Book of Common Prayer
Restore Us, Revive Us
Psalm 80
1 For the music director, on “Lilies,”[a] a testimony: a psalm of Asaph.
2 Give ear, Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who are enthroned upon the cheruvim, shine forth!
3 Before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh,
stir up Your might, and come to save us.
4 O God, restore us, make Your face shine,
and we will be saved.
5 Adonai-Tzva’ot, how long will You be angry
with the prayer of Your people?
6 You have fed them the bread of tears
and made them drink a measure of tears.
7 You make us a contention to our neighbors,
and our enemies mock as they please.
8 Elohei-Tzva’ot, restore us, and make Your face shine,
and we will be saved.
9 You pulled out a vine from Egypt.
You drove out nations and planted it.
10 You cleared a place for it,
and it took deep root and filled the land.
11 The mountains were covered by its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches.
12 It sent out its branches to the sea,
and its shoots to the river.
13 Why have You broken down its fences,
so all who pass by the way pick its fruit?
14 A boar from the forest ravages it,
whatever moves in the field feeds on it.
15 Elohei-Tzva’ot, please return!
Look down from heaven and see!
Now take care of this vine—
16 the shoot Your right hand planted—
the son You strengthened for Yourself.
17 It is burned with fire, it is cut down.
They perish from the rebuke of Your face.
18 Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand—
the son of man
You made strong for Yourself.
19 Then we will not turn away from You.
Revive us, and we will call on Your Name.
20 Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot, restore us.
Make Your face shine, and we will be saved.
Remember the Wonders
Psalm 77
1 For the music director, on Jeduthun: a psalm of Asaph.
2 My voice to God—and I cried out,
my voice to God—and He heard me!
3 In the day of my trouble I seek my Lord.
At night my hand stretches out untiringly.
My soul refuses to be comforted.
4 I remember God and I moan.
I muse, and my spirit grows faint. Selah
5 You hold my eyelids open—
I am so troubled—I cannot speak.
6 I ponder the days of old,
the years long ago.
7 In the night I remember my song.
I meditate with my heart
and my spirit is searching.
8 “Will the Lord reject forever
and never again show favor?
9 Has His mercy vanished forever?
Has His promise come to an end forever?
10 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Or has He in anger withdrawn his mercies?” Selah
11 Then I said: “It wounds me—
that the right hand of Elyon has changed.”
12 I will remember the deeds of Adonai.
Yes, I will muse about Your wonders of old.
13 I will meditate also on all Your work
and consider Your deeds.”
14 O God, Your way is holy.
What god is great like God?
15 You are the God who works wonders.
You have made Your power known among the peoples.
16 With your arm You redeemed Your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
17 The waters saw You, O God,
the waters saw You and writhed,
even the depths shook.
18 The clouds poured out water,
the skies resounded,
Your arrows flashed back and forth.
19 The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind.
Lightning lit up the world.
The earth trembled and shook.
20 Your way was in the sea,
and Your path in the mighty waters,
but Your footprints were not seen.
21 You led Your people like a flock,
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
A Lament Over Jerusalem
Psalm 79
1 A Psalm of Asaph.
God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance,
defiled Your holy Temple,
and reduced Jerusalem to ruins.
2 They gave the carcasses of Your servants as food to the birds of the skies,
the flesh of Your kedoshim to the beasts of the earth.
3 They poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem,
and there was no one to bury them.
4 We have become a taunt to our neighbors,
a scorn and derision to those around us.
5 How long, Adonai, will You be angry?
Forever?
Will Your jealousy keep blazing like fire?
6 Pour out Your wrath
on the nations that do not acknowledge You,
on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob
and laid waste his country.
8 Do not hold against us the sins of our fathers.
May Your mercies come quickly to meet us,
for we are brought very low.
9 Help us, God of our salvation—
for the sake of the glory of Your Name.
Deliver us, and atone for our sins—
for Your name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations say:
“Where is their God?”
Before our eyes, let it be known among the nations
that You avenge the shed blood of Your servants.
11 Let the prisoner’s groan come to You.
By Your great arm preserve those who are doomed to die.
12 Pay back into the midst of our neighbors sevenfold their reproach—
the reproach they hurled at You, my Lord.
13 So we, Your people, the flock of Your pasture,
will praise You forever.
From generation to generation
we will recount Your praise.
25 Now it came to pass the same night that Adonai said to him, “Take the young bull that belongs to your father and a second bull of seven years old, pull down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, cut down the Asherah that is beside it, 26 build an altar to Adonai your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, and take the second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah pole that you will cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his male servants and did as Adonai had spoken to him. But since he was too afraid of his father’s household and the townspeople to do it by day, he did it at night.
28 Now when the townspeople arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, the Asherah pole that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered up on the altar that was built. 29 So they said one to another, “Who did this thing?” And when they inquired and asked around, they said: “Gideon son of Joash did this thing.” 30 Then the townspeople said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and even cut down the Asherah pole that was beside it.”
31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “So you’re going to defend Baal? You’re going to rescue him? Whoever defends him will be put to death in the morning! If he is a god, let him defend himself—since someone has broken down his altar.” 32 So on that day he was called Jerubbaal saying, “Let Baal contend with him, since he broke down his altar.”
33 Now all the Midianites, the Amalekites and the people of the east gathered together, crossed over and camped in the valley of Jezreel. 34 But the Ruach Adonai clothed Gideon, and he blew the shofar, and Abiezer rallied behind him. 35 Then he sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they also rallied behind him. Then he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, and they came up to join them.
Signs of the Fleece
36 Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to deliver Israel by my hand, as You have spoken, 37 see, I am putting a fleece of wool on the threshing-floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You have spoken.” 38 And it was so. When he rose up early next day, he squeezed the fleece and wrung dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water.
39 Then Gideon said to God, “Let not Your anger burn against me if I speak once more. Let me please test once more with the fleece—let it now be dry only on the fleece, but let there be dew over all the ground.” 40 God did so that night, since it was dry only on the fleece, and there was dew over all the ground.
Teshuvah—Thousands Immersed
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the emissaries, “Fellow brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be immersed in the name of Messiah Yeshua for the removal of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Ruach ha-Kodesh. 39 For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far away—as many as Adonai our God calls to Himself.”
40 With many other words he warned them and kept urging them, saying, “Save yourselves from this twisted generation!” [a] 41 So those who received his message were immersed, and that day about three thousand souls were added.
New Covenant Community Begins
42 They were devoting themselves to the teaching of the emissaries and to fellowship, to breaking bread and to prayers. 43 Fear lay upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were happening through the emissaries. 44 And all who believed were together, having everything in common. 45 They began selling their property and possessions and sharing them with all, as any had need. 46 Day by day they continued with one mind, spending time at the Temple and breaking bread from house to house. They were sharing meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord was adding to their number[b] those being saved.
The Word Becomes Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word.[a] The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing was made that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.
6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that through him everyone might believe. 8 He was not the light, but he came to bear witness concerning the light. 9 The true light, coming into the world, gives light to every man.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him; but the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him. 12 But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God. 13 They were born not of a bloodline, nor of human desire, nor of man’s will, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory,[b] the glory of the one and only[c] from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John testifies about Him. He cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘The One who comes after me is above me, because He existed before me.’” 16 Out of His fullness, we have all received grace on top of grace. 17 Torah was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Yeshua the Messiah. 18 No one has ever seen God; but the one and only God,[d] in the Father’s embrace, has made Him known.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.