Book of Common Prayer
Confidence in God’s Protection.
For the choir director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.
61 (A)Hear my cry, O God;
(B)Give heed to my prayer.
2 From the (C)end of the earth I call to You when my heart is (D)faint;
Lead me to (E)the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a (F)refuge for me,
A (G)tower of strength [a]against the enemy.
4 Let me [b](H)dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me (I)take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. [c]Selah.
5 For You have heard my (J)vows, O God;
You have given me the inheritance of those who (K)fear Your name.
6 You will [d](L)prolong the king’s [e]life;
His years will be as many generations.
7 He will [f]abide (M)before God forever;
Appoint (N)lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him.
8 So I will (O)sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may (P)pay my vows day by day.
God Alone a Refuge from Treachery and Oppression.
For the choir director; [g]according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
62 (Q)My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him (R)is my salvation.
2 He only is my (S)rock and my salvation,
My (T)stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.
3 How long will you assail a man,
That you may murder him, all of you,
Like a (U)leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
4 They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position;
They (V)delight in falsehood;
They (W)bless with [h]their mouth,
But inwardly they curse. [i]Selah.
5 My soul, (X)wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.
6 He only is (Y)my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God my (Z)salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my (AA)refuge is in God.
8 (AB)Trust in Him at all times, O people;
(AC)Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah.
The God of Sinai and of the Sanctuary.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David. A Song.
68 [a]Let (A)God arise, [b]let His enemies be scattered,
And [c]let those who hate Him flee before Him.
2 As (B)smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
As (C)wax melts before the fire,
So let the (D)wicked perish before God.
3 But let the (E)righteous be glad; let them exult before God;
Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.
4 Sing to God, (F)sing praises to His name;
[d](G)Lift up a song for Him who (H)rides through the deserts,
Whose (I)name is [e]the Lord, and exult before Him.
5 A (J)father of the fatherless and a (K)judge [f]for the widows,
Is God in His (L)holy habitation.
6 God [g](M)makes a home for the lonely;
He (N)leads out the prisoners into prosperity,
Only (O)the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
7 O God, when You (P)went forth before Your people,
When You (Q)marched through the wilderness, [h]Selah.
8 The (R)earth quaked;
The (S)heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
[i](T)Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 You (U)shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God;
You confirmed Your inheritance when it was [j]parched.
10 Your creatures settled in it;
You (V)provided in Your goodness for the poor, O God.
11 The Lord gives the [k]command;
The (W)women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host:
12 “(X)Kings of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home will (Y)divide the spoil!”
13 [l]When you lie down (Z)among the [m]sheepfolds,
You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And its pinions with glistening gold.
14 When the Almighty (AA)scattered the kings [n]there,
It was snowing in (AB)Zalmon.
15 A [o](AC)mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;
A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.
16 Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks,
At the mountain which God has (AD)desired for His abode?
Surely (AE)the Lord will dwell there forever.
17 The (AF)chariots of God are [p]myriads, (AG)thousands upon thousands;
[q]The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.
18 You have (AH)ascended on high, You have (AI)led captive Your captives;
You have received gifts among men,
Even among the rebellious also, that [r]the Lord God may dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily (AJ)bears our burden,
(AK)The God who is our salvation. Selah.
20 God is to us a (AL)God of deliverances;
And (AM)to [s]God the Lord belong escapes [t]from death.
21 Surely God will (AN)shatter the head of His enemies,
The hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds.
22 The Lord [u]said, “(AO)I will bring them back from Bashan.
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea;
23 That [v](AP)your foot may shatter them in blood,
The tongue of your (AQ)dogs may have its portion from your enemies.”
24 They have seen (AR)Your [w]procession, O God,
The [x]procession of my God, my King, [y](AS)into the sanctuary.
25 The (AT)singers went on, the musicians after them,
[z]In the midst of the (AU)maidens beating tambourines.
26 (AV)Bless God in the congregations,
Even the Lord, you who are of the (AW)fountain of Israel.
27 There is (AX)Benjamin, the [aa]youngest, [ab]ruling them,
The princes of Judah in their throng,
The princes of (AY)Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.
28 [ac]Your God has (AZ)commanded your strength;
Show Yourself strong, O God, (BA)who have acted [ad]on our behalf.
29 [ae]Because of Your temple at Jerusalem
(BB)Kings will bring gifts to You.
30 Rebuke the (BC)beasts [af]in the reeds,
The herd of (BD)bulls with the calves of the peoples,
Trampling under foot the pieces of silver;
He has (BE)scattered the peoples who delight in war.
31 Envoys will come out of (BF)Egypt;
[ag](BG)Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.
32 Sing to God, O (BH)kingdoms of the earth,
(BI)Sing praises to the Lord, Selah.
33 To Him who (BJ)rides upon the [ah](BK)highest heavens, which are from ancient times;
Behold, (BL)He [ai]speaks forth with His voice, a (BM)mighty voice.
34 (BN)Ascribe strength to God;
His majesty is over Israel
And (BO)His strength is in the [aj]skies.
35 [ak]O God, You are (BP)awesome from Your [al]sanctuary.
The God of Israel Himself (BQ)gives strength and power to the people.
(BR)Blessed be God!
Israel Rebuked
2 Now (A)the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to (B)Bochim. And he said, “(C)I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, ‘(D)I will never break My covenant with you, 2 and as for you, (E)you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; (F)you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not [a]obeyed Me; what is this you have done? 3 Therefore I also said, ‘(G)I will not drive them out before you; but they will [b]become (H)as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.’” 4 When the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 So they named that place [c]Bochim; and there they sacrificed to the Lord.
Israel Serves Baals
11 Then the sons of Israel did (A)evil in the sight of the Lord and [a]served the (B)Baals, 12 and (C)they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 So they forsook the Lord and (D)served Baal and the Ashtaroth. 14 (E)The anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and (F)He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. 15 Wherever they went, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had spoken and (G)as the Lord had sworn to them, so that they were severely distressed.
16 (H)Then the Lord raised up judges [b]who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way (I)in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do as their fathers. 18 When the Lord raised up judges for them, (J)the Lord was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was (K)moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways. 20 (L)So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to My voice, 21 (M)I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to (N)test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it as their fathers [c]did, or not.” 23 So the Lord allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
17 Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and [a]hindrances (A)contrary to the teaching which you learned, and (B)turn away from them. 18 For such men are (C)slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of (D)their own [b]appetites; and by their (E)smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. 19 For the report of your obedience (F)has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but (G)I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. 20 (H)The God of peace will soon crush (I)Satan under your feet.
(J)The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
21 (K)Timothy my fellow worker greets you, and so do (L)Lucius and (M)Jason and (N)Sosipater, my (O)kinsmen.
22 I, Tertius, who (P)write this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23 (Q)Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you. (R)Erastus, the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus, the brother. 24 [[c]The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.]
25 (S)Now to Him who is able to establish you (T)according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of (U)the mystery which has been kept secret for (V)long ages past, 26 but now is manifested, and by (W)the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to (X)obedience of faith; 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, (Y)be the glory forever. Amen.
32 (A)As they were coming out, they found a man of (B)Cyrene named Simon, [a]whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.
The Crucifixion
33 (C)And when they came to a place called (D)Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, 34 (E)they gave Him (F)wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.
35 And when they had crucified Him, (G)they divided up His garments among themselves by casting [b]lots. 36 And sitting down, they began to (H)keep watch over Him there. 37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him [c]which read, “(I)THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
38 At that time two robbers *were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those passing by were [d]hurling abuse at Him, (J)wagging their heads 40 and saying, “(K)You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! (L)If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, 42 “(M)He saved others; [e]He cannot save Himself. (N)He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 (O)He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He [f]delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 (P)The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.
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