Book of Common Prayer
The Reign of the Righteous King.
A Psalm of Solomon.
72 Give the king (A)Your judgments, O God,
And (B)Your righteousness to the king’s son.
2 [a]May [b]he (C)judge Your people with righteousness
And [c](D)Your afflicted with justice.
3 [d]Let the mountains bring [e](E)peace to the people,
And the hills, in righteousness.
4 [f]May he (F)vindicate the [g]afflicted of the people,
Save the children of the needy
And crush the oppressor.
5 [h]Let them fear You (G)while the sun endures,
And [i]as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6 [j]May he come down (H)like rain upon the mown grass,
Like (I)showers that water the earth.
7 In his days [k]may the (J)righteous flourish,
And (K)abundance of peace till the moon is no more.
8 May he also rule (L)from sea to sea
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 [l]Let (M)the nomads of the desert (N)bow before him,
And his enemies (O)lick the dust.
10 [m]Let the kings of (P)Tarshish and of the [n](Q)islands bring presents;
The kings of (R)Sheba and (S)Seba (T)offer [o]gifts.
11 [p]And let all (U)kings bow down before him,
All (V)nations serve him.
12 For he will (W)deliver the needy when he cries for help,
The [q]afflicted also, and him who has no helper.
13 He will have (X)compassion on the poor and needy,
And the [r]lives of the needy he will save.
14 He will [s](Y)rescue their [t]life from oppression and violence,
And their blood will be (Z)precious in his sight;
15 So may he live, and may the (AA)gold of Sheba be given to him;
And let [u]them pray for him continually;
Let [v]them bless him all day long.
16 May there be abundance of grain in the earth on top of the mountains;
Its fruit will wave like the cedars of (AB)Lebanon;
And may those from the city flourish like (AC)vegetation of the earth.
17 May his (AD)name endure forever;
May his name [w]increase [x](AE)as long as the sun shines;
And let men (AF)bless themselves by him;
(AG)Let all nations call him blessed.
18 (AH)Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who alone (AI)works wonders.
19 And blessed be His (AJ)glorious name forever;
And may the whole (AK)earth be filled with His glory.
(AL)Amen, and Amen.
20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
Yodh.
73 (A)Your hands made me and [a]fashioned me;
(B)Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
74 May those who [b]fear You (C)see me and be glad,
Because I [c](D)wait for Your word.
75 I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are (E)righteous,
And that (F)in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
76 O may Your lovingkindness [d]comfort me,
According to Your [e]word to Your servant.
77 May (G)Your compassion come to me that I may live,
For Your law is my (H)delight.
78 May (I)the arrogant be ashamed, for they subvert me (J)with a lie;
But I shall (K)meditate on Your precepts.
79 May those who [f]fear You turn to me,
Even those who know Your testimonies.
80 May my heart be [g](L)blameless in Your statutes,
So that I will not (M)be ashamed.
Kaph.
81 My (N)soul languishes for Your salvation;
I [h](O)wait for Your word.
82 My (P)eyes fail with longing for Your [i]word,
[j]While I say, “When will You comfort me?”
83 Though I have (Q)become like a wineskin in the smoke,
I do (R)not forget Your statutes.
84 How many are the (S)days of Your servant?
When will You (T)execute judgment on those who persecute me?
85 The arrogant have (U)dug pits for me,
Men who are not [k]in accord with Your law.
86 All Your commandments are (V)faithful;
They have (W)persecuted me with a lie; (X)help me!
87 They almost destroyed me [l]on earth,
But as for me, I (Y)did not forsake Your precepts.
88 Revive me according to Your lovingkindness,
So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.
Lamedh.
89 (Z)Forever, O Lord,
Your word [m]is settled in heaven.
90 Your (AA)faithfulness continues [n]throughout all generations;
You (AB)established the earth, and it (AC)stands.
91 They stand this day according to Your (AD)ordinances,
For (AE)all things are Your servants.
92 If Your law had not been my (AF)delight,
Then I would have perished (AG)in my affliction.
93 I will (AH)never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have [o](AI)revived me.
94 I am Yours, (AJ)save me;
For I have (AK)sought Your precepts.
95 The wicked (AL)wait for me to destroy me;
I shall diligently consider Your testimonies.
96 I have seen [p]a limit to all perfection;
Your commandment is exceedingly broad.
30 Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were complete:
The Song of Moses
32 “(A)Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak;
And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
2 “(B)Let my teaching drop as the rain,
My speech distill as the dew,
(C)As the droplets on the fresh grass
And as the showers on the herb.
3 “(D)For I proclaim the name of the Lord;
(E)Ascribe greatness to our God!
4 “(F)The Rock! His work is perfect,
(G)For all His ways are [a]just;
(H)A God of faithfulness and without injustice,
Righteous and upright is He.
5 “[b](I)They have acted corruptly toward Him,
They are not His children, because of their defect;
(J)But are a perverse and crooked generation.
6 “Do you thus (K)repay the Lord,
(L)O foolish and unwise people?
(M)Is not He your Father who has bought you?
(N)He has made you and established you.
7 “Remember the days of old,
Consider the years of all generations.
(O)Ask your father, and he will inform you,
Your elders, and they will tell you.
8 “(P)When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
When He separated the sons of [c]man,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
(Q)According to the number of the sons of Israel.
9 “(R)For the Lord’s portion is His people;
Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.
10 “(S)He found him in a desert land,
And in the howling waste of a wilderness;
He encircled him, He cared for him,
He guarded him as (T)the pupil of His eye.
11 “(U)Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,
That hovers over its young,
(V)He spread His wings and caught them,
He carried them on His pinions.
12 “(W)The Lord alone guided him,
(X)And there was no foreign god with him.
13 “(Y)He made him ride on the high places of the earth,
And he ate the produce of the field;
(Z)And He made him suck honey from the rock,
And (AA)oil from the flinty rock,
14 Curds of cows, and milk of the flock,
With fat of lambs,
And rams, the breed of Bashan, and goats,
(AB)With the finest of the wheat—
And of the (AC)blood of grapes you drank wine.
21 To my (A)shame I must say that we have been (B)weak by comparison.
But in whatever respect anyone else (C)is bold—I (D)speak in foolishness—I am just as bold myself. 22 Are they (E)Hebrews? (F)So am I. Are they (G)Israelites? (H)So am I. Are they [a](I)descendants of Abraham? (J)So am I. 23 Are they (K)servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in [b](L)far more labors, in [c](M)far more imprisonments, [d](N)beaten times without number, often in (O)danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews (P)thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was (Q)beaten with rods, once I was (R)stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my (S)countrymen, dangers from the (T)Gentiles, dangers in the (U)city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among (V)false brethren; 27 I have been in (W)labor and hardship, [e]through many sleepless nights, in (X)hunger and thirst, often (Y)without food, in cold and [f](Z)exposure. 28 Apart from such [g]external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for (AA)all the churches. 29 Who is (AB)weak without my being weak? Who is [h]led into sin [i]without my intense concern?
30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my (AC)weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, (AD)He who is blessed forever, (AE)knows that I am not lying. 32 In (AF)Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was (AG)guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, 33 and I was let down in a basket (AH)through a window [j]in the wall, and so escaped his hands.
Parable of Money Usage
11 While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because (A)He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that (B)the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. 12 So He said, “(C)A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return. 13 And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten [a]minas and said to them, ‘Do business with this [b]until I come back.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent [c]a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him so that he might know what business they had done. 16 The first appeared, saying, ‘[d]Master, your [e]mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave, because you have been (D)faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.’ 18 The second came, saying, ‘Your [f]mina, [g]master, has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him also, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ 20 Another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He *said to him, ‘[h]By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Then why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?’ 24 Then he said to the bystanders, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas already.’ 26 (E)I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 27 But (F)these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and (G)slay them in my presence.”
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