Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 16
A miktam[a] by David.
1 Protect me, O El, because I take refuge in you.
2 I said to Yahweh,
“You are my Adonay. Without you, I have nothing good.”
3 Those who lead holy lives on earth
are the noble ones who fill me with joy.[b]
4 Those who quickly chase after other gods multiply their sorrows.
I will not pour out their sacrificial offerings of blood
or use my lips to speak their names.
5 Yahweh is my inheritance and my cup.
You are the one who determines my destiny.
6 Your boundary lines mark out pleasant places for me.
Indeed, my inheritance is something beautiful.
7 I will praise Yahweh, who advises me.
My conscience warns me at night.
8 I always keep Yahweh in front of me.
When he is by my side, I cannot be moved.
9 That is why my heart is glad and my soul rejoices.
My body rests securely
10 because you do not abandon my soul to the grave
or allow your holy one to decay.
11 You make the path of life known to me.
Complete joy is in your presence.
Pleasures are by your side forever.
Psalm 17
A prayer by David.
1 Hear my plea for justice, O Yahweh.
Pay attention to my cry.
Open your ears to my prayer,
which comes from lips free from deceit.
2 Let the verdict of my innocence come directly from you.
Let your eyes observe what is fair.
3 You have probed my heart.
You have confronted me at night.
You have tested me like silver,
but you found nothing wrong.
I have determined that my mouth will not sin.
4 I have avoided cruelty because of your word.
In spite of what others have done,
5 my steps have remained firmly in your paths.
My feet have not slipped.
6 I have called on you because you answer me, O El.
Turn your ear toward me.
Hear what I have to say.
7 Reveal your miraculous deeds of mercy,
O Savior of those who find refuge by your side
from those who attack them.
8 Guard me as if I were the pupil in your eye.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
9 Hide me from wicked people who violently attack me,
from my deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They have shut out all feeling.[c]
Their mouths have spoken arrogantly.
11 They have tracked me down.
They have surrounded me.
They have focused their attention on throwing me to the ground.
12 Each one of them is like a lion eager to tear its prey apart
and like a young lion crouching in hiding places.
13 Arise, O Yahweh; confront them!
Bring them to their knees!
With your sword rescue my life from wicked people.
14 With your power rescue me from mortals, O Yahweh,
from mortals who enjoy their inheritance only in this life.
You fill their bellies with your treasure.
Their children are satisfied with it,
and they leave what remains to their children.
15 I will see your face when I am declared innocent.
When I wake up, I will be satisfied with seeing you.
Psalm 22
For the choir director; according to ayyeleth hashachar;[a] a psalm by David.
1 My El, my El,
why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away from helping me,
so far away from the words of my groaning?
2 My Elohim,
I cry out by day, but you do not answer—
also at night, but I find no rest.
3 Yet, you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 Our ancestors trusted you.
They trusted, and you rescued them.
5 They cried to you and were saved.
They trusted you and were never disappointed.
6 Yet, I am a worm and not a man.
I am scorned by humanity and despised by people.
7 All who see me make fun of me.
Insults pour from their mouths.
They shake their heads and say,
8 “Put yourself in Yahweh’s hands.
Let Yahweh save him!
Let Yahweh rescue him since he is pleased with him!”
9 Indeed, you are the one who brought me out of the womb,
the one who made me feel safe at my mother’s breasts.
10 I was placed in your care from birth.
From my mother’s womb you have been my El.
11 Do not be so far away from me.
Trouble is near, and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls have surrounded me.
Strong bulls from Bashan have encircled me.
13 They have opened their mouths to attack me
like ferocious, roaring lions.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax.
It has melted within me.
15 My strength is dried up like pieces of broken pottery.
My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You lay me down in the dust of death.
16 Dogs have surrounded me.
A mob has encircled me.
They have pierced my hands and feet.
17 I can count all my bones.
People stare.
They gloat over me.
18 They divide my clothes among themselves.
They throw dice for my clothing.
19 Do not be so far away, O Yahweh.
Come quickly to help me, O my strength.
20 Rescue my soul from the sword,
my life from vicious dogs.
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion
and from the horns of wild oxen.
You have answered me.
22 I will tell my people about your name.
I will praise you within the congregation.
23 All who fear Yahweh, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify him!
Stand in awe of him, all you descendants of Israel.
24 Yahweh has not despised or been disgusted
with the plight of the oppressed one.
He has not hidden his face from that person.
Yahweh heard when that oppressed person
cried out to him for help.
25 My praise comes from you while I am among those assembled for worship.
I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who fear Yahweh.
26 Oppressed people will eat until they are full.
Those who look to Yahweh will praise him.
May you live forever.
27 All the ends of the earth will remember and return to Yahweh.
All the families from all the nations will worship you
28 because the kingdom belongs to Yahweh
and he rules the nations.
29 All prosperous people on earth will eat and worship.
All those who go down to the dust will kneel in front of him,
even those who are barely alive.
30 There will be descendants who serve him,
a generation that will be told about Adonay.
31 They will tell people yet to be born about his righteousness—
that he has finished it.
Boaz Assumes Responsibility for Ruth
4 Boaz went to the city gate and sat there. Just then, the relative about whom he had spoken was passing by. Boaz said, “Please come over here and sit, my friend.” So the man came over and sat down.
2 Then Boaz chose ten men who were leaders of that city and said, “Sit here.” So they also sat down.
3 Boaz said to the man, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the field that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 So I said that I would inform you. Buy it in the presence of these men sitting here and in the presence of the leaders of our people. If you wish to buy back the property, you can buy back the property. But if you do not wish to buy back the property, tell me. Then I will know that I am next in line because there is no other relative except me.”
The man said, “I’ll buy back the property.”
5 Boaz continued, “When you buy the field from Naomi, you will also assume responsibility for the Moabite Ruth, the dead man’s widow. This keeps the inheritance in the dead man’s name.”
6 The man replied, “In that case I cannot assume responsibility for her. If I did, I would ruin my inheritance. Take all my rights to buy back the property for yourself, because I cannot assume that responsibility.”
7 (This is the way it used to be in Israel concerning buying back property and exchanging goods: In order to make every matter legal, a man would take off his sandal and give it to the other man. This was the way a contract was publicly approved in Israel.) 8 So when the man said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he took off his sandal.
9 Then Boaz said to the leaders and to all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. 10 In addition, I have bought as my wife the Moabite Ruth, Mahlon’s widow, to keep the inheritance in the dead man’s name. In this way the dead man’s name will not be cut off from his relatives or from the public records. Today you are witnesses.”
11 All the people who were at the gate, including the leaders, said, “We are witnesses. May Yahweh make this wife, who is coming into your home, like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built our family of Israel. So show your strength of character in Ephrathah and make a name for yourself in Bethlehem. 12 Also, from the descendant whom Yahweh will give you from this young woman, may your family become like the family of Perez, the son whom Tamar gave birth to for Judah.”
Ruth Gives Birth to David’s Ancestor
13 Then Boaz took Ruth home, and she became his wife. He slept with her, and Yahweh gave her the ability to become pregnant. So she gave birth to a son.
14 The women said to Naomi, “Praise Yahweh, who has remembered today to give you someone who will take care of you. The child’s name will be famous in Israel. 15 He will bring you a new life and support you in your old age. Your daughter-in-law who loves you is better to you than seven sons, because she has given birth.”
16 Naomi took the child, held him on her lap, and became his guardian.
17 The women in the neighborhood said, “Naomi has a son.” So they gave him the name Obed.
He became the father of Jesse, who was the father of David.
17 Give double honor to spiritual leaders[a] who handle their duties well. This is especially true if they work hard at teaching the word of God. 18 After all, Scripture says, “Never muzzle an ox when it is threshing[b] grain,” and “The worker deserves his pay.”
19 Don’t pay attention to an accusation against a spiritual leader unless it is supported by two or three witnesses. 20 Reprimand those leaders who sin. Do it in front of everyone so that the other leaders will also be afraid.
21 I solemnly call on you in the sight of God, Christ Yeshua, and the chosen angels to be impartial when you follow what I’ve told you. Never play favorites.
22 Don’t be in a hurry to place your hands on anyone to ordain him. Don’t participate in the sins of others. Keep yourself morally pure.
23 Stop drinking only water. Instead, drink a little wine for your stomach because you are frequently sick.
24 The sins of some people are obvious, going ahead of them to judgment. The sins of others follow them there. 25 In the same way, the good things that people do are obvious, and those that aren’t obvious can’t remain hidden.
Jesus Attends a Banquet
14 On a day of worship Yeshua went to eat at the home of a prominent Pharisee. The guests were watching Yeshua very closely.
2 A man whose body was swollen with fluid was there. 3 Yeshua reacted by asking the Pharisees and the experts in Moses’ Teachings, “Is it right to heal on the day of worship or not?” 4 But they didn’t say a thing.
So Yeshua took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him away. 5 Yeshua asked them, “If your son or your ox falls into a well on a day of worship, wouldn’t you pull him out immediately?” 6 They couldn’t argue with him about this.
7 Then Yeshua noticed how the guests always chose the places of honor. So he used this illustration when he spoke to them: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding, don’t take the place of honor. Maybe someone more important than you was invited. 9 Then your host would say to you, ‘Give this person your place.’ Embarrassed, you would have to take the place of least honor. 10 So when you’re invited, take the place of least honor. Then, when your host comes, he will tell you, ‘Friend, move to a more honorable place.’ Then all the other guests will see how you are honored. 11 Those who honor themselves will be humbled, but people who humble themselves will be honored.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.