Book of Common Prayer
A Request to Act against Israel’s Neighbors
A song. A psalm of Asaph.[a]
83 O God, do not rest silently.
Do not keep silent or be still, O God.
2 For look, your enemies roar,
and those who hate you have lifted their head.
3 They devise cunning schemes[b] against your people,
and consult together against your protected ones.[c]
4 They say, “Come, let us annihilate them from being a nation,
so that the name of Israel will be remembered no more.”
5 For they have consulted together with a unified purpose.[d]
They have made a covenant against you:
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the inhabitants of Tyre.
8 Assyria also has joined with them.
They provide help[e] to the children of Lot. Selah
9 Do to them as you did with Midian,
as with Sisera, as with Jabin at the wadi of Kishon.
10 They were destroyed at En-dor;
they became dung for the ground.
11 Make their leaders like Oreb and Zeeb,
and all their chiefs like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us take as our possession
the pastures of God.”
13 O my God, make them like the tumbleweed,
like the chaff before wind.
14 As fire burns a forest,
and as a flame sets afire mountains,
15 so pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your storm.
16 Fill their faces with shame,
that they may seek your name, O Yahweh.
17 Let them be ashamed and terrified forever,
and let them be humiliated and perish
18 that they may know that you,
whose name is Yahweh, you alone,
are the Most High over the whole earth.
Yahweh the Shepherd
A psalm of David.[a]
23 Yahweh is my shepherd;
I will not lack for anything.
2 In grassy pastures he makes me lie down;
by quiet waters he leads me.
3 He restores my life.[b]
He leads me in correct paths[c]
for the sake of his name.
4 Even when I walk in a dark valley, I fear no evil
because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare before me a table
in the presence of my oppressors.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
6 Surely goodness and loyal love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will stay[d] in the house[e] of Yahweh
for a very long time.[f]
A Declaration of Trust
Of David.[a]
27 Yahweh is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
Yahweh is the refuge of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers drew near against me to eat my flesh—
my adversaries and my enemies who drew near to me—
they themselves stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear.
Though war arise against me,
even in this I will remain confident.
4 One thing I have asked from Yahweh;
it I will seek:
that I may dwell in the house[b] of Yahweh all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of Yahweh,
and to consider[c] his temple.
5 Because he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble.
He will conceal me in the hiding place of his tent.
He will set me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head will be high over my enemies round about me.
And I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy.
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to Yahweh.
7 Hear, O Yahweh, my voice when I call,
and be gracious to me and answer me.
8 On your behalf my heart says, “Seek my face.”
Your face, O Yahweh, I do seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me;
do not turn your servant away in anger.
You have been my help; do not abandon nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
10 If my father or my mother forsake me,
then Yahweh will receive me.
11 Teach me, O Yahweh, your way,
and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me over to the desire of my enemies,
because false witnesses have arisen against me,
and each breathing out violence.[d]
13 Surely[e] I believe that I will see the goodness of Yahweh
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for Yahweh.
Be strong and let your heart show strength,
and wait for Yahweh.
Hope in God’s Future Help
For the music director. Of the sons of Korah. A psalm.[a]
85 O Yahweh, you favored your land.
You restored the fortunes[b] of Jacob.
2 You took away the guilt[c] of your people;
you covered all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath;
you turned from your burning anger.
4 Restore us, O God of our salvation,
and annul your vexation with us.
5 Will you be angry against us forever?
Will you prolong your anger generation after generation?
6 Will you not again revive us,
that your people might rejoice in you?
7 Show us, O Yahweh, your loyal love,
and grant us your salvation.
8 I will hear what God, Yahweh, will speak,
because he will speak peace
to his people, even his faithful ones,[d]
but let them not return to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near for those who fear him,
that glory may abide in our land.
10 Loyal love and faithfulness[e] will meet one another;
righteousness and peace will kiss.
11 Faithfulness[f] will sprout from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from heaven.
12 Yes, Yahweh will give what is good,
and our land will give its produce.
13 Righteousness will go before him,
and it will make his steps a pathway.
A Prayer for Help against Ruthless Men
A prayer of David.[g]
86 Incline, O Yahweh, your ear and answer me,
because I am poor and needy.
2 Watch over my life because I am faithful.
You are my God; save your servant.
I am the one who trusts you.
3 Be gracious to me, O Lord,
because I call to you all day long.[h]
4 Make glad the soul of your servant,
because I desire you,[i] O Lord.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
and abundant in loyal love[j] for all who call to you.
6 Heed, O Yahweh, my prayer,
and attend to the voice of my supplications.
7 In the day of my trouble I call to you,
because you answer me.
8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
and there are no works like yours.
9 All the nations that you have made will come
and bow down[k] before you, O Lord,
and glorify your name.
10 For you are great and doing wondrous things;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me, O Yahweh, your way,
that I may walk in your truth.
Unite my heart[l] to fear your name.
12 I will give you thanks, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
and glorify your name forever,
13 because your loyal love is great toward me,
and you will have delivered my life from Sheol[m] below.
14 O God, arrogant men have risen up against me,
even a gang of ruthless men seek my life,
but they do not set you before them.[n]
15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger[o] and abundant in loyal love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me.
Give your strength to your servant,
and grant victory to the son[p] of your maidservant.
17 Do a sign that benefits me,
that those who hate me may see and be put to shame,
because you, O Yahweh, have helped me and comforted me.
21 Do not fear, O land,
rejoice and be glad,
because Yahweh has done great things.
22 Do not fear, wild animals of the field,
because the pastures of the desert have put forth new green shoots,
because the tree has produced its fruit,
the fig tree and the vine
have yielded their produce.
23 Be glad, O children of Zion,
be glad and rejoice in Yahweh your God,
because he has given for you
the autumn rains for your righteousness,[a]
and he has poured down[b] for you rainwater,
the autumn and spring rains, as before.
24 The threshing floors will be full with grain,
and the vats will overflow
with new wine and olive oil.
25 I will repay you the years
that the locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my mighty troops that I sent against you.
26 And you will eat abundantly and be satisfied,
and praise the name of Yahweh your God,
who has dealt with you wondrously.[c]
My people will never be ashamed.[d]
27 And you will know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and I am Yahweh,
your God, and there is no other.
My people will never be ashamed again.[e]
Greeting
1 James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion. Greetings!
Trials, Testing, and Faith
2 Consider it all joy, my brothers, whenever you encounter various trials, 3 because you[a] know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask for it from God, who gives to all without reservation and not reproaching, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask for it in faith, without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed about. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Now let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his high position, 10 but the rich person in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a flower of the grass. 11 For the sun rises with its burning heat and dries up the grass, and its flower falls off, and the beauty of its appearance is lost. So also the rich person in his pursuits[b] will wither away.
12 Blessed is the person[c] who endures testing, because when he[d] is approved he will receive the crown of life that he[e] has promised to those who love him. 13 No one who is being tempted should say, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted[f] by evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each one is tempted when he[g] is dragged away and enticed by his own desires. 15 Then desire, after it[h] has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it[i] is brought to completion, gives birth to death.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
15 Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were drawing near to hear him. 2 And both the Pharisees and the scribes were complaining, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!”
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 And he said, “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his[a] father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that is coming to me.’ So he divided his[b] assets between them. 13 And after not many days, the younger son gathered everything and[c] went on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his wealth by[d] living wastefully. 14 And after[e] he had spent everything, there was a severe famine throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 And he went and[f] hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to tend pigs. 16 And he was longing to fill his stomach with[g] the carob pods that the pigs were eating, and no one was giving anything[h] to him.
17 “But when he[i] came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have an abundance of food,[j] and I am dying here from hunger! 18 I will set out and[k] go to my father and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight![l] 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son! Make me like one of your hired workers.’ 20 And he set out and[m] came to his own father. But while[n] he was still a long way away, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him[o] and kissed him. 21 And his[p] son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight![q] I am no longer worthy to be called your son!’ 22 But his[r] father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it[s] on him, and put a ring on his finger[t] and sandals on his[u] feet! 23 And bring the fattened calf—kill it[v] and let us eat and[w] celebrate, 24 because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again! He was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and[x] approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he summoned one of the slaves and[y] asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has gotten him back healthy.’ 28 But he became angry and did not want to go in. So his father came out and[z] began to implore[aa] him. 29 But he answered and[ab] said to his father, ‘Behold, so many years I have served you, and have never disobeyed your command! And you never gave me a young goat so that I could celebrate with my friends! 30 But when this son of yours returned—who has consumed your assets with prostitutes—you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 But he said to him, ‘Child, you are always with me, and everything I have belongs to you.[ac] 32 But it was necessary to celebrate and to rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead, and is alive, and was lost, and is found!’”
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