Book of Common Prayer
BOOK 1
The Way of the Righteous and Wicked
1 How blessed is the man who (A)does not walk in the (B)counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the (C)way of sinners,
Nor (D)sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his (E)delight is (F)in the law of [a]Yahweh,
And in His law he meditates (G)day and (H)night.
3 And he will be like (I)a tree firmly planted by [b]streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its [c]leaf does not wither;
And [d]in whatever he does, (J)he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
But they are like (K)chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore (L)the wicked will not rise in the (M)judgment,
Nor sinners in (N)the congregation of the righteous.
6 For Yahweh [e](O)knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of (P)the wicked will perish.
The Reign of Yahweh’s Anointed
2 Why do (Q)the [f]nations rage
And the peoples (R)meditate on a vain thing?
2 The (S)kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
(T)Against Yahweh and against His [g](U)Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us (V)tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!”
4 He who [h]sits in the heavens (W)laughs,
The Lord (X)mocks them.
5 Then He speaks to them in His (Y)anger
And (Z)terrifies them in His fury, saying,
6 “But as for Me, I have [i]installed (AA)My King
Upon Zion, (AB)My holy mountain.”
7 “I will surely tell of the [j]decree of Yahweh:
He said to Me, ‘You are (AC)My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and (AD)I will surely give (AE)the [k]nations as Your inheritance,
And the (AF)ends of the earth as Your possession.
9 You shall [l](AG)break them with a [m]rod of iron,
You shall (AH)shatter them like a potter’s vessel.’”
10 So now, O kings, (AI)show insight;
Take warning, O [n]judges of the earth.
11 Serve Yahweh with (AJ)fear
And rejoice with (AK)trembling.
12 [o]Kiss (AL)the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way,
For (AM)His [p]wrath may [q]soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who (AN)take refuge in Him!
Yahweh, Save Me
A Psalm of David. When [r]he fled from Absalom his son.
3 O Yahweh, how (AO)my adversaries have become many!
Many are rising up against me.
2 Many are saying [s]of my soul,
“There is no (AP)salvation for him in God.” [t]Selah.
3 But You, O Yahweh, are (AQ)a shield about me,
My (AR)glory, and the One who (AS)lifts my head.
4 I was calling to Yahweh with my voice,
And He (AT)answered me from (AU)His holy [u]mountain. Selah.
5 [v]I (AV)lay down and slept;
I awoke, for Yahweh sustains me.
6 I will (AW)not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who all around (AX)have set themselves against me.
7 (AY)Arise, O Yahweh; (AZ)save me, O my God!
For You have (BA)struck all my enemies on the [w]cheek;
You [x]have (BB)shattered the teeth of the wicked.
8 [y](BC)Salvation belongs to Yahweh;
Your (BD)blessing [z]be upon Your people! Selah.
Yahweh Makes Me Abide in Safety
[aa]For the choir director. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
4 (BE)Answer me when (BF)I call, O God [ab]of my righteousness!
You have [ac](BG)relieved me in my distress;
Be (BH)gracious to me and (BI)hear my prayer.
2 O sons of men, how long will (BJ)my glory become (BK)a reproach?
How long will you love (BL)what is worthless and seek (BM)falsehood? [ad]Selah.
3 But know that Yahweh has [ae](BN)set apart the (BO)holy one for Himself;
Yahweh (BP)hears when I call to Him.
In You I Have Taken Refuge
A [a]Shiggaion of David, which he sang to Yahweh concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.
7 O Yahweh my God, (A)in You I have taken refuge;
Save me from all those who pursue me, and (B)deliver me,
2 Lest he tear [b]my soul (C)like a lion,
Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
3 O Yahweh my God, if I have done this,
If there is (D)injustice in my hands,
4 If I have (E)rewarded evil to him who [c]is at peace with me,
Or have (F)plundered my adversary without cause,
5 Let the enemy pursue [d]my soul and overtake [e]it;
And let him trample my life down to the ground
And cause my glory to dwell in the dust. [f]Selah.
6 (G)Arise, O Yahweh, in Your anger;
(H)Lift up Yourself against (I)the fury of my adversaries,
And (J)arouse Yourself [g]for me; You have appointed judgment.
7 Let the congregation of the (K)peoples encompass You,
And over [h]them return on high.
8 Yahweh (L)judges the peoples;
[i](M)Give justice to me, O Yahweh, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.
9 O let (N)the evil of the wicked come to an end, but (O)establish the righteous;
For the righteous God (P)tests the hearts and [j]minds.
10 My (Q)shield is [k]with God,
Who (R)saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a (S)righteous judge,
And a God who has (T)indignation every day.
12 If [l]a man (U)does not repent, He will (V)sharpen His sword;
He has (W)bent His bow and prepared it.
13 He has also prepared [m]for Himself deadly weapons;
He makes His (X)arrows fiery shafts.
14 Behold, he travails with wickedness,
And he (Y)conceives mischief and gives birth to falsehood.
15 He has dug a pit and hollowed it out,
And has (Z)fallen into the hole which he made.
16 His (AA)mischief will return upon his own head,
And his (AB)violence will descend upon [n]his own skull.
Naomi’s Husband and Sons Die
1 Now it happened in the days (A)when the judges judged, that there was (B)a famine in the land. And a certain man (C)of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the fields of Moab [a]with his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they (D)came to the fields of Moab and remained there. 3 Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. 4 They took for themselves Moabite women as wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. 5 Then [b]both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was left without her two children and her husband.
Ruth Is Determined to Go with Naomi
6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law and returned from the fields of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that [c]Yahweh had (E)visited His people to (F)give them [d]food. 7 So she went forth from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. (G)May Yahweh [e]show lovingkindness with you as you have [f]shown with the dead and with me. 9 May Yahweh grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “No, but we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that (H)they may be your husbands? 12 Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is more bitter for me than for you, for (I)the hand of Yahweh has gone forth against me.” 14 And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
15 Then she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has returned to her people and her (J)gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not press me to forsake you in turning back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may (K)Yahweh do to me, and more, if anything but death separates you and me.” 18 So (L)she saw that she was determined to go with her, and she [g]said no more to her.
Instructions in Doctrine and Living
1 Paul, (A)an apostle of (B)Christ Jesus (C)according to the commandment of (D)God our Savior, and of (E)Christ Jesus, our (F)hope,
2 To (G)Timothy, (H)my genuine child in the faith: (I)Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and (J)Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 As I exhorted you when going to (K)Macedonia, [a]remain on at (L)Ephesus so that you may command certain ones not to (M)teach a different doctrine, 4 nor to [b]pay attention to (N)myths and endless (O)genealogies, which give rise to mere (P)speculation rather than furthering (Q)the stewardship from God which is by faith. 5 But the goal of our (R)command is love (S)from a pure heart and a (T)good conscience and an unhypocritical (U)faith. 6 For some, straying from these things, have turned aside to (V)fruitless discussion, 7 (W)wanting to be (X)teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.
8 But we know that (Y)the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 knowing this, that (Z)law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and (AA)rebellious, for the (AB)ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and (AC)godless, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for (AD)sexually immoral persons, for (AE)homosexuals, for (AF)kidnappers, for (AG)liars, for (AH)perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to (AI)sound teaching, 11 according to (AJ)the gospel of the glory of (AK)the blessed God, with which I have been (AL)entrusted.
12 I am grateful to (AM)Christ Jesus our Lord, who has (AN)strengthened me, because He regarded me faithful, (AO)putting me into service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a (AP)persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was (AQ)shown mercy because (AR)I acted ignorantly in unbelief; 14 and the (AS)grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the (AT)faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 15 (AU)It is a trustworthy saying and deserving full acceptance: that (AV)Christ Jesus came into the world to (AW)save sinners, among whom (AX)I am foremost. 16 Yet for this reason I (AY)was shown mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Christ Jesus might (AZ)demonstrate all His patience as an example for those [c]who are going to believe upon Him for eternal life. 17 Now to the (BA)King of the [d]ages, (BB)immortal, (BC)invisible, the (BD)only God, (BE)be honor and glory [e]forever and ever. Amen.
Repent or Perish
13 Now at that same time there were some present who were reporting to Him about the Galileans whose blood (A)Pilate had [a]mixed with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “(B)Do you think that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered these things? 3 I tell you, no, but unless you [b]repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or do you think that those eighteen on whom the tower in (C)Siloam fell and killed them were worse [c](D)offenders than all the men who live in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6 And He was telling this parable: “A man had (E)a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit on it and did not find any. 7 And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree [d]without finding any. (F)Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in manure, 9 and if it bears fruit next year, fine, but if not, cut it down.’”
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