Book of Common Prayer
33 He turns rivers into a wilderness
and springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 and a fruitful land into a salt waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into a pool of water,
a dry land into springs of water.
36 There He brings the hungry to live,
and they establish a city for a dwelling.
37 So they sow fields and plant vineyards
that yield a fruitful harvest.
38 He blesses them, they multiply greatly,
and He does not let their herds diminish,
39 after they were few and crushed
by oppression, calamity and sorrow.
40 He pours contempt on princes,
making them wander in trackless waste.
41 But He lifts the needy high above affliction,
and makes their families like a flock.
42 The upright see it and are glad,
and all iniquity shuts its mouth.
43 Who is wise?
Let him observe these things,
and consider Adonai’s lovingkindness.
With God We Do Valiantly
Psalm 108
1 A song, a psalm of David.
2 My heart is steadfast, O God.
I will sing, sing praises with all my soul.
3 Awake, harp and lyre—
I will awaken the dawn!
4 I will give thanks to You, Adonai, among the peoples,
I will sing praises to You among the nations.
5 For Your love is higher than the heavens,
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
6 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
let Your glory be above all the earth.
7 Let Your beloved ones be delivered.
Save with Your right hand, answer me!
8 God has spoken in His Sanctuary:
“I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem,
and measure out the valley of Succot.
9 Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine.
Also Ephraim is a helmet for My head,
Judah is my scepter.
10 Moab is My washbowl.
I throw my shoe on Edom.
I shout in triumph over Philistia.”
11 Who will bring me into the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
12 O God, have You not spurned us?
Will You go out no more with our armies?
13 Give us help against the adversary—
for useless is deliverance through man.
All Creation Praise the Creator
Psalm 33
1 Sing for joy to Adonai, you righteous.
Praise is fitting for the upright.
2 Praise Adonai with the harp.
Sing praises to Him with a ten string lyre.
3 Sing to Him a new song![a]
Play skillfully amid shouts of joy.
4 For the word of Adonai is upright
and all His work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice.
The earth is full of the love of Adonai.
6 By Adonai’s word were the heavens made,
and all their host by the breath of His mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea together in a heap.
He lays up deep waters in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear Adonai.
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it came to be.
He commanded, and it stood firm.
10 Adonai foils the purpose of the nations.
He thwarts the plans of the peoples.
11 The plan of Adonai stands forever,
the purposes of His heart from generation to generation.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is Adonai,
the people He chose for His own inheritance.
13 Adonai looks down from heaven.
He observes all humanity.
14 From His dwelling place He gazes
on all the inhabitants of the earth—
15 He who fashions the hearts of all,
who discerns all their deeds.
16 No king is saved by his great army,
no warrior is delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a false hope for victory,
nor can its great strength save.
18 Behold, the eyes of Adonai are on those who fear Him,
waiting for His love,
19 to deliver their souls from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for Adonai—
He is our help and our shield.
21 Our heart rejoices in Him,
because we trusted in His holy Name.
22 Let Your lovingkindness, Adonai,
be upon us, as we have waited for You.
My Son Called Out
11 “When Israel was a youth I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called My son.[a]
2 They called out to them
but they departed from their presence.
They kept sacrificing to the Baalim
and burning incense up to idols.
3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk.
I took them on My arms.
But they never acknowledged
that I had healed them.
4 With human cords I was drawing them,
with bonds of love,
and I became to them as One lifting a yoke from their jaws.
I bent down to them and fed them.
5 He will not return to the land of Egypt,
but the Assyrian will be his king—
because they refused to return.
6 So a sword will fall on his cities,
and destroy and devour his gate bars
because of their own counsels.
7 So My people are bent on turning from Me.
Although they are being called upwards,
none will rise up.
8 “How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I surrender you, Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I set you as Zeboim?
My heart is turning over within Me.
My compassions are kindled.
9 I will not vent My fierce anger.
I will not again destroy Ephraim.
For I am God—not a man—
the Holy One in the midst of you,
and I will not come in fury.”
17 “It happened that when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance; 18 and I saw Him saying to me, ‘Hurry! Get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your witness about Me.’
19 “And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another, I was imprisoning and beating those trusting in You. 20 Even when the blood of Your witness Stephen was spilled, I too was standing by and approving, and guarding the clothing of those who were killing him.’
21 “And he said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
22 Up to this statement they listened to him. Then they raised their voices, saying, “Away from the earth with this fellow! For he’s not fit to live!”
The Romans Intervene
23 As they were crying out and flinging off their cloaks and throwing dust into the air, [a] 24 the commander ordered Paul to be brought into headquarters. He said Paul should be examined by lashing, so that he might find out why they were shouting against him so. 25 But when they stretched him out with straps, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen without due process?”
26 Now when the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it, saying, “What are you going to do? For this man is Roman.”
27 The commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you Roman?”
And he said, “Yes.”
28 The commander answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.”
Paul said, “But I was born so.”
29 Therefore, those who were about to interrogate him instantly drew back from him. And the commander also was afraid when he found out that Paul was a Roman and that he had bound him.
27 “But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for the ones who mistreat you. 29 To the one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also. And from the one who takes your cloak, do not hold back your shirt. 30 Give to every one who asks you; and whoever takes something of yours, make no demands upon him.
31 “Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are doing good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do this. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to take, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same.
35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.[a] Then your reward will be great and you will be sons of Elyon, for He is kind to the ungrateful and evil ones. 36 Be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate to you.”
37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Pardon, and you will be pardoned. 38 Give, and it will be given to you—a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, overflowing, will be given into your lap. For whatever measure you measure out will be measured back to you.”
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.