Book of Common Prayer
ז (Zayin)
49 Remember your word to your servant,
for you have given me hope.
50 This[a] is what comforts me in my trouble,
for your promise revives me.[b]
51 Arrogant people do nothing but scoff at me.[c]
Yet I do not turn aside from your law.
52 I remember your ancient regulations,[d]
O Lord, and console myself.[e]
53 Rage takes hold of me because of the wicked,
those who reject your law.
54 Your statutes have been my songs[f]
in the house where I live.[g]
55 I remember your name during the night, O Lord,
and I will keep[h] your law.
56 This[i] has been my practice,
for I observe your precepts.
ח (Khet)
57 The Lord is my source of security.[j]
I have determined[k] to follow your instructions.[l]
58 I seek your favor[m] with all my heart.
Have mercy on me as you promised.[n]
59 I consider my actions[o]
and follow[p] your rules.
60 I keep your commands eagerly
and without delay.[q]
61 The ropes of the wicked tighten around[r] me,
but I do not forget your law.
62 In the middle of the night I arise[s] to thank you
for your just regulations.
63 I am a friend to all your loyal followers,[t]
and to those who keep your precepts.
64 O Lord, your loyal love fills the earth.
Teach me your statutes!
ט (Tet)
65 You are good[u] to your servant,
O Lord, just as you promised.[v]
66 Teach me proper discernment[w] and understanding.
For I consider your commands to be reliable.[x]
67 Before I was afflicted I used to stray off,[y]
but now I keep your instructions.[z]
68 You are good and you do good.
Teach me your statutes.
69 Arrogant people smear my reputation with lies,[aa]
but I observe your precepts with all my heart.
70 Their hearts are calloused,[ab]
but I find delight in your law.
71 It was good for me to suffer,
so that I might learn your statutes.
72 The law you have revealed is more important to me
than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.[ac]
Psalm 49[a]
For the music director, a psalm by the Korahites.
49 Listen to this, all you nations.
Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world.[b]
2 Pay attention, all you people,[c]
both rich and poor.
3 I will declare a wise saying;[d]
I will share my profound thoughts.[e]
4 I will learn a song that imparts wisdom;
I will then sing my insightful song to the accompaniment of a harp.[f]
5 Why should I be afraid in times of trouble,[g]
when the sinful deeds of deceptive men threaten to overwhelm me?[h]
6 They trust[i] in their wealth
and boast[j] in their great riches.
7 Certainly a man cannot rescue his brother;[k]
he cannot pay God an adequate ransom price[l]
8 (the ransom price for a human life[m] is too high,
and people go to their final destiny),[n]
9 so that he might continue to live[o] forever
and not experience death.[p]
10 Surely[q] one sees[r] that even wise people die;[s]
fools and spiritually insensitive people all pass away[t]
and leave their wealth to others.[u]
11 Their grave becomes their permanent residence,
their eternal dwelling place.[v]
They name their lands after themselves,[w]
12 but, despite their wealth, people do not last.[x]
They are like animals[y] that perish.[z]
13 This is the destiny of fools,[aa]
and of those who approve of their philosophy.[ab] (Selah)
14 They will travel to Sheol like sheep,[ac]
with death as their shepherd.[ad]
The godly will rule[ae] over them when the day of vindication dawns.[af]
Sheol will consume their bodies, and they will no longer live in impressive houses.[ag]
15 But[ah] God will rescue[ai] my life[aj] from the power[ak] of Sheol;
certainly[al] he will pull me to safety.[am] (Selah)
16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich[an]
and his wealth multiplies.[ao]
17 For he will take nothing with him when he dies;
his wealth will not follow him down into the grave.[ap]
18 He pronounces this blessing on himself while he is alive:
“May men praise you, for you have done well.”
19 But he will join his ancestors;[aq]
they will never again see the light of day.[ar]
20 Wealthy people do not understand;[as]
they are like animals[at] that perish.[au]
Psalm 53[a]
For the music director, according to the machalath style;[b] a well-written song[c] by David.
53 Fools say to themselves,[d] “There is no God.”[e]
They sin and commit evil deeds;[f]
none of them does what is right.[g]
2 God looks down from heaven[h] at the human race,[i]
to see if there is anyone who is wise[j] and seeks God.[k]
3 Everyone rejects God;[l]
they are all morally corrupt.[m]
None of them does what is right,[n]
not even one!
4 All those who behave wickedly[o] do not understand[p]—
those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,
and do not call out to God.
5 They are absolutely terrified,[q]
even by things that do not normally cause fear.[r]
For God annihilates[s] those who attack you.[t]
You are able to humiliate them because God has rejected them.[u]
6 I wish the deliverance[v] of Israel would come from Zion!
When God restores the well-being of his people,[w]
may Jacob rejoice,[x]
may Israel be happy![y]
13 1 Suppose a prophet or one who foretells by dreams[a] should appear among you and show you a sign or wonder,[b] 2 and the sign or wonder should come to pass concerning what he said to you, namely, “Let us follow other gods”—gods whom you have not previously known—“and let us serve them.” 3 You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer,[c] for the Lord your God will be testing you to see if you love him[d] with all your mind and being.[e] 4 You must follow the Lord your God and revere only him; and you must observe his commandments, obey him, serve him, and remain loyal to him. 5 As for that prophet or dreamer,[f] he must be executed because he encouraged rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, redeeming you from that place of slavery, and because he has tried to entice you from the way the Lord your God has commanded you to go. In this way you must purge evil from among you.[g]
False Prophets in the Family
6 Suppose your own full brother,[h] your son, your daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend should seduce you secretly and encourage you to go and serve other gods[i] that neither you nor your ancestors[j] have previously known,[k] 7 the gods of the surrounding people (whether near you or far from you, from one end of the earth[l] to the other). 8 You must not give in to him or even listen to him; do not feel sympathy for him or spare him or cover up for him. 9 Instead, you must kill him without fail![m] Your own hand must be the first to strike him,[n] and then the hands of the whole community. 10 You must stone him to death[o] because he tried to entice you away from the Lord your God, who delivered you from the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. 11 Thus all Israel will hear and be afraid; no longer will they continue to do evil like this among you.[p]
2 Make room for us in your hearts;[a] we have wronged no one, we have ruined no one,[b] we have exploited no one.[c] 3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I told you before[d] that you are in our hearts so that we die together and live together with you.[e]
A Letter That Caused Sadness
4 I have great confidence in you; I take great pride[f] on your behalf. I am filled with encouragement;[g] I am overflowing with joy in the midst of[h] all our suffering. 5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our body[i] had no rest at all, but we were troubled in every way—struggles from the outside, fears from within. 6 But God, who encourages[j] the downhearted, encouraged[k] us by the arrival of Titus. 7 We were encouraged[l] not only by his arrival, but also by the encouragement[m] you gave[n] him, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning,[o] your deep concern[p] for me, so that I rejoiced more than ever. 8 For even if I made you sad[q] by my letter,[r] I do not regret having written it[s] (even though I did regret it,[t] for[u] I see that my letter made you sad,[v] though only for a short time). 9 Now I rejoice, not because you were made sad,[w] but because you were made sad to the point of repentance. For you were made sad as God intended,[x] so that you were not harmed[y] in any way by us. 10 For sadness as intended by God produces a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret, but worldly sadness brings about death. 11 For see what this very thing, this sadness[z] as God intended, has produced in you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves,[aa] what indignation,[ab] what alarm, what longing, what deep concern,[ac] what punishment![ad] In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So then, even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong, or on account of the one who was wronged, but to reveal to you your eagerness on our behalf[ae] before God. 13 Therefore we have been encouraged. And in addition to our own encouragement, we rejoiced even more at the joy of Titus, because all of you have refreshed his spirit.[af] 14 For if I have boasted to him about anything concerning you, I have not been embarrassed by you,[ag] but just as everything we said to you was true,[ah] so our boasting to Titus about you[ai] has proved true as well. 15 And his affection for you is much greater[aj] when he remembers the obedience of you all, how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice because in everything I am fully confident in you.
The Coming of the Kingdom
20 Now at one point[a] the Pharisees[b] asked Jesus[c] when the kingdom of God[d] was coming, so he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs[e] to be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is[f] in your midst.”[g]
The Coming of the Son of Man
22 Then[h] he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days[i] of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 Then people[j] will say to you, ‘Look, there he is!’[k] or ‘Look, here he is!’ Do not go out or chase after them.[l] 24 For just like the lightning flashes[m] and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.[n] 25 But first he must[o] suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just[p] as it was[q] in the days of Noah,[r] so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People[s] were eating,[t] they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage—right up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then[u] the flood came and destroyed them all.[v] 28 Likewise, just as it was[w] in the days of Lot, people[x] were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; 29 but on the day Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.[y] 30 It will be the same on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, anyone who is on the roof,[z] with his goods in the house, must not come down[aa] to take them away, and likewise the person in the field must not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife![ab] 33 Whoever tries to keep[ac] his life[ad] will lose it,[ae] but whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.[af] 35 There will be two women grinding grain together;[ag] one will be taken and the other left.”[ah]
37 Then[ai] the disciples[aj] said[ak] to him, “Where,[al] Lord?” He replied to them, “Where the dead body[am] is, there the vultures[an] will gather.”[ao]
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