Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 131
A Childlike Spirit
A Davidic song of ascents.
1 Lord, my heart is not proud;
my eyes are not haughty.(A)
I do not get involved with things
too great or too difficult for me.(B)
2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself
like a little weaned child with its mother;
I am like a little child.(C)
3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
both now and forever.(D)
Psalm 132
David and Zion Chosen
A song of ascents.
1 Lord, remember David
and all the hardships he endured,(E)
2 and how he swore an oath to the Lord,
making a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:(F)
3 “I will not enter my house[a]
or get into my bed,[b]
4 I will not allow my eyes to sleep
or my eyelids to slumber(G)
5 until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”(H)
6 We heard of the ark in Ephrathah;[c](I)
we found it in the fields of Jaar.[d](J)
7 Let us go to His dwelling place;
let us worship at His footstool.(K)
8 Rise up, Lord, come to Your resting place,
You and Your powerful ark.(L)
9 May Your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and may Your godly people shout for joy.(M)
10 Because of Your servant David,
do not reject Your anointed one.[e](N)
11 The Lord swore an oath to David,
a promise He will not abandon:
“I will set one of your descendants[f]
on your throne.(O)
12 If your sons keep My covenant
and My decrees that I will teach them,
their sons will also sit on your throne forever.”(P)
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His home:(Q)
14 “This is My resting place forever;
I will make My home here
because I have desired it.(R)
15 I will abundantly bless its food;
I will satisfy its needy with bread.(S)
16 I will clothe its priests with salvation,
and its godly people will shout for joy.(T)
17 There I will make a horn grow for David;(U)
I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one.(V)
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,(W)
but the crown he wears[g] will be glorious.”(X)
Psalm 133
Living in Harmony
A Davidic song of ascents.
1 How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony!(Y)
2 It is like fine oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down Aaron’s beard
onto his robes.(Z)
3 It is like the dew of Hermon[h]
falling on the mountains of Zion.(AA)
For there the Lord has appointed the blessing—
life forevermore.(AB)
Psalm 134
Call to Evening Worship
A song of ascents.
1 Now praise the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord
who stand in the Lord’s house at night!(AC)
2 Lift up your hands in the holy place
and praise the Lord!(AD)
3 May the Lord,
Maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.(AE)
Psalm 135
Yahweh Is Great
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the name of Yahweh.
Give praise, you servants of Yahweh(AF)
2 who stand in the house of Yahweh,
in the courts of the house of our God.(AG)
3 Praise Yahweh, for Yahweh is good;
sing praise to His name, for it is delightful.(AH)
4 For Yahweh has chosen Jacob for Himself,
Israel as His treasured possession.(AI)
5 For I know that Yahweh is great;
our Lord is greater than all gods.(AJ)
6 Yahweh does whatever He pleases
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all the depths.(AK)
7 He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain
and brings the wind from His storehouses.(AL)
8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both man and beast.(AM)
9 He sent signs and wonders against you, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his officials.(AN)
10 He struck down many nations
and slaughtered mighty kings:(AO)
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan.(AP)
12 He gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to His people Israel.(AQ)
13 Yahweh, Your name endures forever,
Your reputation, Yahweh,
through all generations.(AR)
14 For Yahweh will vindicate His people
and have compassion on His servants.(AS)
7 My son, obey my words,
and treasure my commands.(A)
2 Keep my commands and live;(B)
protect my teachings
as the pupil of your eye.(C)
3 Tie them to your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.(D)
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”(E)
and call understanding your relative.
5 She will keep you from a forbidden woman,
a stranger with her flattering talk.(F)
A Story of Seduction
6 At the window of my house
I looked through my lattice.(G)
7 I saw among the inexperienced,[a]
I noticed among the youths,
a young man lacking sense.
8 Crossing the street near her corner,
he strolled down the road to her house
9 at twilight, in the evening,
in the dark of the night.(H)
10 A woman came to meet him
dressed like a prostitute,(I)
having a hidden agenda.[b]
11 She is loud and defiant;(J)
her feet do not stay at home.(K)
12 Now in the street, now in the squares,(L)
she lurks at every corner.(M)
13 She grabs him and kisses him;
she brazenly says[c] to him,
14 “I’ve made fellowship offerings;[d]
today I’ve fulfilled my vows.(N)
15 So I came out to meet you,
to search for you, and I’ve found you.
16 I’ve spread coverings on my bed(O)—
richly colored linen from Egypt.(P)
17 I’ve perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.(Q)
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of lovemaking until morning.(R)
Let’s feast on each other’s love!
19 My husband isn’t home;
he went on a long journey.
20 He took a bag of money with him
and will come home at the time of the full moon.”
21 She seduces him with her persistent pleading;
she lures with her flattering[e] talk.
22 He follows her impulsively
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer bounding toward a trap[f]
23 until an arrow pierces its[g] liver,(S)
like a bird darting into a snare(T)—
he doesn’t know it will cost him his life.
13 I have written these things to you who believe in the name(A) of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Effective Prayer
14 Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask(B) anything according to His will, He hears us.(C) 15 And if we know that He hears whatever we ask,(D) we know that we have what we have asked Him for.(E)
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not bring death, he should ask, and God[a] will give life to him—to those who commit sin that doesn’t bring death. There is sin[b] that brings death. I am not saying he should pray about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin that does not bring death.
Conclusion
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the One[c] who is born of God keeps him,[d][e](F) and the evil one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come(G) and has given us understanding so that we may know the true One.[f] We are in the true One—that is, in His Son Jesus Christ.(H) He is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.
55 The Jewish Passover(A) was near, and many went up to Jerusalem(B) from the country to purify[a] themselves before the Passover. 56 They were looking for Jesus and asking one another as they stood in the temple complex:(C) “What do you think? He won’t come to the festival,(D) will He?” 57 The chief priests(E) and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it so they could arrest Him.
The Anointing at Bethany
12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany(F) where Lazarus[b] was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead.(G) 2 So(H) they gave a dinner for Him there; Martha(I) was serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of fragrant oil—pure and expensive nard—anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped His feet with her hair.(J) So the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
4 Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot(K) (who was about to betray Him), said, 5 “Why wasn’t this fragrant oil sold for 300 denarii[c](L) and given to the poor?” 6 He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief.(M) He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it.
7 Jesus answered, “Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of My burial.(N) 8 For you always have the poor with you,(O) but you do not always have Me.”
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.