Book of Common Prayer
The Lord the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Deliverer in Death.
A [a]Mikhtam of David.
16 (A)Preserve me, O God, for (B)I take refuge in You.
2 [b]I said to the Lord, “You are [c]my Lord;
I (C)have no good besides You.”
3 As for the [d](D)saints who are in the earth,
[e]They are the majestic ones (E)in whom is all my delight.
4 The [f](F)sorrows of those who have [g]bartered for another god will be multiplied;
I shall not pour out their drink offerings of (G)blood,
Nor will I (H)take their names upon my lips.
5 The Lord is the (I)portion of my inheritance and my (J)cup;
You support my (K)lot.
6 The (L)lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is (M)beautiful to me.
7 I will bless the Lord who has (N)counseled me;
Indeed, my [h](O)mind instructs me in the night.
8 (P)I have (Q)set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is (R)at my right hand, (S)I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore (T)my heart is glad and (U)my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will (V)dwell securely.
10 For You (W)will not abandon my soul to [i]Sheol;
Nor will You [j](X)allow Your [k]Holy One to [l]undergo decay.
11 You will make known to me (Y)the path of life;
In (Z)Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are (AA)pleasures forever.
Prayer for Protection against Oppressors.
A Prayer of David.
17 Hear a (AB)just cause, O Lord, (AC)give heed to my cry;
(AD)Give ear to my prayer, which is not from (AE)deceitful lips.
2 Let (AF)my [m]judgment come forth from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look with (AG)equity.
3 You have (AH)tried my heart;
You have visited me by night;
You have (AI)tested me and (AJ)You find [n]nothing;
I have (AK)purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
4 As for the deeds of men, (AL)by the word of Your lips
I have kept from the (AM)paths of the violent.
5 My (AN)steps have held fast to Your [o]paths.
My (AO)feet have not slipped.
6 I have (AP)called upon You, for You will answer me, O God;
(AQ)Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech.
7 (AR)Wondrously show Your lovingkindness,
O (AS)Savior of those who take refuge [p]at Your right hand
From those who rise up against them.
8 Keep me as [q]the (AT)apple of the eye;
Hide me (AU)in the shadow of Your wings
9 From the (AV)wicked who despoil me,
My (AW)deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They have (AX)closed their [r]unfeeling heart,
With their mouth they (AY)speak proudly.
11 They have now (AZ)surrounded us in our steps;
They set their eyes (BA)to cast us down to the ground.
12 He is (BB)like a lion that is eager to tear,
And as a young lion (BC)lurking in hiding places.
13 (BD)Arise, O Lord, confront him, (BE)bring him low;
(BF)Deliver my soul from the wicked with (BG)Your sword,
14 From men with (BH)Your hand, O Lord,
From men [s]of the world, (BI)whose portion is in this life,
And whose belly You (BJ)fill with Your treasure;
They are satisfied with children,
And leave their abundance to their babes.
15 As for me, I shall (BK)behold Your face in righteousness;
(BL)I will be satisfied [t]with Your (BM)likeness when I awake.
A Cry of Anguish and a Song of Praise.
For the choir director; upon [a]Aijeleth Hashshahar. A Psalm of David.
22 (A)My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
[b](B)Far from my deliverance are the words of my [c](C)groaning.
2 O my God, I (D)cry by day, but You do not answer;
And by night, but [d]I have no rest.
3 Yet (E)You are holy,
O You who [e]are enthroned upon (F)the praises of Israel.
4 In You our fathers (G)trusted;
They trusted and You (H)delivered them.
5 To You they cried out and were delivered;
(I)In You they trusted and were not [f]disappointed.
6 But I am a (J)worm and not a man,
A (K)reproach of men and (L)despised by the people.
7 All who see me [g](M)sneer at me;
They [h]separate with the lip, they (N)wag the head, saying,
8 “[i]Commit yourself to the Lord; (O)let Him deliver him;
Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”
9 Yet You are He who (P)brought me forth from the womb;
You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.
10 Upon You I was cast (Q)from [j]birth;
You have been my God from my mother’s womb.
11 (R)Be not far from me, for [k]trouble is near;
For there is (S)none to help.
12 Many (T)bulls have surrounded me;
Strong bulls of (U)Bashan have encircled me.
13 They (V)open wide their mouth at me,
As a ravening and a roaring (W)lion.
14 I am (X)poured out like water,
And all my (Y)bones are out of joint;
My (Z)heart is like wax;
It is melted within [l]me.
15 My (AA)strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And (AB)my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
And You (AC)lay me [m]in the dust of death.
16 For (AD)dogs have surrounded me;
[n]A band of evildoers has encompassed me;
[o]They (AE)pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones.
(AF)They look, they stare at me;
18 They (AG)divide my garments among them,
And for my clothing they cast lots.
19 But You, O Lord, (AH)be not far off;
O You my help, (AI)hasten to my assistance.
20 Deliver my [p]soul from (AJ)the sword,
My (AK)only life from the [q]power of the dog.
21 Save me from the (AL)lion’s mouth;
From the horns of the (AM)wild oxen You (AN)answer me.
22 I will (AO)tell of Your name to my brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
23 (AP)You who fear the Lord, praise Him;
All you [r]descendants of Jacob, (AQ)glorify Him,
And (AR)stand in awe of Him, all you [s]descendants of Israel.
24 For He has (AS)not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He (AT)hidden His face from him;
But (AU)when he cried to Him for help, He heard.
25 From You comes (AV)my praise in the great assembly;
I shall (AW)pay my vows before those who fear Him.
26 The [t]afflicted will eat and (AX)be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will (AY)praise the Lord.
Let your (AZ)heart live forever!
27 All the (BA)ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the (BB)families of the nations will worship before [u]You.
28 For the (BC)kingdom is the Lord’s
And He (BD)rules over the nations.
29 All the [v](BE)prosperous of the earth will eat and worship,
All those who (BF)go down to the dust will bow before Him,
Even he who [w](BG)cannot keep his soul alive.
30 [x](BH)Posterity will serve Him;
It will be told of the Lord to (BI)the coming generation.
31 They will come and (BJ)will declare His righteousness
To a people (BK)who will be born, that He has performed it.
Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Man
9 Then Job [a]answered,
2 “In truth I know that this is so;
But how can a (A)man be in the right [b]before God?
3 “If one wished to (B)dispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.
4 “(C)Wise in heart and (D)mighty in strength,
Who has [c](E)defied Him [d]without harm?
5 “(F)It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how,
When He overturns them in His anger;
6 Who (G)shakes the earth out of its place,
And its (H)pillars tremble;
7 Who commands the (I)sun [e]not to shine,
And sets a seal upon the stars;
8 Who alone (J)stretches out the heavens
And [f](K)tramples down the waves of the sea;
9 Who makes the (L)Bear, Orion and the Pleiades,
And the (M)chambers of the south;
10 Who (N)does great things, [g]unfathomable,
And wondrous works without number.
11 “Were He to pass by me, (O)I would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.
12 “Were He to snatch away, who could (P)restrain Him?
Who could say to Him, ‘(Q)What are You doing?’
32 “For (A)He is not a man as I am that (B)I may answer Him,
That we may go to [a]court together.
33 “There is no (C)umpire between us,
Who may lay his hand upon us both.
34 “Let Him (D)remove His rod from me,
And let not dread of Him terrify me.
35 “Then I (E)would speak and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.
Gentiles Hear Good News
34 (A)Opening his mouth, Peter said:
“I most certainly understand now that (B)God is not one to show partiality, 35 but (C)in every nation the man who [a](D)fears Him and [b]does what is right is welcome to Him. 36 The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, (E)preaching [c](F)peace through Jesus Christ (He is (G)Lord of all)— 37 you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. 38 [d]You know of (H)Jesus of Nazareth, how God (I)anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, [e](J)and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for (K)God was with Him. 39 We are (L)witnesses of all the things He did both in the [f]land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also (M)put Him to death by hanging Him on a [g]cross. 40 (N)God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, 41 (O)not to all the people, but to (P)witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us (Q)who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He (R)ordered us to [h]preach to the people, and solemnly to (S)testify that this is the One who has been (T)appointed by God as (U)Judge of the living and the dead. 43 Of Him (V)all the prophets bear witness that through (W)His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, (X)the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the [i]message. 45 (Y)All the [j]circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been (Z)poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they were hearing them (AA)speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, 47 “(AB)Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who (AC)have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” 48 And he (AD)ordered them to be baptized (AE)in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.
37 Now on (A)the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “[a](B)If anyone is thirsty, [b]let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, (C)as the Scripture said, ‘From [c]his innermost being will flow rivers of (D)living water.’” 39 But this He spoke (E)of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for (F)the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet (G)glorified.
Division of People over Jesus
40 Some of the people therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, “This certainly is (H)the Prophet.” 41 Others were saying, “This is [d]the Christ.” Still others were saying, “(I)Surely [e]the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from (J)the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So (K)a division occurred in the crowd because of Him. 44 (L)Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him.
45 The (M)officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?” 46 The (N)officers answered, “(O)Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.” 47 The Pharisees then answered them, “(P)You have not also been led astray, have you? 48 (Q)No one of (R)the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? 49 But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed.” 50 (S)Nicodemus (he who came to Him before, being one of them) *said to them, 51 “(T)Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” 52 They answered him, “(U)You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.”
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