Book of Common Prayer
The Lord, the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Salvation in Death.
A [a]Mikhtam of David.
16 (A)Protect me, God, for (B)I take refuge in You.
2 [b]I said to the Lord, “You are [c]my Lord;
I (C)have nothing good besides You.”
3 As for the [d](D)saints who are on the earth,
[e]They are the majestic ones; (E)all my delight is in them.
4 [f]The (F)pains of those who have acquired another god will be multiplied;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of (G)blood,
Nor will I (H)take their names upon my lips.
5 The Lord is the (I)portion of my inheritance and my (J)cup;
You support my (K)lot.
6 The measuring (L)lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my inheritance is (M)beautiful to me.
7 I will bless the Lord who has (N)advised me;
Indeed, my [g](O)mind instructs me in the night.
8 (P)I have (Q)set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is (R)at my right hand, (S)I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore (T)my heart is glad and (U)my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will (V)dwell securely.
10 For You (W)will not abandon my soul to [h]Sheol;
You will not [i](X)allow Your [j]Holy One to [k]undergo decay.
11 You will make known to me (Y)the way of life;
In (Z)Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are (AA)pleasures forever.
Prayer for Protection against Oppressors.
A Prayer of David.
17 Hear a (AB)just cause, Lord, (AC)give Your attention to my cry;
(AD)Listen to my prayer, which is not from (AE)deceitful lips.
2 Let (AF)my [l]judgment come forth from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look with (AG)integrity.
3 You have (AH)put my heart to the test;
You have visited me by night;
You have (AI)sifted me and (AJ)You find [m]nothing;
My (AK)intent is that my mouth will not offend.
4 As for the works of mankind, (AL)by the word of Your lips
I have kept from the (AM)ways of the violent.
5 My (AN)steps have held to Your [n]paths.
My (AO)feet have not slipped.
6 I have (AP)called upon You, for You will answer me, God;
(AQ)Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech.
7 (AR)Show Your wonderful faithfulness,
(AS)Savior of those who take refuge [o]at Your right hand
From those who rise up against them.
8 Keep me as [p]the (AT)apple of the eye;
Hide me (AU)in the shadow of Your wings
9 From the (AV)wicked who deal violently with me,
My (AW)deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They have (AX)closed their [q]unfeeling hearts,
With their mouths they (AY)speak proudly.
11 They have now (AZ)surrounded us in our steps;
They set their eyes (BA)to cast us down to the ground.
12 He is (BB)like a lion that is eager to tear,
And as a young lion (BC)lurking in secret places.
13 (BD)Arise, Lord, confront him, (BE)make him bow down;
(BF)Save my soul from the wicked with (BG)Your sword,
14 From people by (BH)Your hand, Lord,
From people [r]of the world, (BI)whose portion is in this life,
And whose belly You (BJ)fill with Your treasure;
They are satisfied with children,
And leave their abundance to their babies.
15 As for me, I shall (BK)behold Your face in righteousness;
(BL)I shall be satisfied with Your (BM)likeness when I awake.
A Cry of Anguish and a Song of Praise.
For the music director; upon [a]Aijeleth Hashshahar. A Psalm of David.
22 (A)My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
(B)Far from my [b]help are the words of my [c](C)groaning.
2 My God, I (D)cry out by day, but You do not answer;
And by night, but [d]I have no rest.
3 Yet (E)You are holy,
You who [e]are enthroned upon (F)the praises of Israel.
4 In You our fathers (G)trusted;
They trusted and You (H)rescued them.
5 To You they cried out and they fled to safety;
(I)In You they trusted and were not [f]disappointed.
6 But I am a (J)worm and not a person,
A (K)disgrace of mankind and (L)despised by the people.
7 All who see me (M)deride me;
They [g]sneer, they (N)shake their heads, saying,
8 “[h]Turn [i]him over to the Lord; (O)let Him save him;
Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”
9 Yet You are He who (P)brought me forth from the womb;
You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.
10 I was cast upon You (Q)from [j]birth;
You have been my God from my mother’s womb.
11 (R)Do not be far from me, for [k]trouble is near;
For there is (S)no one to help.
12 Many (T)bulls have surrounded me;
Strong bulls of (U)Bashan have encircled me.
13 They (V)open their mouths wide at me,
As a ravening and roaring (W)lion.
14 I am (X)poured out like water,
And all my (Y)bones are out of joint;
My (Z)heart is like wax;
It is melted within [l]me.
15 My (AA)strength is dried up like a piece of pottery,
And (AB)my tongue clings to my jaws;
And You (AC)lay me [m]in the dust of death.
16 For (AD)dogs have surrounded me;
[n]A band of evildoers has encompassed me;
[o]They (AE)pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones.
(AF)They look, they stare at me;
18 They (AG)divide my garments among them,
And they cast lots for my clothing.
19 But You, Lord, (AH)do not be far away;
You who are my help, (AI)hurry to my assistance.
20 Save my [p]soul from (AJ)the sword,
My (AK)only life from the [q]power of the dog.
21 Save me from the (AL)lion’s mouth;
From the horns of the (AM)wild oxen You (AN)answer me.
22 I will (AO)proclaim Your name to my brothers;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
23 (AP)You who fear the Lord, praise Him;
All you [r]descendants of Jacob, (AQ)glorify Him,
And (AR)stand in awe of Him, all you [s]descendants of Israel.
24 For He has (AS)not despised nor scorned the suffering of the afflicted;
Nor has He (AT)hidden His face from him;
But (AU)when he cried to Him for help, He heard.
25 From You comes (AV)my praise in the great assembly;
I shall (AW)pay my vows before those who fear Him.
26 The [t]afflicted will eat and (AX)be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will (AY)praise the Lord.
May your (AZ)heart live forever!
27 All the (BA)ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the (BB)families of the nations will worship before [u]You.
28 For the (BC)kingdom is the Lord’s
And He (BD)rules over the nations.
29 All the [v](BE)prosperous of the earth will eat and worship,
All those who (BF)go down to the dust will kneel before Him,
Even he who [w](BG)cannot keep his soul alive.
30 A [x](BH)posterity will serve Him;
It will be told of the Lord to (BI)the coming generation.
31 They will come and (BJ)will declare His righteousness
To a people (BK)who will be born, that He has performed it.
17 Then Jesse said to his son David, “(A)Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to your brothers. 18 (B)Bring also these ten slices of cheese to the commander of their thousand, (C)and look into the well-being of your brothers and bring back [a]confirmation from them. 19 For Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the Valley of Elah, fighting the Philistines.”
David Accepts the Challenge
20 So David got up early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper, and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the (D)entrenchment encircling the camp while the army was going out in battle formation, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle formation, army against army. 22 Then David left the (E)baggage in the [b]care of the baggage keeper and ran to the battle line. And he entered and [c]greeted his brothers. 23 As he was speaking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke (F)these same words; and David heard him.
24 When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were very fearful. 25 And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will make the man who kills him wealthy with great riches, and (G)will give him his daughter and make his father’s house [d]free in Israel.”
26 Then David said to the men who were standing by him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and rids Israel of (H)the disgrace? For who is this (I)uncircumcised Philistine, that he has dared to (J)defy the armies of (K)the living God?” 27 The people [e]answered him in agreement with this statement, saying, “(L)This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”
28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard him when he spoke to the men; and (M)Eliab’s anger burned against David and he said, “Why is it that you have come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I myself know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.” 29 But David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a [f]question?” 30 Then he turned [g]away from him to another and (N)said the same thing; and the people replied with the same words as [h]before.
Gentiles Hear Good News
34 (A)Opening his mouth, Peter said:
“I most certainly understand now that (B)God is not one to show partiality, 35 but (C)in every nation the one who [a](D)fears Him and [b]does what is right is acceptable to Him. 36 The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, (E)preaching [c](F)peace through Jesus Christ (He is (G)Lord of all)— 37 you yourselves know the thing that happened throughout Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. 38 [d]You know of (H)Jesus of Nazareth, how God (I)anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, [e](J)and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for (K)God was with Him. 39 We are (L)witnesses of all the things that He did both in the [f]country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on [g](M)a cross. 40 (N)God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He [h]be revealed, 41 (O)not to all the people, but to (P)witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us (Q)who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He (R)ordered us to [i]preach to the people, and to (S)testify solemnly that this is the One who has been (T)appointed by God as (U)Judge of the living and the dead. 43 (V)All the prophets testify of Him, that through (W)His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, (X)the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the [j]message. 45 (Y)All the [k]Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had also been (Z)poured out on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them (AA)speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter responded, 47 “(AB)Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized, who (AC)have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” 48 And he (AD)ordered them to be baptized (AE)in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.
Preaching of John the Baptist
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, (A)the Son of God,
2 (B)just as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“(C)Behold, I am sending My messenger [a]before You,
Who will prepare Your way;
3 (D)The voice of one calling [b]out in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!’”
4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, [c](E)preaching a baptism of repentance for the (F)forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore (G)a leather belt around his waist, and [d]his diet was locusts and wild honey. 7 And he was [e]preaching, saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to bend down and untie the straps of His sandals. 8 I baptized you [f]with water; but He will baptize you [g]with the Holy Spirit.”
The Baptism of Jesus
9 (H)In those days Jesus (I)came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens [h]opening, and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon Him; 11 and a voice came from the heavens: “(J)You are My beloved Son; in You I [i]am well pleased.”
12 (K)And immediately the Spirit *brought Him out into the wilderness. 13 And He was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by (L)Satan; and He was with the wild animals, and the angels were serving Him.
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