Book of Common Prayer
A Burden Too Heavy for Me
Psalm 38
1 A psalm of David, for a memorial.
2 Adonai, do not rebuke me in Your anger
or discipline me in Your wrath.
3 For Your arrows have sunk deep into me
and Your hand has pressed down on me.
4 There is no health in my flesh because of Your indignation.
There is no wholeness in my bones because of my sin.
5 For my iniquities are on my head—
like a burden too heavy for me.
6 My wounds are foul and festering
because of my foolishness.
7 I am bent over, bowed down greatly.
All day I walk about in mourning.
8 For my heart is filled with burning pain,
and there is no health in my body.
9 I am numb and utterly crushed.
I groan because of anguish in my heart.
10 My Lord, all my longing is before You,
and my sighing is not hidden from You.
11 My heart pounds, my strength fails me.
The light of my eyes—also, not with me.
12 My friends and my companions stay away from my wound,
and my kinsmen stand far off.
13 They who seek my life set traps.
Those who seek my hurt threaten destruction, uttering lies all day.
14 But I, like someone deaf, hear nothing,
like a mute, not opening his mouth.
15 Yes, I am like one who cannot hear,
whose mouth has no arguments.
16 But I wait for You, Adonai—
You will answer, O Lord my God.
17 For I said: “Don’t let them gloat over me
or exalt themselves over me, when my foot slips.”
18 For I am about to fall,
and my pain is before me constantly.
19 So I confess my guilt.
I am troubled because of my sin.
20 My lively enemies are numerous.
Many hate me wrongfully.
21 Those who repay evil for good oppose me
because I pursue what is good.
22 Do not forsake me, Adonai.
O my God, be not far from me.
23 Hurry to my aid, my Lord, my salvation.
DALET ד
25 My soul clings to the dust.
Revive me according to Your word!
26 I told of my ways and You answered me.
Teach me Your statutes.
27 Help me discern the way of Your precepts,
so I may meditate on Your wonders.
28 My soul weeps with grief.
Make me stand firm with Your word.
29 Turn me away from the deceitful way,
and be gracious to me with Your Torah.
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness.
I have set my heart on Your judgments.
31 I cling to Your testimonies.
Adonai, do not put me to shame!
32 I run the course of Your mitzvot,
for You open wide my heart.
HEY ה
33 Teach me the way of Your decrees, Adonai,
and I will follow them to the end.
34 Give me understanding,
that I may keep Your Torah
and observe it with all my heart.
35 Help me walk in the path of Your mitzvot—
for I delight in it.
36 Turn my heart to Your testimonies
and not to dishonest gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from gazing at vanity
but revive me in Your ways.
38 Fulfill Your word to Your servant,
which leads to reverence for You.
39 Make the disgrace I dread pass away,
for Your judgments are good.
40 Behold, I long for Your precepts.
Revive me by Your righteousness.
VAV ו
41 May Your lovingkindnesses come to me, Adonai—
Your salvation according to Your word—
42 so I may answer the one taunting me,
for I trust in Your word.
43 Never snatch out of my mouth a word of truth,
for I hope in Your judgments.
44 So I may always keep Your Torah,
forever and ever,
45 and walk about in freedom.
For I have sought Your precepts.
46 I will speak of Your testimonies
before kings, and never be ashamed.
47 I delight in Your mitzvot,
which I love.
48 I reach out my hands for Your mitzvot,
which I love,
and meditate on Your decrees.
25 “When you father children and children’s children and have been in the land a long time, and you act corruptly and make a graven image in the form of anything and do evil in the sight of Adonai your God, provoking Him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that you will certainly be carried off quickly from the land you are crossing over the Jordan to possess. You will not prolong your days on it, for you will certainly be destroyed. 27 Adonai will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where Adonai will drive you. 28 There you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which do not see or hear or eat or smell. 29 But from there you will seek Adonai your God and you will find Him, when you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
30 “When you are in distress and all these things have come on you, in the latter days you will return to Adonai your God and listen to His voice. 31 For Adonai your God is a merciful God. He will not abandon you or destroy you, or forget the covenant with your fathers that He swore to them.
23 But I call God as my witness[a]—to spare you, I didn’t come to Corinth again. 24 Not that we lord it over you in matters of faith, but we are fellow workers for your joy—for in the faith you are standing firm.
Forgive the Repentant Sinner
2 So I made up my mind that I would not come to you again causing sorrow. 2 For if I cause you sorrow, then who is there cheering me on but the one I have made sorrowful? 3 And I wrote this very thing to you, so that when I came I wouldn’t have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice—having confidence in you all that my joy is yours. 4 For out of much distress and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears—not to make you sorrowful, but to let you know the love that I have especially for you.
5 But if anyone has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not to me, but to some extent—not to exaggerate—to all of you. 6 For such a person, this punishment by the majority is enough. 7 So instead you should forgive him and encourage him. Otherwise such a person might be swallowed up by excessive sorrow. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For to this end I also wrote, that I might know your character, whether you are obedient in all things. 10 Now anyone you forgive, I also forgive. For indeed, what I have forgiven (if I have forgiven anything), I did it for you in the presence of Messiah, 11 so that we might not be outwitted by satan—for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
Revealing Messiah’s Fragrance
12 Now when I arrived in Troas for the Good News of Messiah, and a door was opened to me by the Lord, 13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I didn’t find Titus my brother. So I said farewell to them, and I set out for Macedonia. 14 But thanks be to God, who in Messiah always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us reveals everywhere the aroma[b] of the knowledge of Himself. 15 For we are the aroma of Messiah to God, among those who are being saved and those who are perishing— 16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. Who is competent for these things? 17 For we are not like many, peddling the word of God. Rather, in Messiah we speak in the sight of God with sincerity, as persons sent from God.
15 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to hear Yeshua. 2 The Pharisees and the Torah scholars began to complain, saying, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
11 Then Yeshua said, “A certain man had two sons, 12 and the younger of them said to the father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that comes to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them.
13 “Not many days later, the younger son gathered everything and traveled to a far country, and there he squandered his inheritance on wild living. 14 Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine came against that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to fill up on the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one was giving him any.
17 “But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food overflowing, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I’ll get up and go to my father, and I’ll say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your presence. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers.
20 “And he got up and went to his own father. But while he was still far away, his father saw him and felt compassion. He ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your presence. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him! Put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it! Let’s celebrate with a feast! 24 For this son of mine was dead and has come back to life—he was lost and is found!’ Then they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was out in the field. And as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called out to one of the servants and began to ask what these things could be.
27 “The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he got him back safe and sound.’
28 “But the older son was angry and didn’t want to go in. So his father came outside and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look, so many years I’ve slaved away for you—not once did I ignore your order. Yet you’ve never given me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came—the one who has squandered your wealth with prostitutes—for him you killed the fattened calf!”
31 “Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and everything that is mine is yours. 32 But it was right to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead but has come back to life! He was lost, but is found.’”
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.