Book of Common Prayer
Pledge of Integrity
Psalm 101
1 A psalm of David.
I will sing of lovingkindness and justice.
To You, Adonai, I will sing praises.
2 I will behave wisely in the way of integrity
—when will You come to me?
I walk in my house with integrity in my heart.
3 No base thing will I set before my eyes.
Twisted behavior I hate—it will not cling to me.
4 A perverse heart will depart from me.
I will know nothing evil.
5 Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret
—him I will silence.
Who has haughty eyes and a proud heart
—him I will not tolerate.
6 My eyes are on the trustworthy of the land,
to be in my company.
One walking in a blameless way will serve me.
7 No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house.
No one who utters lies will endure before my eyes.
8 Each morning I silence all the land’s wicked ones—
to cut off from Adonai’s city every evildoer.
Prayer Against an Accuser
Psalm 109
1 For the music director, a psalm of David.
O God of my praise, be not silent.
2 For the wicked and the deceitful
have opened their mouth against me.
They spoke to me with a lying tongue,
3 with hateful words surrounded me,
and fought against me without cause.
4 In return for my love they are my accusers,
but I am in prayer.
5 They repay me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.
6 Set a wicked man over him,
let an accuser[a] stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged,
let him be found guilty,
and may his prayer be as sin.
8 Let his days be few,
let another take his position.
9 May his children be fatherless,
and his wife a widow.
10 Let his children wander and beg
and may they search in their ruins.
11 Let a creditor seize all he has,
and may strangers plunder his labor.
12 Let no one show him mercy,
or take pity on his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off,
and his name be blotted out in the next generation.
14 May the guilt of his fathers be remembered before Adonai,
the sin of his mother never blotted out.
15 Let their sins be before Adonai continually,
that He may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
16 For he never remembered to show mercy.
But he persecuted a poor and needy man,
crushed in spirit, to put him to death.
17 How he loved cursing—
may it fall on him!
He had no pleasure in blessing—
may it be far from him!
18 He wore cursing like his robe,
until it filled his belly like water, and his bones like oil.
19 May it be like a cloak wrapped around him,
like a belt tied around him always.
20 Let this be Adonai’s reward to my accusers,
and to those who speak evil against me.
21 But You, Adonai my Lord,
deal with me for Your Name’s sake.
Because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me.
22 For I am afflicted and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow,
shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees totter from fasting,
and my flesh is lean, with no fat.
25 And I have become a taunt to them.
When they see me, they wag their head.
26 Help me, Adonai my God,
Save me through Your lovingkindness.
27 Let them know that it is Your hand—
that You, Adonai, have done it.
28 They may curse, but You bless.
When they arise, they will be ashamed,
but Your servant will rejoice.
29 My accusers will be clothed in disgrace,
and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.
30 I will greatly thank Adonai with my mouth,
and in the midst of a throng will I praise Him.
AYIN ע
121 I did what is just and right.
Do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Guarantee Your servant’s well-being.
Do not let arrogant ones oppress me.
123 My eyes fail, longing for Your salvation
and for Your righteous word.
124 Deal with Your servant as befits Your lovingkindness,
and teach me Your statutes.
125 I am Your servant, give me discernment,
so I may understand Your testimonies.
126 It is time for Adonai to act—
they have violated Your Torah!
127 Therefore I love Your mitzvot
more than gold, more than pure gold.
128 Therefore I esteem all Your precepts as right in every way
—every false way I hate.
PE פ
129 Your testimonies are wonderful.
Therefore my soul obeys them.
130 The unfolding of Your words gives light,
giving understanding to the simple.
131 I opened my mouth wide and panted,
for I longed for Your mitzvot.
132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
as is fitting to those who love Your Name.
133 Direct my footsteps in Your word,
and let no iniquity get mastery over me.
134 Redeem me from human oppression,
and I will keep Your precepts.
135 Make Your face shine on Your servant,
and teach me Your decrees.
136 Streams of water run down from my eyes,
because they do not observe Your Torah.
TZADHE צ
137 Righteous are You, Adonai,
and Your judgments are upright.
138 You have commanded righteousness,
Your testimonies, and great faithfulness.
139 My zeal has consumed me,
because my foes forgot Your words.
140 Your word is thoroughly refined,
and Your servant loves it.
141 I am insignificant and despised,
yet I have not forgotten Your precepts.
142 Your justice is righteousness forever,
and Your Torah is truth.
143 Trouble and anguish have overtaken me,
yet Your mitzvot are my delight.
144 Your testimonies are righteous forever
—make me understand, so I may live.
21 Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, I will do this thing. So go, bring the young man Absalom back.” 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 eyes, my lord the king, since the king has done the word of your servant.” 23 So Joab got up, went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24 However, the king said, “He may go directly to his own house, but he may not see my face.” So Absalom went directly to his own house and did not see the king’s face.
25 Now in all Israel there was none as handsome as Absalom—so highly praised. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. 26 When he cut the hair of his head—at the end of every year he would cut it because the hair got so heavy on him that he had to cut it. The weight of the hair from his head was 200 shekels by the royal weight[a]. 27 To Absalom were born three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar—she was a beautiful woman.
28 Now Absalom had lived two full years in Jerusalem but he never saw the king’s face. 29 Then Absalom sent for Joab, in order to send him to the king, but he was unwilling to come to him. So he sent word again a second time, but he still would not come. 30 So he said to his servants, “See, Joab’s field is next to mine and he has barley there—go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
31 Then Joab arose, came to Absalom at his house, and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?”
32 “Look, I sent word to you,” Absalom said to Joab, “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 if I were still there.’” So now, let me see the king’s face and if there is iniquity in me, let him put me to death.” 33 So Joab went to the king and told him. When he summoned Absalom, he came to the king and bowed down on his face to the ground before the king, and then, the king kissed Absalom.
15 After these days, we packed and started going up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us, bringing us to Mnason of Cyprus—one of the early disciples by whom we might be hosted.
Advice from Jacob and the Elders
17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters welcomed us gladly. 18 On the next day, Paul went in with us to Jacob; all the elders were present. 19 After greeting them, he reported to them in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his service. 20 And when they heard, they began glorifying God.
They said, “You see, brother, how many myriads there are among the Jewish people who have believed—and they are all zealous for the Torah. 21 They have been told about you—that you teach all the Jewish people among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or to walk according to the customs. 22 What’s to be done then? No doubt they will hear that you have come.
23 “So do what we tell you. We have four men who have a vow on themselves. [a] 24 Take them, and purify yourself[b] along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. That way, all will realize there is nothing to the things they have been told about you, but that you yourself walk in an orderly manner, keeping the Torah.
25 “As for Gentiles who have believed, however, we have written by letter what we decided—for them to abstain from what is offered to idols, and from blood, and from what is strangled, and from immorality.”
26 The next day Paul took the men, purifying himself along with them. He went into the Temple, announcing when the days of purification would be completed and the sacrifice would be offered for each one of them.
The Cost of Discipleship
17 As Yeshua was setting out on His way, a man ran up to Him, fell on his knees before Him, and asked, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call Me good?” Yeshua said to him. “No one is good except One—that is God. 19 You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,’ do not cheat, ‘honor your father and mother.’”[a]
20 The man responded, “Teacher, all these I have kept since my youth!”
21 Looking at him, Yeshua loved him and said, “One thing you lack. Go, sell as much as you have, and give to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” 22 But at this statement, the man became sad and went away grieving, for he had much property.
23 Then looking around, Yeshua says to His disciples, “How hard it will be for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at His words. But Yeshua answers again and says to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 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 The disciples were even more astonished, saying among themselves, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Looking at them, Yeshua said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God!”[b]
28 Peter began to say to Him, “Look, we’ve left everything to follow You!”
29 “Amen, I tell you,” Yeshua replied, “there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for My sake and for the sake of the Good News, 30 who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and property, along with persecutions; and in the olam ha-ba, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.