Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 101
A Vow of Integrity
A Davidic psalm.
1 I will sing of faithful love and justice;
I will sing praise to You, Lord.(A)
2 I will pay attention to the way of integrity.
When will You come to me?
I will live with a heart of integrity in my house.(B)
3 I will not set anything worthless before my eyes.
I hate the practice of transgression;
it will not cling to me.(C)
4 A devious heart will be far from me;
I will not be involved with[a] evil.(D)
5 I will destroy anyone
who secretly slanders his neighbor;(E)
I cannot tolerate anyone
with haughty eyes or an arrogant heart.(F)
6 My eyes favor the faithful of the land
so that they may sit down with me.
The one who follows the way of integrity
may serve me.(G)
7 No one who acts deceitfully
will live in my palace;
no one who tells lies
will remain in my presence.[b](H)
8 Every morning I will destroy
all the wicked of the land,
eliminating all evildoers from the Lord’s city.(I)
Psalm 109
Prayer against an Enemy
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.
1 God of my praise, do not be silent.(A)
2 For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me;
they speak against me with lying tongues.(B)
3 They surround me with hateful words
and attack me without cause.(C)
4 In return for my love they accuse me,
but I continue to pray.[a](D)
5 They repay me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.(E)
6 Set a wicked person over him;
let an accuser[b] stand at his right hand.(F)
7 When he is judged, let him be found guilty,
and let his prayer be counted as sin.(G)
8 Let his days be few;
let another take over his position.(H)
9 Let his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.(I)
10 Let his children wander as beggars,
searching for food far[c] from their demolished homes.(J)
11 Let a creditor seize all he has;
let strangers plunder what he has worked for.(K)
12 Let no one show him kindness,
and let no one be gracious to his fatherless children.(L)
13 Let the line of his descendants be cut off;
let their name be blotted out in the next generation.(M)
14 Let his ancestors’ guilt
be remembered before the Lord,(N)
and do not let his mother’s sin be blotted out.(O)
15 Let their sins[d] always remain before the Lord,
and let Him erase[e] all memory of them from the earth.(P)
16 For he did not think to show kindness,
but pursued the afflicted, poor, and brokenhearted
in order to put them to death.(Q)
17 He loved cursing—let it fall on him;
he took no delight in blessing—let it be far from him.(R)
18 He wore cursing like his coat—
let it enter his body like water
and go into his bones like oil.(S)
19 Let it be like a robe he wraps around himself,
like a belt he always wears.(T)
20 Let this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers,
to those who speak evil against me.(U)
21 But You, Yahweh my Lord,
deal kindly with me because of Your name;(V)
deliver me because of the goodness of Your faithful love.(W)
22 For I am afflicted and needy;(X)
my heart is wounded within me.(Y)
23 I fade away like a lengthening shadow;(Z)
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak from fasting,
and my body is emaciated.[f](AA)
25 I have become an object of ridicule to my accusers;[g]
when they see me, they shake their heads in scorn.(AB)
26 Help me, Lord my God;
save me according to Your faithful love(AC)
27 so they may know that this is Your hand
and that You, Lord, have done it.(AD)
28 Though they curse, You will bless.
When they rise up, they will be put to shame,
but Your servant will rejoice.(AE)
29 My accusers will be clothed with disgrace;
they will wear their shame like a cloak.(AF)
30 I will fervently thank the Lord with my mouth;
I will praise Him in the presence of many.(AG)
ע Ayin
121 I have done what is just and right;(A)
do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Guarantee Your servant’s well-being;(B)
do not let the arrogant oppress me.
123 My eyes grow weary(C) looking for Your salvation
and for Your righteous promise.
124 Deal with Your servant based on Your faithful love;(D)
teach me Your statutes.
125 I am Your servant;(E) give me understanding(F)
so that I may know Your decrees.
126 It is time for the Lord to act,(G)
for they have violated Your instruction.
127 Since I love Your commands(H)
more than gold, even the purest gold,
128 I carefully follow[a] all Your precepts(I)
and hate every false way.(J)
פ Pe
129 Your decrees are wonderful;(K)
therefore I obey them.(L)
130 The revelation of Your words(M) brings light
and gives understanding to the inexperienced.(N)
131 I open my mouth and pant(O)
because I long for Your commands.
132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,(P)
as is Your practice toward those who love Your name.
133 Make my steps steady through Your promise;(Q)
don’t let any sin dominate me.(R)
134 Redeem me from human oppression,(S)
and I will keep Your precepts.
135 Show favor to Your servant,(T)
and teach me Your statutes.(U)
136 My eyes pour out streams of tears(V)
because people do not follow Your instruction.
צ Tsade
137 You are righteous, Lord,(W)
and Your judgments are just.
138 The decrees You issue are righteous
and altogether trustworthy.(X)
139 My anger overwhelms me
because my foes forget Your words.(Y)
140 Your word is completely pure,(Z)
and Your servant loves it.(AA)
141 I am insignificant and despised,(AB)
but I do not forget Your precepts.(AC)
142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
and Your instruction is true.(AD)
143 Trouble and distress have overtaken me,
but Your commands are my delight.(AE)
144 Your decrees are righteous forever.(AF)
Give me understanding, and I will live.
Disobedience of the Priests
6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?(A) says Yahweh of Hosts to you priests, who despise My name.”
Yet you ask: “How have we despised Your name?”
7 “By presenting defiled food on My altar.”
You ask: “How have we defiled You?”(B)
When you say: “The Lord’s table is contemptible.”(C)
8 “When you present a blind animal for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present a lame or sick animal, is it not wrong?(D) Bring it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the Lord of Hosts. 9 “And now ask for God’s favor. Will He be gracious to us?(E) Since this has come from your hands, will He show any of you favor?”(F) asks the Lord of Hosts. 10 “I wish one of you would shut the temple doors,(G) so you would no longer kindle a useless fire on My altar!(H) I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Hosts, “and I will accept(I) no offering from your hands.(J)
11 “For My name will be great among the nations,(K) from the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense[a] and pure offerings will be presented in My name in every place because My name will be great among the nations,”[b] says Yahweh of Hosts.
12 But you are profaning it(L) when you say: “The Lord’s table is defiled, and its product, its food, is contemptible.” 13 You also say: “Look, what a nuisance!” “And you scorn[c] it,”[d](M) says the Lord of Hosts. “You bring stolen,[e](N) lame, or sick animals. You bring this as an offering! Am I to accept that from your hands?” asks the Lord.
14 “The deceiver is cursed who has an acceptable male in his flock and makes a vow but sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord.(O) For I am a great King,” says Yahweh of Hosts, “and My name[f] will be feared among the nations.
The Wisdom from Above
13 Who is wise and has understanding among you? He should show his works by good conduct with wisdom’s gentleness.(A) 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t brag and deny the truth.(B) 15 Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.(C) 16 For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy.(D) 18 And the fruit of righteousness(E) is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.
Proud or Humble
4 What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from the cravings(F) that are at war within you?[a] 2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your evil desires.(G)
4 Adulteresses![b][c] Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy.(H) 5 Or do you think it’s without reason the Scripture says that the Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously?[d](I)
6 But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says:
7 Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.(K) 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people!(L) 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow.(M) 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
11 Don’t criticize one another, brothers. He who criticizes a brother or judges his brother criticizes the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.(N) 12 There is one lawgiver and judge[f] who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?(O)
Ten Men Healed
11 While traveling to Jerusalem,(A) He passed between[a] Samaria and Galilee.(B) 12 As He entered a village, 10 men with serious skin diseases(C) met Him. They stood at a distance 13 and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master,(D) have mercy on us!”
14 When He saw them, He told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”(E) And while they were going, they were healed.[b]
15 But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and, with a loud voice, gave glory to God.(F) 16 He fell facedown(G) at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan.(H)
17 Then Jesus said, “Were not 10 cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Didn’t any return[c] to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well.”[d](I)
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