Book of Common Prayer
A song of David for the dedication of the Temple.[a]
30 Lord, you lifted me out of my troubles.
You did not give my enemies a reason to laugh,
so I will praise you.
2 Lord my God, I prayed to you,
and you healed me.
3 Lord, you lifted me out of the grave.
I was falling into the place of death, but you saved my life.
4 Praise the Lord, you who are loyal to him!
Praise his holy name[b]!
5 His anger lasts for a little while,
but then his kindness brings life.
The night may be filled with tears,
but in the morning we can sing for joy!
6 When I was safe and secure,
I thought nothing could hurt me.
7 Yes, Lord, while you were kind to me,
I felt that nothing could defeat me.[c]
But when you turned away from me,
I was filled with fear.
8 So, Lord, I turned and prayed to you.
I asked you, Lord, to show me mercy.
9 I said, “What good is it if I die
and go down to the grave?
The dead just lie in the dirt.
They cannot praise you.
They cannot tell anyone how faithful you are.
10 Lord, hear my prayer, and be kind to me.
Lord, help me!”
11 You have changed my sorrow into dancing.
You have taken away my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy.
12 You wanted me to praise you and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever!
A maskil of David.
32 It is a great blessing
when people are forgiven for the wrongs they have done,
when their sins are erased.[a]
2 It is a great blessing
when the Lord says they are not guilty,
when they don’t try to hide their sins.
3 Lord, I prayed to you again and again,
but I did not talk about my sins.
So I only became weaker and more miserable.
4 Every day you made life harder for me.
I became like a dry land in the hot summertime. Selah
5 But then I decided to confess my sins to the Lord.
I stopped hiding my guilt and told you about my sins.
And you forgave them all! Selah
6 That is why your loyal followers pray to you while there is still time.
Then when trouble rises like a flood, it will not reach them.
7 You are a hiding place for me.
You protect me from my troubles.
You surround me and protect me,
so I sing about the way you saved me. Selah
8 The Lord says, “I will teach you
and guide you in the way you should live.
I will watch over you and be your guide.
9 Don’t be like a stupid horse or mule that will not come to you
unless you put a bit in its mouth and pull it with reins.”
10 Many pains will come to the wicked,
but the Lord’s faithful love will surround those who trust in him.
11 Good people, rejoice and be very happy in the Lord.
All you who want to do right, rejoice!
Book 2
(Psalms 42-72)
To the director: A maskil from the Korah family.
42 Like a deer drinking from a stream,
I reach out to you, my God.[a]
2 My soul thirsts for the living God.
When can I go to meet with him?
3 Instead of food, I have only tears day and night,
as my enemies laugh at me and say, “Where is your God?”
4 My heart breaks as I remember the pleasant times in the past,
when I walked with the crowds as I led them up to God’s Temple.
I remember the happy songs of praise
as they celebrated the festival.
5-6 Why am I so sad?
Why am I so upset?
I tell myself, “Wait for God’s help!
You will again be able to praise him,
your God, the one who will save you.”
In my sadness I say, “I will remember you from here on this small hill,[b]
where Mount Hermon and the Jordan River meet.”
7 I hear the roar of the water coming from deep within the earth.
It shouts to the water below as it tumbles down the waterfall.
God, your waves come one after another,
crashing all around and over me.[c]
8 By day the Lord shows his faithful love,
and at night I have a song for him—a prayer for the God of my life.[d]
9 I say to God, my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I suffer this sadness that my enemies have brought me?”
10 Their constant insults are killing me.
They never stop asking, “Where is your God?”
11 Why am I so sad?
Why am I so upset?
I tell myself, “Wait for God’s help!
You will again be able to praise him,
your God, the one who will save you.”
43 Defend me, God.
Argue my case against those people who don’t know you.
Protect me from those evil liars.
2 God, you are my place of safety.
Why have you turned me away?
Why must I suffer this sadness
that my enemies have brought me?
3 Send your light and your truth to guide me,
to lead me to your holy mountain, to your home.
4 I want to go to God’s altar,
to the God who makes me so very happy.
God, my God, I want to play my harp
and sing praises to you!
5 Why am I so sad?
Why am I so upset?
I tell myself, “Wait for God’s help!
You will again have a chance to praise him,
your God, the one who will save you.”
6 The gates of the city of Jericho were closed. The people in the city were afraid because the Israelites were near. No one went into the city, and no one came out.
2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I will let you defeat the city of Jericho. You will defeat the king and all the fighting men in the city. 3 March around the city with your army once every day for six days. 4 Tell seven of the priests to carry trumpets made from the horns of male sheep and to march in front of the priests who are carrying the Holy Box. On the seventh day march around the city seven times and tell the priests to blow the trumpets while they march. 5 They will make one loud noise from the trumpets. When you hear that noise, tell all the people to begin shouting. When you do this, the walls of the city will fall down and your people will be able to go straight into the city.”
The Battle Against Jericho
6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests together and said to them, “Carry the Holy Box of the Lord. Tell seven priests to carry the trumpets and march in front of it.”
7 Then Joshua ordered the people, “Now go! March around the city. The soldiers with weapons will march in front of the Holy Box of the Lord.”
8 After Joshua finished speaking to the people, the seven priests with the trumpets began marching before the Lord, blowing the trumpets as they marched. The priests carrying the Lord’s Holy Box followed them. 9 The soldiers with weapons marched in front of the priests who were blowing the horns. And the rest of the men walked behind the Holy Box, marching and blowing their trumpets. 10 Joshua had told the people not to give a war cry. He said, “Don’t shout. Don’t say a word until the day I tell you. Then you will shout.”
11 So Joshua made the priests carry the Holy Box of the Lord around the city one time. Then they went back to the camp and spent the night there.
12 Early the next morning Joshua got up, and the priests carried the Lord’s Holy Box again. 13 The seven priests with the trumpets marched in front of the Lord’s Holy Box, blowing their trumpets. The soldiers with weapons marched in front of them. The rest of the people marched behind the Lord’s Holy Box. During the whole time they marched, the priests were blowing the trumpets. 14 On the second day, they all marched around the city one time. And then they went back to the camp. They continued to do this every day for six days.
Obey Your Government Rulers
13 All of you must obey the government rulers. Everyone who rules was given the power to rule by God. And all those who rule now were given that power by God. 2 So anyone who is against the government is really against something God has commanded. Those who are against the government bring punishment on themselves. 3 People who do right don’t have to fear the rulers. But those who do wrong must fear them. Do you want to be free from fearing them? Then do only what is right, and they will praise you.
4 Rulers are God’s servants to help you. But if you do wrong, you have reason to be afraid. They have the power to punish, and they will use it. They are God’s servants to punish those who do wrong. 5 So you must obey the government, not just because you might be punished, but because you know it is the right thing to do.
6 And this is why you pay taxes too. Those rulers are working for God, and they give all their time to the work of ruling. 7 Give everyone what you owe them. If you owe them any kind of tax, then pay it. Show respect to those you should respect. And show honor to those you should honor.
The Lord’s Supper(A)
26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread and thanked God for it. He broke off some pieces, gave them to his followers and said, “Take this bread and eat it. It is my body.”
27 Then he took a cup of wine, thanked God for it, and gave it to them. He said, “Each one of you drink some of it. 28 This wine is my blood, which will be poured out to forgive the sins of many and begin the new agreement from God to his people. 29 I want you to know, I will not drink this wine again until that day when we are together in my Father’s kingdom and the wine is new. Then I will drink it again with you.”
30 They all sang a song and then went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Says His Followers Will Leave Him(B)
31 Jesus told the followers, “Tonight you will all lose your faith in me. The Scriptures say,
‘I will kill the shepherd,
and the sheep will run away.’ (C)
32 But after I am killed, I will rise from death. Then I will go into Galilee. I will be there before you go there.”
33 Peter answered, “All the other followers may lose their faith in you. But my faith will never be shaken.”
34 Jesus answered, “The truth is, tonight you will say you don’t know me. You will deny me three times before the rooster crows.”
35 But Peter answered, “I will never say I don’t know you! I will even die with you!” And all the other followers said the same thing.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International