Book of Common Prayer
Zayin
49 Remember your word to your servant,
upon which you have caused me to hope.
50 This is my comfort in my misery:
that your word[a] preserves my life.
51 The arrogant utterly deride me;
I have not turned aside from your law.
52 I remember your ordinances of old, O Yahweh,
and I take comfort.
53 Rage seizes me because of the wicked,
those who forsake your law.
54 Your statutes have been my songs
in the house of my sojourning.
55 I remember your name in the night, O Yahweh,
and I heed your law.
56 This has been mine,
that I have kept your precepts.
Heth
57 Yahweh is my portion;
I intend to heed your words.
58 I seek your favor[b] with my whole heart;
be gracious to me according to your word.[c]
59 I think about my ways,
and turn my feet to your testimonies.
60 I hurry and do not delay
to heed your commands.
61 The cords of the wicked surround me,
but I do not forget your law.
62 In the middle of the night I rise to give you thanks,
because of your righteous ordinances.
63 I am a companion of all who fear you
and heed your precepts.
64 The earth, O Yahweh, is full of your loyal love.
Teach me your statutes.
Teth
65 You have dealt well with your servant,
O Yahweh, according to your word.
66 Teach me good discernment and knowledge,
for I believe your commands.
67 Before I was afflicted, I was going astray,
but now I heed your word.
68 You are good and do good;
teach me your statutes.
69 The arrogant smear me with lies;[d]
I keep your precepts with my whole heart.
70 Their heart is insensitive like fat;[e]
As for me, I take delight in your law.
71 It is good for me that I was afflicted,
so that I might learn your statutes.
72 The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver coins.
Wealth and the Fate of the Wicked
For the music director. Of the sons of Korah. A psalm.[a]
49 Hear this, all you peoples;
give ear, all you inhabitants of the world,
2 both low and high,
rich and poor together.
3 My mouth will speak wisdom,
and the meditation of my heart will be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will propound[b] my riddle on a lyre.
5 Why should I fear in times of calamity,[c]
when iniquity surrounds me at my heels,
6 those who trust their wealth
and boast about the abundance of their riches?
7 Surely a man cannot redeem a brother.
He cannot give to God his ransom
8 (since[d] the redemption price for their life is costly
and it always fails),
9 so that he may stay alive forever
and not see the pit.
10 For he sees that the wise die,
together with the fool and brute they perish,
and leave their wealth to the next generation.
11 Within them they think their houses are forever,
their dwelling places from generation to generation.
They name[e] their lands by their own names.
12 But man cannot continue in his pomp.
He is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the journey[f] of those who have foolish confidence,
and those after them who accept their sayings. Selah
14 Like sheep they are destined to Sheol;
death will shepherd them.
But the upright will rule over them in the morning,
and their forms will be for Sheol to consume,
far from his lofty abode.
15 Surely God will ransom my life
from the power[g] of Sheol,
because he will receive me. Selah
16 Do not fear when a man becomes rich,
when the wealth[h] of his house increases,
17 because when he dies he will not take away any of it.
His wealth will not follow down after him.
18 Though he congratulated his soul while he was living
—and people will praise you when you do well for yourself—
19 it[i] will go to the generation of his fathers.
Never will they see light.
20 Humankind in its pomp, but does not understand,
is like the beasts that perish.
The Folly of the Godless and Salvation for Israel
For the music director, according to Mahalath.
A maskil of David.[a]
53 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt and they have done abominable iniquity.
There is none who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven upon the children of humankind
to see whether there is one who has insight,
one who seeks God.
3 All of them[b] have turned back.
They are altogether corrupt.
There is none who does good;
there is not even one.
4 Do not evildoers know,
they who eat my people as though they were eating bread?
They do not call on God.
5 There they are very fearful[c]
where no fear had been,
because God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you.
You have put them to shame, because God has rejected them.
6 Oh, that from Zion[d] would come salvation for Israel!
When God returns the fortunes[e] of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
Darius’ Search for the Decree
6 Then King Darius issued forth a decree, and they searched the house of the treasury of scrolls being stored in Babylonia. 2 But it was in Ecbatana in the province of Media, in the citadel, that a certain scroll had written on it, “A record. 3 In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued forth a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem. Let the house be built, the place where sacrifices are offered and let its foundations be raised. Its height shall be sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits, 4 with three layers of great stones and a layer of timber. Let the new expenses be paid from the house of the king. 5 Also, let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylonia, be returned and brought to the temple in Jerusalem to its place. Put them in the house of God.”
The Decree of Darius
6 “Now then, Tattenai governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates, the envoys who are in the province Beyond the River—keep far away from there. 7 Leave this work of the house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its site. 8 And I issue forth a decree for what you should do for these elders of the Jews to build this house of God. The full expense will be paid to these men from the riches of the king from the taxes of the province Beyond the River, without delay. 9 Whatever may be needed—young bulls,[a] young rams, sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil for the priests in Jerusalem—let it be given to them day by day with no negligence, 10 that they may offer incense offerings to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his children. 11 Furthermore, I issue forth a decree that if any person violates this decree, let a beam be pulled out from his house and let him be impaled on it. And let his house be made a pile of rubble on account of this. 12 May the God who has set his name there overthrow any king or people who sets his hand to alter or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, issue forth a decree. Let it be done with diligence.”
Temple is Dedicated and Completed
13 Then Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates consequently did with diligence what Darius the king ordered. 14 So the elders of the Jews were building and prospering, through the prophecy of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building by the command of the God of Israel and by the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia. 15 This house was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
16 And the Israelites,[b] the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles[c] celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. 17 And they offered during the dedication of this house of God one hundred young bulls, two hundred young rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering for Israel according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18 Then they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their sections for the work of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses.
The Celebration of Passover
19 On the fourteenth day of the first month the returned exiles observed the Passover feast. 20 For the priests and Levites together had consecrated themselves; all of them were clean. And they slaughtered the Passover sacrifice for all of the returned exiles, for their brothers the priests, and for themselves. 21 The Israelites[d] who returned from the exile and all those who separated themselves from the uncleanness of the nations of the earth to seek Yahweh the God of Israel, ate. 22 With joy they celebrated the festival of unleavened bread for seven days, because Yahweh had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them in order to help them with the work of their hands on the house of the God of Israel.
The Scroll with Seven Seals and the Lamb
5 And I saw in the right hand of the one who is seated on the throne a scroll, written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. 2 And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. 4 And I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.
6 And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing as though slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth. 7 And he came and took the scroll[a] from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one of whom had a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they were singing a new song, saying,
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slaughtered,
and bought people for God by your blood
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they will reign on the earth.”
The Reason for the Parables
10 And the disciples came up and[a] said to him, “Why[b] do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered and[c] said to them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to those people it has not been granted. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 For this reason I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand, 14 and with reference to them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says,
“You will listen carefully[d] and will never understand,
and you will look closely[e] and will never perceive.
15 For the heart of this people has become dull,
and with their ears they hear with difficulty,
and they have shut their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.”[f]
16 But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it,[g] and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it![h]
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