Book of Common Prayer
The Lord’s Covenant with David, and Israel’s Afflictions.
A [a]Maskil of [b]Ethan [c]the Ezrahite.
89 I will (A)sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever;
To all generations I will (B)make known Your (C)faithfulness with my mouth.
2 For I have said, “(D)Lovingkindness will be built up forever;
In the heavens You will establish Your (E)faithfulness.”
3 “I have made a covenant with (F)My chosen;
I have (G)sworn to David My servant,
4 I will establish your (H)seed forever
And build up your (I)throne to all generations.” [d]Selah.
5 The (J)heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord;
Your faithfulness also (K)in the assembly of the (L)holy ones.
6 For (M)who in the skies is comparable to the Lord?
Who among the [e](N)sons of the mighty is like the Lord,
7 A God (O)greatly feared in the council of the (P)holy ones,
And (Q)awesome above all those who are around Him?
8 O Lord God of hosts, (R)who is like You, O mighty [f]Lord?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
9 You rule the swelling of the sea;
When its waves rise, You (S)still them.
10 You Yourself crushed [g](T)Rahab like one who is slain;
You (U)scattered Your enemies with [h]Your mighty arm.
11 The (V)heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The (W)world and [i]all it contains, You have founded them.
12 The (X)north and the south, You have created them;
(Y)Tabor and (Z)Hermon (AA)shout for joy at Your name.
13 You have [j]a strong arm;
Your hand is mighty, Your (AB)right hand is exalted.
14 (AC)Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
(AD)Lovingkindness and [k]truth go before You.
15 How blessed are the people who know the [l](AE)joyful sound!
O Lord, they walk in the (AF)light of Your countenance.
16 In (AG)Your name they rejoice all the day,
And by Your righteousness they are exalted.
17 For You are the glory of (AH)their strength,
And by Your favor [m]our (AI)horn is exalted.
18 For our (AJ)shield belongs to the Lord,
[n]And our king to the (AK)Holy One of Israel.
19 [o]Once You spoke in vision to Your godly [p]ones,
And said, “I have [q]given help to one who is (AL)mighty;
I have exalted one (AM)chosen from the people.
20 “I have (AN)found David My servant;
With My holy (AO)oil I have anointed him,
21 With whom (AP)My hand will be established;
My arm also will (AQ)strengthen him.
22 “The enemy will not [r]deceive him,
Nor the [s](AR)son of wickedness afflict him.
23 “But I shall (AS)crush his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.
24 “My (AT)faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him,
And in My name his (AU)horn will be exalted.
25 “I shall also set his hand (AV)on the sea
And his right hand on the rivers.
26 “He will cry to Me, ‘You are (AW)my Father,
My God, and the (AX)rock of my salvation.’
27 “I also shall make him My (AY)firstborn,
The (AZ)highest of the kings of the earth.
28 “My (BA)lovingkindness I will keep for him forever,
And My (BB)covenant shall be confirmed to him.
29 “So I will establish his [t](BC)descendants forever
And his (BD)throne (BE)as the days of heaven.
30 “If his sons (BF)forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,
31 If they [u]violate My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
32 Then I will punish their transgression with the (BG)rod
And their iniquity with stripes.
33 “But I will not break off (BH)My lovingkindness from him,
Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.
34 “My (BI)covenant I will not [v]violate,
Nor will I (BJ)alter [w]the utterance of My lips.
35 “[x]Once I have (BK)sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David.
36 “His [y](BL)descendants shall endure forever
And his (BM)throne (BN)as the sun before Me.
37 “It shall be established forever (BO)like the moon,
And the (BP)witness in the sky is faithful.” [z]Selah.
38 But You have (BQ)cast off and (BR)rejected,
You have been full of wrath [aa]against Your (BS)anointed.
39 You have (BT)spurned the covenant of Your servant;
You have (BU)profaned (BV)his crown [ab]in the dust.
40 You have (BW)broken down all his walls;
You have (BX)brought his strongholds to ruin.
41 (BY)All who pass along the way plunder him;
He has become a (BZ)reproach to his neighbors.
42 You have (CA)exalted the right hand of his adversaries;
You have (CB)made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You also turn back the edge of his sword
And have (CC)not made him stand in battle.
44 You have made his [ac](CD)splendor to cease
And cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have (CE)shortened the days of his youth;
You have (CF)covered him with shame. Selah.
46 (CG)How long, O Lord?
Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your (CH)wrath burn like fire?
47 (CI)Remember [ad]what my span of life is;
For what (CJ)vanity [ae]You have created all the sons of men!
48 What man can live and not (CK)see death?
Can he (CL)deliver his soul from the [af]power of [ag]Sheol? Selah.
49 Where are Your former lovingkindnesses, O Lord,
Which You (CM)swore to David in Your faithfulness?
50 Remember, O Lord, the (CN)reproach of Your servants;
[ah]How I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples,
51 With which (CO)Your enemies have reproached, O Lord,
With which they have reproached the footsteps of (CP)Your anointed.
52 (CQ)Blessed be the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
23 Now it came about after two full years that Absalom (A)had sheepshearers in Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons.
Absalom Avenges Tamar
24 Absalom came to the king and said, “Behold now, your servant has sheepshearers; please let the king and his servants go with your servant.” 25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, we should not all go, for we will be burdensome to you.” Although he [a]urged him, he would not go, but blessed him. 26 Then (B)Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But when Absalom [b]urged him, he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.
28 Absalom commanded his servants, saying, “See now, (C)when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then put him to death. Do not fear; have not I myself commanded you? Be courageous and be [c]valiant.” 29 The servants of Absalom did to Amnon just as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose and each mounted (D)his mule and fled.
30 Now it was while they were on the way that the report came to David, saying, “Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left.” 31 Then the king arose, (E)tore his clothes and (F)lay on the ground; and all his servants were standing by with clothes torn. 32 (G)Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, [d]responded, “Do not let my lord [e]suppose they have put to death all the young men, the king’s sons, for Amnon alone is dead; because by the [f]intent of Absalom this has been determined since the day that he violated his sister Tamar. 33 Now therefore, do not let my lord the king (H)take the report to [g]heart, namely, ‘all the king’s sons are dead,’ for only Amnon is dead.”
34 Now (I)Absalom had fled. And (J)the young man who was the watchman raised his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him by the side of the mountain. 35 Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king’s sons have come; according to your servant’s word, so it happened.” 36 As soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king’s sons came and lifted their voices and wept; and also the king and all his servants wept [h]very bitterly.
37 Now (K)Absalom fled and went to (L)Talmai the son of Ammihud, the king of (M)Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. 38 (N)So Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, and was there three years. 39 The heart of King David longed to go out to Absalom; for (O)he was comforted concerning Amnon, since he was dead.
Farewell to Ephesus
17 From Miletus he sent to (A)Ephesus and called to him (B)the elders of the church. 18 And when they had come to him, he said to them,
“You yourselves know, (C)from the first day that I set foot in [a]Asia, how I was with you the whole time, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me [b]through (D)the plots of the Jews; 20 how I (E)did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and [c]from house to house, 21 solemnly (F)testifying to both Jews and Greeks of (G)repentance toward God and (H)faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, bound by the [d]Spirit, (I)I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that (J)the Holy Spirit solemnly (K)testifies to me in every city, saying that (L)bonds and afflictions await me. 24 But (M)I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may (N)finish my course and (O)the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to (P)testify solemnly of the gospel of (Q)the grace of God.
25 “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about (R)preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. 26 Therefore, I [e]testify to you this day that (S)I am [f]innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I (T)did not shrink from declaring to you the whole (U)purpose of God. 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all (V)the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you [g]overseers, to shepherd (W)the church of God which (X)He [h]purchased [i]with His own blood. 29 I know that after my departure (Y)savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing (Z)the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away (AA)the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of (AB)three years I did not cease to admonish each one (AC)with tears. 32 And now I (AD)commend you to God and to (AE)the word of His grace, which is able to (AF)build you up and to give you (AG)the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 (AH)I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. 34 You yourselves know that (AI)these hands ministered to my own needs and to the (AJ)men who were with me. 35 In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
36 When he had said these things, he (AK)knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And [j]they began to weep aloud and [k](AL)embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, 38 [l]grieving especially over (AM)the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were (AN)accompanying him to the ship.
42 “(A)Whoever causes one of these [a]little ones who believe to stumble, it [b]would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he [c]had been cast into the sea. 43 (B)If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into [d](C)hell, into the (D)unquenchable fire, 44 [[e]where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] 45 If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into [f](E)hell, 46 [[g]where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] 47 (F)If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into [h](G)hell, 48 (H)where their worm does not die, and (I)the fire is not quenched.
49 “For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good; but (J)if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you [i]make it salty again? (K)Have salt in yourselves, and (L)be at peace with one another.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.