Book of Common Prayer
Meditations and Prayers Relating to the Law of God.
Aleph
119 Blessed are those whose way is [a](A)blameless,
Who (B)walk in the Law of the Lord.
2 Blessed are those who (C)comply with His [b]testimonies,
And (D)seek Him (E)with all their heart.
3 They also (F)do no injustice;
They walk in His ways.
4 You have [c](G)ordained Your precepts,
[d]That we are to keep them diligently.
5 Oh that my (H)ways may be established
To (I)keep Your statutes!
6 Then I (J)will not be ashamed
When I look at all Your commandments.
7 I will (K)give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
8 I will keep Your statutes;
Do not utterly (L)abandon me!
Beth
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By (M)keeping it according to Your word.
10 With (N)all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me (O)wander from Your commandments.
11 I have (P)treasured Your word in my heart,
So that I may not sin against You.
12 Blessed are You, Lord;
(Q)Teach me Your statutes.
13 With my lips I have (R)told of
All the (S)ordinances of Your mouth.
14 I have (T)rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
[e]As much as in all riches.
15 I will (U)meditate on Your precepts
And [f]regard (V)Your ways.
16 I shall [g](W)delight in Your statutes;
I will (X)not forget Your word.
Gimel
17 (Y)Deal generously with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your Law.
19 I am a (Z)stranger on the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.
20 My soul is crushed [h](AA)with longing
For Your ordinances at all times.
21 You (AB)rebuke the arrogant, [i]the (AC)cursed,
Who (AD)wander from Your commandments.
22 (AE)Take disgrace and contempt away from me,
For I (AF)comply with Your testimonies.
23 Even though (AG)rulers sit and speak against me,
Your servant (AH)meditates on Your statutes.
24 Your testimonies also are my (AI)delight;
They are [j]my advisers.
God, a Helper against the Treacherous.
For the music director; [a]upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.
12 Help, Lord, for (A)the godly person has come to an end,
For the faithful have disappeared from the sons of mankind.
2 They (B)speak [b]lies to one another;
They speak with [c](C)flattering lips and a double heart.
3 May the Lord cut off all [d]flattering lips,
The tongue that (D)speaks great things;
4 Who (E)have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are [e]our own; who is lord over us?”
5 “Because of the (F)devastation of the poor, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now (G)I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will (H)put him in the safety for which he longs.”
6 The (I)words of the Lord are pure words;
Like silver (J)refined in a furnace on the ground, filtered seven times.
7 You, Lord, will keep them;
You will (K)protect him from this generation forever.
8 The (L)wicked strut about on every side
When [f](M)vileness is exalted among the sons of mankind.
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
13 How long, Lord? Will You (N)forget me forever?
How long (O)will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long am I to (P)feel anxious in my soul,
With (Q)grief in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3 (R)Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
(S)Enlighten my eyes, or I will (T)sleep the sleep of death,
4 And my enemy will (U)say, “I have overcome him,”
And (V)my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.
5 But I have (W)trusted in Your faithfulness;
My heart shall (X)rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will (Y)sing to the Lord,
Because He has (Z)looked after me.
Foolishness and Wickedness of People.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
14 The fool has (AA)said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed detestable acts;
There is (AB)no one who does good.
2 The Lord has (AC)looked down from heaven upon the sons of mankind
To see if there are any who [g](AD)understand,
Who (AE)seek God.
3 They have all (AF)turned aside, together they are corrupt;
There is (AG)no one who does good, not even one.
17 Then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends, (A)Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, about the matter, 18 so that they might (B)request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his friends would not be (C)killed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
The Secret Is Revealed to Daniel
19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night (D)vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; 20 Daniel said,
“May the name of God be (E)blessed forever and ever,
For (F)wisdom and power belong to Him.
21 It is He who (G)changes the times and the periods;
He (H)removes kings and appoints kings;
He gives (I)wisdom to wise men,
And knowledge to [a]people of understanding.
22 It is He who (J)reveals the profound and hidden things;
(K)He knows what is in the darkness,
And the (L)light dwells with Him.
23 To You, (M)God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise,
For You have given me (N)wisdom and power;
Even now You have made known to me what we (O)requested of You,
For You have made known to us the king’s matter.”
24 Thereupon, Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to kill the wise men of Babylon; he went and said this to him: “(P)Do not kill the wise men of Babylon! Take me [b]into the king’s presence, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.”
25 Then Arioch hurriedly (Q)brought Daniel [c]into the king’s presence and spoke to him as follows: “I have found a man among the [d](R)exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king!” 26 The king said to Daniel, whose name was (S)Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered before the king and said, “As for the secret about which the king has inquired, neither (T)wise men, sorcerers, soothsayer priests, nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. 28 However, there is a (U)God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the [e](V)latter days. This was your dream and the (W)visions [f]in your mind while on your bed. 29 As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts [g]turned to what would take place [h]in the future; and (X)He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will take place. 30 But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me [i]for any (Y)wisdom [j]residing in me more than in any other living person, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may understand the (Z)thoughts of your [k]mind.
12 I am writing to you, (A)little children, because (B)your sins have been forgiven you on account of His name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him (C)who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because (D)you have overcome (E)the evil one. I have written to you, children, because (F)you know the Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him (G)who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are (H)strong, and the (I)word of God remains in you, and (J)you have overcome the evil one.
Do Not Love the World
15 Do not love (K)the world nor the things in the world. (L)If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, (M)the lust of the flesh and (N)the lust of the eyes and (O)the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 (P)The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who (Q)does the will of God continues to live forever.
20 “I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, 21 that they may all be one; (A)just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, (B)so that the world may [a]believe that (C)You sent Me.
Disciples’ Future Glory
22 The (D)glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 (E)I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected [b]in unity, so that the world may [c]know that (F)You sent Me, and You (G)loved them, just as You loved Me. 24 Father, I desire that (H)they also, whom You have given Me, (I)be with Me where I am, so that they may see My (J)glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before (K)the foundation of the world.
25 “(L)Righteous Father, [d]although (M)the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that (N)You sent Me; 26 and (O)I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that (P)the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
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