Book of Common Prayer
A psalm of Asaph.
50 The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks.
He calls out to the earth
from the sunrise in the east
to the sunset in the west.
2 From Zion, perfect and beautiful,
God’s glory shines out.
3 Our God comes, and he won’t be silent.
A burning fire goes ahead of him.
A terrible storm is all around him.
4 He calls out to heaven and earth to be his witnesses.
Then he judges his people.
5 He says, “Gather this holy people around me.
They made a covenant with me by offering a sacrifice.”
6 The heavens announce that what God decides is right.
That’s because he is a God of justice.
7 God says, “Listen, my people, and I will speak.
I will be a witness against you, Israel.
I am God, your God.
8 I don’t bring charges against you because of your sacrifices.
I don’t bring charges because of the burnt offerings you always bring me.
9 I don’t need a bull from your barn.
I don’t need goats from your pens.
10 Every animal in the forest already belongs to me.
And so do the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I own every bird in the mountains.
The insects in the fields belong to me.
12 If I were hungry, I wouldn’t tell you.
The world belongs to me. And so does everything in it.
13 Do I eat the meat of bulls?
Do I drink the blood of goats?
14 Bring me thank offerings, because I am your God.
Carry out the promises you made to me, because I am the Most High God.
15 Call out to me when trouble comes.
I will save you. And you will honor me.”
16 But here is what God says to a sinful person.
“What right do you have to speak the words of my laws?
How dare you speak the words of my covenant!
17 You hate my teaching.
You turn your back on what I say.
18 When you see a thief, you join him.
You make friends with those who commit adultery.
19 You use your mouth to speak evil.
You use your tongue to spread lies.
20 You are a witness against your brother.
You always tell lies about your own mother’s son.
21 When you did these things, I kept silent.
So you thought I was just like you.
But now I’m going to bring you to court.
I will bring charges against you.
22 “You who forget God, think about this.
If you don’t, I will tear you to pieces.
No one will be able to save you.
23 People who sacrifice thank offerings to me honor me.
To those who are without blame I will show my power to save.”
For the director of music. A miktam of David when Saul had sent men to watch David’s house. Saul sent the men to kill David. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.”
59 God, save me from my enemies.
Keep me safe from people who are attacking me.
2 Save me from those who do evil.
Save me from people who want to kill me.
3 See how they hide and wait for me!
Lord, angry people plan to harm me,
even though I haven’t hurt them in any way or sinned against them.
4 I haven’t done anything wrong to them. But they are ready to attack me.
Rise up and help me! Look at what I’m up against!
5 Lord God who rules over all, rise up. God of Israel,
punish all the nations.
Don’t show any mercy to those sinful people
who have turned against me.
6 My enemies are like a pack of barking dogs
that come back to the city in the evening.
They prowl around the city.
7 Listen to what pours out of their mouths.
The words from their lips are like swords.
They think, “Who can hear us?”
8 But you laugh at them, Lord.
You make fun of all those nations.
9 You give me strength. I look to you.
God, you are like a fort to me. 10 You are my God, and I can depend on you.
God will march out in front of me.
He will let me look down on those who tell lies about me.
11 Lord, you are like a shield that keeps us safe.
Don’t kill my enemies all at once.
If you do, my people will forget about it.
Use your power to pull my enemies up by the roots like weeds.
Destroy them.
12 They have sinned with their mouths.
Their lips have spoken evil words.
They have cursed me and lied.
Let them be caught in their pride.
13 Burn them up in your anger.
Burn them up until there isn’t anything left of them.
Then everyone from one end of the earth to the other will know
that God rules over the people of Jacob.
14 My enemies are like a pack of barking dogs
that come back into the city in the evening.
They prowl around the city.
15 They wander around looking for food.
They groan if they don’t find something that will satisfy them.
16 But I will sing about your strength.
In the morning I will sing about your love.
You are like a fort to me.
You keep me safe in times of trouble.
17 You give me strength. I sing praise to you.
God, you are like a fort to me. You are my God, and I can depend on you.
For the director of music. For teaching. A miktam of David when he fought against Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah. That was when Joab returned and struck down 12,000 people from Edom in the Valley of Salt. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.”
60 God, you have turned away from us. You have attacked us.
You have been angry. Now turn back to us!
2 You have shaken the land and torn it open.
Fix its cracks, because it is falling apart.
3 You have shown your people hard times.
You have made us drink the wine of your anger.
Now we can’t even walk straight.
4 But you lead into battle those who have respect for you.
You give them a flag to wave against the enemy’s weapons.
5 Save us and help us by your power.
Do this so that those you love may be saved.
6 God has spoken from his temple.
He has said, “I will win the battle.
Then I will divide up the land around Shechem.
I will divide up the Valley of Sukkoth.
7 Gilead belongs to me.
So does the land of Manasseh.
Ephraim is the strongest tribe.
It is like a helmet for my head.
Judah is the royal tribe.
It is like a ruler’s scepter.
8 Moab serves me like one who washes my feet.
I toss my sandal on Edom to show that I own it.
I shout to Philistia that I have won the battle.”
9 Who will bring me to the city that has high walls around it?
Who will lead me to the land of Edom?
10 God, isn’t it you, even though you have now turned away from us?
Isn’t it you, even though you don’t lead our armies into battle anymore?
11 Help us against our enemies.
The help people give doesn’t amount to anything.
12 With your help we will win the battle.
You will walk all over our enemies.
118 Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good.
His faithful love continues forever.
2 Let the people of Israel say,
“His faithful love continues forever.”
3 Let the priests of Aaron say,
“His faithful love continues forever.”
4 Let those who have respect for the Lord say,
“His faithful love continues forever.”
5 When I was in great trouble, I cried out to the Lord.
He answered me and set me free from my trouble.
6 The Lord is with me. I will not be afraid.
What can mere human beings do to me?
7 The Lord is with me. He helps me.
I win the battle over my enemies.
8 It is better to go to the Lord for safety
than to trust in mere human beings.
9 It is better to go to the Lord for safety
than to trust in human leaders.
10 The nations were all around me.
But by the Lord’s power I destroyed them.
11 They were around me on every side.
But by the Lord’s power I destroyed them.
12 They attacked me like swarms of bees.
But they were burned up as quickly as thorns in a fire.
By the Lord’s power I destroyed them.
13 I was pushed back and about to be killed.
But the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord gives me strength and makes me secure.
He has saved me.
15 Shouts of joy ring out in the tents of godly people.
They praise him for his help in battle.
They shout, “The Lord’s powerful right hand has done mighty things!
16 The Lord’s powerful right hand has won the battle!
The Lord’s powerful right hand has done mighty things!”
17 I will not die but live.
I will talk about what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord has really punished me.
But he didn’t let me die.
19 Open for me the gates where the godly can go in.
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord.
Only those who do what is right can go through it.
21 Lord, I will give thanks to you, because you answered me.
You have saved me.
22 The stone the builders didn’t accept
has become the most important stone of all.
23 The Lord has done it.
It is wonderful in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it on this day.
Let us be joyful today and be glad.
25 Lord, save us.
Lord, give us success.
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the temple of the Lord we bless you.
27 The Lord is God.
He has been good to us.
Take branches in your hands. Join in the march on the day of the feast.
March up to the corners of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you.
You are my God, and I will honor you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good.
His faithful love continues forever.
15 So Hagar had a son by Abram and Abram gave him the name Ishmael. 16 Abram was 86 years old when Hagar had Ishmael by him.
The Covenant of Circumcision
17 When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him. He said, “I am the Mighty God. Walk faithfully with me. Live in a way that pleases me. 2 I will now act on my covenant between me and you. I will greatly increase the number of your children after you.”
3 Abram fell with his face to the ground. God said to him, 4 “This is my covenant with you. You will be the father of many nations. 5 You will not be called Abram anymore. Your name will be Abraham, because I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will greatly increase the number of your children after you. Nations and kings will come from you. 7 I will make my covenant with you last forever. It will be between me and you and your family after you for all time to come. I will be your God. And I will be the God of all your family after you. 8 You are now living in Canaan as an outsider. But I will give you the whole land of Canaan. You will own it forever and so will all your family after you. And I will be their God.”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “You must keep my covenant. You and your family after you must keep it for all time to come. 10 Here is my covenant that you and your family after you must keep. You and every male among you must be circumcised. 11 That will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 It must be done for all time to come. Every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised. That includes those who are born into your own family or outside it. It also includes those bought with money from a stranger. 13 So any male born into your family or bought with your money must be circumcised. My covenant will last forever. Your body will have the mark of my covenant on it. 14 Any male who has not been circumcised will be separated from his people. He has broken my covenant.”
Christ’s Sacrifice Is Once and for All Time
10 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming. It is not the real things themselves. The same sacrifices have to be offered over and over again. They must be offered year after year. That’s why the law can never make perfect those who come near to worship. 2 If the law could, wouldn’t the sacrifices have stopped being offered? The worshipers would have been made “clean” once and for all time. They would not have felt guilty for their sins anymore. 3 But those offerings remind people of their sins every year. 4 It isn’t possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 So when Christ came into the world, he said,
“You didn’t want sacrifices and offerings.
Instead, you prepared a body for me.
6 You weren’t pleased
with burnt offerings and sin offerings.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am. It is written about me in the book.
I have come to do what you want, my God.’ ” (Psalm 40:6–8)
8 First Christ said, “You didn’t want sacrifices and offerings. You didn’t want burnt offerings and sin offerings. You weren’t pleased with them.” He said this even though they were offered in keeping with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am. I have come to do what you want.” He did away with the shadow of the good things that were coming. He did it to put in place the good things themselves. 10 We have been made holy by what God wanted. We have been made holy because Jesus Christ offered his body once and for all time.
30 I can do nothing by myself. I judge only as I hear. And my judging is fair. I do not try to please myself. I try to please the one who sent me.
Being a Witness About Jesus
31 “If I am a witness about myself, what I say is not true. 32 There is someone else who is a witness in my favor. And I know that what he says about me is true.
33 “You have sent people to John the Baptist. He has been a witness to the truth. 34 I do not accept what a person says. I only talk about what John says so that you can be saved. 35 John was like a lamp that burned and gave light. For a while you chose to enjoy his light.
36 “What I say about myself is more important than what John says about me. I am doing the works the Father gave me to finish. These works are a witness that the Father has sent me. 37 The Father who sent me is himself a witness about me. You have never heard his voice. You have never seen what he really looks like. 38 And his word does not live in you. That’s because you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures carefully. You study them because you think they will give you eternal life. The Scriptures you study are a witness about me. 40 But you refuse to come to me and receive life.
41 “I do not accept praise from human beings. 42 But I know you. I know that you do not have love for God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me. But if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 You accept praise from one another. But you do not seek the praise that comes from the only God. So how can you believe?
45 “Do not think I will bring charges against you in front of the Father. Moses is the one who does that. And he is the one you build your hopes on. 46 Do you believe Moses? Then you should believe me. He wrote about me. 47 But you do not believe what he wrote. So how are you going to believe what I say?”
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