Book of Common Prayer
The Psalmist’s Profession of Uprightness.
A Psalm of David.
101 I will (A)sing of lovingkindness and [a]justice,
To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.
2 I will [b](B)give heed to the [c]blameless way.
When will You come to me?
I will walk within my house in the [d](C)integrity of my heart.
3 I will set no (D)worthless thing before my eyes;
I hate the [e]work of those who (E)fall away;
It shall not fasten its grip on me.
4 A (F)perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will know no evil.
5 Whoever secretly (G)slanders his neighbor, him I will [f]destroy;
No one who has a (H)haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.
6 My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a [g](I)blameless way is the one who will minister to me.
7 He who (J)practices deceit shall not dwell within my house;
He who speaks falsehood (K)shall not [h]maintain his position before me.
8 (L)Every morning I will [i](M)destroy all the wicked of the land,
So as to (N)cut off from the (O)city of the Lord all those who do iniquity.
Vengeance Invoked upon Adversaries.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
109 O (A)God of my praise,
(B)Do not be silent!
2 For they have opened the [a]wicked and (C)deceitful mouth against me;
They have spoken [b]against me with a (D)lying tongue.
3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me (E)without cause.
4 In return (F)for my love they act as my accusers;
But (G)I am in prayer.
5 Thus they have [c](H)repaid me evil for good
And (I)hatred for my love.
6 Appoint a wicked man over him,
And let an [d](J)accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, let him (K)come forth guilty,
And let his (L)prayer become sin.
8 Let (M)his days be few;
Let (N)another take his office.
9 Let his (O)children be fatherless
And his (P)wife a widow.
10 Let his (Q)children wander about and beg;
And let them (R)seek sustenance [e]far from their ruined homes.
11 Let (S)the creditor [f]seize all that he has,
And let (T)strangers plunder the product of his labor.
12 Let there be none to [g](U)extend lovingkindness to him,
Nor (V)any to be gracious to his fatherless children.
13 Let his (W)posterity be [h]cut off;
In a following generation let their (X)name be blotted out.
14 Let (Y)the iniquity of his fathers be remembered [i]before the Lord,
And do not let the sin of his mother be (Z)blotted out.
15 Let (AA)them be before the Lord continually,
That He may (AB)cut off their memory from the earth;
16 Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness,
But persecuted the (AC)afflicted and needy man,
And the (AD)despondent in heart, to (AE)put them to death.
17 He also loved cursing, so (AF)it came to him;
And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
18 But he (AG)clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
And it (AH)entered into [j]his body like water
And like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be to him as (AI)a garment with which he covers himself,
And for a belt with which he constantly (AJ)girds himself.
20 [k]Let this be the (AK)reward of my accusers from the Lord,
And of those who (AL)speak evil against my soul.
21 But You, O [l]God, the Lord, deal kindly with me (AM)for Your name’s sake;
Because (AN)Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me;
22 For (AO)I am afflicted and needy,
And [m]my heart is (AP)wounded within me.
23 I am passing (AQ)like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off (AR)like the locust.
24 My (AS)knees [n]are weak from (AT)fasting,
And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.
25 I also have become a (AU)reproach to them;
When they see me, they (AV)wag their head.
26 (AW)Help me, O Lord my God;
Save me according to Your lovingkindness.
27 [o]And let them (AX)know that this is Your hand;
You, Lord, have done it.
28 (AY)Let them curse, but You bless;
When they arise, they shall be ashamed,
But Your (AZ)servant shall be glad.
29 [p]Let (BA)my accusers be clothed with dishonor,
And [q]let them (BB)cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.
30 With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord;
And in the midst of many (BC)I will praise Him.
Ayin.
121 I have (A)done justice and righteousness;
Do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Be (B)surety for Your servant for good;
Do not let the arrogant (C)oppress me.
123 My (D)eyes fail with longing for Your salvation
And for Your righteous [a]word.
124 Deal with Your servant (E)according to Your lovingkindness
And (F)teach me Your statutes.
125 (G)I am Your servant; (H)give me understanding,
That I may know Your testimonies.
126 It is time for the Lord to (I)act,
For they have broken Your law.
127 Therefore I (J)love Your commandments
Above gold, yes, above fine gold.
128 Therefore I esteem right all Your (K)precepts concerning everything,
I (L)hate every false way.
Pe.
129 Your testimonies are (M)wonderful;
Therefore my soul (N)observes them.
130 The (O)unfolding of Your words gives light;
It gives (P)understanding to the simple.
131 I (Q)opened my mouth wide and (R)panted,
For I (S)longed for Your commandments.
132 (T)Turn to me and be gracious to me,
After Your manner [b]with those who love Your name.
133 Establish my (U)footsteps in Your [c]word,
And do not let any iniquity (V)have dominion over me.
134 (W)Redeem me from the oppression of man,
That I may keep Your precepts.
135 (X)Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
And (Y)teach me Your statutes.
136 My eyes [d]shed (Z)streams of water,
Because they (AA)do not keep Your law.
Tsadhe.
137 (AB)Righteous are You, O Lord,
And upright are Your judgments.
138 You have commanded Your testimonies in (AC)righteousness
And exceeding (AD)faithfulness.
139 My (AE)zeal has [e]consumed me,
Because my adversaries have forgotten Your words.
140 Your [f](AF)word is very [g]pure,
Therefore Your servant (AG)loves it.
141 I am small and (AH)despised,
Yet I do not (AI)forget Your precepts.
142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
And (AJ)Your law is truth.
143 Trouble and anguish have [h]come upon me,
Yet Your commandments are my (AK)delight.
144 Your (AL)testimonies are righteous forever;
(AM)Give me understanding that I may live.
Absalom Is Recalled
21 Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, (A)I will surely do this thing; go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom.” 22 Joab fell on his face to the ground, prostrated himself and blessed the king; then Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, O my lord, the king, in that the king has performed the [a]request of his servant.” 23 So Joab arose and went to (B)Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 24 However the king said, “Let him turn to (C)his own house, and let him not see my face.” So Absalom turned to his own house and did not see the king’s face.
25 Now in all Israel was no one as handsome as Absalom, so highly praised; (D)from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no defect in him. 26 When he (E)cut the hair of his head (and it was at the end of every year that he cut it, for it was heavy on him so he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head at 200 shekels by the king’s weight. 27 (F)To Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was (G)Tamar; she was a woman of beautiful appearance.
28 Now Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, (H)and did not see the king’s face. 29 Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. So he sent again a second time, but he would not come. 30 Therefore he said to his servants, “See, (I)Joab’s [b]field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the [c]field on fire. 31 Then Joab arose, came to Absalom at his house and said to him, “Why have your servants set my [d]field on fire?” 32 Absalom [e]answered Joab, “Behold, I sent for you, saying, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to say, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me still to be there.”’ Now therefore, let me see the king’s face, (J)and if there is iniquity in me, let him put me to death.” 33 So when Joab came to the king and told him, he called for Absalom. Thus he came to the king and prostrated himself on his face to the ground before the king, and (K)the king kissed Absalom.
Paul at Jerusalem
15 After these days we got ready and (A)started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of (B)the disciples from (C)Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of (D)Cyprus, a (E)disciple of long standing with whom we were to lodge.
17 After we arrived in Jerusalem, (F)the brethren received us gladly. 18 And the following day Paul went in with us to [a](G)James, and all (H)the elders were present. 19 After he had greeted them, he (I)began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his (J)ministry. 20 And when they heard it they began (K)glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many [b]thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all (L)zealous for the Law; 21 and they have been told about you, that you are (M)teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them (N)not to circumcise their children nor to [c]walk according to (O)the customs. 22 What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who [d](P)are under a vow; 24 take them and (Q)purify yourself along with them, and [e]pay their expenses so that they may (R)shave their [f]heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. 25 But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, (S)having decided that they should abstain from [g]meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.” 26 Then Paul [h]took the men, and the next day, (T)purifying himself along with them, (U)went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.
The Rich Young Ruler
17 (A)As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and (B)knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to (C)inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments, ‘(D)Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept (E)all these things from my youth up.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have (F)treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But at these words [a]he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.
23 And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, “(G)How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples (H)were amazed at His words. But Jesus *answered again and *said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 (I)It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, “[b]Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus *said, “(J)With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
28 (K)Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, (L)there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 [c]but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in [d]the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in (M)the age to come, eternal life. 31 But (N)many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”
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