Book of Common Prayer
Pleading for Help and Grateful Trust in God.
For the music director; according to [a]Jonath elem rehokim. A [b]Mikhtam of David, [c]when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
56 Be gracious to me, God, for a man has [d](A)trampled upon me;
[e]Fighting all day long he (B)oppresses me.
2 My enemies have (C)trampled upon me all day long,
For [f]they are many who (D)fight proudly against me.
3 [g]When I am (E)afraid,
[h]I will (F)put my trust in You.
4 (G)In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
(H)What can mere [i]mortals do to me?
5 All day long they (I)distort my words;
All their [j](J)thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They [k](K)attack, they lurk,
They (L)watch my [l]steps,
As they have (M)waited to take my [m]life.
7 Because of their wickedness, will there be an (N)escape for them?
In anger (O)make the peoples fall down, God!
8 You (P)have taken account of my [n]miseries;
Put my (Q)tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in (R)Your book?
9 Then my enemies will (S)turn back (T)on the day when I call;
This I know, [o]that (U)God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
In the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 In God I have put my [p]trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can mankind do to me?
12 Your (V)vows are binding upon me, God;
I will render thanksgiving offerings to You.
13 For You have (W)saved my soul from death,
[q]Indeed (X)my feet from stumbling,
So that I may (Y)walk before God
In the (Z)light of the [r]living.
Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors.
For the music director; set to [s]Al-tashheth. A [t]Mikhtam of David, [u]when he fled from Saul in the cave.
57 Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
For my soul (AA)takes refuge in You;
And in the (AB)shadow of Your wings I will take refuge
Until destruction (AC)passes by.
2 I will cry to God Most High,
To God who (AD)accomplishes all things for me.
3 He will (AE)send from heaven and save me;
He rebukes the one who [v](AF)tramples upon me. Selah
God will send His [w](AG)favor and His truth.
4 My soul is among (AH)lions;
I must lie among those who devour,
Among sons of mankind whose (AI)teeth are spears and arrows,
And their (AJ)tongue is a sharp sword.
5 (AK)Be exalted above the heavens, God;
May Your glory be above all the earth.
6 They have prepared a (AL)net for my steps;
My soul is (AM)bowed down;
They (AN)dug a pit before me;
They themselves have (AO)fallen into the midst of it. Selah
7 (AP)My (AQ)heart is steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!
8 Awake, (AR)my glory!
Awake, (AS)harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 (AT)I will praise You, Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the [x]nations.
10 For Your (AU)goodness is great to the heavens
And Your [y]truth to the clouds.
11 (AV)Be exalted above the heavens, God;
May Your glory be above all the earth.
Prayer for the Punishment of the Wicked.
For the music director; set to [z]Al-tashheth. A [aa]Mikhtam of David.
58 Do you indeed [ab]speak righteousness, you [ac]gods?
Do you (AW)judge [ad]fairly, you sons of mankind?
2 No, in heart you (AX)practice injustice;
On earth you (AY)clear a way for the violence of your hands.
3 The wicked have turned away (AZ)from the womb;
These who speak lies (BA)go astray from [ae]birth.
4 They have venom like the (BB)venom of a serpent;
Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear,
5 So that it (BC)does not hear the voice of [af](BD)charmers,
Or a skillful caster of spells.
6 God, (BE)shatter their teeth in their mouth;
Break out the fangs of the young lions, Lord.
7 May they (BF)flow away like water that runs off;
When he [ag](BG)aims his arrows, may they be as [ah]headless shafts.
8 May they be like a snail which goes along in slime,
Like the (BH)miscarriage of a woman that never sees the sun.
9 Before your (BI)pots can feel the fire of thorns
He will (BJ)sweep them away with a whirlwind, the [ai]green and the burning alike.
Prayer for Rescue from Secret Enemies.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
64 Hear my voice, God, in (A)my [a]complaint;
(B)Protect my life from dread of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the (C)secret discussion of evildoers,
From the restlessness of (D)the workers of injustice,
3 Who (E)have sharpened their tongues like a sword.
They (F)aimed bitter speech as their arrows,
4 To (G)shoot [b]from concealment at the innocent;
Suddenly they shoot at him, and (H)do not fear.
5 They make firm for themselves an evil [c]purpose;
They [d]talk of (I)setting snares secretly;
They say, “(J)Who can see them?”
6 They [e]devise injustices, saying,
“We are [f]ready with a well-conceived plot”;
For the [g](K)inward thought and the heart of a person are [h]deep.
7 But (L)God [i]will shoot an arrow at them;
Suddenly [j]they will be wounded.
8 So [k]they [l]will (M)make him stumble;
(N)Their own tongue is against them;
All who see them will (O)shake their heads.
9 Then all people [m]will (P)fear,
And they [n]will (Q)declare the work of God,
And [o]will consider [p]what He has done.
10 The righteous person will be (R)glad in the Lord and (S)take refuge in Him;
And all the upright in heart will boast.
God’s Abundant Favor to Earth and Mankind.
For the music director. A Psalm of David. A Song.
65 There will be silence [q]before You, and praise in Zion, God,
And the (T)vow will be fulfilled for You.
2 You who hear prayer,
To You (U)all [r]mankind comes.
3 [s](V)Wrongdoings prevail against me;
As for our offenses, You [t](W)forgive them.
4 (X)Blessed is the one You (Y)choose and allow to approach You;
He will dwell in Your courtyards.
We will be (Z)satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Your holy temple.
5 By (AA)awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, (AB)God of our salvation,
You who are the trust of all the (AC)ends of the earth and the farthest [u](AD)sea;
6 Who (AE)establishes the mountains by His strength,
Who is (AF)encircled with might;
7 Who (AG)stills the roaring of the seas,
The roaring of their waves,
And the (AH)turmoil of the nations.
8 They who dwell at the (AI)ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs;
You make the [v]sunrise and the sunset shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and (AJ)cause it to overflow;
You greatly (AK)enrich it;
The [w](AL)stream of God is full of water;
You prepare their (AM)grain, for so You prepare [x]the earth.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
You [y]settle its ridges,
You soften it (AN)with showers,
You bless its growth.
11 You have crowned the year [z]with Your (AO)goodness,
And Your [aa]paths (AP)drip with fatness.
12 (AQ)The pastures of the wilderness drip,
And the (AR)hills encircle themselves with rejoicing.
13 The meadows are (AS)clothed with flocks
And the valleys are (AT)covered with grain;
They (AU)shout for joy, yes, they sing.
Family Relations
18 (A)Wives, (B)be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 (C)Husbands, love your wives and do not become bitter against them. 20 (D)Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing [a]to the Lord. 21 (E)Fathers, do not [b]antagonize your children, so that they will not become discouraged.
22 [c](F)Slaves, obey those who are your [d]human masters in everything, (G)not with [e]eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, do your work [f]heartily, (H)as for the Lord and not for people, 24 (I)knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward [g]of (J)the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you (K)serve. 25 For (L)the one who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and [h](M)that without partiality.
4 Masters, grant your slaves justice and fairness, (N)knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
2 (O)Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time (P)for us as well, that God will open up to us a (Q)door for (R)the word, so that we may proclaim (S)the mystery of Christ, for which I have also (T)been imprisoned; 4 that I may make it clear (U)in the way that I ought to proclaim it.
5 [i](V)Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward (W)outsiders, [j](X)making the most of the opportunity. 6 (Y)Your speech must always be [k]with grace, as though seasoned with (Z)salt, so that you will know how you should (AA)respond to each person.
7 (AB)As to all my affairs, (AC)Tychicus, our (AD)beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. 8 (AE)For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may (AF)encourage your hearts; 9 [l]and with him is (AG)Onesimus, our faithful and (AH)beloved brother, (AI)who is one of your own. They will inform you about the whole situation here.
10 (AJ)Aristarchus, my (AK)fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also (AL)Barnabas’ cousin Mark (about whom you received [m]instructions; (AM)if he comes to you, welcome him); 11 and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only (AN)fellow workers for the kingdom of God (AO)who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me. 12 (AP)Epaphras, (AQ)who is one of your own, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, always (AR)striving earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may [n]stand [o](AS)mature and [p]fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I testify for him that he has [q]a deep concern for you and for those who are in (AT)Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 (AU)Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and (AV)Demas does also. 15 Greet the brothers and sisters who are in (AW)Laodicea and also [r]Nympha and (AX)the church that is in [s]her house. 16 (AY)When [t]this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part, (AZ)read [u]my letter that is coming from (BA)Laodicea. 17 Tell (BB)Archippus, “See to the (BC)ministry which you have received in the Lord, so that you may [v]fulfill it.”
18 [w]I, Paul, (BD)write this greeting with my own hand. (BE)Remember my [x](BF)imprisonment. (BG)Grace be with you.
The Anointing in Galilee
36 Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 (A)And there was a woman in the city who was a [a]sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38 and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, and began kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this Man were (B)a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a [b]sinner!”
Parable of Two Debtors
40 And Jesus responded and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he [c]replied, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A moneylender had two debtors: the one owed five hundred [d](C)denarii, and the other, fifty. 42 When they (D)were unable to repay, he canceled the debts of both. So which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered and said, “I assume the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” 44 And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you (E)gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You [e](F)gave Me no kiss; but she has not stopped kissing My feet since the time I came in. 46 (G)You did not [f]anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. 47 For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And He said to her, “(H)Your sins have been forgiven.” 49 And then those who were reclining at the table with Him began saying [g]to themselves, “(I)Who is this Man who even forgives sins?” 50 And He said to the woman, “(J)Your faith has saved you; (K)go in peace.”
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