Book of Common Prayer
God Implored to Confound His Enemies.
A Song, a Psalm of Asaph.
83 O God, (A)do not remain quiet;
(B)Do not be silent and, O God, do not be still.
2 For behold, Your enemies (C)make an uproar,
And (D)those who hate You have [a](E)exalted themselves.
3 They (F)make shrewd plans against Your people,
And [b]conspire together against (G)Your [c]treasured ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and (H)let us wipe them out [d]as a nation,
That the (I)name of Israel be remembered no more.”
5 For they have [e](J)conspired together with one mind;
Against You they make a covenant:
6 The tents of (K)Edom and the (L)Ishmaelites,
(M)Moab and the (N)Hagrites;
7 (O)Gebal and (P)Ammon and (Q)Amalek,
(R)Philistia with the inhabitants of (S)Tyre;
8 (T)Assyria also has joined with them;
They have become [f]a help to the (U)children of Lot. [g]Selah.
9 Deal with them (V)as with Midian,
As (W)with Sisera and Jabin at the torrent of Kishon,
10 Who were destroyed at En-dor,
Who (X)became as dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like (Y)Oreb and Zeeb
And all their princes like (Z)Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “(AA)Let us possess for ourselves
The (AB)pastures of God.”
13 O my God, make them like the [h](AC)whirling dust,
Like (AD)chaff before the wind.
14 Like (AE)fire that burns the forest
And like a flame that (AF)sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them (AG)with Your tempest
And terrify them with Your storm.
16 (AH)Fill their faces with dishonor,
That they may seek Your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be (AI)ashamed and dismayed forever,
And let them be humiliated and perish,
18 That they may (AJ)know that (AK)You alone, whose name is the Lord,
Are the (AL)Most High over all the earth.
The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my (A)shepherd,
I [a]shall (B)not want.
2 He makes me lie down in (C)green pastures;
He (D)leads me beside [b](E)quiet waters.
3 He (F)restores my soul;
He (G)guides me in the [c](H)paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I (I)walk through the [d]valley of the shadow of death,
I (J)fear no [e]evil, for (K)You are with me;
Your (L)rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You (M)prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You [f]have (N)anointed my head with oil;
My (O)cup overflows.
6 [g]Surely (P)goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will [h](Q)dwell in the house of the Lord [i]forever.
A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God.
A Psalm of David.
27 The Lord is my (A)light and my (B)salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the [a](C)defense of my life;
(D)Whom shall I dread?
2 When evildoers came upon me to (E)devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they (F)stumbled and fell.
3 Though a (G)host encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
In spite of this I [b]shall be (H)confident.
4 (I)One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may (J)dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold (K)the [c]beauty of the Lord
And to [d](L)meditate in His temple.
5 For in the (M)day of trouble He will (N)conceal me in His [e]tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will (O)hide me;
He will (P)lift me up on a rock.
6 And now (Q)my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
And I will offer in His tent (R)sacrifices [f]with shouts of joy;
I will (S)sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
7 (T)Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice,
And be gracious to me and (U)answer me.
8 When You said, “(V)Seek My face,” my heart said to You,
“Your face, O Lord, (W)I shall seek.”
9 (X)Do not hide Your face from me,
Do not turn Your servant away in (Y)anger;
You have been (Z)my help;
(AA)Do not abandon me nor (AB)forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
10 [g]For my father and (AC)my mother have forsaken me,
But (AD)the Lord will take me up.
11 (AE)Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a (AF)level path
Because of [h]my foes.
12 Do not deliver me over to the [i](AG)desire of my adversaries,
For (AH)false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as (AI)breathe out violence.
13 [j]I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the (AJ)goodness of the Lord
In the (AK)land of the living.
14 (AL)Wait for the Lord;
Be (AM)strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.
Prayer for God’s Mercy upon the Nation.
For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
85 O Lord, You showed (A)favor to Your land;
You [a](B)restored the captivity of Jacob.
2 You (C)forgave the iniquity of Your people;
You (D)covered all their sin. [b]Selah.
3 You (E)withdrew all Your fury;
You (F)turned away from Your burning anger.
4 (G)Restore us, O God of our salvation,
And (H)cause Your indignation toward us to cease.
5 Will (I)You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger to [c]all generations?
6 Will You not Yourself [d](J)revive us again,
That Your people may (K)rejoice in You?
7 Show us Your lovingkindness, O Lord,
And (L)grant us Your salvation.
8 [e]I will hear what God the Lord will say;
For He will (M)speak peace to His people, [f]to His godly ones;
But let them not (N)turn back to [g]folly.
9 Surely (O)His salvation is near to those who [h]fear Him,
That (P)glory may dwell in our land.
10 (Q)Lovingkindness and [i]truth have met together;
(R)Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 [j]Truth (S)springs from the earth,
And righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 Indeed, (T)the Lord will give what is good,
And our (U)land will yield its produce.
13 (V)Righteousness will go before Him
And will make His footsteps into a way.
A Psalm of Supplication and Trust.
A Prayer of David.
86 (W)Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me;
For I am (X)afflicted and needy.
2 (Y)Preserve my [k]soul, for I am a (Z)godly man;
O You my God, save Your servant who (AA)trusts in You.
3 Be (AB)gracious to me, O Lord,
For (AC)to You I cry all day long.
4 Make glad the soul of Your servant,
For to You, O Lord, (AD)I lift up my soul.
5 For You, Lord, are (AE)good, and (AF)ready to forgive,
And (AG)abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.
6 (AH)Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
And give heed to the voice of my supplications!
7 In (AI)the day of my trouble I shall call upon You,
For (AJ)You will answer me.
8 There is (AK)no one like You among the gods, O Lord,
Nor are there any works (AL)like Yours.
9 (AM)All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And they shall glorify Your name.
10 For You are (AN)great and (AO)do [l]wondrous deeds;
You alone (AP)are God.
11 (AQ)Teach me Your way, O Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
(AR)Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will (AS)give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And will glorify Your name forever.
13 For Your lovingkindness toward me is great,
And You have (AT)delivered my soul from the [m]depths of [n]Sheol.
14 O God, arrogant men have (AU)risen up against me,
And [o]a band of violent men have sought my [p]life,
And they have not set You before them.
15 But You, O Lord, are a God (AV)merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and [q]truth.
16 (AW)Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
Oh (AX)grant Your strength to Your servant,
And save the (AY)son of Your handmaid.
17 (AZ)Show me a sign for good,
That those who hate me may (BA)see it and be ashamed,
Because You, O Lord, (BB)have helped me and comforted me.
21 (A)Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad,
For the Lord has done (B)great things.
22 Do not fear, beasts of the field,
For the (C)pastures of the wilderness have turned green,
For the tree has borne its fruit,
The fig tree and the vine have yielded [a]in full.
23 So rejoice, O (D)sons of Zion,
And (E)be glad in the Lord your God;
For He has (F)given you [b]the early rain for your vindication.
And He has poured down for you the rain,
The [c]early and [d](G)latter rain [e]as before.
24 The threshing floors will be full of grain,
And the vats will (H)overflow with the new wine and oil.
25 “Then I will make up to you for the years
That the swarming (I)locust has eaten,
The creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.
26 “You will have plenty to (J)eat and be satisfied
And (K)praise the name of the Lord your God,
Who has (L)dealt wondrously with you;
Then My people will (M)never be put to shame.
27 “Thus you will (N)know that I am in the midst of Israel,
And that I am the Lord your God,
And there is (O)no other;
And My people will never be (P)put to shame.
Testing Your Faith
1 [a](A)James, a (B)bond-servant of God and (C)of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To (D)the twelve tribes who are [b](E)dispersed abroad: (F)Greetings.
2 (G)Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter (H)various [c]trials, 3 knowing that (I)the testing of your (J)faith produces [d](K)endurance. 4 And let [e](L)endurance have its perfect [f]result, so that you may be [g](M)perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you (N)lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and [h]without reproach, and (O)it will be given to him. 6 But he must (P)ask in faith (Q)without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, (R)driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a [i](S)double-minded man, (T)unstable in all his ways.
9 (U)But the [j]brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; 10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because (V)like [k]flowering grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with [l](W)a scorching wind and (X)withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
12 (Y)Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has [m]been approved, he will receive (Z)the crown of life which the Lord (AA)has promised to those who (AB)love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “(AC)I am being tempted [n]by God”; for God cannot be tempted [o]by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then (AD)when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when (AE)sin [p]is accomplished, it brings forth death.
The Prodigal Son
11 And He said, “A man had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me (A)the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his [a](B)wealth between them. 13 And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. 14 Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. 15 So he went and [b]hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the [c]pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. 17 But when he came to [d]his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and [e]in your sight; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”’ 20 So he got up and came to [f]his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and [g](C)embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out (D)the best robe and put it on him, and (E)put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; 23 and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was (F)dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. 29 But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never [h]neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; 30 but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your [i](G)wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you [j]have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was (H)dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.