Book of Common Prayer
Prayer for Protection against the Wicked.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
140 (A)Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men;
Preserve me from (B)violent men
2 Who (C)devise evil things in their hearts;
They (D)continually stir up wars.
3 They (E)sharpen their tongues as a serpent;
(F)Poison of a viper is under their lips. [a]Selah.
4 (G)Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
(H)Preserve me from violent men
Who have [b]purposed to [c](I)trip up my feet.
5 The proud have (J)hidden a trap for me, and cords;
They have spread a (K)net by the [d]wayside;
They have set (L)snares for me. Selah.
6 I (M)said to the Lord, “You are my God;
(N)Give ear, O Lord, to the (O)voice of my supplications.
7 “O [e]God the Lord, (P)the strength of my salvation,
You have (Q)covered my head in the day of [f]battle.
8 “Do not grant, O Lord, the (R)desires of the wicked;
Do not promote (S)his evil device, that they not be exalted. Selah.
9 “As for the head of those who surround me,
May the (T)mischief of their lips cover them.
10 “May (U)burning coals fall upon them;
May they be (V)cast into the fire,
Into [g]deep pits from which they (W)cannot rise.
11 “May a [h]slanderer not be established in the earth;
(X)May evil hunt the violent man [i]speedily.”
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
[a]Maskil of David, when he was [b]in the cave. A Prayer.
142 I (A)cry aloud with my voice to the Lord;
I (B)make supplication with my voice to the Lord.
2 I (C)pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare my (D)trouble before Him.
3 When (E)my spirit [c]was overwhelmed within me,
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have (F)hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see;
For there is (G)no one who regards me;
[d]There is no (H)escape for me;
(I)No one cares for my soul.
5 I cried out to You, O Lord;
I said, “You are (J)my refuge,
My (K)portion in the (L)land of the living.
6 “(M)Give heed to my cry,
For I am (N)brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are too (O)strong for me.
7 “(P)Bring my soul out of prison,
So that I may give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will surround me,
For You will (Q)deal bountifully with me.”
An Evening Prayer for Sanctification and Protection.
A Psalm of David.
141 O Lord, I call upon You; (A)hasten to me!
(B)Give ear to my voice when I call to You!
2 May my prayer be [a]counted as (C)incense before You;
The (D)lifting up of my hands as the (E)evening offering.
3 Set a (F)guard, O Lord, [b]over my mouth;
Keep watch over the (G)door of my lips.
4 (H)Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice deeds [c]of wickedness
With men who (I)do iniquity;
And (J)do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5 Let the (K)righteous smite me [d]in kindness and reprove me;
It is (L)oil upon the head;
Do not let my head refuse it,
[e]For still my prayer (M)is [f]against their wicked deeds.
6 Their judges are (N)thrown down by the sides of the rock,
And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one (O)plows and breaks open the earth,
Our (P)bones have been scattered at the (Q)mouth of [g]Sheol.
8 For my (R)eyes are toward You, O [h]God, the Lord;
In You I (S)take refuge; (T)do not [i]leave me defenseless.
9 Keep me from the [j](U)jaws of the trap which they have set for me,
And from the (V)snares of those who do iniquity.
10 Let the wicked (W)fall into their own nets,
While I pass by [k](X)safely.
Prayer for Deliverance and Guidance.
A Psalm of David.
143 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
(A)Give ear to my supplications!
Answer me in Your (B)faithfulness, in Your (C)righteousness!
2 And (D)do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For in Your sight (E)no man living is righteous.
3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life (F)to the ground;
He (G)has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead.
4 Therefore (H)my spirit [a]is overwhelmed within me;
My heart is [b](I)appalled within me.
5 I (J)remember the days of old;
I (K)meditate on all Your doings;
I (L)muse on the work of Your hands.
6 I (M)stretch out my hands to You;
My (N)soul longs for You, as a [c]parched land. [d]Selah.
7 (O)Answer me quickly, O Lord, my (P)spirit fails;
(Q)Do not hide Your face from me,
Or I will become like (R)those who go down to the pit.
8 Let me hear Your (S)lovingkindness (T)in the morning;
For I trust (U)in You;
Teach me the (V)way in which I should walk;
For to You I (W)lift up my soul.
9 (X)Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies;
[e]I take refuge in You.
10 (Y)Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Let (Z)Your good Spirit (AA)lead me on level [f]ground.
11 (AB)For the sake of Your name, O Lord, (AC)revive me.
(AD)In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.
12 And in Your lovingkindness, [g](AE)cut off my enemies
And (AF)destroy all those who afflict my soul,
For (AG)I am Your servant.
24 Then (A)Mephibosheth the [a]son of Saul came down to meet the king; and (B)he had neither [b]cared for his feet, nor [c]trimmed his mustache, nor (C)washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came home in peace. 25 It was when he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, “(D)Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?” 26 So he answered, “O my lord, the king, my servant deceived me; for your servant said, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself that I may ride on it and go with the king,’ (E)because your servant is lame. 27 Moreover, (F)he has slandered your servant to my lord the king; but my lord the king is (G)like the angel of God, therefore do what is good in your sight. 28 For (H)all my father’s household was nothing but dead men before my lord the king; (I)yet you set your servant among those who ate at your own table. What right do I have yet that I should [d]complain anymore to the king?” 29 So the king said to him, “Why do you still speak of your affairs? I have [e]decided, ‘You and Ziba shall divide the land.’” 30 Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him even take it all, since my lord the king has come safely to his own house.”
31 Now (J)Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim; and he went on to the Jordan with the king to [f]escort him over the Jordan. 32 Now Barzillai was very old, being eighty years old; and he had [g](K)sustained the king while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very great man. 33 The king said to Barzillai, “You cross over with me and I will [h]sustain you in Jerusalem with me.” 34 But Barzillai said to the king, “(L)How long [i]have I yet to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? 35 I am [j]now (M)eighty years old. Can I distinguish between good and bad? Or can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Or can I hear anymore (N)the voice of singing men and women? (O)Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? 36 Your servant would merely cross over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king compensate me with this reward? 37 Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. However, here is your servant (P)Chimham, let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him what is good in your sight.” 38 The king answered, “Chimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him what is good in your sight; and whatever you [k]require of me, I will do for you.” 39 All the people crossed over the Jordan and the king crossed too. The king then (Q)kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his place.
40 Now the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him; and all the people of Judah and also (R)half the people of Israel [l]accompanied the king. 41 And behold, all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king, “(S)Why had our brothers (T)the men of Judah stolen you away, and brought the king and his household and all David’s men with him over the Jordan?” 42 Then all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because (U)the king is a close relative to [m]us. Why then [n]are you angry about this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s expense, or has [o]anything been taken for us?” 43 But the men of Israel answered the men of Judah and said, “[p](V)We have ten parts in the king, therefore [q]we also have more claim on David than you. Why then did you treat us with contempt? Was it not [r]our advice first to bring back [s]our king?” Yet the words of the men of Judah were harsher than the words of the men of Israel.
24 But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla, his [a]wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about (A)faith in Christ Jesus. 25 But as he was discussing (B)righteousness, (C)self-control and (D)the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, “Go away for the present, and when I find time I will summon you.” 26 At the same time too, he was hoping that (E)money would be given him by Paul; therefore he also used to send for him quite often and converse with him. 27 But after two years had passed, Felix [b]was succeeded by Porcius (F)Festus, and (G)wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul (H)imprisoned.
Paul before Festus
25 Festus then, having arrived in (I)the province, three days later went up to Jerusalem from (J)Caesarea. 2 And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews (K)brought charges against Paul, and they were urging him, 3 requesting a [c]concession against [d]Paul, that he might [e]have him brought to Jerusalem (at the same time, (L)setting an ambush to kill him on the way). 4 Festus then (M)answered that Paul (N)was being kept in custody at (O)Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. 5 “Therefore,” he *said, “let the influential men among you [f]go there with me, and if there is anything wrong [g]about the man, let them [h]prosecute him.”
6 After he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to (P)Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on (Q)the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. 7 After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing (R)many and serious charges against him (S)which they could not prove, 8 while Paul said in his own defense, “(T)I have committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” 9 But Festus, (U)wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “(V)Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and [i]stand trial before me on these charges?” 10 But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s (W)tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. 11 If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I (X)appeal to Caesar.” 12 Then when Festus had conferred with [j]his council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go.”
35 (A)And Jesus began to say, as He (B)taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that [a]the Christ is the (C)son of David? 36 David himself said [b]in the Holy Spirit,
‘(D)The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet.”’
37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” And (E)the large crowd [c]enjoyed listening to Him.
38 (F)In His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like (G)respectful greetings in the market places, 39 and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, 40 (H)who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”
The Widow’s Mite
41 (I)And He sat down opposite (J)the treasury, and began observing how the people were (K)putting [d]money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two [e]small copper coins, which amount to a [f]cent. 43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all [g]the contributors to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their [h]surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, [i]all she had (L)to live on.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.