Book of Common Prayer
[a] A song of David.
25 Lord, I put my life in your hands.[b]
2 I trust in you, my God,
and I will not be disappointed.
My enemies will not laugh at me.
3 No one who trusts in you will be disappointed.
But disappointment will come to those who try to deceive others.
They will get nothing.
4 Lord, help me learn your ways.
Show me how you want me to live.
5 Guide me and teach me your truths.
You are my God, my Savior.
You are the one I have been waiting for.
6 Remember to be kind to me, Lord.
Show me the tender love that you have always had.
7 Don’t remember the sinful things I did when I was young.
Because you are good, Lord, remember me with your faithful love.
8 The Lord is good and does what is right.
He shows sinners the right way to live.
9 He teaches his ways to humble people.
He leads them with fairness.
10 The Lord is kind and true to those
who obey what he said in his agreement.
11 Lord, I have done many wrong things.
But I ask you to forgive them all to show your goodness.
12 When people choose to follow the Lord,
he shows them the best way to live.
13 They will enjoy good things,
and their children will get the land God promised.
14 The Lord tells his secrets to his followers.
He teaches them about his agreement.
15 I always look to the Lord for help.
Only he can free me from my troubles.[c]
16 I am hurt and lonely.
Turn to me, and show me mercy.
17 Free me from my troubles.
Help me solve my problems.
18 Look at my trials and troubles.
Forgive me for all the sins I have done.
19 Look at all the enemies I have.
They hate me and want to hurt me.
20 Protect me! Save me from them!
I come to you for protection, so don’t let me be disappointed.
21 You are good and do what is right.
I trust you to protect me.
22 God, save the people of Israel
from all their enemies.
[a] To the director: Use the Alamoth of Ben.[b] A song of David.
9 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart.
I will tell about the wonderful things you have done.
2 You make me happy, so I will rejoice in you.
God Most High, I praise your name.
3 My enemies turned to run from you,
but they fell and were destroyed.
4 You listened to me from your throne like a good judge,
and you decided that I was right.
5 You told the nations how wrong they were.
You destroyed those evil people.
You erased their names from our memory forever and ever.
6 The enemy is finished!
You destroyed their cities.
There is nothing left to remind us of them.
7 The Lord set up his throne to bring justice,
and he will rule forever.
8 He judges everyone on earth fairly.
He judges all nations honestly.
9 Many people are suffering—
crushed by the weight of their troubles.
But the Lord is a refuge for them,
a safe place they can run to.
10 Lord, those who know your name
come to you for protection.
And when they come,
you do not leave them without help.
11 Sing praises to the Lord, who sits as King in Zion.[c]
Tell the nations about the great things he has done.
12 He punishes murderers
and remembers those who are in need.
When suffering people cry for help,
he does not ignore them.
13 I said this prayer: “Lord, be kind to me.
See how my enemies are hurting me.
Save me from the ‘gates of death.’
14 Then, at the gates of Jerusalem,[d] I can sing praises to you.
I will be so happy because you saved me.”
15 Those other nations have fallen into the pit they dug to catch others.
They have been caught in their own trap.
16 The Lord showed that he judges fairly.
The wicked were caught by what they did to hurt others. Higgayon[e] Selah
17 The wicked will go to the place of death,
as will all the nations that forget God.
18 It may seem that those who are poor and needy have been forgotten,
but God will not forget them.
He will not leave them without hope.
19 Lord, get up[f] and judge the nations.
Don’t let anyone think they can win against you.
20 Teach them a lesson, Lord.
Let them know they are only human. Selah
A song of David.
15 Lord, who can live in your Holy Tent[a]?
Who can live on your holy mountain?
2 Only those who live pure lives, do what is right,
and speak the truth from their hearts.
3 Such people don’t say bad things about others.
They don’t do things to hurt their neighbors.
They don’t tell shameful things about those close to them.
4 They hate those who fail to please God
and honor those who respect the Lord.
If they make a promise to their neighbor,
they do what they promised.[b]
5 If they loan money to someone,
they do not charge them interest.
And they refuse to testify against an innocent person,
even if someone offers them money to do it.
Whoever lives like this will always stand strong.
8 Look at you people! You join houses to houses and fields to fields until there is no room for anyone else. But when the punishment comes, you will be forced to live alone. You will be the only people in the whole land. 9 I heard the Lord All-Powerful make this oath: “I swear, all these houses will be destroyed. These big, fancy houses will be empty. 10 A ten-acre vineyard will make only a little wine,[a] and many sacks of seed will grow only a little grain.[b]”
11 How terrible it will be for you people who rise early in the morning and go looking for beer to drink. You stay awake late at night, getting drunk on wine. 12 At your parties with your wine, harps, drums, flutes, and other musical instruments, you don’t see what the Lord has done. You don’t notice what his hands have made.
18 Look at those people! They pull their guilt and sins behind them like people pulling wagons with ropes.[a] 19 They say, “We wish God would hurry and do what he plans to do so that we can see it. Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel happen soon so that we can know what it is.”
20 Look at those people! They say good is bad and bad is good. They think light is dark and dark is light. They think sour is sweet and sweet is sour. 21 They think they are so smart. They think they are very intelligent. 22 They are famous for drinking wine and are heroes known for mixing drinks. 23 And if you pay them enough money, they will forgive a criminal. But they will not let good people be judged fairly.
Be Ready for the Lord’s Coming
5 Now, brothers and sisters, we don’t need to write to you about times and dates. 2 You know very well that the day when the Lord comes again will be a surprise, like a thief who comes at night. 3 People will say, “We have peace and we are safe.” At that time destruction will come to them quickly, like the pains of a woman giving birth. And those people will not escape.
4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not living in darkness. And so that day will not surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all people who belong to the light. You belong to the day. We don’t belong to the night or to darkness. 6 So we should not be like other people. We should not be sleeping. We should be awake and have self-control. 7 People who sleep, sleep at night. People who drink too much, drink at night. 8 But we belong to the day, so we should control ourselves. We should wear faith and love to protect us. And the hope of salvation should be our helmet.
9 God did not choose us to suffer his anger. God chose us to have salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 Jesus died for us so that we can live together with him. It is not important if we are alive or dead when Jesus comes. 11 So encourage each other and help each other grow stronger in faith, just as you are already doing.
The Destruction of Jerusalem(A)
20 “You will see armies all around Jerusalem. Then you will know that the time for its destruction has come. 21 The people in Judea at that time should run away to the mountains. The people in Jerusalem must leave quickly. If you are near the city, don’t go in! 22 The prophets wrote many things about the time when God will punish his people. The time I am talking about is when all these things must happen. 23 During that time it will be hard for women who are pregnant or have small babies, because very bad times will come to this land. God will be angry with these people. 24 Some of the people will be killed by soldiers. Others will be made prisoners and taken to all the different countries. The holy city of Jerusalem will be under the control of foreigners until their time is completed.
Don’t Fear(B)
25 “Amazing things will happen to the sun, moon, and stars. And people all over the earth will be upset and confused by the noise of the sea and its crashing waves. 26 They will be afraid and worried about what will happen to the world. Everything in the sky will be changed. 27 Then people will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to happen, stand up tall and don’t be afraid. Know that it is almost time for God to free you!”
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International