Book of Common Prayer
[a] A song of David.
25 Lord, I put my life in your hands.[b]
2 I trust in you, my God,
and I will not be disappointed.
My enemies will not laugh at me.
3 No one who trusts in you will be disappointed.
But disappointment will come to those who try to deceive others.
They will get nothing.
4 Lord, help me learn your ways.
Show me how you want me to live.
5 Guide me and teach me your truths.
You are my God, my Savior.
You are the one I have been waiting for.
6 Remember to be kind to me, Lord.
Show me the tender love that you have always had.
7 Don’t remember the sinful things I did when I was young.
Because you are good, Lord, remember me with your faithful love.
8 The Lord is good and does what is right.
He shows sinners the right way to live.
9 He teaches his ways to humble people.
He leads them with fairness.
10 The Lord is kind and true to those
who obey what he said in his agreement.
11 Lord, I have done many wrong things.
But I ask you to forgive them all to show your goodness.
12 When people choose to follow the Lord,
he shows them the best way to live.
13 They will enjoy good things,
and their children will get the land God promised.
14 The Lord tells his secrets to his followers.
He teaches them about his agreement.
15 I always look to the Lord for help.
Only he can free me from my troubles.[c]
16 I am hurt and lonely.
Turn to me, and show me mercy.
17 Free me from my troubles.
Help me solve my problems.
18 Look at my trials and troubles.
Forgive me for all the sins I have done.
19 Look at all the enemies I have.
They hate me and want to hurt me.
20 Protect me! Save me from them!
I come to you for protection, so don’t let me be disappointed.
21 You are good and do what is right.
I trust you to protect me.
22 God, save the people of Israel
from all their enemies.
[a] To the director: Use the Alamoth of Ben.[b] A song of David.
9 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart.
I will tell about the wonderful things you have done.
2 You make me happy, so I will rejoice in you.
God Most High, I praise your name.
3 My enemies turned to run from you,
but they fell and were destroyed.
4 You listened to me from your throne like a good judge,
and you decided that I was right.
5 You told the nations how wrong they were.
You destroyed those evil people.
You erased their names from our memory forever and ever.
6 The enemy is finished!
You destroyed their cities.
There is nothing left to remind us of them.
7 The Lord set up his throne to bring justice,
and he will rule forever.
8 He judges everyone on earth fairly.
He judges all nations honestly.
9 Many people are suffering—
crushed by the weight of their troubles.
But the Lord is a refuge for them,
a safe place they can run to.
10 Lord, those who know your name
come to you for protection.
And when they come,
you do not leave them without help.
11 Sing praises to the Lord, who sits as King in Zion.[c]
Tell the nations about the great things he has done.
12 He punishes murderers
and remembers those who are in need.
When suffering people cry for help,
he does not ignore them.
13 I said this prayer: “Lord, be kind to me.
See how my enemies are hurting me.
Save me from the ‘gates of death.’
14 Then, at the gates of Jerusalem,[d] I can sing praises to you.
I will be so happy because you saved me.”
15 Those other nations have fallen into the pit they dug to catch others.
They have been caught in their own trap.
16 The Lord showed that he judges fairly.
The wicked were caught by what they did to hurt others. Higgayon[e] Selah
17 The wicked will go to the place of death,
as will all the nations that forget God.
18 It may seem that those who are poor and needy have been forgotten,
but God will not forget them.
He will not leave them without hope.
19 Lord, get up[f] and judge the nations.
Don’t let anyone think they can win against you.
20 Teach them a lesson, Lord.
Let them know they are only human. Selah
A song of David.
15 Lord, who can live in your Holy Tent[a]?
Who can live on your holy mountain?
2 Only those who live pure lives, do what is right,
and speak the truth from their hearts.
3 Such people don’t say bad things about others.
They don’t do things to hurt their neighbors.
They don’t tell shameful things about those close to them.
4 They hate those who fail to please God
and honor those who respect the Lord.
If they make a promise to their neighbor,
they do what they promised.[b]
5 If they loan money to someone,
they do not charge them interest.
And they refuse to testify against an innocent person,
even if someone offers them money to do it.
Whoever lives like this will always stand strong.
9 But you must be careful! Be sure that as long as you live you never forget what you have seen. You must teach these things to your children and grandchildren. 10 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Horeb. The Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people together to listen to what I have to say. Then they will learn to respect me as long as they live on earth. And they will teach these things to their children.’ 11 You came near and stood at the bottom of the mountain. The mountain burned with fire that reached up to the sky. There were thick black clouds and darkness. 12 Then the Lord spoke to you from the fire. You heard the sound of someone speaking, but you did not see any form. There was only a voice. 13 The Lord told you about his agreement, which he commanded you to obey. He told you about the Ten Commandments, which he wrote on two stone tablets. 14 At that time the Lord also commanded me to teach you the other laws and rules that you must follow in the land you are going to take and live in.
1 Greetings from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am an apostle because that is what God wanted. Greetings also from Timothy our brother in Christ.
To God’s church in Corinth and to all of God’s holy people throughout Achaia.
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul Gives Thanks to God
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Father who is full of mercy, the God of all comfort. 4 He comforts us every time we have trouble so that when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us. 5 We share in the many sufferings of Christ. In the same way, much comfort comes to us through Christ. 6 If we have troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is so that we can comfort you. And this helps you patiently accept the same sufferings we have. 7 Our hope for you is strong. We know that you share in our sufferings. So we know that you also share in our comfort.
8 Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the trouble we suffered in Asia. We had great burdens there, which were greater than our own strength. We even gave up hope for life. 9 In fact, it seems like God has been telling us we are going to die. But this is so that we will not trust in ourselves but in God, who raises people from death. 10 He saved us from these great dangers of death, and he will continue to save us. We feel sure he will always save us. 11 And you can help us with your prayers. Then many people will give thanks for us—that God blessed us because of their many prayers.
Decide if You Can Follow Me(A)
25 Many people were traveling with Jesus. He said to them, 26 “If you come to me but will not leave your family, you cannot be my follower. You must love me more than your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters—even more than your own life! 27 Whoever will not carry the cross that is given to them when they follow me cannot be my follower.
28 “If you wanted to build a building, you would first sit down and decide how much it would cost. You must see if you have enough money to finish the job. 29 If you don’t do that, you might begin the work, but you would not be able to finish. And if you could not finish it, everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘This man began to build, but he was not able to finish.’
31 “If a king is going to fight against another king, first he will sit down and plan. If he has only 10,000 men, he will try to decide if he is able to defeat the other king who has 20,000 men. 32 If he thinks he cannot defeat the other king, he will send some men to ask for peace while that king’s army is still far away.
33 “It is the same for each of you. You must leave everything you have to follow me. If not, you cannot be my follower.
Don’t Lose Your Influence(B)
34 “Salt is a good thing. But if the salt loses its salty taste, you can’t make it salty again. 35 It is worth nothing. You can’t even use it as dirt or dung. People just throw it away.
“You people who hear me, listen!”
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International