Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 82[a]
A psalm of Asaph.
82 God stands in[b] the assembly of El;[c]
in the midst of the gods[d] he renders judgment.[e]
2 He says,[f] “How long will you make unjust legal decisions
and show favoritism to the wicked?[g] (Selah)
3 Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless.[h]
Vindicate the oppressed and suffering.
4 Rescue the poor and needy.
Deliver them from the power[i] of the wicked.
5 They[j] neither know nor understand.
They stumble around[k] in the dark,
while all the foundations of the earth crumble.[l]
6 I thought,[m] ‘You are gods;
all of you are sons of the Most High.’[n]
7 Yet you will die like mortals;[o]
you will fall like all the other rulers.”[p]
8 Rise up, O God, and execute judgment on the earth!
For you own[q] all the nations.
Psalm 98[a]
A psalm.
98 Sing to the Lord a new song,[b]
for he performs[c] amazing deeds.
His right hand and his mighty arm
accomplish deliverance.[d]
2 The Lord demonstrates his power to deliver;[e]
in the sight of the nations he reveals his justice.
3 He remains loyal and faithful to the family of Israel.[f]
All the ends of the earth see our God deliver us.[g]
4 Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth.
Break out in a joyful shout and sing!
5 Sing to the Lord accompanied by a harp,
accompanied by a harp and the sound of music.
6 With trumpets and the blaring of the ram’s horn,
shout out praises before the king, the Lord.
7 Let the sea and everything in it shout,
along with the world and those who live in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands!
Let the mountains sing in unison
9 before the Lord.
For he comes to judge the earth.
He judges the world fairly,[h]
and the nations in a just manner.
3 1 “I am about to send my messenger,[a] who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord[b] you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger[c] of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
2 Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can keep standing when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire,[d] like a launderer’s soap. 3 He will act like a refiner and purifier of silver and will cleanse the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will offer the Lord a proper offering. 4 The offerings[e] of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in former times and years past.
5 “I[f] will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination; those who commit adultery; those who break promises;[g] and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans,[h] who refuse to help[i] the resident foreigner[j] and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Further Testimony About Jesus by John the Baptist
22 After this,[a] Jesus and his disciples came into Judean territory, and there he spent time with them and was baptizing. 23 John[b] was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim,[c] because water was plentiful there, and people were coming[d] to him[e] and being baptized. 24 (For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)[f]
25 Now a dispute came about between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew[g] concerning ceremonial washing.[h] 26 So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River,[i] about whom you testified—see, he is baptizing, and everyone is flocking to him!”
27 John replied,[j] “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’[k] but rather, ‘I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly[l] when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This then is my joy, and it is complete.[m] 30 He must become more important while I become less important.”[n]
Psalm 80[a]
For the music director, according to the shushan-eduth style;[b] a psalm of Asaph.
80 O Shepherd of Israel, pay attention,
you who lead Joseph like a flock of sheep.
You who sit enthroned above the cherubim,[c] reveal your splendor.[d]
2 In the sight of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh reveal[e] your power.
Come and deliver us.[f]
3 O God, restore us.
Smile on us.[g] Then we will be delivered.[h]
4 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,[i]
how long will you remain angry at your people while they pray to you?[j]
5 You have given them tears as food;[k]
you have made them drink tears by the measure.[l]
6 You have made our neighbors dislike us,[m]
and our enemies insult us.
7 O God of Heaven’s Armies,[n] restore us.
Smile on us.[o] Then we will be delivered.[p]
8 You uprooted a vine[q] from Egypt;
you drove out nations and transplanted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it;[r]
it took root,[s]
and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered by its shadow,
the highest cedars[t] by its branches.
11 Its branches reached the Mediterranean Sea,[u]
and its shoots the Euphrates River.[v]
12 Why did you break down its walls,[w]
so that all who pass by pluck its fruit?[x]
13 The wild boars of the forest ruin it;[y]
the insects[z] of the field feed on it.
14 O God of Heaven’s Armies,[aa] come back.
Look down from heaven and take notice.
Take care of this vine,
15 the root[ab] your right hand planted,
the shoot you made to grow.[ac]
16 It is burned[ad] and cut down.
May those who did this die because you are displeased with them.[ae]
17 May you give support to the one you have chosen,[af]
to the one whom you raised up for yourself.[ag]
18 Then we will not turn away from you.
Revive us and we will pray to you.[ah]
19 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,[ai] restore us.
Smile on us.[aj] Then we will be delivered.[ak]
Jesus and John the Baptist
2 Now when John[a] heard in prison about the deeds Christ[b] had done, he sent his disciples to ask a question:[c] 3 “Are you the one who is to come,[d] or should we look for another?” 4 Jesus answered them,[e] “Go tell John what you hear and see:[f] 5 The blind see, the[g] lame walk, lepers[h] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them[i] 6 —and blessed is anyone[j] who takes no offense at me!”
7 While they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness[k] to see? A reed shaken by the wind?[l] 8 What[m] did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing?[n] Look, those who wear soft clothing are in the palaces of kings![o] 9 What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more[p] than a prophet! 10 This is the one about whom it is written:
11 “I tell you the truth,[s] among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least[t] in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is! 12 From[u] the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,[v] and forceful people[w] lay hold of it. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John appeared.[x] 14 And if you are willing to accept it,[y] he is Elijah, who is to come. 15 The one who has ears had better listen![z]
16 “To[aa] what should I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces[ab] who call out to one another,[ac]
17 ‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance;[ad]
we wailed in mourning,[ae] yet you did not weep.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’[af] 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him,[ag] a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors[ah] and sinners!’[ai] But wisdom is vindicated[aj] by her deeds.”[ak]
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