Book of Common Prayer
Childlike Trust in the Lord.
A Song of [a]Ascents. Of David.
131 Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
Or in things too difficult for me.
2
Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child [resting] with his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me [composed and freed from discontent].
3
O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
Prayer for the Lord’s Blessing Upon the Sanctuary.
A Song of [b]Ascents.
132 O Lord, remember on David’s behalf
All his hardship and affliction;
2
How he swore to the Lord
And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3
“I absolutely will not enter my house,
Nor get into my bed—
4
I certainly will not permit my eyes to sleep
Nor my eyelids to slumber,
5
Until I find a place for the Lord,
A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob (Israel).”(A)
6
Behold, we heard of it at Ephrathah;
We found it in the field of Jaar.(B)
7
Let us go into His tabernacle;
Let us worship at His footstool.
8
Arise, O Lord, to Your resting place,
You and the ark [the symbol] of Your strength.
9
Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness (right living),
And let Your godly ones shout for joy.
10
For the sake of Your servant David,
Do not turn away the face of Your anointed.
11
The Lord swore to David
A truth from which He will not turn back:
“One of your [c]descendants I will set upon your throne.(C)
12
“If your children will keep My covenant
And My testimony which I will teach them,
Their children also shall sit upon your throne forever.”
13
For the Lord has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His dwelling place:
14
“This is My resting place forever” [says the Lord];
“Here will I dwell, for I have desired it.
15
“I will abundantly bless her provisions;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16
“Her priests also I will clothe with salvation,
And her godly ones will shout aloud for joy.
17
“There I will make the horn (strength) of David grow;
I have prepared a lamp for My anointed [fulfilling the promises].(D)
18
“His enemies I will clothe with shame,
But upon himself shall his crown shine.”
The Excellency of Brotherly Unity.
A Song of [d]Ascents. Of David.
133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
2
It is like the precious oil [of consecration] poured on the head,
Coming down on the beard,
Even the beard of Aaron,
Coming down upon the edge of his [priestly] robes [consecrating the whole body].(E)
3
It is like the dew of [Mount] Hermon
Coming down on the hills of Zion;
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing: life forevermore.
Greetings of Night Watchers.
A Song of [e]Ascents.
134 Behold, bless and praise the Lord, all servants of the Lord (priests, Levites),
Who stand and serve by night in the house of the Lord.(F)
2
Lift up your hands to the sanctuary
And bless the Lord.
3
May the Lord bless you from Zion,
He who made heaven and earth.
Praise the Lord’s Wonderful Works. Vanity of Idols.
135 Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
Praise the name of the Lord;
Praise Him, O servants of the Lord (priests, Levites),
2
You who stand in the house of the Lord,
In the courts of the house of our God,
3
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
Sing praises to His name, for it is gracious and lovely.
4
For the Lord has chosen [the descendants of] Jacob for Himself,
Israel for His own special treasure and possession.(G)
5
For I know that the Lord is great
And that our Lord is above all gods.
6
Whatever the Lord pleases, He does,
In the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all deeps—
7
Who causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth;
Who makes lightning for the rain,
Who brings the wind from His storehouses;
8
Who struck the firstborn of Egypt,
Both of man and animal;(H)
9
Who sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt,
Upon Pharaoh and all his servants.
10
Who struck many nations
And killed mighty kings,
11
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
Og, king of Bashan,
And all the kingdoms of Canaan;
12
And He gave their land as a heritage,
A heritage to Israel His people.
13
Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
Your fame and remembrance, O Lord, [endures] throughout all generations.
14
For the Lord will judge His people
And He will have compassion on His servants [revealing His mercy].(I)
15
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.
16
They have mouths, but they do not speak;
They have eyes, but they do not see;
17
They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18
Those who make idols are like them [absolutely worthless—spiritually blind, deaf, and powerless];
So is everyone who trusts in and relies on them.(J)
19
O house of Israel, bless and praise the Lord [with gratitude];
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord;
20
O house of Levi, bless the Lord;
You who fear the Lord [and worship Him with obedience], bless the Lord [with grateful praise]!(K)
21
Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
Who dwells [with us] at Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
The Wiles of the Prostitute
7 My son, keep my words
And treasure my commandments within you [so they are readily available to guide you].
2
Keep my commandments and live,
And keep my teaching and law as the apple of your eye.
3
Bind them [securely] on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4
Say to [skillful and godly] wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And regard understanding and intelligent insight as your intimate friends;
5
That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the foreigner [who does not observe God’s laws and] who flatters with her [smooth] words.
6
For at the window of my house
I looked out through my lattice.
7
And among the naive [the inexperienced and gullible],
I saw among the youths
A young man lacking [good] sense,
8
Passing through the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
9
In the twilight, in the evening;
In the black and dark night.
10
And there a woman met him,
Dressed as a prostitute and sly and cunning of heart.
11
She was boisterous and rebellious;
[a]She would not stay at home.
12
At times she was in the streets, at times in the market places,
Lurking and setting her ambush at every corner.
13
So she caught him and kissed him
And with a brazen and impudent face she said to him:
14
“I have peace offerings with me;
Today I have paid my vows.
15
“So I came out to meet you [that you might share with me the feast of my offering],
Diligently I sought your face and I have found you.
16
“I have spread my couch with coverings and cushions of tapestry,
With colored fine linen of Egypt.
17
“I have perfumed my bed
With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18
“Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning;
Let us console and delight ourselves with love.
19
“For my husband is not at home.
He has gone on a long journey;
20
He has taken a bag of money with him,
And he will come home on the appointed day.”
21
With her many persuasions she caused him to yield;
With her flattering lips she seduced him.
22
Suddenly he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter [not knowing the outcome],
Or as one in stocks going to the correction [to be given] to a fool,
23
Until an arrow pierced his liver [with a mortal wound];
Like a bird fluttering straight into the net,
He did not know that it would cost him his life.
24
Now therefore, my sons, listen to me,
And pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25
Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her [evil, immoral] paths.
26
For she has cast down many [mortally] wounded;
Indeed, all who were killed by her were strong.(A)
27
Her house is the way to [b]Sheol,
Descending to the chambers of death.(B)
This Is Written That You May Know
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God [which represents all that Jesus Christ is and does], so that you will know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that you [already] have eternal life. 14 This is the [remarkable degree of] confidence which we [as believers are entitled to] have before Him: that [a]if we ask anything according to His will, [that is, consistent with His plan and purpose] He hears us. 15 And if we know [for a fact, as indeed we do] that He hears and listens to us in whatever we ask, we [also] know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted to us] the requests which we have asked from Him.
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not lead to death, he will pray and ask [on the believer’s behalf] and God will for him give life to those whose sin is not leading to death. There is a sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for this [kind of sin]. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death [one can repent of it and be forgiven].
18 We know [with confidence] that anyone born of God does not habitually sin; but He (Jesus) who was born of God [carefully] keeps and protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19 We know [for a fact] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] lies in the power of the evil one [opposing God and His precepts]. 20 And we [have seen and] know [by personal experience] that the Son of God has [actually] come [to this world], and has given us understanding and insight so that we may [progressively and personally] know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children (believers, dear ones), guard yourselves from idols—[false teachings, moral compromises, and anything that would take God’s place in your heart].
55 Now the Passover of the Jews was approaching, and many from the country went up to Jerusalem before Passover to purify themselves [ceremonially, so that they would be able to participate in the feast]. 56 So they were looking for Jesus as they stood in the temple [area], and saying among themselves, “What do you think? Will He not come to the feast at all?” 57 Now the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it so that they might arrest Him.
Mary Anoints Jesus
12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom He had raised from the dead.(A) 2 So they gave a supper for Him there. Martha was serving, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Then [a]Mary took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure [b]nard, and she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, the one who was going to betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for [c]three hundred denarii and [the money] given to the poor?” 6 Now he said this, not because he cared about the poor [for he had never cared about them], but because he was a thief; and since he had the money box [serving as treasurer for the twelve disciples], he used to pilfer what was put into it. 7 So Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep [the rest of] it for the day of My burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”
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