two boats at the water’s edge. The fishermen had gotten out of the boats and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard throughout the night and caught nothing; but if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught such a great number of fish that their nets were beginning to tear. 7 Therefore, they signaled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats to the point that they were in danger of sinking.
8 When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he fell at the knees of Jesus, saying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” 9 For he and all of his companions were amazed at the catch they had made. 10 So too were Simon’s partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching men.” 11 When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.
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