Book of Common Prayer
To the Director: By the servant of the Lord, David, who spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hands of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
Gratitude for Victory
18 He said:
“I love you, Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God,
my stronghold[a] in whom I take refuge, my shield, the glory[b]
of my salvation, and my high tower.”
3 I cried out to the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I was delivered from my enemies.
4 The cords of death entangled me;
the rivers of Belial[c] made me afraid.
5 The cords of Sheol[d] surrounded me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I cried to the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his Temple he heard my voice;
my cry reached his ears.
7 The world shook and trembled;
the foundations of the mountains quaked,
they shook because he was angry.
8 In his anger smoke poured out of his nostrils,
and consuming fire from his mouth;
coals were lit from it.
9 He bent the sky and descended,
and darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode upon a cherub and flew;
he soared upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his hiding place,
his canopy surrounding him was dark waters and thick clouds.
12 The brightness before him scattered the thick clouds,
with hail stones and flashes of fire.
13 Then the Lord thundered in[e] the heavens,
and the Most High sounded aloud,
calling for hail stones and flashes of fire.[f]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered them;
with many lightning bolts he frightened them.
15 Then the channels of the sea could be seen,
and the foundations of the earth were uncovered
because of your rebuke, Lord,
because of the blast from the breath of your nostrils.
16 He reached down and took me;
he drew me from many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemies,
from those who hated me because
they were stronger than I.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out to a spacious place;
he delivered me, for in me he takes delight.
God’s Reward to the Righteous
20 The Lord will reward me because I am righteous;
because my hands are clean he will restore me;
21 because I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and I have not wickedly departed from my God;
22 because all his judgments were always before me,
and I did not cast off his statutes.
23 I was upright[g] before him,
and I kept myself from iniquity.
24 So the Lord restored me according to my righteousness,
because my hands were clean in his sight.
25 To the holy, you show your gracious love,
to the upright, you show yourself upright;
26 to the pure, you show yourself pure,
and to the morally corrupt, you appear to be perverse.
27 Indeed, you deliver the oppressed,[h]
but you bring down those who exalt themselves
in their own eyes.
28 For you, Lord, make my lamp shine;
my God enlightens my darkness.
29 With your help[i] I will run through an army,
with help from[j] my God I leap over walls.
30 As for God, his way is upright;[k]
the word of God is pure;
he is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
The Acts of God for the Righteous
31 For who is God but the Lord,
and who is a Rock other than our God?—
32 the God who clothes me with strength,
and who makes my way upright;[l]
33 who makes my feet swift as the deer;
who makes me stand on high places;
34 who teaches my hands to make war,
and my arms to bend a bronze bow.
35 You have given to me the shield of your deliverance,
and your right hand holds me up;
your gentleness made me great.
36 You make a broad place for my steps,
so my feet[m] won’t slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn around until they were utterly defeated.
38 I struck them down,
so they are not able to rise up;
they fell under my feet.
39 You clothed me with strength for war;
you will subdue under me those who rise up against me.
40 You have made my enemies turn their back to me,
and I will destroy those who hate me.
41 They cried out for deliverance,
but there was no one to deliver;
they cried out[n] to the Lord,
but he did not answer them.
42 I ground them like wind-swept dust;
I emptied them out[o] like dirt in the street.
43 You rescued me from conflict with the people;
you made me head of the nations.
People who did not know me will serve me.
44 When they hear of me,[p] they will obey me;
foreigners will submit to me.
45 Foreigners will wilt away;
they will come trembling out of their stronghold.
46 The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
May the God of my deliverance be exalted!
47 He is the God who executes vengeance on my behalf;
who destroys peoples under me;
48 who delivers me from my enemies.
Truly you will exalt me above those who oppose me;
you will deliver me from the violent person.
49 Therefore, I will give thanks to you among the nations, Lord;
I will sing praises to your name.
50 He is the one who gives victories to his king;
who shows gracious love to his anointed,
to David and his seed forever.
Naomi Offers to Find a Husband for Ruth
3 Ruth’s[a] mother-in-law Naomi, told her, “My daughter, should I not make inquiries about your financial security,[b] so you’ll be better off in life?[c] 2 Isn’t Boaz one of our close relatives? You’ve been associating with his women servants lately. Look, he’ll be winnowing barley at the threshing floor tonight. 3 So get cleaned up, put on some perfume, dress up, and go to the threshing floor, but don’t let him see you[d] until after he’s finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, be sure to notice where he is resting. Then go over, uncover his feet, and lie down. He’ll tell you what to do.”
5 Ruth replied, “I’ll do everything you’ve said.” 6 So she went out to the threshing floor and did precisely what her mother-in-law had advised.
Ruth’s Meeting with Boaz
7 After Boaz had finished eating and drinking to his heart’s content, he went over and lay down next to the pile of threshed grain. Ruth[e] came in quietly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. 8 In the middle of the night, Boaz[f] was startled awake and turned over in surprise to see a woman lying at his feet.
9 He asked her, “Who are you?”
She answered, “I’m only Ruth, your servant. Spread the edge[g] of your garment over your servant, because you are my related redeemer.”
10 He replied, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You’ve added to the gracious love you’ve already demonstrated[h] by not pursuing younger men, whether rich or poor. 11 Don’t be afraid, my daughter. I’ll do for you everything that you have asked, since all of my people in town are aware that you’re a virtuous[i] woman. 12 It’s true that I’m your related redeemer, but there is another related redeemer even closer than I. 13 Stay the night, and if he fulfills his duty as your related redeemer in the morning, that will be acceptable. But if he isn’t inclined to do so,[j] then, as the Lord lives, I will act as your related redeemer myself. So lie down until morning.”
14 So she lay down at his feet until dawn approached, then got up while it was still difficult for anyone to be recognized. Then he told her, “It shouldn’t be known that a woman has come to the threshing floor.” 15 So he said, “Take your cloak and hold it out.” She did so, and he measured out six units[k] of barley and placed them in a sack[l] on her. Then she left for town.
Naomi’s Response to Ruth
16 When Ruth[m] returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi[n] asked her, “How did it go, my daughter?”
Then she related everything that the man had done for her. 17 Ruth[o] also said, “He gave me these six units[p] of barley and told me, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”[q]
18 Naomi[r] replied, “Be patient, my daughter, until you learn how this works out, because the man won’t rest until he finishes everything today.”
A Prophecy about the Future
4 Now the Spirit says clearly that in the last times some people will abandon the faith by following deceitful spirits, the teachings of demons, 2 and the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences have been burned by a hot iron. 3 They will try to stop people from marrying and from eating certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing should be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
How to be a Good Servant of the Messiah Jesus
6 If you continue to point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good servant of the Messiah[a] Jesus, nourished by the words of the faith and the healthy teaching that you have followed closely. 7 Do not have anything to do with godless myths and fables of old women. Instead, train yourself to be godly. 8 Physical exercise is of limited value, but
Godliness is very dear,
a pledge of life, both there and here.
9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves complete acceptance.[b] 10 To this end we work hard and struggle,[c] because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, that is, of those who believe.
11 These are the things you must insist on and teach. 12 Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faithfulness,[d] and purity. 13 Until I arrive, give your full concentration to the public reading of Scripture,[e] to exhorting, and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect[f] the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy when the elders laid their hands on you. 15 Think on these things. Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress. 16 Pay close attention to your life and your teaching. Persevere in these things, because if you do so, you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.
Jesus Rebukes Jerusalem(A)
31 At that hour some Pharisees came and told Jesus,[a] “Leave and get away from here, because Herod wants to kill you!”
32 He told them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Listen! I am driving out demons and healing today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will finish my work. 33 But I must be on my way today, tomorrow, and the next day, because it’s not possible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones to death those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you people were unwilling! 35 Look! Your house is left vacant to you. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”[b]
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