Book of Common Prayer
33 He turns rivers into a wilderness
and springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 and a fruitful land into a salt waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into a pool of water,
a dry land into springs of water.
36 There He brings the hungry to live,
and they establish a city for a dwelling.
37 So they sow fields and plant vineyards
that yield a fruitful harvest.
38 He blesses them, they multiply greatly,
and He does not let their herds diminish,
39 after they were few and crushed
by oppression, calamity and sorrow.
40 He pours contempt on princes,
making them wander in trackless waste.
41 But He lifts the needy high above affliction,
and makes their families like a flock.
42 The upright see it and are glad,
and all iniquity shuts its mouth.
43 Who is wise?
Let him observe these things,
and consider Adonai’s lovingkindness.
With God We Do Valiantly
Psalm 108
1 A song, a psalm of David.
2 My heart is steadfast, O God.
I will sing, sing praises with all my soul.
3 Awake, harp and lyre—
I will awaken the dawn!
4 I will give thanks to You, Adonai, among the peoples,
I will sing praises to You among the nations.
5 For Your love is higher than the heavens,
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
6 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
let Your glory be above all the earth.
7 Let Your beloved ones be delivered.
Save with Your right hand, answer me!
8 God has spoken in His Sanctuary:
“I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem,
and measure out the valley of Succot.
9 Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine.
Also Ephraim is a helmet for My head,
Judah is my scepter.
10 Moab is My washbowl.
I throw my shoe on Edom.
I shout in triumph over Philistia.”
11 Who will bring me into the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
12 O God, have You not spurned us?
Will You go out no more with our armies?
13 Give us help against the adversary—
for useless is deliverance through man.
All Creation Praise the Creator
Psalm 33
1 Sing for joy to Adonai, you righteous.
Praise is fitting for the upright.
2 Praise Adonai with the harp.
Sing praises to Him with a ten string lyre.
3 Sing to Him a new song![a]
Play skillfully amid shouts of joy.
4 For the word of Adonai is upright
and all His work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice.
The earth is full of the love of Adonai.
6 By Adonai’s word were the heavens made,
and all their host by the breath of His mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea together in a heap.
He lays up deep waters in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear Adonai.
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it came to be.
He commanded, and it stood firm.
10 Adonai foils the purpose of the nations.
He thwarts the plans of the peoples.
11 The plan of Adonai stands forever,
the purposes of His heart from generation to generation.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is Adonai,
the people He chose for His own inheritance.
13 Adonai looks down from heaven.
He observes all humanity.
14 From His dwelling place He gazes
on all the inhabitants of the earth—
15 He who fashions the hearts of all,
who discerns all their deeds.
16 No king is saved by his great army,
no warrior is delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a false hope for victory,
nor can its great strength save.
18 Behold, the eyes of Adonai are on those who fear Him,
waiting for His love,
19 to deliver their souls from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for Adonai—
He is our help and our shield.
21 Our heart rejoices in Him,
because we trusted in His holy Name.
22 Let Your lovingkindness, Adonai,
be upon us, as we have waited for You.
16 Now when David had passed a little beyond the summit, there was Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth to meet him with a pair of saddled donkeys, and on them 200 loaves of bread, 100 clusters of raisins, 100 fig cakes and a bottle of wine. 2 So the king asked Ziba, “What are you doing with these?”
Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and the figs are for the young men to eat, and the wine is for anyone who faints in the wilderness to drink.”
3 Then the king asked, “And where is your master’s son?”
“Well, he’s staying in Jerusalem,” Ziba said to the king, “for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore to me the kingdom of my father.”
4 Then the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.”
“I bow low,” Ziba said. “Let me find favor in your eyes, my lord the king.”
5 When King David arrived at Bahurim, behold, just coming out from there was a man of the family of the house of Saul—his name was Shimei son of Gera. As he came out, he kept on cursing 6 and flinging stones at David and at all King David’s servants, while all the people and all the mighty men were at his right hand and on his left. 7 Thus Shimei said as he cursed, “Get out, get out! The man of bloodshed, the good-for-nothing! 8 Adonai has returned on you all the blood of Saul’s house, in whose place you’ve reigned. Adonai has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom—so see, your own evil has overtaken you, because you are a man of bloodshed.”
9 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why let this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over now and take off his head!”
10 But the king said, “What have I to do with you, sons of Zeruiah? If he curses, it’s because Adonai has said to him, ‘Curse David!’ So who should say, ‘Why did you do so?’” 11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his officials, “Look, my son who came from my own body is seeking my life—how much more this Benjamite? Leave him alone and let him curse, since Adonai has told him. 12 Perhaps Adonai will look on my affliction and return good to me for his cursing this day.” 13 So David and his men continued on the way, while Shimei kept walking alongside the hill parallel with him, cursing as he walked, casting stones at him and throwing dirt.
14 Finally the king and all the people that were with him arrived weary, so he refreshed himself there.
Counselors Divided
15 Meanwhile Absalom and all the people of the men of Israel arrived in Jerusalem. Ahithophel was with him. 16 Now when David’s friend Hushai the Archite came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
17 But Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?”
18 “No!” said Hushai to Absalom. “For the one whom Adonai has chosen—as well as these people, all the men of Israel—his I will be and with him I will stay. 19 Besides, whom should I serve? Shouldn’t I be in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father’s presence, so I will be in your presence.”
20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your counsel. What should we do?”
21 So Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go to your father’s concubines whom he has left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself abhorrent to your father and the hands of all who are with you will also be strengthened.”
22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. 23 Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was like inquiring for the word of God—so was all of Ahithophel’s counsel both with David and with Absalom.
17 “It happened that when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance; 18 and I saw Him saying to me, ‘Hurry! Get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your witness about Me.’
19 “And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another, I was imprisoning and beating those trusting in You. 20 Even when the blood of Your witness Stephen was spilled, I too was standing by and approving, and guarding the clothing of those who were killing him.’
21 “And he said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
22 Up to this statement they listened to him. Then they raised their voices, saying, “Away from the earth with this fellow! For he’s not fit to live!”
The Romans Intervene
23 As they were crying out and flinging off their cloaks and throwing dust into the air, [a] 24 the commander ordered Paul to be brought into headquarters. He said Paul should be examined by lashing, so that he might find out why they were shouting against him so. 25 But when they stretched him out with straps, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen without due process?”
26 Now when the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it, saying, “What are you going to do? For this man is Roman.”
27 The commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you Roman?”
And he said, “Yes.”
28 The commander answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.”
Paul said, “But I was born so.”
29 Therefore, those who were about to interrogate him instantly drew back from him. And the commander also was afraid when he found out that Paul was a Roman and that he had bound him.
Ben-David Enters Jerusalem
11 Now as they draw near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, to the Mount of Olives, Yeshua sends two of His disciples 2 and says to them, “Go into the village ahead of you. Right away as you enter it, you will find a colt tied up that no one has ever sat upon.[a] Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Master needs it.’ And right away he will send it back here.”[b]
4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a door. And they untied it. 5 Some people standing there began saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”
6 They answered just as Yeshua had told them, and the people let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Yeshua and laid their cloaks on it, and He sat on it. 8 Many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread branches cut from the fields. [c] 9 Those going before and those following kept shouting,
“Hoshia-na! Baruch ha-ba b’shem Adonai!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!
Hoshia-na in the highest!”[d]
11 And He entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After looking around at everything, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve, since it was already late.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.