Book of Common Prayer
God the Judge of the Righteous and the Wicked.
A Psalm of [a]Asaph.
50 (A)The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken,
And summoned the earth (B)from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, (C)the perfection of beauty,
God (D)has shone forth.
3 May our God (E)come and not keep silence;
(F)Fire devours before Him,
And it is very (G)tempestuous around Him.
4 He (H)summons the heavens above,
And the earth, to judge His people:
5 “Gather My (I)godly ones to Me,
Those who have made a (J)covenant with Me by (K)sacrifice.”
6 And the (L)heavens declare His righteousness,
For (M)God Himself is judge. [b]Selah.
7 “(N)Hear, O My people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify [c]against you;
I am God, (O)your God.
8 “I do (P)not reprove you for your sacrifices,
And your burnt offerings are continually before Me.
9 “I shall take no (Q)young bull out of your house
Nor male goats out of your folds.
10 “For (R)every beast of the forest is Mine,
The cattle on a thousand hills.
11 “I know every (S)bird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is [d]Mine.
12 “If I were hungry I would not tell you,
For the (T)world is Mine, and [e]all it contains.
13 “Shall I eat the flesh of [f](U)bulls
Or drink the blood of male goats?
14 “Offer to God (V)a sacrifice of thanksgiving
And (W)pay your vows to the Most High;
15 (X)Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I shall (Y)rescue you, and you will (Z)honor Me.”
16 But to the wicked God says,
“What right have you to tell of My statutes
And to take (AA)My covenant in your mouth?
17 “For you (AB)hate discipline,
And you (AC)cast My words behind you.
18 “When you see a thief, you [g](AD)are pleased with him,
And [h]you (AE)associate with adulterers.
19 “You [i](AF)let your mouth loose in evil
And your (AG)tongue frames deceit.
20 “You sit and (AH)speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
21 “These things you have done and (AI)I kept silence;
You thought that I was just like you;
I will (AJ)reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies.
For the choir director; set to [a]Al-tashheth. A [b]Mikhtam of David, [c]when Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him.
59 (A)Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
[d](B)Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from (C)those who do iniquity
And save me from (D)men of bloodshed.
3 For behold, they (E)have [e]set an ambush for my [f]life;
[g]Fierce men [h](F)launch an attack against me,
(G)Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord,
4 [i](H)For no guilt of mine, they run and set themselves against me.
(I)Arouse Yourself to [j]help me, and see!
5 You, (J)O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel,
Awake to [k](K)punish all the nations;
(L)Do not be gracious to any who are treacherous in iniquity. [l]Selah.
6 They (M)return at evening, they howl like a (N)dog,
And go around the city.
7 Behold, they (O)belch forth with their mouth;
(P)Swords are in their lips,
For, they say, “(Q)Who hears?”
8 But You, O Lord, (R)laugh at them;
You (S)scoff at all the nations.
9 Because of [m]his (T)strength I will watch for You,
For God is my (U)stronghold.
10 [n]My God (V)in His lovingkindness will meet me;
God will let me (W)look triumphantly upon [o]my foes.
11 Do not slay them, (X)or my people will forget;
[p](Y)Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down,
O Lord, (Z)our shield.
12 [q]On account of the (AA)sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,
Let them even be (AB)caught in their pride,
And on account of (AC)curses and [r]lies which they utter.
13 [s](AD)Destroy them in wrath, [t]destroy them that they may be no more;
That men may (AE)know that God [u]rules in Jacob
To the ends of the earth. Selah.
14 They (AF)return at evening, they howl like a dog,
And go around the city.
15 They (AG)wander about [v]for food
And [w]growl if they are not satisfied.
16 But as for me, I shall (AH)sing of Your strength;
Yes, I shall (AI)joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the (AJ)morning,
For You have been my (AK)stronghold
And a (AL)refuge in the day of my distress.
17 (AM)O my strength, I will sing praises to You;
For God is my (AN)stronghold, the [x]God who shows me lovingkindness.
Lament over Defeat in Battle, and Prayer for Help.
For the choir director; according to [y]Shushan Eduth. A [z]Mikhtam of David, to teach; [aa]when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and smote twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.
60 O God, (AO)You have rejected us. You have [ab](AP)broken us;
You have been (AQ)angry; O, (AR)restore us.
2 You have made the [ac](AS)land quake, You have split it open;
(AT)Heal its breaches, for it totters.
3 You have [ad](AU)made Your people experience hardship;
You have given us [ae]wine to (AV)drink that makes us stagger.
4 You have given a (AW)banner to those who fear You,
That it may be displayed because of the truth. [af]Selah.
5 (AX)That Your (AY)beloved may be delivered,
(AZ)Save with Your right hand, and answer [ag]us!
6 God has spoken in His [ah](BA)holiness:
“I will exult, I will portion out (BB)Shechem and measure out the valley of (BC)Succoth.
7 “(BD)Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
(BE)Ephraim also is the [ai]helmet of My head;
Judah is My [aj](BF)scepter.
8 “(BG)Moab is My washbowl;
Over (BH)Edom I shall throw My shoe;
Shout loud, O (BI)Philistia, because of Me!”
9 Who will bring me into the besieged city?
Who [ak]will lead me to Edom?
10 Have not You Yourself, O God, (BJ)rejected us?
And (BK)will You not go forth with our armies, O God?
11 O give us help against the adversary,
For (BL)deliverance [al]by man is in vain.
12 [am]Through God we shall (BM)do valiantly,
And it is He who will (BN)tread down our adversaries.
Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Saving Goodness.
118 (A)Give thanks to the Lord, for (B)He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Oh let (C)Israel say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
3 Oh let the (D)house of Aaron say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
4 Oh let those (E)who [a]fear the Lord say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
5 From my (F)distress I called upon [b]the Lord;
[c]The Lord answered me and (G)set me in a large place.
6 The Lord is (H)for me; I will (I)not fear;
(J)What can man do to me?
7 The Lord is for me (K)among those who help me;
Therefore I will (L)look with satisfaction on those who hate me.
8 It is (M)better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in man.
9 It is (N)better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in princes.
10 All nations (O)surrounded me;
In the name of the Lord I will surely (P)cut them off.
11 They (Q)surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
12 They surrounded me (R)like bees;
They were extinguished as a (S)fire of thorns;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
13 You (T)pushed me violently so that I [d]was falling,
But the Lord (U)helped me.
14 [e](V)The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become (W)my salvation.
15 The sound of (X)joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The (Y)right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
16 The (Z)right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
17 I (AA)will not die, but live,
And (AB)tell of the works of [f]the Lord.
18 [g]The Lord has (AC)disciplined me severely,
But He has (AD)not given me over to death.
19 (AE)Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to [h]the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
The (AF)righteous will enter through it.
21 I shall give thanks to You, for You have (AG)answered me,
And You have (AH)become my salvation.
22 The (AI)stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
23 This is [i]the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us (AJ)rejoice and be glad in it.
25 O Lord, (AK)do save, we beseech You;
O Lord, we beseech You, do send (AL)prosperity!
26 (AM)Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord;
We have (AN)blessed you from the house of the Lord.
27 (AO)The Lord is God, and He has given us (AP)light;
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords [j]to the (AQ)horns of the altar.
28 (AR)You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
You are my God, (AS)I extol You.
29 (AT)Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
15 So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was (A)eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to [a]him.
Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision
17 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, (B)the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him,
“I am [b]God (C)Almighty;
Walk before Me, and be [c](D)blameless.
2 “I will [d]establish My (E)covenant between Me and you,
And I will (F)multiply you exceedingly.”
3 Abram (G)fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,
And you will be the father of a (H)multitude of nations.
5 “No longer shall your name be called [e]Abram,
But (I)your name shall be [f]Abraham;
For (J)I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and (K)kings will come forth from you. 7 I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your [g]descendants after you throughout their generations for an (L)everlasting covenant, (M)to be God to you and (N)to your [h]descendants after you. 8 (O)I will give to you and to your [i]descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and (P)I will be their God.”
9 God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, (Q)you shall keep My covenant, you and your [j]descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 (R)This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your [k]descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 And (S)you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 And every male among you who is (T)eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your [l]descendants. 13 A servant who is born in your house or (U)who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be (V)cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
One Sacrifice of Christ Is Sufficient
10 For the Law, since it has only (A)a shadow of (B)the good things to come and not the very [a]form of things, [b]can (C)never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, (D)make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had (E)consciousness of sins? 3 But (F)in [c]those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. 4 For it is (G)impossible for the (H)blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Therefore, (I)when He comes into the world, He says,
“(J)Sacrifice and offering You have not desired,
But (K)a body You have prepared for Me;
6 (L)In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure.
7 “(M)Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come
(In (N)the scroll of the book it is written of Me)
To do Your will, O God.’”
8 After saying above, “(O)Sacrifices and offerings and (P)whole burnt offerings and sacrifices (Q)for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the Law), 9 then He [d]said, “(R)Behold, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 10 By [e]this will we have been (S)sanctified through (T)the offering of (U)the body of Jesus Christ (V)once for all.
30 “(A)I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and (B)My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but (C)the will of Him who sent Me.
31 “(D)If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not [a]true. 32 There is (E)another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.
Witness of John
33 You have sent to John, and he (F)has testified to the truth. 34 But (G)the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 He was (H)the lamp that was burning and was shining and you (I)were willing to rejoice for [b]a while in his light.
Witness of Works
36 But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for (J)the works which the Father has given Me (K)to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father (L)has sent Me.
Witness of the Father
37 And the Father who sent Me, (M)He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. 38 You do not have (N)His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He (O)sent.
Witness of the Scripture
39 [c](P)You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is (Q)these that testify about Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. 41 (R)I do not receive glory from men; 42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; (S)if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you (T)receive [d]glory from one another and you do not seek (U)the [e]glory that is from (V)the one and only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is (W)Moses, in whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for (X)he wrote about Me. 47 But (Y)if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.