Book of Common Prayer
By the Rivers of Babylon
Psalm 137
1 By the rivers of Babylon,
we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows there
we hung up our harps.
3 For there our captors demanded songs
and our tormentors asked for joy:
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”
4 How can we sing a song of Adonai in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I cease to remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, Adonai, the children of Edom,
what they said on the day Jerusalem fell:
“Strip her, strip her to her very foundation!”
8 O daughter of Babylon, the devastated one,
happy is the one who repays you
as you have paid us.
9 Happy is the one who seizes your little ones
and dashes them upon the rock.
Rescue from Battle
Psalm 144
1 Of David.
Blessed be Adonai my Rock—
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.
2 He is my lovingkindness, my fortress,
my strong tower, and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues my people under me.
3 Adonai, what is man, that You take note of him?
Or the son of man, that You consider him?[a]
4 Man is like a breath—
his days are like a passing shadow.
5 Adonai, part Your heavens and come down.
Touch the mountains, so they smoke.
6 Flash forth lightning and scatter them.
Send out Your arrows and confuse them.
7 Stretch forth Your hands from on high.
Snatch me, deliver me out of deep waters,
out of the hand of foreigners,
8 whose mouth speaks falsehood,
whose right hand is a right hand of deceit.
9 God, I sing a new song to You, on a ten-string harp
I sing praises to You—
10 who gives salvation to kings,
who rescues Your servant David from the evil sword.
11 Snatch me, deliver me
out of the hand of foreigners,
whose mouth speaks falsehood,
whose right hand is a right hand of deceit.
12 Then our sons will be like plants nurtured in their youth,
our daughters like corner pillars carved for the construction of a palace.
13 Our storehouses are full,
supplying every kind of produce.
Our flocks increase by thousands
and ten thousands in our fields.
14 Our oxen bear a heavy load.
There is no breach,
no going into captivity,
no outcry in our streets.
15 Happy are such a people!
Blessed are the people whose God is Adonai!
Adonai Rejoices in His Works!
Psalm 104
1 Bless Adonai, O my soul.
Adonai my God, You are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty—
2 wrapping Yourself in light as a robe,
stretching out heaven like a curtain,
3 laying beams for His upper rooms in waters,
making the clouds His chariot,
walking on the wings of the wind,
4 making His angels spirits,
His servants a flaming fire.
5 He set the earth upon its foundations,
so it should not totter forever and ever.
6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment—
the waters standing above the mountains.
7 At Your rebuke the waters fled.
At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away.
8 The waters go up the mountains,
then down to the valleys—
to the place that You assigned to them.
9 You set a boundary to the waters
that they may not cross over,
so they may not return to cover the earth.
10 You make springs gush into the valleys.
They run between the mountains.
11 They give drink to all the beasts of the field—
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 Beside them the birds of the sky dwell—
they sing among the branches.
13 He waters mountains from His upper rooms.
The earth is full of the fruit of Your labors.
14 He causes grass to spring up for the cattle,
and vegetation for man to cultivate,
to bring forth bread out of the earth,
15 wine that makes man’s heart glad,
oil to make his face shine,
and bread that sustains man’s heart.
16 The trees of Adonai are satisfied,
the cedars of Lebanon that He planted,
17 where birds make their nests,
and the stork—her home is the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for wild goats,
the cliffs a refuge for rock badgers.
19 He made the moon for appointed times,
the sun knows its going down.
20 You bring darkness, so it becomes night,
when all the beasts of the forest prowl.
21 The young lions roar for prey,
seeking their food from God.
22 But when the sun rises, they gather
and lie down in their dens.
23 Man goes out to his work,
and to his labor until the evening.
24 Adonai, how countless are Your works!
In wisdom You made them all—
the earth is full of Your creatures.
25 There is the sea, vast and wide,
teeming with gliding things innumerable,
living creatures, both small and large.
26 There, ships go to and fro.
Leviathan—You formed to frolic there.
27 They all look to You to give them
their food at the right time.
28 When You give it to them, they gather it up.
When You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.
29 But when You hide Your face—they are dismayed.
You take away their breath—they perish,
and return to their dust.
30 You send forth Your Ruach—they are created,
and You renew the face of the earth.
31 May the glory of Adonai endure forever!
May Adonai rejoice in His works!
32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles.
He touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33 I will sing to Adonai as long as I live!
I will sing praise to my God yet again!
34 Let my meditation be sweet to Him.
I—I will rejoice in Adonai.
35 Let sinners vanish from the earth
and let the wicked be no more.
Bless Adonai, O my soul. Halleluyah!
16 Now Saul’s watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin saw the throng scattering away in every direction. 17 So Saul said to the people who were with him, “Call the roll now and see who went from us.” When they called the roll, behold Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there.
18 Then Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here.” For the ark of God at that time was with Bnei-Yisrael. 19 But while Saul was talking to the kohen, the commotion in the Philistine camp kept increasing, so Saul said to the kohen, “Withdraw your hand.” 20 Then Saul and all the people with him rallied and rushed into the battle. Behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow in utter confusion! 21 Now there were Hebrews who had defected to the Philistines previously and had gone up with them to their camp round about—even they joined the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 Also when all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, they also chased after them in the battle. 23 So Adonai delivered Israel that day. The battle spread as far as Beth-aven.
Saul’s Rash Vow
24 Now the men of Israel were hard-pressed that day, for Saul put the people under oath saying, “Cursed be the man that eats any food before evening, until I have avenged myself on my enemies!” So none of the people tasted food. 25 But when all the people of the land entered the forest, there was honey on the ground. 26 When the people entered the forest, indeed, there was a flow of honey, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard when his father made the people swear the oath. So he put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb, put his hand to his mouth—and his eyes brightened. 28 Then, one of the soldiers told him, “Your father strictly put the people under oath saying: ‘Cursed be the man that eats food today.’ But the troops are exhausted.”
29 Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the people. Just look how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much more, if only the troops had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found? Wouldn’t the slaughter among the Philistines have then been greater?”
10 Now there was a disciple named Ananias in Damascus. The Lord said to him, “Ananias.”
He said, “Here I am, Lord.”
11 The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street named Straight, and ask in the house of Judah for someone from Tarsus named Saul. For look, he is praying; 12 and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”
13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man—how much harm he has done to your kedoshim in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the ruling kohanim to tie up all who call on Your name.”
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a choice instrument to carry My name before nations and kings and Bnei-Yisrael. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
17 So Ananias left and entered into the house. Laying hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Yeshua, the One who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming—has sent me, so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh.”
18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was immersed; 19 and when he had taken food, he was strengthened. Now for several days, he was with the disciples in Damascus.
32 Others, two evildoers, were also led away to be put to death with Him. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified Him and the evildoers, one on His right and the other on His left.
34 But Yeshua was saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Then they cast lots, dividing up His clothing.[a]
35 The people stood there watching. And even the leaders were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Messiah of God, the Chosen One!”[b]
36 The soldiers likewise mocked Him, coming up and bringing Him sour wine, [c] 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”
38 Now there was also an inscription over Him:[d] THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39 One of the evildoers hanging there was jeering at Him, saying, “Aren’t You the Messiah? Save Yourself—and us!”
40 But the other one, rebuking him, replied, “Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? 41 We’re getting what we deserve for our actions, and rightly so—but this One has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Yeshua, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
43 Yeshua said to him, “Amen, I tell you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.