Book of Common Prayer
Prayer of an Afflicted Man for Mercy on Himself and on Zion.
A Prayer of the Afflicted when he is faint and [a]pours out his complaint before the Lord.
102 (A)Hear my prayer, O Lord!
And let my cry for help (B)come to You.
2 (C)Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress;
(D)Incline Your ear to me;
In the day when I call (E)answer me quickly.
3 For my days (F)have been [b]consumed in smoke,
And my (G)bones have been scorched like a hearth.
4 My heart (H)has been smitten like [c]grass and has (I)withered away,
Indeed, I (J)forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the [d]loudness of my groaning
My (K)bones [e]cling to my flesh.
6 I [f]resemble a (L)pelican of the wilderness;
I have become like an owl of the waste places.
7 I (M)lie awake,
I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.
8 My enemies (N)have reproached me all day long;
Those who [g](O)deride me [h]have used my name as a (P)curse.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread
And (Q)mingled my drink with weeping
10 (R)Because of Your indignation and Your wrath,
For You have (S)lifted me up and cast me away.
11 My days are like a [i](T)lengthened shadow,
And [j]I (U)wither away like [k]grass.
12 But You, O Lord, [l](V)abide forever,
And Your [m](W)name to all generations.
13 You will (X)arise and have (Y)compassion on Zion;
For (Z)it is time to be gracious to her,
For the (AA)appointed time has come.
14 Surely Your servants [n]find pleasure in her stones
And feel pity for her dust.
15 [o]So the [p](AB)nations will fear the name of the Lord
And (AC)all the kings of the earth Your glory.
16 For the Lord has (AD)built up Zion;
He has (AE)appeared in His glory.
17 He has (AF)regarded the prayer of the [q]destitute
And has not despised their prayer.
18 [r]This will be (AG)written for the (AH)generation to come,
[s]That (AI)a people yet to be created [t]may praise [u]the Lord.
19 For He (AJ)looked down from His holy height;
(AK)From heaven the Lord gazed [v]upon the earth,
20 To hear the (AL)groaning of the prisoner,
To (AM)set free [w]those who were doomed to death,
21 That men may (AN)tell of the name of the Lord in Zion
And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 When (AO)the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
23 He has weakened my strength in the way;
He has (AP)shortened my days.
24 I say, “O my God, (AQ)do not take me away in the [x]midst of my days,
Your (AR)years are throughout all generations.
25 “Of old You (AS)founded the earth,
And the (AT)heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 “[y]Even they will (AU)perish, but You endure;
And all of them will wear out like a garment;
Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.
27 “But You are [z](AV)the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.
28 “The (AW)children of Your servants will continue,
And their [aa](AX)descendants will be established before You.”
BOOK 5
The Lord Delivers Men from Manifold Troubles.
107 Oh (A)give thanks to the Lord, for (B)He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Let (C)the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has (D)redeemed from the hand of the adversary
3 And (E)gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the [a]south.
4 They (F)wandered in the wilderness in a [b]desert region;
They did not find a way to [c]an inhabited (G)city.
5 They were hungry [d]and thirsty;
Their (H)soul fainted within them.
6 Then they (I)cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He delivered them out of their distresses.
7 He led them also by a [e](J)straight way,
To go to [f](K)an inhabited city.
8 (L)Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His [g]wonders to the sons of men!
9 For He has (M)satisfied the [h]thirsty soul,
And the (N)hungry soul He has filled with what is good.
10 There were those who (O)dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death,
(P)Prisoners in [i]misery and [j]chains,
11 Because they had (Q)rebelled against the words of God
And (R)spurned the (S)counsel of the Most High.
12 Therefore He humbled their heart with labor;
They stumbled and there was (T)none to help.
13 Then they (U)cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.
14 He (V)brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death
And (W)broke their bands apart.
15 (X)Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His [k]wonders to the sons of men!
16 For He has (Y)shattered gates of bronze
And cut bars of iron asunder.
17 Fools, because of [l]their rebellious way,
And (Z)because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
18 Their (AA)soul abhorred all kinds of food,
And they (AB)drew near to the (AC)gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.
20 He (AD)sent His word and (AE)healed them,
And (AF)delivered them from their [m]destructions.
21 (AG)Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His [n]wonders to the sons of men!
22 Let them also offer (AH)sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And (AI)tell of His works with joyful singing.
23 Those who (AJ)go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters;
24 They have seen the works of the Lord,
And His [o]wonders in the deep.
25 For He (AK)spoke and raised up a (AL)stormy wind,
Which (AM)lifted up the waves [p]of the sea.
26 They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths;
Their soul (AN)melted away in their misery.
27 They reeled and (AO)staggered like a drunken man,
And [q]were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
29 He (AP)caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves [r]of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He guided them to their desired haven.
31 (AQ)Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His [s](AR)wonders to the sons of men!
32 Let them (AS)extol Him also (AT)in the congregation of the people,
And (AU)praise Him at the seat of the elders.
Retribution for Israel’s Sin
10 Israel is a [a]luxuriant (A)vine;
He produces fruit for himself.
The more his fruit,
The more altars he (B)made;
The [b]richer his land,
The better [c]he made the sacred (C)pillars.
2 Their heart is [d](D)faithless;
Now they must bear their (E)guilt.
[e]The Lord will (F)break down their altars
And destroy their sacred pillars.
3 Surely now they will say, “We have (G)no king,
For we do not revere the Lord.
As for the king, what can he do for us?”
4 They speak mere words,
[f]With (H)worthless oaths they make covenants;
And (I)judgment sprouts like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.
5 The inhabitants of Samaria will fear
For the [g](J)calf of (K)Beth-aven.
Indeed, its people will mourn for it,
And its (L)idolatrous priests [h]will cry out over it,
Over its (M)glory, since it has departed from it.
6 The thing itself will be carried to (N)Assyria
As tribute to [i](O)King Jareb;
Ephraim will [j]be (P)seized with shame
And Israel will be ashamed of its (Q)own counsel.
7 Samaria will be (R)cut off with her king
Like a stick on the surface of the water.
8 Also the (S)high places of Aven, the (T)sin of Israel, will be destroyed;
(U)Thorn and thistle will grow on their altars;
Then they will (V)say to the mountains,
“Cover us!” And to the hills, “Fall on us!”
9 From the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel;
There they stand!
Will not the battle against the sons of iniquity overtake them in Gibeah?
10 When it is My (W)desire, I will [k](X)chastise them;
And (Y)the peoples will be gathered against them
When they are bound for their double guilt.
11 Ephraim is a trained (Z)heifer that loves to thresh,
But I will (AA)come over her fair neck with a yoke;
I will harness Ephraim,
Judah will plow, Jacob will harrow for himself.
12 (AB)Sow with a view to righteousness,
Reap in accordance with [l]kindness;
(AC)Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to (AD)seek the Lord
Until He (AE)comes to [m](AF)rain righteousness on you.
13 You have (AG)plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice,
You have eaten the fruit of (AH)lies.
Because you have trusted in your way, in your (AI)numerous warriors,
14 Therefore a tumult will arise among your people,
And all your (AJ)fortresses will be destroyed,
As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle,
When (AK)mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.
15 Thus it will be done to you at Bethel because of your great wickedness.
At dawn the king of Israel will be completely cut off.
37 As Paul was about to be brought into (A)the barracks, he said to the [a]commander, “May I say something to you?” And he *said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Then you are not (B)the Egyptian who some [b]time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out (C)into the wilderness?” 39 But Paul said, “(D)I am a Jew of Tarsus in (E)Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” 40 When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on (F)the stairs, (G)motioned to the people with his hand; and when there [c]was a great hush, he spoke to them in the [d](H)Hebrew dialect, saying,
Paul’s Defense before the Jews
22 “(I)Brethren and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.”
2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the [e](J)Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet; and he *said,
3 “(K)I am (L)a Jew, born in (M)Tarsus of (N)Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated [f]under (O)Gamaliel, [g](P)strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as (Q)you all are today. 4 (R)I persecuted this (S)Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons, 5 as also (T)the high priest and all (U)the Council of the elders [h]can testify. From them I also (V)received letters to (W)the brethren, and started off for (X)Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem [i]as prisoners to be punished.
6 “(Y)But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me, 7 and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ 8 And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am (Z)Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 And those who were with me (AA)saw the light, to be sure, but (AB)did not [j]understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. 10 And I said, ‘(AC)What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.’ 11 But since I (AD)could not see because of the [k]brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus.
12 “A certain (AE)Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and (AF)well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing near said to me, ‘(AG)Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And [l](AH)at that very time I looked up at him. 14 And he said, ‘(AI)The God of our fathers has (AJ)appointed you to know His will and to (AK)see the (AL)Righteous One and to hear an [m]utterance from His mouth. 15 For you will be (AM)a witness for Him to all men of (AN)what you have seen and heard. 16 Now why do you delay? (AO)Get up and be baptized, and (AP)wash away your sins, (AQ)calling on His name.’
Choosing the Twelve
12 It was [a]at this time that He went off to (A)the mountain to (B)pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, (C)He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as (D)apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and [b]James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; 15 and (E)Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
17 Jesus (F)came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was (G)a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of (H)Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. 19 And all the [c]people were trying to (I)touch Him, for (J)power was coming from Him and healing them all.
The Beatitudes
20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “(K)Blessed are [d]you who are poor, for (L)yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are [e]you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 (M)Blessed are you when men hate you, and (N)ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. 23 Be glad in that day and (O)leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For (P)in the same way their fathers used to [f]treat the prophets. 24 But woe to (Q)you who are rich, for (R)you are receiving your comfort in full. 25 Woe to you who [g]are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to [h]treat the (S)false prophets in the same way.
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