Book of Common Prayer
A King's Promise[a]
101 My song is about loyalty and justice,
and I sing it to you, O Lord.
2 My conduct will be faultless.
When will you come to me?
I will live a pure life in my house
3 and will never tolerate evil.
I hate the actions of those who turn away from God;
I will have nothing to do with them.
4 I will not be dishonest[b]
and will have no dealings with evil.[c]
5 I will get rid of anyone
who whispers evil things about someone else;
I will not tolerate anyone
who is proud and arrogant.
6 I will approve of those who are faithful to God
and will let them live in my palace.
Those who are completely honest
will be allowed to serve me.
7 No liar will live in my palace;
no hypocrite will remain in my presence.
8 Day after day I will destroy
the wicked in our land;
I will expel all who are evil
from the city of the Lord.
The Complaint of Someone in Trouble[a]
109 I praise you, God; don't remain silent!
2 Wicked people and liars have attacked me.
They tell lies about me,
3 and they say evil things about me,
attacking me for no reason.
4 They oppose me, even though I love them
and have prayed for them.[b]
5 They pay me back evil for good
and hatred for love.
6 Choose some corrupt judge to try my enemy,
and let one of his own enemies accuse him.
7 May he be tried and found guilty;
may even his prayer be considered a crime!
8 (A)May his life soon be ended;
may someone else take his job!
9 May his children become orphans,
and his wife a widow!
10 May his children be homeless beggars;
may they be driven from[c] the ruins they live in!
11 May his creditors take away all his property,
and may strangers get everything he worked for.
12 May no one ever be kind to him
or care for the orphans he leaves behind.
13 May all his descendants die,
and may his name be forgotten in the next generation.
14 May the Lord remember the evil of his ancestors
and never forgive his mother's sins.
15 May the Lord always remember their sins,
but may they themselves be completely forgotten!
16 That man never thought of being kind;
he persecuted and killed
the poor, the needy, and the helpless.
17 He loved to curse—may he be cursed!
He hated to give blessings—may no one bless him!
18 He cursed as naturally as he dressed himself;
may his own curses soak into his body like water
and into his bones like oil!
19 May they cover him like clothes
and always be around him like a belt!
20 Lord, punish my enemies in that way—
those who say such evil things against me!
21 But my Sovereign Lord, help me as you have promised,
and rescue me because of the goodness of your love.
22 I am poor and needy;
I am hurt to the depths of my heart.
23 Like an evening shadow I am about to vanish;
I am blown away like an insect.
24 My knees are weak from lack of food;
I am nothing but skin and bones.
25 (B)When people see me, they laugh at me;
they shake their heads in scorn.
26 Help me, O Lord my God;
because of your constant love, save me!
27 Make my enemies know
that you are the one who saves me.
28 They may curse me, but you will bless me.
May my persecutors be defeated,[d]
and may I, your servant, be glad.
29 May my enemies be covered with disgrace;
may they wear their shame like a robe.
30 I will give loud thanks to the Lord;
I will praise him in the assembly of the people,
Obedience to the Law of the Lord
121 I have done what is right and good;
don't abandon me to my enemies!
122 Promise that you will help your servant;
don't let the arrogant oppress me!
123 My eyes are tired from watching for your saving help,
for the deliverance you promised.
124 Treat me according to your constant love,
and teach me your commands.
125 I am your servant; give me understanding,
so that I may know your teachings.
126 Lord, it is time for you to act,
because people are disobeying your law.
127 I love your commands more than gold,
more than the finest gold.
128 And so I follow all your instructions;[a]
I hate all wrong ways.
Desire to Obey the Law of the Lord
129 Your teachings are wonderful;
I obey them with all my heart.
130 The explanation of your teachings gives light
and brings wisdom to the ignorant.
131 In my desire for your commands
I pant with open mouth.
132 Turn to me and have mercy on me
as you do on all those who love you.
133 As you have promised, keep me from falling;
don't let me be overcome by evil.
134 Save me from those who oppress me,
so that I may obey your commands.
135 Bless me with your presence
and teach me your laws.
136 My tears pour down like a river,
because people do not obey your law.
The Justice of the Law of the Lord
137 You are righteous, Lord,
and your laws are just.
138 The rules that you have given
are completely fair and right.
139 My anger burns in me like a fire,
because my enemies disregard your commands.
140 How certain your promise is!
How I love it!
141 I am unimportant and despised,
but I do not neglect your teachings.
142 Your righteousness will last forever,
and your law is always true.
143 I am filled with trouble and anxiety,
but your commandments bring me joy.
144 Your instructions are always just;
give me understanding, and I shall live.
The Lord Condemns Pagan Worship
11 The Lord says, “Wine, both old and new, is robbing my people of their senses! 12 They ask for revelations from a piece of wood! A stick tells them what they want to know! They have left me. Like a woman who becomes a prostitute, they have given themselves to other gods. 13 At sacred places on the mountaintops they offer sacrifices, and on the hills they burn incense under tall, spreading trees, because the shade is so pleasant!
“As a result, your daughters serve as prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. 14 Yet I will not punish them for this, because you yourselves go off with temple prostitutes,[a] and together with them you offer pagan sacrifices. As the proverb says, ‘A people without sense will be ruined.’
15 “Even though you people of Israel are unfaithful to me, may Judah not be guilty of the same thing. Don't worship at Gilgal or Bethaven,[b] or make promises there in the name of the living Lord. 16 The people of Israel are as stubborn as mules. How can I feed them like lambs in a meadow? 17 The people of Israel are under the spell of idols. Let them go their own way. 18 After drinking much wine, they delight in their prostitution, preferring disgrace to honor. 19 They will be carried away as by the wind, and they will be ashamed of their pagan sacrifices.[c][d]
15 After spending some time there, we got our things ready and left for Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us and took us to the house of the man we were going to stay with[a]—Mnason, from Cyprus, who had been a believer since the early days.
Paul Visits James
17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the believers welcomed us warmly. 18 The next day Paul went with us to see James; and all the church elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and gave a complete report of everything that God had done among the Gentiles through his work. 20 After hearing him, they all praised God. Then they said, “Brother Paul, you can see how many thousands of Jews have become believers, and how devoted they all are to the Law. 21 They have been told that you have been teaching all the Jews who live in Gentile countries to abandon the Law of Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or follow the Jewish customs. 22 They are sure to hear that you have arrived. What should be done, then? 23 (A)This is what we want you to do. There are four men here who have taken a vow. 24 Go along with them and join them in the ceremony of purification and pay their expenses; then they will be able to shave their heads.[b] In this way everyone will know that there is no truth in any of the things that they have been told about you, but that you yourself live in accordance with the Law of Moses. 25 (B)But as for the Gentiles who have become believers, we have sent them a letter telling them we decided that they must not eat any food that has been offered to idols, or any blood, or any animal that has been strangled, and that they must keep themselves from sexual immorality.”
26 So Paul took the men and the next day performed the ceremony of purification with them. Then he went into the Temple and gave notice of how many days it would be until the end of the period of purification, when a sacrifice would be offered for each one of them.
Jesus Calls Levi(A)
27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting in his office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” 28 Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.
29 Then Levi had a big feast in his house for Jesus, and among the guests was a large number of tax collectors and other people. 30 (B)Some Pharisees and some teachers of the Law who belonged to their group complained to Jesus' disciples. “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and other outcasts?” they asked.
31 Jesus answered them, “People who are well do not need a doctor, but only those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call respectable people to repent, but outcasts.”
The Question about Fasting(C)
33 Some people said to Jesus, “The disciples of John fast frequently and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but your disciples eat and drink.”
34 Jesus answered, “Do you think you can make the guests at a wedding party go without food as long as the bridegroom is with them? Of course not! 35 But the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
36 Jesus also told them this parable: “You don't tear a piece off a new coat to patch up an old coat. If you do, you will have torn the new coat, and the piece of new cloth will not match the old. 37 Nor do you pour new wine into used wineskins, because the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will pour out, and the skins will be ruined. 38 Instead, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins! 39 And you don't want new wine after drinking old wine. ‘The old is better,’ you say.”
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.