Book of Common Prayer
Written About Me in the Scroll
Psalm 40
1 For the music director, a psalm of David.
2 I waited patiently for Adonai.
He bent down to me and heard my cry.
3 He brought me up out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire.
Then He set my feet on a rock.
He made my steps firm.
4 He put a new song in my mouth—
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and trust in Adonai.
5 Blessed is the one
who put his confidence in Adonai,
who has not turned to the arrogant,
nor to those who fall into falsehood.
6 Many things You have done, Adonai my God
—Your plans for us are wonderful—
there is none to be compared to You!
If I were to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to count!
7 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire
—my ears You have opened—
burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
8 Then I said: “Here I am, I have come—
in the scroll of a book it is written about me.
9 I delight to do Your will, O my God.
Yes, Your Torah is within my being.”
10 I proclaim good news of righteousness in the great assembly.
Behold, I am not shutting my lips—
Adonai, You know!
11 I did not hide Your righteousness within my heart.
Rather I declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation.
I did not conceal Your lovingkindness
and Your truth from the great assembly.
12 Adonai, do not withhold Your compassions from me.
Let Your mercy and Your truth always protect me.
13 For evils beyond number surround me,
my sins have overtaken me
—I cannot see—
they are more than the hairs of my head
—and my heart fails me.
14 Adonai, please deliver me!
Adonai, come quickly to help me!
15 Let those who seek my life to sweep it away
be put to shame and humiliated.
Let those who wish me evil
be turned back in disgrace.
16 Let those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be appalled over their own shame.
17 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You.
Let those who love Your salvation
continually say: “Adonai be magnified!”
18 But I—I am poor and needy—
yet my Lord is mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer—
O my God, do not delay!
Surely God is My Helper
Psalm 54
1 For the music director, on stringed instruments, a contemplative song of David, 2 when the Ziphites came and said to Saul: “Is not David hiding himself among us?”
3 O God, save me by Your Name,
vindicate me by Your might.
4 O God, hear my prayer,
listen to the words of my mouth.
5 For strangers have risen up against me.
Violent men seek after my soul.
They do not set God before them. Selah
6 Surely God is my helper.
My Lord is the supporter of my soul.
7 Let evil return to my foes.
Silence them with Your truth!
8 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to You.
I will praise Your name, Adonai, for it is good.
9 For He has delivered me from all trouble,
and my eye has gazed upon my enemies.
Create in Me a Clean Heart
Psalm 51
1 For the music director: a psalm of David, 2 when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he went to Bathsheba.
3 Be gracious to me, O God,
according to Your mercy.
According to Your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
4 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
5 For I know my transgressions
and my sin is ever before me.
6 Against You, You only, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in Your sight,
so that You are just when You speak,
and blameless when You judge.
7 Behold, I was born in iniquity and in sin
when my mother conceived me.
8 Surely You desire truth in the inner being.
Make me know wisdom inwardly.
9 Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean.
Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
10 Let me hear joy and gladness,
so the bones You crushed may rejoice.
11 Hide Your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
12 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
13 Do not cast me from Your presence—
take not Your Ruach ha-Kodesh from me.
14 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
and sustain me with a willing spirit.
15 Then will I teach transgressors Your ways
and sinners will return to You.
16 Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God—
God of my salvation.
Then my tongue will sing for joy of Your righteousness.
17 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare Your praise.
18 For You would not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it,
nor be pleased by burnt offerings.
19 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.
A broken and a contrite heart, O God,
You will not despise.
20 In Your favor do good to Zion.
Build up the walls of Jerusalem.
21 Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices and whole burnt offerings.
Then bulls will be offered on Your altar.
Parashat Ki Tavo
Firstfruits and Tithes
26 “Now when you enter the land that Adonai your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it, 2 you are to take some of the first of all the produce of the soil, which you gather from your land that Adonai your God is giving you, put it in a basket and go to the place Adonai your God chooses to make His Name dwell. 3 You are to go to the kohen in charge in those days and say to him, ‘I declare today to Adonai your God, that I have entered into the land Adonai swore to our fathers to give us.’ 4 The kohen is to take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of Adonai your God.
5 “Then you are to respond before Adonai your God, ‘My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and lived there as an outsider, few in number. But there he became a great nation—mighty and numerous. 6 The Egyptians treated us badly, afflicted us, and imposed hard labor on us. 7 Then we cried out to Adonai, God of our fathers, and Adonai listened to our voice and saw our affliction, our toil and our oppression. 8 Then Adonai brought us out from Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, and with signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land—a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 So now, look! I have brought the first of the fruits of the soil that You have given me, Adonai.’ Then you are to set it down before Adonai your God and worship before Adonai your God. 11 You will rejoice in all the good that Adonai your God has given to you and to your house—you, the Levite, and the outsider in your midst.
An Offering by Special Delivery
16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same devotion for you. 17 For indeed he not only accepted our appeal, but went to you with eagerness and on his own initiative. 18 We are sending along with him the brother whose fame in connection with the Good News has spread throughout all of Messiah’s communities. 19 Not only that, but he has also been appointed by the communities as our travel companion with this gracious gift, which is administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help. 20 We are taking this precaution, so that no one will blame us in regard to the way we administer this generous gift. 21 We have regard for what is honorable—not only before the Lord, but also before people. 22 Also with them we are sending our brother whom we have tested many times and found to be diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are the emissaries of the communities, a glory to Messiah. 24 Therefore, before Messiah’s communities show them the proof of your love and of our boasting about you.
9 Then Yeshua spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, while holding others in contempt. 10 “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘O God, I thank You that I am not like other people—thieving, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and tithe on all that I get.’
13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, wouldn’t even lift his eyes toward heaven, but beat his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ [a] 14 I tell you, this man, rather than the other, went down to his home declared righteous. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.