Book of Common Prayer
God Implored to Confound His Enemies.
A Song, a Psalm of Asaph.
83 God, (A)do not remain quiet;
(B)Do not be silent and, God, do not be still.
2 For behold, Your enemies (C)make an uproar,
And (D)those who hate You have [a](E)exalted themselves.
3 They (F)make shrewd plans against Your people,
And [b]conspire together against (G)Your [c]treasured ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and (H)let’s wipe them out [d]as a nation,
So that the (I)name of Israel will no longer be remembered.”
5 For they have [e](J)conspired together with one mind;
They make a covenant against You:
6 The tents of (K)Edom and the (L)Ishmaelites,
(M)Moab and the (N)Hagrites;
7 (O)Gebal, (P)Ammon, and (Q)Amalek,
(R)Philistia with the inhabitants of (S)Tyre;
8 (T)Assyria also has joined them;
They have become [f]a help to the (U)children of Lot. Selah
9 Deal with them (V)as with Midian,
As (W)with Sisera and Jabin at the river of Kishon,
10 Who were destroyed at En-dor,
Who (X)became like dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like (Y)Oreb and Zeeb,
And all their leaders like (Z)Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “(AA)Let’s possess for ourselves
The (AB)pastures of God.”
13 My God, make them like the [g](AC)whirling dust,
Like (AD)chaff before the wind.
14 Like (AE)fire that burns the forest,
And like a flame that (AF)sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them (AG)with Your heavy gale,
And terrify them with Your storm.
16 (AH)Fill their faces with dishonor,
So that they will seek Your name, Lord.
17 May they be (AI)ashamed and dismayed forever,
And may they be humiliated and perish,
18 So that they will (AJ)know that (AK)You alone, whose name is the Lord,
Are the (AL)Most High over all the earth.
The Lord, a Provider and the One Who Rescues Me.
A Psalm of David, when he pretended to be insane before [a]Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
34 I will (A)bless the Lord at all times;
His (B)praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul will (C)make its boast in the Lord;
The (D)humble will hear it and rejoice.
3 (E)Exalt the Lord with me,
And let’s (F)exalt His name together.
4 I (G)sought the Lord and He answered me,
And (H)rescued me from all my fears.
5 They (I)looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will (J)never be ashamed.
6 This wretched man cried out, and (K)the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The (L)angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.
8 (M)Taste and see that the Lord is good;
How (N)blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9 Fear the Lord, you (O)His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is (P)no lack of anything.
10 The young lions do without and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the Lord will (Q)not lack any good thing.
11 (R)Come, you children, listen to me;
(S)I will teach you (T)the fear of the Lord.
12 (U)Who is the person who desires life
And loves length of days, that he may (V)see good?
13 Keep (W)your tongue from evil
And your lips from speaking (X)deceit.
14 (Y)Turn from evil and do good;
Seek peace and (Z)pursue it.
15 The (AA)eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,
And His ears are toward their cry for help.
16 The (AB)face of the Lord is against evildoers,
To (AC)eliminate the memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous (AD)cry out, and the Lord hears
And rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord (AE)is near to the (AF)brokenhearted
And saves those who are [b](AG)crushed in spirit.
19 (AH)The (AI)afflictions of the righteous are many,
But the Lord (AJ)rescues him from them all.
20 He protects all his bones,
(AK)Not one of them is broken.
21 (AL)Evil will bring death to the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous will suffer for their guilt.
22 The Lord (AM)redeems the souls of His servants,
And none of those who (AN)take refuge in Him will suffer for their guilt.
Prayer for God’s Mercy upon the Nation.
For the music director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
85 Lord, You showed (A)favor to Your land;
You (B)restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You (C)forgave the guilt of Your people;
You (D)covered all their sin. Selah
3 You (E)withdrew all Your fury;
You (F)turned away from Your burning anger.
4 (G)Restore us, God of our salvation,
And (H)cause Your indignation toward us to cease.
5 Will (I)You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger to [a]all generations?
6 Will You not [b](J)revive us again,
So that Your people may (K)rejoice in You?
7 Show us Your mercy, Lord,
And (L)grant us Your salvation.
8 [c]I will hear what God the Lord will say;
For He will (M)speak peace to His people, to His godly ones;
And may they not (N)turn back to [d]foolishness.
9 Certainly (O)His salvation is near to those who [e]fear Him,
That (P)glory may dwell in our land.
10 (Q)Graciousness and [f]truth have met together;
(R)Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 [g]Truth (S)sprouts from the earth,
And righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 Indeed, (T)the Lord will give what is good,
And our (U)land will yield its produce.
13 (V)Righteousness will go before Him
And will make His footsteps into a way.
Pleading and Trust.
A Prayer of David.
86 (W)Incline Your ear, Lord, and answer me;
For I am (X)afflicted and needy.
2 (Y)Protect my [h]soul, for I am (Z)godly;
You my God, save Your servant who (AA)trusts in You.
3 Be (AB)gracious to me, Lord,
For (AC)I call upon You all day long.
4 Make the soul of Your servant joyful,
For to You, Lord, (AD)I lift up my soul.
5 For You, Lord, are (AE)good, and (AF)ready to forgive,
And (AG)abundant in mercy to all who call upon You.
6 (AH)Listen, Lord, to my prayer;
And give Your attention to the sound of my pleading!
7 On (AI)the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
For (AJ)You will answer me.
8 There is (AK)no one like You among the gods, Lord,
Nor are there any works (AL)like Yours.
9 (AM)All nations whom You have made will come and worship before You, Lord,
And they will glorify Your name.
10 For You are (AN)great, and You (AO)do [i]wondrous deeds;
You alone (AP)are God.
11 (AQ)Teach me Your way, Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
(AR)Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will (AS)give thanks to You, Lord my God, with all my heart,
And I will glorify Your name forever.
13 For Your graciousness toward me is great,
And You have (AT)saved my soul from the [j]depths of [k]Sheol.
14 God, arrogant men have (AU)risen up against me,
And a gang of violent men have sought my [l]life,
And they have not set You before them.
15 But You, Lord, are a (AV)compassionate and gracious God,
Slow to anger and abundant in mercy and [m]truth.
16 (AW)Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
(AX)Grant Your strength to Your servant,
And save the (AY)son of Your maidservant.
17 (AZ)Show me a sign of good,
That those who hate me may (BA)see it and be ashamed,
Because You, Lord, (BB)have helped me and comforted me.
27 Then (A)a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘(B)Did I not indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house? 28 (C)Did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel to be My priests, to go up to My altar, to burn incense, to carry an ephod before Me? And did I not (D)give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel? 29 Why are you [a](E)showing contempt for My sacrifice and My offering (F)which I have commanded for My (G)dwelling, and why are you (H)honoring your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the [b]choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’ 30 Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘(I)I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father was to walk before Me forever’; but now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for (J)those who honor Me I will honor, and those (K)who despise Me will be insignificant. 31 Behold, (L)the days are coming when I will eliminate your [c]strength and the [d]strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 And you will look at (M)the distress of My dwelling, in spite of all the good that [e]I do for Israel; and there will never be an (N)old man in your house. 33 Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar, [f]so that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve, and all the [g]increase of your house will die [h]in the prime of life. 34 And this will be (O)the sign to you which will come in regard to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: (P)on the same day both of them will die. 35 But (Q)I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and My soul; and (R)I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before (S)My anointed always. 36 And everyone who is left in your house will come to bow down to him for a [i]silver coin or a loaf of bread and say, “Please [j]assign me to one of the priest’s offices so that I may eat a piece of bread.”’”
22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: (A)Jesus the Nazarene, (B)a Man [a]attested to you by God with [b]miracles and (C)wonders and [c]signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man, delivered over by the (D)predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, (E)you nailed to a cross by the hands of [d]godless men and put Him to death. 24 [e]But (F)God raised Him from the dead, putting an end to the [f]agony of death, since it (G)was impossible for Him to be held [g]in its power. 25 For David says of Him,
‘(H)I saw the Lord continually before me,
Because He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue was overjoyed;
Moreover my flesh also will live in hope;
27 For You will not abandon my soul to (I)Hades,
(J)Nor will You [h]allow Your [i]Holy One to [j]undergo decay.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.’
29 “[k]Brothers, I may confidently say to you regarding the (K)patriarch David that he both (L)died and (M)was buried, and (N)his tomb is [l]with us to this day. 30 So because he was (O)a prophet and knew that (P)God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one [m]of his descendants on his throne, 31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the [n]Christ, that (Q)He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh [o]suffer decay. 32 It is this Jesus whom (R)God raised up, [p]a fact to which we are all (S)witnesses. 33 Therefore, [q]since He has been exalted [r](T)at the right hand of God, and (U)has received (V)the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has (W)poured out this which you both see and hear. 34 For it was not David who ascended into [s]heaven, but he himself says:
‘(X)The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
35 Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’
36 Therefore let all the (Y)house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both (Z)Lord and [t]Christ—this Jesus (AA)whom you crucified.”
41 (A)But He said to them, “How is it that they say the [a]Christ is (B)David’s son? 42 For David himself says in the book of Psalms,
‘(C)The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
43 (D)Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’
44 Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord,’ and so how is He his son?”
45 (E)And while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, (F)who like to walk around in long robes, and love personal greetings in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, 47 who [b]devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”
The Widow’s Gift
21 (G)Now He looked up and saw the wealthy putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 And He saw a poor widow putting [c]in (H)two [d]lepta coins. 3 And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; 4 for they all [e]contributed to the [f]offering from their [g]surplus; but she, from her poverty, put in all [h]that she had (I)to live on.”
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