Book of Common Prayer
Confidence in God’s Protection
For the music director, upon stringed instruments.[a] Of David.[b]
61 Hear, O God, my cry;
attend to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth[c] I call to you
when my heart grows faint.
You will lead me to a rock that is higher than I.
3 For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower from the enemy.
4 Let me reside in your tent forever.
Let me take refuge under the covering of your wings. Selah
5 For you, O God, you have heard my vows.
You have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6 You will add days to the days of the king,
his years like those of many generations.[d]
7 May he live[e] forever in the presence of God.
Appoint loyal love and faithfulness to preserve him.
8 So I will sing the praise of your name forever,
that I may fulfill[f] my vows daily.[g]
Confidence in God’s Salvation
For the music director, on Jeduthun.[h]
A psalm of David.[i]
62 Only for God my soul waits in silence.
From him is my salvation.
2 Only he is my rock and my salvation,
my high stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.
3 How long will you attack a man?
All of you will be shattered[j]
like a leaning wall, a tottering fence.
4 They only[k] plan to thrust him down from his high position;
they are pleased with deception.
With their mouths[l] they bless,
but inwardly[m] they curse. Selah
5 Only for God wait in silence, O my soul,
because my hope is from him.
6 Only he is my rock and my salvation,
my high stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God rests my salvation and my glory;
God[n] is my strong rock, my refuge.
8 Trust him at all times, O people;
pour out before him your heart.
God is a refuge for us. Selah
9 Only a vapor[o] are men of low degree,
a deception are men of high degree.
Weighed[p] in a balance,
together they are lighter than a vapor.
10 Do not trust in extortion,
and do not put vain confidence in robbery.
If wealth increases,
do not set your heart on it.
11 Once God has spoken;
twice I have heard this:
that strength belongs to God.
12 And to you belongs loyal love, O Lord,
because you will render to each according to his work.
Praise to God for Providing Victory
For the music director. Of David. A psalm. A song.[a]
68 God will arise; his enemies will be scattered,
and those who hate him will flee from before him.
2 As smoke is driven off, you will drive them off.
As wax melts before fire,
the wicked will perish before God.
3 But the righteous will be glad; they will exalt before God,
and will rejoice with joy.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name.
Lift up a song to the rider on the clouds—his name is Yah—[b]
and rejoice before him.
5 A father to orphans and a judge for widows
is God in his holy habitation.
6 God settles the lonely in a home;
he brings prisoners out into prosperity.
But the rebellious abide in a barren land.
7 O God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the desert, Selah
8 the earth shook; the heavens also dripped rain
at the presence of God who was at Sinai,
at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 You caused abundant rain to fall, O God.
When your inheritance was weary you revived it.
10 Your community dwelled in it.
You provided in your goodness for the poor, O God.
11 The Lord gives the word.
Great is the company of women who announce:
12 “The kings of armies flee, they flee,
and she who remains at home divides the spoil.
13 Though you men lie down between the sheepfolds,
you will be like the wings of a dove covered in silver
and its pinions in yellow gold.”
14 When Shaddai scattered kings on it,
on Zalmon it snowed.[c]
15 A mountain of God[d] is the mountain of Bashan;
a mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.
16 Why do you look with hostility, O many-peaked mountains?
This[e] mountain God desires for his dwelling.
Yes, Yahweh will abide in it forever.
17 The chariots of God
are twice ten thousand, with thousands doubled.
The Lord is among them at Sinai, distinctive in victory.[f]
18 You have ascended on high; you have led away captives.
You have received gifts from among humankind,
and even from the rebellious, so that Yah[g] God may dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord. Daily he loads us with benefits,[h]
the God of our salvation.[i] Selah
20 Our God is a God of deliverances,
and to the Yahweh the Lord belong escapes from death.
21 But God will shatter the head of his enemies,
the hairy scalp of the one who continues on[j] in his guilt.
22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan;
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 so that your foot may shatter them bloody
for the tongues of your dogs to have their share from the enemies.”
24 They have seen your processions, O God,
the processions of my God, my king, distinctive in victory.[k]
25 Singers went up front, those playing stringed instruments last,
between them young women playing tambourines.
26 Bless God in the assemblies,
Yahweh from the fountain of Israel.
27 There is little Benjamin ruling them,
with the princes of Judah in their throng,
the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.
28 Your God has commanded your strength.
Show yourself strong, O God, by what you perform[l] for us.
29 Because your temple is above Jerusalem,
kings will bring tribute to you.
30 Rebuke the beasts in[m] the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,
trampling the pieces of silver.[n]
Scatter the nations who delight in battles.
31 Ambassadors[o] will come from Egypt;
Cush will quickly stretch out her hands to God.
32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
sing praise to the Lord, Selah
33 to the one who rides in the highest heavens of old.
See, he gives forth his voice, a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe strength to God.
His majesty is over Israel,
and his strength is in the clouds.
35 Awesome are you, O God, from your sanctuary.[p]
The God of Israel, it is he who gives strength and might to the people.
Blessed be God.
Israel Disobeys Yahweh
2 And the angel of Yahweh went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up from Egypt, and I brought you to the land that I had promised to your ancestors.[a] I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you. 2 And as for you, do not make a covenant[b] with the inhabitants of this land; break down their altars.’ But you did not listen to my voice. Why would you do such a thing?[c] 3 Now I say, I will not drive them out from before you; they will become as thorns[d] for you, and their gods will be a trap for you.” 4 And as the angel of Yahweh spoke these words to all the Israelites,[e] the people wept bitterly.[f] 5 And they called the name of this place Bokim,[g] and there they sacrificed to Yahweh.
Israel Worships the Baals
11 The Israelites[a] did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and they served[b] the Baals. 12 They abandoned Yahweh the God of their ancestors,[c] who brought them out from the land of Egypt. They followed[d] other gods from the gods of the people who were around them; and they bowed down to them, and they provoked the anger of Yahweh. 13 They abandoned Yahweh, and they served Baal and the Ashtaroth. 14 So the anger of Yahweh was kindled[e] against Israel, and he gave them into the hand of plunderers; and they plundered them, and he sold them into the hand of their enemies from all sides. They were unable to withstand their enemies any longer. 15 Whenever[f] they went out, the hand of Yahweh was against them to harm them, just as Yahweh warned, and just as Yahweh had sworn to them. And they were very distressed.[g]
16 Then Yahweh raised up leaders,[h] and they delivered them from the hand of their plunderers. 17 But they did not listen to their leaders,[i] but lusted after other gods and bowed down to them. They turned away quickly from the way that their ancestors[j] went, who had obeyed the commandment of Yahweh; they did not do as their ancestors. 18 And when Yahweh raised leaders[k] for them, Yahweh was with the leader,[l] and he delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the leader,[m] for Yahweh was moved by their groaning because of their persecutors and oppressors. 19 But when the leader[n] died they relapsed and acted corruptly, more than their ancestors,[o] following other gods, serving them,[p] and bowing down to them. They would not give up their deeds or their stubborn ways. 20 So the anger of Yahweh burned[q] against Israel, and he said, “Because this people transgressed my covenant that I commanded their ancestors,[r] and have not obeyed my voice, 21 I will not again drive out anyone from before them from the nations that Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to test Israel whether or not they would observe the way of Yahweh, to walk in it just as their ancestors[s] did.” 23 So Yahweh left those nations; he did not drive them out at once, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
Concluding Exhortations
17 Now I exhort you, brothers, to look out for those who cause dissensions and temptations contrary to the teaching which you learned, and stay away from them. 18 For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own stomach, and by smooth speech and flattery they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. 19 For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, and I want you to be wise toward what is good, but innocent toward what is evil. 20 And in a short time the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ[a] be with you.
Greetings from Paul’s Associates
21 Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, and Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my compatriots.[b]
22 I, Tertius, the one who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23 Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus the brother.
Benediction
24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Amen.[c]
Jesus Is Crucified
32 And as they[a] were going out, they found a man of Cyrene named[b] Simon. They forced this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they[c] came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),[d] 34 they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink, and when he[e] tasted it[f] he did not want to drink it.[g] 35 And when they[h] had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves[i] by[j] casting lots. 36 And they sat down and[k] were watching over him there. 37 And they put above his head the charge against him in writing:[l] “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 And those who passed by reviled him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “The one who would destroy the temple and rebuild it[m] in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” 41 In the same way also the chief priests, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him,[n] saying, 42 “He saved others; he is not able to save himself! He is the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him! 43 He trusts in God; let him deliver him now if he wants to,[o] because he said, ‘I am the Son of God’!” 44 And in the same way even the robbers who were crucified with him were reviling him.
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