Book of Common Prayer
Prayer for Help in the Face of Enemies
For the music director. A psalm of David.[a]
140 Rescue me, O Yahweh, from evil men.[b]
Preserve me from violent men,
2 who plan evil things in their heart.
They stir up wars continually.
3 They sharpen their tongue as sharp as a snake’s;
the venom of a viper is under their lips. Selah
4 Protect me, O Yahweh, from the hands of the wicked.
Preserve me from violent men,
who have planned to make me stumble.[c]
5 The proud have hidden a trap for me, and cords.
They have spread out a net along the side[d] of the path.
They have set snares for me. Selah
6 I say to Yahweh, “You are my God.”
Listen, O Yahweh, to the voice of my supplications.
7 O Yahweh, my Lord, the strength of my salvation,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Do not grant, O Yahweh, the desires of the wicked.
Do not allow them to attain their[e] plan, lest they be exalted. Selah
9 With respect to the head of those who surround me,
may the harm of their lips cover them.
10 Let burning coals fall on them;
let them be dropped into the fire,
into bottomless pits from which they cannot rise.
11 Do not let a slanderer[f] be established in the land;
as for the man of violence, let evil hunt him quickly.
12 I know[g] that Yahweh will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
and justice for the needy.
13 Surely the righteous will give thanks to your name;
the upright will dwell in your presence.
A Prayer for Deliverance from Pursuers
A maskil of David.
When he was in the cave. A prayer.[a]
142 I cry out with my voice to Yahweh;
I implore favor with my voice to Yahweh.
2 I pour out my complaint before him;
I declare my trouble before him.
3 When my spirit faints within me,
you know my way.
On the path where I walk,
they have hidden a trap for me;
4 look to my right and see.
There is no one looking out for me;
there is no escape for me;[b]
no one cares for my soul.[c]
5 I cry out to you, O Yahweh.
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Attend to my cry,
for I am brought very low.
Deliver me from my pursuers,
for they are stronger than I.
7 Bring me[d] out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.
The righteous will encircle me,
because you will deal bountifully with me.
Prayer for God’s Help in Maintaining Integrity
A psalm of David.[a]
141 I call on you, O Yahweh; hasten to me.
Listen to my voice when I call to you.
2 Let my prayer be set before you as incense,
the lifting up of my palms as the evening offering.
3 Set a guard, O Yahweh, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
to practice wicked deeds
with men who do iniquity;
and do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5 Let a righteous one strike me in kindness,
and let him chasten me.
It is oil for my head;[b] let not my head refuse.
For still my prayer is against their evil deeds.
6 When their judges are thrown down the sides of a cliff,[c]
then they will understand that my words were pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
8 But[d] my eyes are toward you, O Yahweh, my Lord;
I have taken refuge in you. Do not lay bare my soul.[e]
9 Protect me from the grasp[f] of the trap they have laid for me,
and from the snares of evildoers.
10 Let the wicked fall into their[g] nets,
while I escape altogether.
A Prayer for Rescue from Enemies
A psalm of David.[a]
143 O Yahweh, hear my prayer;
listen to my supplications.
In your faithfulness answer me,
and in your righteousness.
2 And do not enter into judgment with your servant,
because no one alive is righteous before you.
3 For the enemy has pursued my soul;
he has crushed my life to the ground.
He has made me dwell in dark places
like those long dead.
4 And so my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within[b] me is desolate.
5 I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your doings.[c]
I muse on the labor of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you;
my soul longs for you like a dry land. Selah
7 Quickly answer me, O Yahweh;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me,
or I will become
like those descending to the pit.
8 Cause me to hear your loyal love in the morning,
for I trust you.
Cause me to know the way that I should go,
for I lift up my soul to you.
9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Yahweh.
I take refuge in you.[d]
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God;
your Spirit is good.
Lead me onto level ground.
11 For your name’s sake, O Yahweh, preserve my life;
in your righteousness bring me[e] out of trouble.
12 And in your loyal love destroy my enemies,
and exterminate all the adversaries of my soul,
for I am your servant.
36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Zebudah,[a] the daughter of Pedaiah from Rumah. 37 He did evil in the eyes of Yahweh according to all that his ancestors[b] had done.
First Invasion of Nebuchadnezzar; Jehoiakim Submits
24 In his days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up because Jehoiakim had become his servant for three years; then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 So Yahweh sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, raiding bands of Aram, raiding bands of Moab, and raiding bands of the Ammonites.[c] He had sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of Yahweh that he had spoken by the hand of his servants the prophets. 3 Surely, it was on the command[d] of Yahweh against Judah to remove them from his sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done. 4 Also, for the blood of the innocent that he had shed—and he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood—Yahweh was not willing to forgive. 5 The remainder of the acts of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah? 6 So Jehoiakim slept with his ancestors,[e] and Jehoiachin his son became king in his place. 7 The king of Egypt did not again come out from his land, for the king of Babylon had taken territory from the Wadi of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
Jehoichin Succeeds Jehoiakim
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan from Jerusalem. 9 He did evil in the eyes of Yahweh according to all that his father had done.
Second Invasion of Nebuchadnezzar
10 At that time, the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and the city came under the siege. 11 Then Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city while his servants were besieging it. 12 Jehoiachin king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his court officials. The king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. 13 Then he took from there all of the treasures of the temple of Yahweh and the treasures of the palace of the king. He cut up all of the vessels of gold which Solomon the king of Israel had made in the temple of Yahweh, as Yahweh had foretold. 14 He deported all of Jerusalem: all of the commanders, ten thousand of the skilled warriors, and the artisans; no one was left over except the poorest of the people of the land. 15 He deported Jehoiachin to Babylon; the mother of the king, the wives of the king, his court officials, and the citizenry of the land he caused to go into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 16 of all of the skilled men, seven thousand, and of the skilled craftsmen and the artisans, one thousand. All of the mighty warriors fit for war[f] the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. 17 Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his uncle king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Unity in the Midst of Diversity
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of the body, although they[a] are many, are one body, thus also Christ. 13 For by[b] one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free persons, and all were made to drink one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” not because of this is it not a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body, not because of this is it not a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body just as he wanted. 19 And if they all were one member, where would the body be? 20 But now there are many members, but one body.
21 Now the eye is not able to say to the hand, “I do not have need of you,” or again, the head to the feet, “I do not have need of you.” 22 But by much more the members of the body which are thought to be weaker are necessary, 23 and the parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, these we clothe with more abundant honor, and our unpresentable parts come to have more abundant presentability, 24 but our presentable parts do not have need of this. Yet God composed the body by giving more abundant honor to the part which lacked it, 25 in order that there not be a division in the body, but the members would have the same concern for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer together; if a member[c] is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
Two Blind Men Healed
27 And as[a] Jesus was going away from there, two blind men followed him, crying out and saying, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28 And when he[b] came into the house, the blind men approached him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be done for you.” 30 And their eyes were opened, and Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one finds out.” 31 But they went out and[c] spread the report about him in that whole region.
A Demon Expelled
32 Now as[d] they were going away, behold, they brought to him a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak. 33 And after[e] the demon had been expelled, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were astonished, saying, “This has never been seen before[f] in Israel!” 34 But the Pharisees were saying,[g] “By the ruler of demons he expels the demons!”
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