Book of Common Prayer
A psalm of David. A prayer.
38 Lord, don’t correct me when you are angry.
Don’t punish me when you are burning with anger.
2 You have wounded me with your arrows.
You have struck me with your hand.
3 Because of your anger, my whole body is sick.
Because of my sin, I’m not healthy.
4 My guilt has become too much for me.
It is a load too heavy to carry.
5 My wounds are ugly. They stink.
I’ve been foolish. I have sinned.
6 I am bent over. I’ve been brought very low.
All day long I go around weeping.
7 My back is filled with burning pain.
My whole body is sick.
8 I am weak and feel as if I’ve been broken in pieces.
I groan because of the great pain in my heart.
9 Lord, everything I really want is clearly known to you.
You always hear me when I sigh.
10 My heart pounds, and my strength is gone.
My eyes can hardly see.
11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds.
My neighbors stay far away from me.
12 Those who are trying to kill me set their traps.
Those who want to harm me talk about destroying me.
All day long they make their plans and tell their lies.
13 Like a deaf person, I can’t hear.
Like someone who can’t speak, I can’t say a word.
14 I’m like someone who doesn’t hear.
I’m like someone whose mouth can’t make any reply.
15 Lord, I wait for you to help me.
Lord my God, I know you will answer.
16 I said, “Don’t let my enemies have the joy of seeing me fall.
Don’t let them brag when my feet slip.”
17 I am about to fall.
My pain never leaves me.
18 I admit that I have done wrong.
I am troubled by my sin.
19 Though I have done nothing to cause it, many people have become my enemies.
They hate me without any reason.
20 They pay me back with evil, even though I was good to them.
They bring charges against me, though I try only to do what is good.
21 Lord, don’t desert me.
My God, don’t be far away from me.
22 Lord my Savior,
come quickly to help me.
ד Daleth
25 I lie in the dust. I’m about to die.
Keep me alive as you have promised.
26 I told you how I’ve lived, and you gave me your answer.
Teach me your orders.
27 Help me understand how your rules direct me to live.
Then I may think deeply about the wonderful things you have done.
28 My sadness has worn me out.
Give me strength as you have promised.
29 Keep me from cheating and telling lies.
Be kind to me and teach me your law.
30 I have chosen to be faithful to you.
I put my trust in your laws.
31 Lord, I’m careful to obey your covenant laws.
Don’t let me be put to shame.
32 I am quick to follow your commands,
because you have added to my understanding.
ה He
33 Lord, teach me how your orders direct me to live.
Then I will live that way to the very end.
34 Help me understand your law so that I may follow it.
I will obey it with all my heart.
35 Teach me to live as you command,
because that makes me very happy.
36 Make me want to follow your covenant laws
instead of wanting to gain things only for myself.
37 Turn my eyes away from things that are worthless.
Keep me alive as you have promised.
38 Keep your promise to me.
Then other people will have respect for you.
39 Please don’t let me be put to shame.
Your laws are good.
40 I really want to follow your rules.
Keep me alive, because you do what is right.
ו Waw
41 Lord, show me your faithful love.
Save me as you have promised.
42 Then I can answer anyone who makes fun of me,
because I trust in your word.
43 Help me always to tell the truth about how faithful you are.
I have put my hope in your laws.
44 I will always obey your law,
for ever and ever.
45 I will lead a full and happy life,
because I’ve tried to obey your rules.
46 I will talk about your covenant laws to kings.
I will not be put to shame.
47 I take delight in obeying your commands
because I love them.
48 I reach out for your commands that I love.
I do this so that I may think deeply about your orders.
People Will Live in Jerusalem Again
24 The Lord says,
“People of Israel, I set you free.
I formed you when you were born as a nation.
“I am the Lord. I am the Maker of everything.
I alone stretch out the heavens.
I spread out the earth by myself.
25 “Some prophets are not really prophets at all.
I show that their signs are fake.
I make those who practice evil magic look foolish.
I destroy the learning of those who think they are wise.
Their knowledge does not make any sense at all.
26 I make the words of my servants the prophets come true.
I carry out what my messengers say will happen.
“I say about Jerusalem,
‘My people will live there again.’
I say about the towns of Judah,
‘They will be rebuilt.’
I say about their broken-down buildings,
‘I will make them like new again.’
27 I say to the deep waters,
‘Dry up. Let your streams become dry.’
28 I say about Cyrus,
‘He is my shepherd.
He will accomplish everything I want him to.
He will say about Jerusalem,
“Let it be rebuilt.”
And he will say about the temple,
“Let its foundations be laid.” ’
45 “Cyrus is my anointed king.
I take hold of his right hand.
I give him the power
to bring nations under his control.
I help him strip kings of their power
to go to war against him.
I break city gates open so he can go through them.
I say to him,
2 ‘I will march out ahead of you.
I will make the mountains level.
I will break down bronze gates.
I will cut through their heavy iron bars.
3 I will give you treasures that are hidden away.
I will give you riches that are stored up in secret places.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.
I am the God of Israel.
I am sending for you by name.
4 Cyrus, I am sending for you by name.
I am doing it for the good of the family of Jacob.
They are my servant.
I am doing it for Israel.
They are my chosen people.
You do not know anything about me.
But I am giving you a title of honor.
5 I am the Lord. There is no other Lord.
I am the one and only God.
You do not know anything about me.
But I will make you strong.
6 Then people will know there is no God but me.
Everyone from where the sun rises in the east
to where it sets in the west will know it.
I am the Lord.
There is no other Lord.
7 I cause light to shine. I also create darkness.
I bring good times. I also create hard times.
I do all these things. I am the Lord.
5 1 You are the children that God dearly loves. So follow his example. 2 Lead a life of love, just as Christ did. He loved us. He gave himself up for us. He was a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God.
3 There should not be even a hint of sexual sin among you. Don’t do anything impure. And do not always want more and more. These are not the things God’s holy people should do. 4 There must not be any bad language or foolish talk or dirty jokes. They are out of place. Instead, you should give thanks. 5 Here is what you can be sure of. Those who give themselves over to sexual sins are lost. So are people whose lives are impure. The same is true of those who always want more and more. People who do these things might as well worship statues of gods. No one who does them will receive a share in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Don’t let anyone fool you with worthless words. People who say things like that aren’t obeying God. He is angry with them. 7 So don’t go along with people like that.
8 At one time you were in the dark. But now you are in the light because of what the Lord has done. Live like children of the light. 9 The light produces what is completely good, right and true. 10 Find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the acts of darkness. They don’t produce anything good. Show what they are really like. 12 It is shameful even to talk about what people who don’t obey do in secret. 13 But everything the light shines on can be seen. And everything that the light shines on becomes a light. 14 That is why it is said,
“Wake up, sleeper.
Rise from the dead.
Then Christ will shine on you.”
The Story of the Farmer
4 Again Jesus began to teach by the Sea of Galilee. The crowd that gathered around him was very large. So he got into a boat. He sat down in it out on the lake. All the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things using stories. In his teaching he said, 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to plant his seed. 4 He scattered the seed on the ground. Some fell on a path. Birds came and ate it up. 5 Some seed fell on rocky places, where there wasn’t much soil. The plants came up quickly, because the soil wasn’t deep. 6 When the sun came up, it burned the plants. They dried up because they had no roots. 7 Other seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and crowded out the plants. So the plants did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It grew up and produced a crop 30, 60, or even 100 times more than the farmer planted.”
9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears should listen.”
10 Later Jesus was alone. The 12 disciples asked him about the stories. So did the others around him. 11 He told them, “The secret of God’s kingdom has been given to you. But to outsiders everything is told using stories. 12 In that way,
“ ‘They will see but never know what they are seeing.
They will hear but never understand.
Otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’ ” (Isaiah 6:9,10)
13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this story? Then how will you understand any stories of this kind? 14 The seed the farmer plants is God’s message. 15 What is seed scattered on a path like? The message is planted. The people hear the message. Then Satan comes. He takes away the message that was planted in them. 16 And what is seed scattered on rocky places like? The people hear the message. At once they receive it with joy. 17 But they have no roots. So they last only a short time. They quickly fall away from the faith when trouble or suffering comes because of the message. 18 And what is seed scattered among thorns like? The people hear the message. 19 But then the worries of this life come to them. Wealth comes with its false promises. The people also long for other things. All of these are the kinds of things that crowd out the message. They keep it from producing fruit. 20 And what is seed scattered on good soil like? The people hear the message. They accept it. They produce a good crop 30, 60, or even 100 times more than the farmer planted.”
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