Book of Common Prayer
To the Director: To the tune of[a] “The Lilies”. Davidic.
When God Seems Distant
69 Deliver me, God,
because the waters are up to my neck.[b]
2 I am sinking in deep mire,
and there is no solid ground.[c]
I have come into deep water,
and the flood overwhelms me.
3 I am exhausted from calling for help.
My throat is parched.
My eyes are strained from looking for God.
4 Those who hate me without cause
are more than the hairs of my head.
My persecutors are mighty,
and they want to destroy me.
Must I be forced to return what I did not steal?
5 God, you know my sins,
and my guilt is not hidden from you.
6 Do not let those who look up to you be ashamed
because of me,
Lord God of the Heavenly Armies.
Let not those who seek you be humiliated
because of me,
God of Israel.
7 I am being mocked because of you.
Dishonor overwhelms me.
8 I am a stranger to my brothers,
a foreigner to my mother’s sons.
9 Zeal for your house consumes me,
and the mockeries of those who insult you fall on me.
10 I weep and fast,
and I am mocked for it.
11 When I dressed in sackcloth,
I became an object of gossip among them.
12 The prominent people mock me,
composing drinking songs.
Seeking God for Deliverance
13 As for me, Lord, may my prayer to you come at a favorable time.
God, in the abundance of your gracious love,
answer me with your sure deliverance.
14 Rescue me from the mud
and do not let me sink.
Rescue me from those who hate me,
and from the deep waters.
15 Let neither the floodwaters overwhelm me
nor let the deep swallow me up,
nor the mouth of the well close over me.
16 Answer me, Lord, for your gracious love is good;
Turn to me in keeping with your great compassion,
17 and[d] do not ignore your servant,
because I am in distress.
Hurry to answer me!
18 Draw near and redeem me;
ransom me because of my enemies.
19 Truly you know my reproach, shame, and disgrace.
All my enemies are known to[e] you.
20 Insults broke my heart.
I despaired and looked for sympathy;
but there was none,
for comforters, but I found none.
21 They put poison in my food,
in my thirst they forced me to drink vinegar.
22 May their dining[f] tables entrap them,
and become a snare for their allies.
23 May their eyes be blinded
and may their bodies tremble continuously.
24 May you pour out your fury on them.
May your burning anger overtake them.
25 May their camp become desolate
and their tents remain unoccupied.
26 For they persecute those whom you have struck,
and they brag about the pain of those you have wounded.
27 May you punish them for their crimes;
may they receive no verdict of innocence[g] from you.
28 May they be erased from the Book of Life,
and their names not be written with the righteous.
29 As for me, I am afflicted and hurting;
may your deliverance, God, establish me on high.
30 Let me praise the name of God with a song
that I may magnify him with thanksgiving.
31 That will please the Lord
more than oxen and bulls with horns and hooves.
32 The afflicted will watch and rejoice.
May you who seek God take courage.
33 For the Lord listens to the needy
and doesn’t despise those in bondage.
34 Let the heavens and earth praise him,
along with the sea and its swarming creatures.[h]
35 For God will deliver Zion
and will rebuild the cities of Judah
so they may live there and possess them.
36 The descendants of his servants will inherit it,
and those who cherish his name will live there.
BOOK III (Psalms 73-89)
A song of Asaph.
A Plea for Deliverance
73 God is indeed good to Israel,
to those pure in heart.
2 Now as for me, my feet nearly stumbled,
as I almost lost my step.
3 For I was envious of the proud
when I observed the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there is no struggle at their deaths,
and their bodies are healthy.
5 They do not experience problems common to ordinary people;
they aren’t afflicted as others[a] are.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace
and violence covers them like a garment.
7 Their eyes bulge from obesity
and the imaginations of their mind cross the border into sin.[b]
8 In their mockery they speak evil;
from their arrogant position they speak oppression.
9 They choose to speak[c] against heaven;
while they talk about things on earth.
10 Therefore God’s[d] people return there
and drink it all in like water until they’re satiated.
11 Then they say,
“How can God know?
Does the Most High have knowledge?”
12 Just look at these wicked people!
They’re perpetually carefree
as they increase their wealth.
13 I kept my heart pure for nothing
and kept my hands clean from guilt.
14 For I suffer all day long
and I am punished every morning.
15 If I say, “I will talk like this,”
I would betray a generation of your children.
16 When I tried to understand this,
it was too difficult for me
17 until I entered the sanctuaries of God.
Then I understood their destiny.
18 You have certainly set them in slippery places;
you will make them fall to their ruin.
19 How desolate they quickly become,
completely destroyed by calamities.
20 Like a dream when one awakens, Lord,
you will despise their image when you arise.
21 When I chose to be bitter
I was emotionally pained.
22 Then, I was too stupid
and didn’t realize I was acting like[e] a wild animal with you.
23 But now I am always with you,
for you keep holding my right hand.
24 You will guide me with your wise advice,
and later you will receive me with honor.
25 Whom do I have in heaven but you?
I desire nothing on this [f]earth.
26 My body and mind may fail,
but God is my strength[g] and my portion forever.
27 Those far from you will perish;
you will destroy those who are unfaithful to you.
28 As for me, how good for me it is that God is near!
I have made the Lord God my refuge
so I can tell about all your deeds.
9 So enjoy yourself in your youth, young man, and be encouraged during your younger days. Live as you like, consistent with your world view, but keep in mind that God will bring you to account for everything. 10 Banish sorrow from your heart, and evil from your body, since both childhood and the prime of life[a] are pointless.
Remember Your Creator
12 So remember your Creator during your youth!
Otherwise, troublesome days will come
and years will creep up on you when you’ll say,
“I find no pleasure in them,”
2 Otherwise, when the sun, daylight, moon, or stars turn dark,
or when clouds fail to return after the rain—
3 when that day comes, the palace guards will tremble,
strong men will stoop down,
women grinders will cease because they are few,
and the sight of[b] those who peer through the lattice will grow dim.
4 The doors to the street will be shut
when the sound of grinding decreases,
when one wakes up at the song of a bird,
and all of the singing women are silenced.
5 At that time they will fear climbing[c] heights
and dangers along the road
while the almond tree will blossom,
and the grasshopper is weighed down.
Desire will cease,[d]
because the person goes to his eternal home,
and mourners will gather in the marketplace.
6 When the silver cord is severed,
the golden vessel is broken,
the pitcher is shattered at the fountain,
and the wheel is broken at the cistern,
7 then man’s[e] dust will go back to the earth,
returning to what it was,
and the spirit[f] will return to the God who gave it.
8 “Utterly pointless,” says the Teacher.
“Everything is pointless.”
Conclusions
9 Moreover, besides being wise himself, the Teacher taught people what he had learned by listening, making inquiries, and composing many proverbs. 10 The Teacher searched to find appropriate expressions, and what is written here[g] is right and truthful.
11 Sayings from the wise are like cattle prods and well fastened nails; this[h] masterful collection was given by one shepherd. 12 So learn from them, my son. There is no end to the crafting of many books, and too much study wearies the body.
13 Let the conclusion of all of these thoughts be heard:
Fear God and obey his commandments,
for this is what it means to be human.
14 For God will judge every deed,
along with every secret,
whether good or evil.
25 Since we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also be guided. 26 Let’s stop being arrogant, provoking one another and envying one another.
Help Each Other
6 Brothers, if a person is caught doing something wrong, those of you who are spiritual should restore that person gently. Watch out for yourself so that you are not tempted as well. 2 Practice carrying each other’s burdens. In this way you will fulfill the law of the Messiah.[a] 3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is really nothing, he is only fooling himself. 4 Each person must examine his own actions, and then he can boast about his own accomplishments and not about someone else. 5 For everyone must carry his own load.
6 The person who is taught the word should share all his goods with his teacher. 7 Stop being[b] deceived; God is not to be ridiculed. A person harvests whatever he plants: 8 The person who sows through human means will harvest decay from human means, but the person who sows in the Spirit will harvest eternal life from the Spirit. 9 Let’s not get tired of doing what is good, for at the right time we will reap a harvest—if we do not give up. 10 So then, whenever we have the opportunity, let’s practice doing good to everyone, especially to the family of faith.
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection(A)
21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he would have to go to Jerusalem and suffer a great deal because of the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God be merciful to you, Lord! This must never happen to you!”
23 But Jesus[a] turned and told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an offense[b] to me, because you are not thinking God’s thoughts but human thoughts!”
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continuously. 25 Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it, 26 because what profit will a person have if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life? 27 The Son of Man is going to come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to what he has done. 28 I tell all of you[c] with certainty, some people standing here will not experience[d] death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
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