Book of Common Prayer
To the director: To the tune “The Dove in the Distant Oak.” A miktam of David written when the Philistines captured him in Gath.
56 God, people have attacked me, so be merciful to me.
They have been chasing me all day, closing in to attack me.
2 My enemies come at me constantly.
There are too many fighters to count.[a]
3 When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4 I trust God, so I am not afraid of what people can do to me!
I praise God for his promise to me.
5 My enemies are always twisting my words.
They are always making plans against me.
6 They hide together and watch every move I make,
hoping for some way to kill me.
7 God, send them away because of the bad things they did.
Show your anger and defeat those people.
8 You know I am very upset.
You know how much I have cried.
Surely you have kept an account of all my tears.
9 I know that when l call for help, my enemies will turn and run.
I know that because God is with me!
10 I praise God for his promise.
I praise the Lord for his promise to me.
11 I trust God, so I am not afraid
of what people can do to me!
12 God, I will keep the special promises I made to you.
I will give you my thank offering.
13 You saved me from death.
You kept me from being defeated.
So I will serve you in the light
that only the living can see.
To the director: To the tune “Don’t Destroy.” A miktam of David written when he escaped from Saul and went into the cave.
57 God, be merciful to me.
Be kind because my soul trusts in you.
I have come to you for protection,
while the trouble passes.
2 I pray to God Most High for help,
and he takes care of me completely!
3 From heaven he helps me and saves me.
He will punish the one who attacks me. Selah
God will remain loyal to me
and send his love to protect me.
4 My life is in danger.
My enemies are all around me.
They are like man-eating lions,
with teeth like spears or arrows
and tongues like sharp swords.
5 God, rise above the heavens!
Let all the world see your glory.
6 My enemies set a trap for my feet
to bring me down.
They dug a deep pit to catch me,
but they fell into it. Selah
7 God, I am ready, heart and soul,
to sing songs of praise.
8 Wake up, my soul!
Harps and lyres, wake up,
and let’s wake the dawn!
9 My Lord, I will praise you before all people.
I will sing praises about you to every nation.
10 Your faithful love is higher
than the highest clouds in the sky!
11 Rise above the heavens, God.
Let all the world see your glory.
To the director: To the tune “Don’t Destroy.” A miktam of David.
58 You judges are not being fair in your decisions.
You are not judging people fairly.
2 No, you only think of evil things to do.
You do violent crimes in this country.
3 Those wicked people started doing wrong as soon as they were born.
They have been liars from birth.
4 Their anger is as deadly as the poison of a snake.[b]
They shut their ears like a deaf cobra
5 that does not listen to the music of the snake charmers,
no matter how well they play.
6 God, they are like lions.
So, Lord, break their teeth.
7 May they disappear like water down a drain.
May they be crushed like weeds on a path.[c]
8 May they be like snails melting away as they move.
May they be like a baby born dead, who never saw the light of day.
9 May they be destroyed suddenly,
like the thorns that are burned to quickly heat a pot.
To the director: A song of David.
64 God, listen to my complaint.
Save me from the terrible threats of my enemies!
2 Protect me from the secret plans of the wicked.
Hide me from that gang of evil people.
3 They sharpen their tongues to use like swords.
They aim their poisonous words like arrows.
4 Suddenly, from their hiding places, they let their arrows fly.
They shoot to kill innocent people.
5 They encourage each other to do wrong.
They talk about setting traps and say, “No one will see them here!
6 No one will discover our crime.
We have the perfect plan!”
Yes, people can be very tricky and hard to understand.
7 But suddenly, God will shoot his arrows,
and those wicked people will be hit.
8 He will use their own words against them,
and they will be destroyed.
Then everyone who sees them
will shake their heads in amazement.
9 People will see what God has done.
They will tell other people about him.
Then everyone will learn more about God.
They will learn to fear and respect him.
10 Good people are happy to serve the Lord.
They depend on him to protect them.
All those who want to do right will praise him!
To the director: A praise song of David.
65 God in Zion, we praise you
and give you what we promised.
2 Anyone can come to you,
and you will listen to their prayers.
3 When our sins become too heavy for us,
you wipe them away.
4 Oh, how wonderful it is to be the people you chose
to come and stay in your Temple.
And we are so happy to have the wonderful things
that are in your Temple, your holy palace.
5 God, you answer our prayers and do what is right.
You do amazing things to save us.
People all over the world know they can trust in you,
even those who live across the sea.
6 You made the mountains.
We see your power all around us.
7 You can calm the roughest seas
or the nations raging around us.
8 People all around the world are amazed at the wonderful things you do.
You make all people, east and west, sing with joy.
9 You take care of the land.
You water it and make it fertile.
Your streams are always filled with water.
That’s how you make the crops grow.
10 You pour rain on the plowed fields;
you soak the fields with water.
You make the ground soft with rain,
and you make the young plants grow.
11 You start the new year with a good harvest.
You end the year with many crops.[a]
12 The desert and hills are covered with grass.
13 The pastures are covered with sheep.
The valleys are filled with grain.
Everything is singing and shouting for joy.
40 Then the Lord said to Job,
2 “You wanted to argue with God All-Powerful.
You wanted to correct me and prove that I was wrong.
So give me your answer!”
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 “I am not worthy to speak!
What can I say to you?
I cannot answer you!
I will put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I will not speak again.
I spoke twice, but I will not say anything more.”
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job again from the storm:
7 “Brace yourself[a]
and get ready to answer the questions I will ask you.
8 “Are you trying to show that I am unfair?
Are you trying to look innocent by saying that I am guilty?
9 Are your arms as strong as mine?
Do you have a voice like mine that is as loud as thunder?
10 If so, you can be proud
and wear glory and honor like clothes.
11 If you are as powerful as God, then show your anger!
Punish those who are proud and humble them.
12 Yes, just look at the proud and make them humble.
Crush those evil people where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the dirt.
Wrap their bodies up and put them in their graves.
14 If you can do any of these things, then even I will praise you.
And I will admit that you can save yourself by your own power.
15 “Look at the behemoth.[b]
I made the behemoth, and I made you.
He eats grass like a cow.
16 But he has great strength in his body.
The muscles in his stomach are powerful.
17 His tail stands strong like a cedar tree.
His leg muscles are very strong.
18 His bones are as strong as bronze.
His legs are like iron bars.
19 The behemoth is the most amazing animal I made,
but I can defeat him.
20 He eats the grass that grows on the hills
where the wild animals play.
21 He lies under the lotus plants.
He hides among the reeds of the swamp.
22 The lotus plants hide him in their shade.
He lives under the willow trees that grow near the river.
23 If the river floods, the behemoth will not run away.
He is not afraid if the Jordan River splashes on his face.
24 No one can blind his eyes and capture him.
No one can catch him in a trap.
Paul and Barnabas Separate
36 A few days later, Paul said to Barnabas, “We should go back to all the towns where we told people the message of the Lord. We should visit the believers to see how they are doing.”
37 Barnabas wanted to bring John Mark with them too. 38 But on their first trip John Mark did not continue with them in the work. He had left them at Pamphylia. So Paul did not think it was a good idea to take him this time. 39 Paul and Barnabas had a big argument about this. It was so bad that they separated and went different ways. Barnabas sailed to Cyprus and took Mark with him.
40 Paul chose Silas to go with him. The believers in Antioch put Paul into the Lord’s care and sent him out. 41 Paul and Silas went through the countries of Syria and Cilicia, helping the churches grow stronger.
Timothy Goes With Paul and Silas
16 Paul went to the city of Derbe and then to Lystra, where a follower of Jesus named Timothy lived. Timothy’s mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek. 2 The believers in the cities of Lystra and Iconium had only good things to say about him. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to travel with him, but all the Jews living in that area knew that his father was a Greek. So Paul circumcised Timothy to please the Jews.
4 Then Paul and those with him traveled through other cities. They gave the believers the rules and decisions from the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. They told them to obey these rules. 5 So the churches were becoming stronger in their faith, and the number of believers was growing every day.
55 It was almost time for the Jewish Passover festival. Many people from the country went to Jerusalem before the Passover. They went to do the special things to make themselves pure for the festival. 56 The people looked for Jesus. They stood in the Temple area and asked each other, “Is he coming to the festival? What do you think?” 57 But the leading priests and the Pharisees had given a special order about Jesus. They said that anyone who knew where he was must tell them so that they could arrest him.
Jesus in Bethany With His Friends(A)
12 Six days before the Passover festival, Jesus went to Bethany. That is where Lazarus lived, the man Jesus raised from death. 2 There they had a dinner for Jesus. Martha served the food, and Lazarus was one of the people eating with Jesus. 3 Mary brought in a pint[a] of expensive perfume made of pure nard. She poured the perfume on Jesus’ feet. Then she wiped his feet with her hair. And the sweet smell from the perfume filled the whole house.
4 Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ followers, was there—the one who would later hand Jesus over to his enemies. Judas said, 5 “That perfume was worth a full year’s pay.[b] It should have been sold, and the money should have been given to the poor people.” 6 But Judas did not really care about the poor. He said this because he was a thief. He was the one who kept the moneybag for the group of followers. And he often stole money from the bag.
7 Jesus answered, “Don’t stop her. It was right for her to save this perfume for today—the day for me to be prepared for burial. 8 You will always have those who are poor with you.[c] But you will not always have me.”
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International