Book of Common Prayer
145 I call with all my heart, O Lord;
answer me that I may keep your statutes.
146 I call to you to save me
that I may observe your testimonies.
147 I rise before dawn and cry out;
I put my hope in your words.
148 My eyes greet the night watches
as I meditate on your promise.(A)
149 Hear my voice in your mercy, O Lord;
by your judgment give me life.
150 Malicious persecutors draw near me;
they are far from your law.
151 You are near, O Lord;
reliable are all your commandments.
152 Long have I known from your testimonies
that you have established them forever.
Resh
153 Look at my affliction and rescue me,
for I have not forgotten your law.
154 Take up my cause and redeem me;(B)
for the sake of your promise give me life.
155 Salvation is far from sinners
because they do not cherish your statutes.
156 Your compassion is great, O Lord;
in accord with your judgments, give me life.
157 Though my persecutors and foes are many,
I do not turn from your testimonies.
158 I view the faithless with loathing(C)
because they do not heed your promise.
159 See how I love your precepts, Lord;
in your mercy give me life.
160 Your every word is enduring;
all your righteous judgments are forever.
Shin
161 Princes persecute me without reason,
but my heart reveres only your word.
162 I rejoice at your promise,
as one who has found rich spoil.
163 Falsehood I hate and abhor;
your law I love.
164 Seven times a day I praise you
because your judgments are righteous.
165 Lovers of your law have much peace;(D)
for them there is no stumbling block.
166 I look for your salvation, Lord,
and I fulfill your commandments.
167 I observe your testimonies;
I love them very much.
168 I observe your precepts and testimonies;
all my ways are before you.
Taw
169 Let my cry come before you, Lord;(E)
in keeping with your word, give me understanding.
170 Let my prayer come before you;
rescue me according to your promise.
171 May my lips pour forth your praise,
because you teach me your statutes.
172 May my tongue sing of your promise,
for all your commandments are righteous.
173 Keep your hand ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
174 I long for your salvation, Lord;
your law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live to praise you;
may your judgments give me help.
176 I have wandered like a lost sheep;
seek out your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments.(F)
Psalm 128[a]
The Blessed Home of the Just
1 A song of ascents.
I
Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
and who walk in his ways.(A)
2 What your hands provide you will enjoy;
you will be blessed and prosper:(B)
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your home,
Your children like young olive plants
around your table.(C)
4 Just so will the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
II
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion;
may you see Jerusalem’s prosperity
all the days of your life,(D)
6 and live to see your children’s children.(E)
Peace upon Israel!(F)
Psalm 129[b]
Against Israel’s Enemies
1 A song of ascents.
I
Viciously have they attacked me from my youth,
let Israel say now.(G)
2 Viciously have they attacked me from my youth,(H)
yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 Upon my back the plowers plowed,
as they traced their long furrows.(I)
4 But the just Lord cut me free
from the ropes of the wicked.[c]
II
5 May they recoil in disgrace,
all who hate Zion.
6 May they be like grass on the rooftops[d]
withered in early growth,(J)
7 Never to fill the reaper’s hands,
nor the arms of the binders of sheaves,
8 And with none passing by to call out:
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you![e]
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”(K)
Psalm 130[f]
Prayer for Pardon and Mercy
1 A song of ascents.
I
Out of the depths[g] I call to you, Lord;
2 Lord, hear my cry!
May your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.(L)
3 If you, Lord, keep account of sins,
Lord, who can stand?(M)
4 But with you is forgiveness
and so you are revered.[h]
II
5 I wait for the Lord,
my soul waits
and I hope for his word.(N)
6 My soul looks for the Lord
more than sentinels for daybreak.(O)
More than sentinels for daybreak,
7 let Israel hope in the Lord,
For with the Lord is mercy,
with him is plenteous redemption,(P)
8 And he will redeem Israel
from all its sins.(Q)
16 The six hundred Danites stationed themselves at the entrance of the gate armed with weapons of war. 17 The five men who had gone to reconnoiter the land went up 18 and entered the house of Micah with the priest standing there. They took the idol, the ephod, the teraphim and the metal image. When the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 19 they said to him, “Be still! Put your hand over your mouth! Come with us and be our father and priest.(A) Is it better for you to be priest for the family of one man or to be priest for a tribe and a clan in Israel?” 20 The priest, agreeing, took the ephod, the teraphim, and the idol, and went along with the troops. 21 As they turned to depart, they placed their little ones, their livestock, and their goods at the head of the column.
22 (B)When the Danites had gone some distance from the house of Micah, Micah and the men in the houses nearby mustered and overtook them. 23 They called to the Danites, who turned and said to Micah, “What do you want that you have called this muster?” 24 “You have taken my god, which I made for myself, and you have gone off with my priest as well,” he answered. “What is left for me? How, then, can you ask me, ‘What do you want?’” 25 The Danites said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard near us, or aggravated men will attack you, and you will have forfeited your life and the lives of your family!” 26 Then the Danites went on their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, turned back and went home.
27 (C)Having taken what Micah had made and his priest, they marched against Laish, a quiet and trusting people; they put them to the sword and destroyed the city by fire. 28 No one came to their aid, since the city was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with the Arameans; the city was in the valley that belongs to Beth-rehob. The Danites then rebuilt the city and occupied it. 29 They named it Dan after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel.(D) But Laish was the name of the city formerly. 30 [a]The Danites set up the idol for themselves, and Jonathan, son of Gershom, son of Moses,(E) and his descendants were priests for the tribe of the Danites until the time the land went into captivity. 31 They maintained the idol Micah had made as long as the house of God was in Shiloh.[b]
14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, 15 who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the holy Spirit, 16 for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.[a] 17 Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit.(A)
18 [b]When Simon saw that the Spirit was conferred by the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me this power too, so that anyone upon whom I lay my hands may receive the holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your money perish with you, because you thought that you could buy the gift of God with money. 21 You have no share or lot in this matter, for your heart is not upright before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your intention may be forgiven. 23 For I see that you are filled with bitter gall and are in the bonds of iniquity.” 24 Simon said in reply, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” 25 So when they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem and preached the good news to many Samaritan villages.
Philip and the Ethiopian.[c]
Chapter 6
Multiplication of the Loaves.[a] 1 (A)After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee [of Tiberias].[b] 2 A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish feast of Passover was near.(B) 5 [c]When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip,(C) “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” 6 [d]He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages[e] worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little [bit].”(D) 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves[f] and two fish; but what good are these for so many?”(E) 10 Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass[g] in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.(F) 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.(G) 12 When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” 13 So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets[h] with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. 14 When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet,[i] the one who is to come into the world.”(H) 15 Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.(I)
Walking on the Water.[j]
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.