Book of Common Prayer
Qof
Waiting in Hope
145 I have cried out with all of my heart.
Answer me, Lord!
I will observe your statutes.
146 I have called out to you, “Save me,
so I may keep your decrees.”
147 I get up before dawn and cry for help;
I place my hope in your word.
148 I look forward to the night watches,
when I may meditate on what you have said.
149 Hear my voice according to your gracious love.
Lord, revive me in keeping with your justice.
150 Those who pursue wickedness draw near;
they remain far from your instruction.[a]
151 You are near, Lord,
and all of your commands are true.
152 I discovered long ago about your decrees
that you have confirmed them forever.
Resh
God’s Word is Truth
153 Look on my misery, and rescue me,
for I do not ignore your instruction.[b]
154 Defend my case and redeem me;
revive me according to your promise.
155 Deliverance remains remote from the wicked,
for they do not seek your statutes.
156 Your mercies are magnificent, Lord;
revive me according to your judgments.
157 Though my persecutors and adversaries are numerous,
I do not turn aside from your decrees.
158 I watch the treacherous, and despise them,
because they do not do what you have said.
159 Look how I love your precepts, Lord;
revive me according to your gracious love.
160 The sum[c] of your word[d] is truth,
and each righteous ordinance of yours is everlasting.
Sin/Shin
Loving God’s Instruction
161 Though nobles persecute me for no reason,
my heart stands in awe of your words.
162 I find joy at what you have said
like one who has discovered a great treasure.
163 I despise and hate falsehood,
but[e] I love your instruction.[f]
164 I praise you seven times a day
because of your righteous ordinances.
165 Great peace belongs to those who love your instruction,[g]
and nothing makes them stumble.
166 I am looking in hope for your deliverance, Lord,
as I carry out your commands.
167 My soul treasures[h] your decrees,
and I love them deeply.
168 I keep your precepts and your decrees
because all of my ways are before you.
Tav
The Joy of God’s Word
169 May my cry arise before you, Lord;
give me understanding according to your word.
170 Let my request come before you;
deliver me, as you have promised.
171 May my lips utter praise,
for you teach me your statutes.
172 May my tongue sing about your promise,
for all of your commands are right.
173 May your hand stand ready to assist me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
174 I am longing for your deliverance, Lord,
and your instruction[i] is my joy.
175 Let me live, and I will praise you;
let your ordinances[j] help me.
176 I have wandered away like a lost sheep;
come find your servant,
for I do not forget your commands.
A Song of Ascents
The Blessings of Fearing God
128 How blessed[a] are all who fear the Lord
as they follow in his ways.
2 You will eat from the work of your hands;
you will be happy, and it will go well for you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;
your children[b] like olive shoots surrounding your table.
4 See how the man will be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
and may you observe the prosperity of Jerusalem
every day that you live!
6 And may you see your children’s children!
Peace be on Israel!
A Song of Ascents
God Defeats Israel’s Enemies
129 “Since my youth they have often persecuted me,”
let Israel repeat it,
2 “Since my youth they have often persecuted me,
yet they haven’t defeated me.
3 Wicked people[c] plowed over my back,
creating long-lasting wounds.”[d]
4 The Lord is righteous—
he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.
5 Let all who hate Zion
be turned away and be ashamed.
6 May they become like a tuft of grass on a roof top,
that withers before it takes root—
7 not enough to fill one’s hand
or to bundle in one’s arms.
8 And may those who pass by never tell them,
“May the Lord’s blessing be upon you.
We bless you in the name of the Lord.”
A Song of Ascents
A Prayer for Mercy
130 I cry to you from the depths, Lord,
2 Lord, listen to my voice;
let your ears pay attention
to what I ask of you![e]
3 Lord,[f] if you were to record iniquities,
Lord, who could remain standing?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that you may be feared.
5 I wait for the Lord;
my soul waits,
and I will hope in his word.
6 My soul looks to the Lord
more than watchmen look for the morning—
more, indeed, than[g] watchmen for the morning.
7 Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is gracious love,
along with abundant redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israel
from all its sins.
The Folly of Guaranteeing Loans
6 My son, if you guarantee a loan for your neighbor,
if you have agreed to a deal[a] with a stranger,
2 trapped by your own words,
and caught by your own words,
3 then do this, my son, and deliver yourself,
because you have come under your neighbor’s control.[b]
Go, humble yourself!
Plead passionately with your neighbor!
4 Don’t allow yourself to sleep
or even to close your eyes.
5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from a hunter’s hand,[c]
or like a bird from a fowler’s hand.
The Folly of Laziness
6 Go to the ant, you lazy man!
Observe its ways and become wise.
7 It has no commander,
officer, or ruler,
8 but prepares its provisions in the summer
and gathers its food in the harvest.
9 How long will you lie down, lazy man?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and your poverty will come on you like a bandit
and your desperation like an armed man.
The Folly of Causing Strife
12 A worthless man, a wicked man,
goes around with devious speech,
13 winking with his eyes, making signs[d] with[e] his feet,
pointing with his fingers,
14 planning evil with a perverse mind,[f]
continually stirring up discord.
15 Therefore, disaster will overtake him suddenly.
He will be broken in an instant,
and he will never recover.
What God Hates
16 Here are six things that the Lord hates—
seven, in fact,[g] are detestable to him:[h]
17 Arrogant eyes,
a lying tongue,
and hands shedding innocent blood;
18 a heart crafting evil plans,
feet running swiftly to wickedness,
19 a false witness snorting lies,
and someone sowing quarrels between brothers.
Faith Overcomes the World
5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah[a] has been born from God, and everyone who loves the parent also loves the child. 2 This is how we know that we love God’s children: we love God and keep his commandments. 3 For this demonstrates our love for God: We keep his commandments, and his commandments are not difficult, 4 because everyone who is born from God has overcome the world. Our faith is the victory that overcomes the world. 5 Who overcomes the world? Is it not the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This man, Jesus the Messiah,[b] is the one who came by water and blood—not with water only, but with water and with blood. The Spirit is the one who verifies this, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three witnesses in heaven—the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one.[c] 8 And there are three witness on earth—the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are one.
9 If we accept human testimony, God’s testimony is greater, because it is the testimony of God and because he has testified about his Son. 10 The person who believes in the Son of God believes this testimony personally.[d] The person who does not believe God[e] has made him a liar by not believing the testimony that he[f] has given about his Son.
11 This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is found in his Son. 12 The person who has the Son has this life. The person who does not have the Son of God does not have this life.
The Jewish Council Plans to Kill Jesus(A)
45 Many of the Jews who had come with Mary and who had observed what Jesus did believed in him. 46 Some of them, however, went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the high priests and the Pharisees assembled the Council[a] and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our Temple[b] and our nation.”
49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, told them, “You don’t know anything! 50 You don’t realize that it is better for you[c] to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.” 51 Now he did not say this on his own initiative. As high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not only for the nation, but that he would also gather into one the children of God who were scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they resolved to put him to death. 54 As a result, Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews.[d] Instead, he went from there[e] to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness. There he remained with his disciples.
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