Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 63
Comfort and Assurance in God’s Presence
A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.
1 O God, you are my God; I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.(A)
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.(B)
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.(C)
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name.(D)
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,[a]
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips(E)
6 when I think of you on my bed
and meditate on you in the watches of the night,(F)
7 for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.(G)
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.(H)
Psalm 98
Praise the Judge of the World
A Psalm.
1 O sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
have gotten him victory.(A)
2 The Lord has made known his victory;
he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.(B)
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our God.(C)
Psalm 103
Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness
Of David.
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.(A)
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,(B)
4 who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,(C)
5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live[a]
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works vindication
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.(D)
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he keep his anger forever.(E)
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins
nor repay us according to our iniquities.(F)
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;(G)
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions from us.(H)
13 As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.(I)
14 For he knows how we were made;
he remembers that we are dust.(J)
15 As for mortals, their days are like grass;
they flourish like a flower of the field;(K)
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
18 to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.(L)
19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.(M)
20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
obedient to his spoken word.(N)
21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers who do his will.(O)
22 Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
The Need of Reflection and Self-control
19 Before you speak, learn,
and before you fall ill, take care of yourself.(A)
20 Before judgment comes, examine yourself,
and at the time of scrutiny you will find forgiveness.(B)
21 Before falling ill, humble yourself,
and when you have sinned, repent.(C)
22 Let nothing hinder you from paying a vow promptly,
and do not wait until death to be released from it.(D)
23 Before making a vow, prepare yourself;
do not be like one who puts the Lord to the test.(E)
24 Think of his wrath on the day of death
and of the moment of vengeance when he turns away his face.(F)
25 In the time of plenty think of the time of hunger;
in days of wealth think of poverty and need.(G)
26 From morning to evening conditions change;
all things move swiftly before the Lord.(H)
27 One who is wise is cautious in everything;
when sin is all around, one guards against wrongdoing.
28 Every intelligent person knows wisdom
and praises the one who finds her.
29 Those who are skilled in words become wise themselves
and pour forth apt proverbs.[a](I)
Self-Control[b]
30 Do not follow your base desires
but restrain your appetites.(J)
31 If you allow your soul to take pleasure in base desire,
it will make you the laughingstock of your enemies.(K)
32 Do not revel in great luxury,
or you may become impoverished by contact with it.(L)
33 Do not become a beggar by feasting with borrowed money,
when you have nothing in your purse.[c]
15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.(A) 18 Consider the people of Israel:[a] Are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar?(B) 19 What do I imply, then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what they[b] sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons.(C) 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.(D) 22 Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?(E)
Do All to the Glory of God
23 “All things are permitted,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are permitted,” but not all things build up. 24 Do not seek your own advantage but that of the other.(F)
Reproving Another Who Sins
15 “If your brother or sister sins against you,[a] go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If you are listened to, you have regained that one.(A) 16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses.(B) 17 If that person refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church, and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a gentile and a tax collector.(C) 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.(D) 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.(E) 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.