Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 26
By David.
1 Judge me favorably, O Yahweh,
because I have walked with integrity
and I have trusted you without wavering.
2 Examine me, O Yahweh, and test me.
Look closely into my heart and mind.
3 I see your mercy in front of me.
I walk in the light of your truth.
4 I did not sit with liars,
and I will not be found among hypocrites.
5 I have hated the mob of evildoers
and will not sit with wicked people.
6 I will wash my hands in innocence.
I will walk around your altar, O Yahweh,
7 so that I may loudly sing a hymn of thanksgiving
and tell about all your miracles.
8 O Yahweh, I love the house where you live,
the place where your glory dwells.
9 Do not sweep away my soul along with hardened sinners
or my life along with bloodthirsty people.
10 Evil schemes are in their hands.
Their right hands are full of bribes.
11 But I walk with integrity.
Rescue me, and have pity on me.
12 My feet stand on level ground.
I will praise Yahweh with the choirs in worship.
Psalm 28
By David.
1 O Yahweh, I call to you.
O my rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me.
If you remain silent,
I will be like those who go into the pit.
2 Hear my prayer for mercy when I call to you for help,
when I lift my hands toward your most holy place.
3 Do not drag me away with wicked people,
with troublemakers who speak of peace with their neighbors
but have evil in their hearts.
4 Pay them back for what they have done,
for their evil deeds.
Pay them back for what their hands have done,
and give them what they deserve.
5 Yahweh will tear them down and never build them up again,
because they never consider what he has done
or what his hands have made.
6 Thank Yahweh!
He has heard my prayer for mercy!
7 Yahweh is my strength and my Magen.
My heart trusted him, so I received help.
My heart is triumphant; I give thanks to him with my song.
8 Yahweh is the strength of his people
and a fortress for the victory of his Messiah.[a]
9 Save your people, and bless those who belong to you.
Be their Roeh, and carry them forever.
Psalm 36
For the choir director; by David, Yahweh’s servant.
1 There is an inspired truth about the wicked person
who has rebellion in the depths of his heart:
He is not terrified of Elohim.
2 He flatters himself and does not hate or even recognize his guilt.
3 The words from his mouth are nothing but trouble and deception.
He has stopped doing what is wise and good.
4 He invents trouble while lying on his bed
and chooses to go the wrong direction.
He does not reject evil.
5 O Yahweh, your mercy reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of Elohim,
your judgments like the deep ocean.
You save people and animals, O Yahweh.
7 Your mercy is so precious, O Elohim,
that Adam’s descendants take refuge
in the shadow of your wings.
8 They are refreshed with the rich foods in your house,
and you make them drink from the river of your pleasure.
9 Indeed, the fountain of life is with you.
In your light we see light.
10 Continue to show your mercy to those who know you
and your righteousness to those whose motives are decent.
11 Do not let the feet of arrogant people step on me
or the hands of wicked people push me away.
12 Look at the troublemakers who have fallen.
They have been pushed down and are unable to stand up again.
Psalm 39
For the choir director; for Jeduthun; a psalm by David.
1 I said,
“I will watch my ways so that I do not sin with my tongue.
I will bridle my mouth while wicked people are in my presence.”
2 I remained totally speechless.
I kept silent, although it did me no good.
While I was deep in thought, my pain grew worse.
3 My heart burned like a fire flaring up within me.
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Teach me, O Yahweh, about the end of my life.
Teach me about the number of days I have left
so that I may know how temporary my life is.
5 Indeed, you have made the length of my days only a few inches.
My life span is nothing compared to yours.
Certainly, everyone alive is like a whisper in the wind. Selah
6 Each person who walks around is like a shadow.
They are busy for no reason.
They accumulate riches without knowing who will get them.”
7 And now, Adonay, what am I waiting for?
My hope is in you!
8 Rescue me from all my rebellious acts.
Do not disgrace me in front of godless fools.
9 I remained speechless.
I did not open my mouth
because you are the one who has done this.
10 Remove the sickness you laid upon me.
My life is over because you struck me with your hand.
11 With stern warnings you discipline people for their crimes.
Like a moth you eat away at what is dear to them.
Certainly, everyone is like a whisper in the wind. Selah
12 Listen to my prayer, O Yahweh.
Open your ear to my cry for help.
Do not be deaf to my tears,
for I am a foreign resident with you,
a stranger like all my ancestors.
13 Look away from me so that I may smile again
before I go away and am no more.
15 You didn’t see Yahweh the day he spoke to you from the fire at Mount Horeb. So be very careful 16 that you don’t become corrupt and make your own carved idols. Don’t make statues that represent men or women, 17 any animal on earth, any creature with wings that flies, 18 any creature that crawls on the ground, or any fish in the water. 19 Don’t let yourselves be tempted to worship and serve what you see in the sky—the sun, the moon, the stars, or anything else. Yahweh your Elohim has given them to all people everywhere. 20 But you are the people Yahweh brought out of Egypt, the iron smelter, in order to make you his own people as you still are today.
21 Yahweh was angry with me because of you. So Yahweh your Elohim took an oath that I wouldn’t cross the Jordan River and enter the good land he is giving you as your property. 22 I’m going to die in this land and not cross the Jordan River, but you’re going to go across and take possession of that good land. 23 Be careful that you don’t forget the promise[a] that Yahweh your Elohim made to you. Don’t make your own carved idols or statues that represent anything Yahweh your Elohim has forbidden. 24 Yahweh your Elohim is Esh Oklah, El Kanna.
Paul’s Reason for Being Proud
12 We are proud that our conscience is clear. We are proud of the way that we have lived in this world. We have lived with a God-given holiness[a] and sincerity, especially toward you. It was not by human wisdom that we have lived but by God’s kindness.[b] 13 We are only writing you what you already knew before you read this. I hope you will understand this as long as you live, 14 even though you now understand it only partially. We are your reason to be proud, as you will be our reason to be proud on the day of our Lord Yeshua.
Why Paul Changed His Plans
15 Confident of this, I had previously wanted to visit you so that you could benefit twice. 16 My plans had been to go from the city of Corinth to the province of Macedonia. Then from Macedonia I had planned to return to you again in Corinth and have you support my trip to Judea.
17 You don’t think that I made these plans lightly, do you? Do you think that when I make plans, I make them in a sinful way? Why would I say that something is true when it isn’t? 18 You can depend on God. Our message to you isn’t false; it’s true. 19 God’s Son, Yeshua Christ, whom I, Silvanus, and Timothy told you about, was true not false. Because of him our message was always true. 20 Certainly, Christ made God’s many promises come true. For that reason, because of our message, people also honor God by saying, “Amen!”
21 God establishes us, together with you, in a relationship with Christ. He has also anointed us. 22 In addition, he has put his seal of ownership on us and has given us the Spirit as his guarantee.
The Lost Sheep(A)
15 All the tax collectors and sinners came to listen to Yeshua. 2 But the Pharisees and the experts in Moses’ Teachings complained, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Yeshua spoke to them using this illustration: 4 “Suppose a man has 100 sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the 99 sheep grazing in the pasture and look for the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 When he finds it, he’s happy. He puts that sheep on his shoulders and 6 goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says to them, ‘Let’s celebrate! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ 7 I can guarantee that there will be more happiness in heaven over one person who turns to God and changes the way he thinks and acts than over 99 people who already have turned to God and have his approval.”
The Lost Coin
8 “Suppose a woman has ten coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house, and look for the coin carefully until she finds it? 9 When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Let’s celebrate! I’ve found the coin that I lost.’ 10 So I can guarantee that God’s angels are happy about one person who turns to God and changes the way he thinks and acts.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.