Book of Common Prayer
Prayer in Time of Chastening
A Psalm of David. (A)To bring to remembrance.
38 O Lord, do not (B)rebuke me in Your wrath,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
2 For Your arrows pierce me deeply,
And Your hand presses me down.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh
Because of Your anger,
Nor any health in my bones
Because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds are foul and festering
Because of my foolishness.
6 I am [a]troubled, I am bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
7 For my loins are full of inflammation,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am feeble and severely broken;
I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.
9 Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart pants, my strength fails me;
As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.
11 My loved ones and my friends (C)stand aloof from my plague,
And my relatives stand afar off.
12 Those also who seek my life lay snares for me;
Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction,
And plan deception all the day long.
13 But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.
14 Thus I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth is no response.
15 For [b]in You, O Lord, (D)I hope;
You will [c]hear, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me,
Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.”
17 (E)For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I will (F)declare my iniquity;
I will be (G)in [d]anguish over my sin.
19 But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong;
And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.
20 Those also (H)who render evil for good,
They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.
21 Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, (I)be not far from me!
22 Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!
ד DALETH
25 (A)My soul clings to the dust;
(B)Revive me according to Your word.
26 I have declared my ways, and You answered me;
(C)Teach me Your statutes.
27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts;
So (D)shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.
28 (E)My soul [a]melts from [b]heaviness;
Strengthen me according to Your word.
29 Remove from me the way of lying,
And grant me Your law graciously.
30 I have chosen the way of truth;
Your judgments I have laid before me.
31 I cling to Your testimonies;
O Lord, do not put me to shame!
32 I will run the course of Your commandments,
For You shall (F)enlarge my heart.
ה HE
33 (G)Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes,
And I shall keep it to the end.
34 (H)Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law;
Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,
For I delight in it.
36 [c]Incline my heart to Your testimonies,
And not to (I)covetousness.
37 (J)Turn[d] away my eyes from (K)looking at worthless things,
And revive me in [e]Your way.
38 (L)Establish Your word to Your servant,
Who is devoted to fearing You.
39 Turn away my reproach which I dread,
For Your judgments are good.
40 Behold, I long for Your precepts;
Revive me in Your righteousness.
ו WAW
41 Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord—
Your salvation according to Your word.
42 So shall I have an answer for him who [f]reproaches me,
For I trust in Your word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
For I have hoped in Your ordinances.
44 So shall I keep Your law continually,
Forever and ever.
45 And I will walk [g]at (M)liberty,
For I seek Your precepts.
46 (N)I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings,
And will not be ashamed.
47 And I will delight myself in Your commandments,
Which I love.
48 My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments,
Which I love,
And I will meditate on Your statutes.
16 Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were (A)thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp (B)trembled. 17 And (C)Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now (D)Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon (E)it in fire. (F)Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and [a]the (G)whole mountain quaked greatly. 19 And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, (H)Moses spoke, and (I)God answered him by voice. 20 Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
21 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through (J)to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish. 22 Also let the (K)priests who come near the Lord (L)consecrate themselves, lest the Lord (M)break out against them.”
23 But Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, (N)‘Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ”
24 Then the Lord said to him, “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.
15 He is (A)the image of the invisible God, (B)the firstborn over all creation. 16 For (C)by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or (D)dominions or [a]principalities or [b]powers. All things were created (E)through Him and for Him. 17 (F)And He is before all things, and in Him (G)all things consist. 18 And (H)He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, (I)the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Reconciled in Christ
19 For it pleased the Father that (J)in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and (K)by Him to reconcile (L)all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, (M)having made peace through the blood of His cross.
21 And you, (N)who once were alienated and enemies in your mind (O)by wicked works, yet now He has (P)reconciled 22 (Q)in the body of His flesh through death, (R)to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue (S)in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are (T)not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, (U)which was preached to every creature under heaven, (V)of which I, Paul, became a minister.
John Baptizes Jesus(A)
13 (B)Then Jesus came (C)from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
16 (D)When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and [a]He saw (E)the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 (F)And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, (G)“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.