Book of Common Prayer
Cry of Desperation
Psalm 88
1 A song, a psalm of the sons of Korah, for the music director, for singing Mahalath, a contemplative song[a] of Heman the Ezrahite.
2 Adonai, God of my salvation,
day and night I cried out before You.
3 Let my prayer come before You.
Turn Your ear to my cry.
4 For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
5 I am counted with those who go down into the Pit.
I have become as one with no strength—
6 abandoned among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
whom You remember no more—
cut off from Your hand.
7 You have laid me in the lowest places,
in dark places, in the depths.
8 Your wrath lies heavily on me.
You afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah
9 You have put my companions far from me.
You have made me repulsive to them.
I am shut in and I cannot go out.
10 My eye fails from affliction.
I call upon You every day, Adonai.
I spread out my hands to You.
11 Will You work wonders for the dead?
Or will the departed spirits rise up praising You? Selah
12 Will Your love be declared in the grave?
Or Your faithfulness in the place of ruin?
13 Will Your wonders be known in the darkness?
Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?
14 But I—I cried out to You, Adonai,
and in the morning my prayer meets You.
15 Adonai, why do You spurn me?
Why do You hide Your face from me?
16 From my youth I have been afflicted and close to death.
I suffer Your terrors—I am desperate!
17 Your fury has swept over me.
Your terrors have cut me off.
18 Like water they surge around me all day.
They close in on me together.
19 Friend and loved one You took far from me.
Darkness has become my companion.
Dwell in the Shelter of Elyon
Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of Elyon,
will abide in the shadow of Shaddai.
2 I will say of Adonai,
“He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.
3 For He will rescue you from the hunter’s trap
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with His feathers,
and under His wings you will find refuge.
His faithfulness is body armor and shield.
5 You will not fear the terror by night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the plague that stalks in darkness,
nor the scourge that lays waste at noon.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
and ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look on with your eyes
and see the wicked paid back.
9 For you have made Elyon your dwelling,
even Adonai, who is my refuge,
10 so no evil will befall you
nor any plague come near your tent.
11 For He will give His angels charge over you,
to guard you in all your ways.
12 Upon their hands they will lift you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.[a]
13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra,
trample the young lion and serpent.
14 “Because he has devoted his love to Me,
I will deliver him.
I will set him securely on high,
because he knows My Name.
15 When he calls on Me, I will answer him.
I will be with him in trouble, rescue him, and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him My salvation.”
It Is Good to Praise
Psalm 92
1 A psalm, a song for the Shabbat.
2 It is good to praise Adonai
and to make music to Your Name, Elyon,
3 to declare Your love in the morning
and Your faithfulness at night,
4 with a ten-string harp,
with resounding music on the lyre.
5 For You made me glad, Adonai, by Your deeds.
I sing for joy at the works of Your hands.
6 How great are Your works, Adonai!
How profound are Your thoughts!
7 A brutish man does not know,
nor does a fool understand.
8 Though the wicked spring up like grass,
and all evildoers flourish,
it is only to be ruined forever.
9 But You, Adonai, are exalted forever.
10 For behold, Your enemies, Adonai
—behold Your enemies perish—
all evildoers are scattered.
11 But You exalted my horn like that of a wild ox.
I am anointed with fresh oil.
12 My eye can gaze on those lying in wait for me.
My ears hear about evildoers rising up against me.
13 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree.
He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
14 Planted in the House of Adonai,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
15 They will still yield fruit in old age.
They will be full of sap and freshness.
16 They declare, “Adonai is upright, my Rock
—there is no injustice in Him.”
Besorah for the Brokenhearted
61 The Ruach of Adonai Elohim is on me,[a]
because Adonai has anointed me
to proclaim Good News to the poor.[b]
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound,
2 to proclaim the year of Adonai’s favor
and the day of our God’s vengeance,
to comfort all who mourn
3 to console those who mourn in Zion,
to give them beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning,[c]
the garment of praise
for the spirit of heaviness,
that they might be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of Adonai,
that He may be glorified.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins.
They will restore former desolations.
They will repair the ruined cities,
the desolations of many generations.
5 Strangers will stand and shepherd your flocks,
children of foreigners will be your plowmen and vinedressers.
6 But you will be called the kohanim of Adonai,
They will speak of you as the ministers of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations
and boast in their abundance.
7 Instead of your shame, double portion.
instead of disgrace they will sing for joy.
Therefore in their land they will inherit a double portion;
they will have everlasting joy.
8 For I, Adonai, love justice.
I hate robbery in the burnt offering.
In faithfulness I will reward My people
and cut an eternal covenant with them.
9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations,
their descendants among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize them,
for they are the seed that Adonai has blessed.
Opposition in the Last Days
3 But understand this, that in the last days[a] hard times will come— 2 for people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 hardhearted, unforgiving, backbiting, without self-control, brutal, hating what is good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to an outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people! 6 For among these are those who slip into households and deceive weak women weighed down with sins, led away by various desires, 7 always learning yet never able to come to the knowledge of truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses,[b] so do these people oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and worthless concerning the faith. 9 But these people will not make any more progress—for their folly, like that of Jannes and Jambres, will be obvious to everyone.
10 You, however, closely followed my teaching, manner of life, purpose, faithfulness, patience, love, perseverance— 11 as well as persecutions and sufferings that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! And the Lord rescued me from them all! 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Messiah Yeshua will be persecuted. 13 But evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
All Scripture Equips God’s People
14 You, however, continue in what you have learned and what you have become convinced of. For you know from whom you have learned, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to make you wise, leading to salvation through trusting in Messiah Yeshua. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God[c] and useful for teaching, for reproof, for restoration, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that the person belonging to God may be capable, fully equipped for every good deed.
Death and Resurrection Revealed
32 They were on the way going up to Jerusalem, and Yeshua was going ahead of them. And they were amazed, while those who followed were fearful. Again Yeshua took the Twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him.
33 He said, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the ruling kohanim and the Torah scholars. They will condemn Him to death and hand Him over to the Gentiles. [a] 34 They will mock Him and spit on Him, scourge Him and kill Him. Yet after three days, He will rise again!”
35 Then Jacob and John, the sons of Zebedee, come up to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.”
36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
37 They said to Him, “Let us sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.”
38 But Yeshua answered them, “You don’t know what you’re asking! Are you able to drink the cup I drink, or endure the immersion I must endure?”
39 They said to Him, “We are able.”
And Yeshua said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink, and you will endure the immersion I must endure. 40 But to sit on My right or left is not Mine to grant—it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
41 Now when the ten heard, they started to get angry with Jacob and John. 42 And calling them over, Yeshua said to them, “You know those recognized as rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones play the tyrant over them. 43 Yet it is not this way among you. But whoever wants to be great among you shall be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.