Book of Common Prayer
Book 1 (Psalms 1-41)
Psalm 1[a]
1 How blessed[b] is the one[c] who does not follow[d] the advice[e] of the wicked,[f]
or stand in the pathway[g] with sinners,
or sit in the assembly[h] of scoffers.[i]
2 Instead[j] he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands;[k]
he meditates on[l] his commands[m] day and night.
3 He is like[n] a tree planted by flowing streams;[o]
it[p] yields[q] its fruit at the proper time,[r]
and its leaves never fall off.[s]
He succeeds in everything he attempts.[t]
4 Not so with the wicked!
Instead[u] they are like wind-driven chaff.[v]
5 For this reason[w] the wicked cannot withstand[x] judgment,[y]
nor can sinners join the assembly of the godly.[z]
6 Certainly[aa] the Lord guards the way of the godly,[ab]
but the way of the wicked ends in destruction.[ac]
Psalm 2[ad]
2 Why[ae] do the nations rebel?[af]
Why[ag] are the countries[ah] devising[ai] plots that will fail?[aj]
2 The kings of the earth[ak] form a united front;[al]
the rulers collaborate[am]
against the Lord and his anointed king.[an]
3 They say,[ao] “Let’s tear off the shackles they’ve put on us.[ap]
Let’s free ourselves from[aq] their ropes.”
4 The one enthroned[ar] in heaven laughs in disgust;[as]
the Lord taunts[at] them.
5 Then he angrily speaks to them
and terrifies them in his rage,[au] saying,[av]
6 “I myself[aw] have installed[ax] my king
on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 The king says,[ay] “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me:[az]
‘You are my son.[ba] This very day I have become your father.
8 Ask me,
and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,[bb]
the ends of the earth as your personal property.
9 You will break them[bc] with an iron scepter;[bd]
you will smash them like a potter’s jar.’”[be]
10 So now, you kings, do what is wise;[bf]
you rulers of the earth, submit to correction.[bg]
11 Serve[bh] the Lord in fear.
Repent in terror.[bi]
12 Give sincere homage.[bj]
Otherwise he[bk] will be angry,[bl]
and you will die because of your behavior,[bm]
when his anger quickly ignites.[bn]
How blessed[bo] are all who take shelter in him![bp]
Psalm 3[bq]
A psalm of David, written when he fled from his son Absalom.[br]
3 Lord, how[bs] numerous are my enemies!
Many attack me.[bt]
2 Many say about me,
“God will not deliver him.”[bu] (Selah)[bv]
3 But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me;[bw]
you are my glory[bx] and the one who restores me.[by]
4 To the Lord I cried out,[bz]
and he answered me from his holy hill.[ca] (Selah)
5 I rested and slept;
I awoke,[cb] for the Lord protects[cc] me.
6 I am not afraid[cd] of the multitude of people[ce]
who attack me from all directions.[cf]
7 Rise up,[cg] Lord!
Deliver me, my God!
Yes,[ch] you will strike[ci] all my enemies on the jaw;
you will break the teeth[cj] of the wicked.[ck]
8 The Lord delivers;[cl]
you show favor to your people.[cm] (Selah)
Psalm 4[cn]
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of David.
4 When I call out, answer me,
O God who vindicates me.[co]
Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place.[cp]
Have mercy on me[cq] and respond to[cr] my prayer.
2 You men,[cs] how long will you try to turn my honor into shame?[ct]
How long[cu] will you love what is worthless[cv]
and search for what is deceptive?[cw] (Selah)
3 Realize that[cx] the Lord shows the godly special favor;[cy]
the Lord responds[cz] when I cry out to him.
4 Tremble with fear and do not sin.[da]
Meditate as you lie in bed, and repent of your ways.[db] (Selah)
5 Offer the prescribed sacrifices[dc]
and trust in the Lord.[dd]
6 Many say, “Who can show us anything good?”
Smile upon us, Lord![de]
7 You make me happier[df]
than those who have abundant grain and wine.[dg]
8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully,[dh]
for you, Lord, make me safe and secure.[di]
Psalm 7[a]
A musical composition[b] by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning[c] a Benjaminite named Cush.[d]
7 O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter.[e]
Deliver me from all who chase me. Rescue me!
2 Otherwise they will rip[f] me[g] to shreds like a lion;
they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me.[h]
3 O Lord my God, if I have done what they say,[i]
or am guilty of unjust actions,[j]
4 or have wronged my ally,[k]
or helped his lawless enemy,[l]
5 may an enemy relentlessly chase[m] me[n] and catch me;[o]
may he trample me to death[p]
and leave me lying dishonored in the dust.[q] (Selah)
6 Stand up angrily,[r] Lord.
Rise up with raging fury against my enemies.[s]
Wake up for my sake, and execute the judgment you have decreed for them.[t]
7 The countries are assembled all around you;[u]
take once more your rightful place over them.[v]
8 The Lord judges the nations.[w]
Vindicate me, Lord, because I am innocent,[x]
because I am blameless,[y] O Exalted One.[z]
9 May the evil deeds of the wicked[aa] come to an end.[ab]
But make the innocent[ac] secure,[ad]
O righteous God,
you who examine[ae] inner thoughts and motives.[af]
10 The Exalted God is my shield,[ag]
the one who delivers the morally upright.[ah]
11 God is a just judge;
he is angry throughout the day.[ai]
12 If a person[aj] does not repent, God will wield his sword.[ak]
He has prepared to shoot his bow.[al]
13 He has prepared deadly weapons to use against him;[am]
he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows.[an]
14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness,
who conceives destructive plans,
and gives birth to harmful lies—
15 he digs a pit[ao]
and then falls into the hole he has made.[ap]
16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans[aq]—
and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head.[ar]
17 I will thank the Lord for[as] his justice;
I will sing praises to the Lord Most High![at]
The Lord is Incomparable
12 Who has measured out the waters[a] in the hollow of his hand,
or carefully[b] measured the sky,[c]
or carefully weighed[d] the soil of the earth,
or weighed the mountains in a balance,
or the hills on scales?[e]
13 Who comprehends[f] the mind[g] of the Lord,
or gives him instruction as his counselor?[h]
14 From whom does he receive directions?[i]
Who[j] teaches him the correct way to do things,[k]
or imparts knowledge to him,
or instructs him in skillful design?[l]
15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales.
He lifts[m] the coastlands[n] as if they were dust.
16 Not even Lebanon could supply enough firewood for a sacrifice;[o]
its wild animals would not provide enough burnt offerings.[p]
17 All the nations are insignificant before him;
they are regarded as absolutely nothing.[q]
18 To whom can you compare God?
To what image can you liken him?
19 A craftsman casts[r] an idol;
a metalsmith overlays it with gold
and forges silver chains for it.
20 To make a contribution one selects wood that will not rot;[s]
he then seeks a skilled craftsman
to make[t] an idol that will not fall over.
21 Do you not know?
Do you not hear?
Has it not been told to you since the very beginning?
Have you not understood from the time the earth’s foundations were made?
22 He is the one who sits on the earth’s horizon;[u]
its inhabitants are like grasshoppers before him.[v]
He is the one who stretches out the sky like a thin curtain,[w]
and spreads it out[x] like a pitched tent.[y]
23 He is the one who reduces rulers to nothing;
he makes the earth’s leaders insignificant.
Salutation
1 From Paul,[a] an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints [in Ephesus],[b] the faithful[c] in Christ Jesus. 2 Grace and peace to you[d] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 Blessed[e] is[f] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed[g] us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ. 4 For[h] he chose us in Christ[i] before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless[j] before him[k] in love.[l] 5 He did this by predestining[m] us to adoption as his[n] legal heirs[o] through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure[p] of his will— 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace[q] that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son.[r] 7 In him[s] we have redemption through his blood,[t] the forgiveness of our offenses,[u] according to the riches of his grace 8 that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight. 9 He did this when he revealed[v] to us the mystery[w] of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth[x] in Christ,[y] 10 toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head up[z] all things in Christ—the things in heaven[aa] and the things on earth.[ab] 11 In Christ[ac] we too have been claimed as God’s own possession,[ad] since we were predestined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will 12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope[ae] on Christ,[af] would be to the praise of his glory. 13 And when[ag] you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ[ah]—you were marked with the seal[ai] of the promised Holy Spirit,[aj] 14 who is the down payment[ak] of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession,[al] to the praise of his glory.
The Ministry of John the Baptist
1 The beginning of the gospel[a] of Jesus Christ,[b] the Son of God.[c] 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,[d]
“Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way,[e]
3 the voice of one shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make[f] his paths straight.’”[g]
4 In the wilderness[h] John the baptizer[i] began preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.[j] 5 People[k] from the whole Judean countryside and all of Jerusalem were going out to him, and he was baptizing them[l] in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. 6 John wore a garment made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.[m] 7 He proclaimed,[n] “One more powerful than I am is coming after me; I am not worthy[o] to bend down and untie the strap[p] of his sandals. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus
9 Now[q] in those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River.[r] 10 And just as Jesus[s] was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens[t] splitting apart and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.[u] 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my one dear Son;[v] in you I take great delight.”[w] 12 The Spirit immediately drove him into the wilderness.[x] 13 He was in the wilderness forty days,[y] enduring temptations from Satan. He[z] was with wild animals, and angels were ministering to his needs.[aa]
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