Book of Common Prayer
A Davidic Psalm
Remembering God’s Love
101 I will sing about gracious love and justice;
Lord, I will sing praise to you.
2 I will pay attention to living a life of integrity—
when will I attain it?
I will live with integrity of heart in my house.
3 I will not even think about doing anything lawless;
I hate to do evil deeds;
I will have none of it.
4 I will not allow anyone with a perverted mind in my presence;
I will not be involved with[a] anything evil.
5 I will destroy the one who secretly slanders a friend.
I will not allow the proud and haughty to prevail.
6 My eyes are looking at the faithful of the land,
so they may live with me;
The one who lives a life of integrity will serve me.
7 A deceitful person will not sit in my house;
A liar will not remain in my presence.
8 Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land,
eliminating everyone who practices iniquity from the Lord’s city.
To the Director. A Davidic psalm.
A Prayer against the Evil One
109 God, whom I praise,
do not be silent,
2 for the mouths of wicked and deceitful people
are opened against me;
they speak against me with lying tongues.
3 They surround me with hate-filled words,
attacking me for no reason.
4 Instead of receiving[a] my love, they accuse me,
though I continue in prayer.
5 They devise evil against me instead of good,
and hatred in place of my love.
6 Appoint an evil person over him;
may an accuser stand at his right side.[b]
7 When he is judged, may he be found guilty;
may his prayer be regarded as sin.
8 May his days be few;
may another take over his position.[c]
9 May his children become fatherless,
and his wife a widow.
10 May his children roam around begging,
seeking food[d] while driven far[e] from their ruined homes.
11 May creditors seize all his possessions,
and may foreigners loot the property he has acquired.[f]
12 May no one extend gracious love to him,
or show favor to his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants[g] be eliminated,
and their memory[h] be erased from the next generation.
14 May his ancestors’ guilt be remembered in the Lord’s presence,
and may his mother’s guilt not be erased.
15 May what[i] they have done[j] be continually in the Lord’s presence;
and may their memory be excised from the earth.
16 For he didn’t think to extend gracious love;
he harassed to death the poor, the needy, and the broken hearted.[k]
17 He loved to curse—may his curses[l] return upon him!
He took no delight in blessing others[m]—
so may blessings[n] be far from him.
18 He wore curses like a garment—
may they[o] enter his inner being like water
and his bones like oil.
19 May those curses[p] wrap around him like a garment,
or like a belt that one always wears.
20 May this be the way the Lord repays my accuser,
those who speak evil against me.
21 Now you, Lord my God, defend[q] me for your name’s sake;
because your gracious love is good, deliver me!
22 Indeed, I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am fading[r] away like a shadow late in the day;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees give way[s] from fasting,
and my skin is lean, deprived of oil.
25 I have become an object of derision to them—
they shake their heads whenever they see me.
26 Help me, Lord my God!
Deliver me in accord with your gracious love!
27 Then they will realize that your hand is in this—
that you, Lord, have accomplished it.
28 They will curse,
but you will bless.
When they attack,[t] they will[u] be humiliated,
while your servant rejoices.
29 May my accusers be clothed with shame
and wrapped in their humiliation as with a robe.
30 I will give many thanks to the Lord with my mouth,
praising him publicly,
Ayin
Praying for God’s Deliverance
121 I have acted with justice and righteousness;
do not abandon me to my oppressors.
122 Back up your servant in a positive way;
do not let the arrogant oppress me.
123 My eyes fail as I look[a] for your salvation
and for your righteous promise.
124 Act toward your servant consistent with your gracious love,
and teach me your statutes.
125 Since I am your servant, give me understanding,
so I will know your decrees.
126 It is time for the Lord to act,
since they have violated your instruction.[b]
127 I truly love your commands more than gold,
including fine gold.
128 I truly consider all of your precepts—all of them—to be just,
while I despise every false way.
Peyh
Living in God’s Word
129 Your decrees are wonderful—
that’s why I observe them.
130 The disclosure of your words illuminates,
providing understanding to the simple.
131 I open my mouth and pant
as I long for your commands.
132 Turn in my direction and show mercy to me,
as you have decreed regarding those who love your name.
133 Direct my footsteps by your promise,
and do not let any kind of iniquity rule over me.
134 Deliver me from human oppression
and I will keep your precepts.
135 Show favor to[c] your servant,
and teach me your statutes.
136 My eyes shed rivers of tears,
when others do not obey your instruction.[d]
Tsade
God’s Righteous Decrees
137 Lord, you are righteous,
and your judgments are right.
138 You have ordered your decrees to us rightly,
and they are very faithful.
139 My zeal consumes me
because my enemies forget your words.
140 Your word is very pure,
and your servant loves it.
141 Though I may be small and despised,
I do not neglect your precepts.
142 Your righteousness is an eternal righteousness,
and your instruction[e] is true.
143 Though trouble and anguish overwhelm me,
your commands remain my delight.
144 Your righteous decrees are eternal;
give me understanding, and I will live.
15 Later, after Joseph’s brothers faced the reality of their father’s death, they asked themselves, “What happens if Joseph decides to hold a grudge against us? What if he pays us back in full for all the wrong things we did to him?”
16 So they sent this message to Joseph: 17 “Before he died, your father left some instructions. He told us, ‘Tell Joseph, “Please forgive your brothers’ offenses. I beg you, forgive their sins, because they wronged you.”’ So please forgive the transgression of the servants of your father’s God.”
Joseph wept when they talked to him. 18 So Joseph’s[a] brothers went to visit him, fell prostrate in front of him, and declared, “Look! We’re your servants.”
19 “Don’t be afraid,” Joseph responded. “Am I sitting in God’s place? 20 As far as you’re concerned, you were planning evil against me, but God intended it for good, planning to bring about the present result so that many people would be preserved alive. 21 So don’t be afraid! I’ll take care of you and your little ones.” So Joseph[b] kept on comforting them, speaking to the needs of[c] their hearts.
Joseph’s Death and Burial
22 Joseph continued to live in Egypt, along with his father’s household, until he was 110 years old. 23 Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children, as well as the children who had been born to Manasseh’s son Machir, whom he adopted as his own.[d] 24 Later, Joseph told his brothers, “I’m going to die soon, but God will certainly provide for you and bring you up from this land to the land that he promised with an oath to give[e] to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” 25 So Joseph made all of Israel’s other[f] children make this promise: “Because God is certainly going to take care of you, you are to carry my bones up from here.”
26 Some time later, Joseph died at the age of 110 years, and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.
Concerning Spiritual Gifts
12 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I don’t want you to be ignorant. 2 You know that when you were unbelievers,[a] you were enticed and led astray to worship[b] idols that couldn’t even speak. 3 For this reason I want you to be aware that no one who is speaking by God’s Spirit can say, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit, 5 and there are varieties of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of results, but it is the same God who produces all the results in everyone.
7 To each person has been given the ability to manifest the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one has been given a message of wisdom by the Spirit; to another the ability to speak with knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit; 10 to another miraculous results; to another prophecy; to another the ability to distinguish between spirits; to another various kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages. 11 But one and the same Spirit produces all these results and gives what he wants to each person.
Interpreting the Time(A)
11 The Pharisees arrived and began arguing with Jesus.[a] They tested him by demanding from him a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply in his spirit and remarked, “Why do those living today[b] demand a sign? I tell all of you[c] with certainty, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Leaving them, he got into a boat again and crossed to the other side.
The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees(B)
14 Now the disciples[d] had forgotten to take any bread along, but they had one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Jesus[e] had been warning them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod!”[f]
16 So they were discussing with one another the fact that they didn’t have any bread. 17 Knowing this, Jesus[g] asked them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you don’t have any bread? Don’t you understand or perceive yet? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes, but fail to see? Do you have ears, but fail to hear?[h] Don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the 5,000, how many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces?”
They told him, “Twelve.”
20 “When I broke[i] the seven loaves[j] for the 4,000, how many large baskets did you fill with the leftover pieces?”
They told him, “Seven.”
21 Then he asked them, “Don’t you understand yet?”
Jesus Heals a Blind Man in Bethsaida
22 As they came to Bethsaida, some people[k] brought a blind man to Jesus[l] and begged him to touch him.[m] 23 Jesus[n] took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. He spit into his eyes, placed his hands on him, and asked him, “Do you see anything?”
24 The man[o] looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees walking around.” 25 Then Jesus[p] placed his hands on the man’s[q] eyes again, and he saw clearly. His sight was restored, and he saw everything perfectly, even from a distance.
26 Then Jesus[r] sent him home, saying, “Don’t go into the village or tell anyone in the village.”[s]
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