Book of Common Prayer
Book 1 (Psalms 1-41)
Psalm 1[a]
1 How blessed[b] is the one[c] who does not follow[d] the advice[e] of the wicked,[f]
or stand in the pathway[g] with sinners,
or sit in the assembly[h] of scoffers.[i]
2 Instead[j] he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands;[k]
he meditates on[l] his commands[m] day and night.
3 He is like[n] a tree planted by flowing streams;[o]
it[p] yields[q] its fruit at the proper time,[r]
and its leaves never fall off.[s]
He succeeds in everything he attempts.[t]
4 Not so with the wicked!
Instead[u] they are like wind-driven chaff.[v]
5 For this reason[w] the wicked cannot withstand[x] judgment,[y]
nor can sinners join the assembly of the godly.[z]
6 Certainly[aa] the Lord guards the way of the godly,[ab]
but the way of the wicked ends in destruction.[ac]
Psalm 2[ad]
2 Why[ae] do the nations rebel?[af]
Why[ag] are the countries[ah] devising[ai] plots that will fail?[aj]
2 The kings of the earth[ak] form a united front;[al]
the rulers collaborate[am]
against the Lord and his anointed king.[an]
3 They say,[ao] “Let’s tear off the shackles they’ve put on us.[ap]
Let’s free ourselves from[aq] their ropes.”
4 The one enthroned[ar] in heaven laughs in disgust;[as]
the Lord taunts[at] them.
5 Then he angrily speaks to them
and terrifies them in his rage,[au] saying,[av]
6 “I myself[aw] have installed[ax] my king
on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 The king says,[ay] “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me:[az]
‘You are my son.[ba] This very day I have become your father.
8 Ask me,
and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,[bb]
the ends of the earth as your personal property.
9 You will break them[bc] with an iron scepter;[bd]
you will smash them like a potter’s jar.’”[be]
10 So now, you kings, do what is wise;[bf]
you rulers of the earth, submit to correction.[bg]
11 Serve[bh] the Lord in fear.
Repent in terror.[bi]
12 Give sincere homage.[bj]
Otherwise he[bk] will be angry,[bl]
and you will die because of your behavior,[bm]
when his anger quickly ignites.[bn]
How blessed[bo] are all who take shelter in him![bp]
Psalm 3[bq]
A psalm of David, written when he fled from his son Absalom.[br]
3 Lord, how[bs] numerous are my enemies!
Many attack me.[bt]
2 Many say about me,
“God will not deliver him.”[bu] (Selah)[bv]
3 But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me;[bw]
you are my glory[bx] and the one who restores me.[by]
4 To the Lord I cried out,[bz]
and he answered me from his holy hill.[ca] (Selah)
5 I rested and slept;
I awoke,[cb] for the Lord protects[cc] me.
6 I am not afraid[cd] of the multitude of people[ce]
who attack me from all directions.[cf]
7 Rise up,[cg] Lord!
Deliver me, my God!
Yes,[ch] you will strike[ci] all my enemies on the jaw;
you will break the teeth[cj] of the wicked.[ck]
8 The Lord delivers;[cl]
you show favor to your people.[cm] (Selah)
Psalm 4[cn]
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of David.
4 When I call out, answer me,
O God who vindicates me.[co]
Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place.[cp]
Have mercy on me[cq] and respond to[cr] my prayer.
2 You men,[cs] how long will you try to turn my honor into shame?[ct]
How long[cu] will you love what is worthless[cv]
and search for what is deceptive?[cw] (Selah)
3 Realize that[cx] the Lord shows the godly special favor;[cy]
the Lord responds[cz] when I cry out to him.
4 Tremble with fear and do not sin.[da]
Meditate as you lie in bed, and repent of your ways.[db] (Selah)
5 Offer the prescribed sacrifices[dc]
and trust in the Lord.[dd]
6 Many say, “Who can show us anything good?”
Smile upon us, Lord![de]
7 You make me happier[df]
than those who have abundant grain and wine.[dg]
8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully,[dh]
for you, Lord, make me safe and secure.[di]
Psalm 7[a]
A musical composition[b] by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning[c] a Benjaminite named Cush.[d]
7 O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter.[e]
Deliver me from all who chase me. Rescue me!
2 Otherwise they will rip[f] me[g] to shreds like a lion;
they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me.[h]
3 O Lord my God, if I have done what they say,[i]
or am guilty of unjust actions,[j]
4 or have wronged my ally,[k]
or helped his lawless enemy,[l]
5 may an enemy relentlessly chase[m] me[n] and catch me;[o]
may he trample me to death[p]
and leave me lying dishonored in the dust.[q] (Selah)
6 Stand up angrily,[r] Lord.
Rise up with raging fury against my enemies.[s]
Wake up for my sake, and execute the judgment you have decreed for them.[t]
7 The countries are assembled all around you;[u]
take once more your rightful place over them.[v]
8 The Lord judges the nations.[w]
Vindicate me, Lord, because I am innocent,[x]
because I am blameless,[y] O Exalted One.[z]
9 May the evil deeds of the wicked[aa] come to an end.[ab]
But make the innocent[ac] secure,[ad]
O righteous God,
you who examine[ae] inner thoughts and motives.[af]
10 The Exalted God is my shield,[ag]
the one who delivers the morally upright.[ah]
11 God is a just judge;
he is angry throughout the day.[ai]
12 If a person[aj] does not repent, God will wield his sword.[ak]
He has prepared to shoot his bow.[al]
13 He has prepared deadly weapons to use against him;[am]
he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows.[an]
14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness,
who conceives destructive plans,
and gives birth to harmful lies—
15 he digs a pit[ao]
and then falls into the hole he has made.[ap]
16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans[aq]—
and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head.[ar]
17 I will thank the Lord for[as] his justice;
I will sing praises to the Lord Most High![at]
A Family Tragedy: Famine and Death
1 During the time of the judges,[a] there was a famine in the land of Judah.[b] So a man from Bethlehem[c] in Judah went to live as a resident foreigner[d] in the region of Moab, along with his wife and two sons.[e] 2 (Now the man’s name was Elimelech,[f] his wife was Naomi,[g] and his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion.[h] They were of the clan of Ephrath[i] from Bethlehem in Judah.) They entered the region of Moab and settled there.[j] 3 Sometime later[k] Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, so she and her two sons were left alone. 4 Both her sons[l] married[m] Moabite women. (One was named Orpah and the other Ruth.)[n] And they continued to live there about ten years. 5 Then Naomi’s two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, also died.[o] So the woman was left all alone—bereaved of her two children[p] as well as her husband! 6 So she decided to return home from the region of Moab, accompanied by her daughters-in-law,[q] because while she was living in Moab[r] she had heard that the Lord had shown concern for[s] his people, reversing the famine by providing abundant crops.[t]
Ruth Returns with Naomi
7 Now as she and her two daughters-in-law began to leave the place where she had been living to return to the land of Judah,[u] 8 Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Listen to me! Each of you should return to your mother’s home.[v] May the Lord show[w] you[x] the same kind of devotion that you have shown to your deceased husbands[y] and to me.[z] 9 May the Lord enable each of you to find[aa] security[ab] in the home of a new husband.”[ac] Then she kissed them goodbye, and they wept loudly.[ad] 10 But they said to her, “No![ae] We will[af] return with you to your people.”
11 But Naomi replied, “Go back home, my daughters! There is no reason for you to return to Judah with me.[ag] I am no longer capable of giving birth to sons who might become your husbands![ah] 12 Go back home, my daughters! For I am too old to get married again.[ai] Even if I thought that there was hope that I could get married tonight and conceive sons,[aj] 13 surely you would not want to wait until they were old enough to marry.[ak] Surely you would not remain unmarried all that time![al] No,[am] my daughters, you must not return with me.[an] For my intense suffering[ao] is too much for you to bear.[ap] For the Lord is afflicting me!”[aq]
14 Again they wept loudly.[ar] Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye,[as] but Ruth[at] clung tightly to her.[au] 15 So Naomi[av] said, “Look, your sister-in-law is returning to her people and to her god.[aw] Follow your sister-in-law back home!” 16 But Ruth replied,
“Stop urging me to abandon you![ax]
For wherever you go, I will go.
Wherever you live, I will live.
Your people will become my people,
and your God will become my God.
17 Wherever you die, I will die—and there I will be buried.
May the Lord punish me severely if I do not keep my promise![ay]
Only death will be able to separate me from you!”[az]
18 When Naomi[ba] realized that Ruth[bb] was determined to go with her, she stopped trying to dissuade her.[bc]
Salutation
1 From Paul,[a] an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior[b] and of Christ Jesus our hope, 2 to Timothy, my genuine child in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord!
Timothy’s Task in Ephesus
3 As I urged you when I was leaving for Macedonia, stay on in Ephesus to instruct[c] certain people not to spread false teachings,[d] 4 nor to occupy themselves with myths and interminable genealogies.[e] Such things promote useless speculations rather than God’s redemptive plan[f] that operates by faith. 5 But the aim of our instruction[g] is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.[h] 6 Some have strayed from these and turned away to empty discussion. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they are saying or the things they insist on so confidently.[i]
8 But we know that the law is good if someone uses it legitimately, 9 realizing that law[j] is not intended for a righteous person, but for lawless and rebellious people, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 sexually immoral people, practicing homosexuals,[k] kidnappers, liars, perjurers—in fact, for any who live contrary to sound teaching. 11 This[l] accords with the glorious gospel of the blessed God[m] that was entrusted to me.[n]
12 I am grateful to the one who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me faithful in putting me into ministry, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor, and an arrogant[o] man. But I was treated with mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and our Lord’s grace was abundant, bringing faith and love in Christ Jesus.[p] 15 This saying[q] is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them![r] 16 But here is why I was treated with mercy: so that[s] in me as the worst,[t] Christ Jesus could demonstrate his utmost patience, as an example for those who are going to believe in him for eternal life. 17 Now to the eternal king,[u] immortal, invisible, the only[v] God, be honor and glory forever and ever![w] Amen.
A Call to Repent
13 Now[a] there were some present on that occasion who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.[b] 2 He[c] answered them, “Do you think these Galileans were worse sinners[d] than all the other Galileans, because they suffered these things? 3 No, I tell you! But unless you repent,[e] you will all perish as well![f] 4 Or those eighteen who were killed[g] when the tower in Siloam fell on them,[h] do you think they were worse offenders than all the others who live in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you! But unless you repent[i] you will all perish as well!”[j]
Warning to Israel to Bear Fruit
6 Then[k] Jesus[l] told this parable: “A man had a fig tree[m] planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So[n] he said to the worker who tended the vineyard, ‘For[o] three years[p] now, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and each time I inspect it[q] I find none. Cut[r] it down! Why[s] should it continue to deplete[t] the soil?’ 8 But the worker[u] answered him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer[v] on it. 9 Then if[w] it bears fruit next year,[x] very well,[y] but if[z] not, you can cut it down.’”
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