Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 55[a]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil[b] of David.
1 Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;(A)
2 hear me and answer me.(B)
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught(C)
3 because of what my enemy is saying,
because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me(D)
and assail(E) me in their anger.(F)
4 My heart is in anguish(G) within me;
the terrors(H) of death have fallen on me.
5 Fear and trembling(I) have beset me;
horror(J) has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;[c](K)
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,(L)
far from the tempest and storm.(M)”
9 Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,(N)
for I see violence and strife(O) in the city.(P)
10 Day and night they prowl(Q) about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.
11 Destructive forces(R) are at work in the city;
threats and lies(S) never leave its streets.
12 If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.
13 But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,(T)
14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship(U)
at the house of God,(V)
as we walked about
among the worshipers.
15 Let death take my enemies by surprise;(W)
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,(X)
for evil finds lodging among them.
16 As for me, I call to God,
and the Lord saves me.
17 Evening,(Y) morning(Z) and noon(AA)
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
18 He rescues me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.
19 God, who is enthroned from of old,(AB)
who does not change—
he will hear(AC) them and humble them,
because they have no fear of God.(AD)
20 My companion attacks his friends;(AE)
he violates his covenant.(AF)
21 His talk is smooth as butter,(AG)
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,(AH)
yet they are drawn swords.(AI)
22 Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;(AJ)
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.(AK)
23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked
into the pit(AL) of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful(AM)
will not live out half their days.(AN)
But as for me, I trust in you.(AO)
Psalm 138
Of David.
1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
before the “gods”(A) I will sing(B) your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple(C)
and will praise your name(D)
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,(E)
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.(F)
3 When I called,(G) you answered me;(H)
you greatly emboldened(I) me.
4 May all the kings of the earth(J) praise you, Lord,
when they hear what you have decreed.
5 May they sing(K) of the ways of the Lord,
for the glory of the Lord(L) is great.
6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;(M)
though lofty, he sees them(N) from afar.
7 Though I walk(O) in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.(P)
You stretch out your hand(Q) against the anger of my foes;(R)
with your right hand(S) you save me.(T)
8 The Lord will vindicate(U) me;
your love, Lord, endures forever(V)—
do not abandon(W) the works of your hands.(X)
Psalm 139
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 You have searched me,(Y) Lord,
and you know(Z) me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;(AA)
you perceive my thoughts(AB) from afar.
3 You discern my going out(AC) and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.(AD)
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.(AE)
5 You hem me in(AF) behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,(AG)
too lofty(AH) for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee(AI) from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens,(AJ) you are there;
if I make my bed(AK) in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,(AL)
your right hand(AM) will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark(AN) to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;(AO)
you knit me together(AP) in my mother’s womb.(AQ)
14 I praise you(AR) because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,(AS)
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made(AT) in the secret place,
when I was woven together(AU) in the depths of the earth.(AV)
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained(AW) for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a](AX) God!(AY)
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,(AZ)
they would outnumber the grains of sand(BA)—
when I awake,(BB) I am still with you.
19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!(BC)
Away from me,(BD) you who are bloodthirsty!(BE)
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries(BF) misuse your name.(BG)
21 Do I not hate those(BH) who hate you, Lord,
and abhor(BI) those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.(BJ)
23 Search me,(BK) God, and know my heart;(BL)
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves(A) with compassion, kindness, humility,(B) gentleness and patience.(C) 13 Bear with each other(D) and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.(E) 14 And over all these virtues put on love,(F) which binds them all together in perfect unity.(G)
15 Let the peace of Christ(H) rule in your hearts, since as members of one body(I) you were called to peace.(J) And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ(K) dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom(L) through psalms,(M) hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.(N) 17 And whatever you do,(O) whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks(P) to God the Father through him.
Jesus and John the Baptist(A)
18 John’s(B) disciples(C) told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”
21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses(D) and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy[a] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.(E) 23 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
24 After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet?(F) Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written:
28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God(H) is greater than he.”
29 (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John.(I) 30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law(J) rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)
31 Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other:
“‘We played the pipe for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you did not cry.’
33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine,(K) and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’(L) 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”
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