Book of Common Prayer
A Prayer for the King
Of Solomon.
72 God, give the king your good judgment
and the king’s son your goodness.
2 Help him judge your people fairly.
Help him decide what is right for the poor.
3 Let there be peace on the mountains
and goodness on the hills.
4 Help him be fair to the poor.
Help him save the needy
and punish those who hurt them.
5 Help him live as long as the sun shines.
Help him rule as long as the moon glows.
Let him be king from now on!
6 Let him be like rain on the grass,
like showers that water the earth.
7 Let goodness be plentiful while he lives.
Let peace continue as long as there is a moon.
8 Let his kingdom go from sea to sea,
and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
9 Let the people of the desert bow down to him.
And make his enemies lick the dust.
10 Let the kings of Tarshish and the faraway lands
bring him gifts.
Let the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring their presents to him.
11 Let all kings bow down to him.
Let all nations serve him.
12 He will help the poor when they cry for help.
He will help the needy when no one else will help them.
13 He will be kind to the weak and poor.
He will save their lives.
14 He will save them from cruel people who try to hurt them.
Their lives are precious to him.
15 Long live the king!
Let him receive gold from Sheba.
Let people always pray for him.
Let them bless him all day long.
16 Let the fields grow plenty of grain.
Let the hills be covered with crops.
Let the land be as fertile as Lebanon.
Let the cities grow like the grass in a field.
17 Let the king be famous forever.
Let him be remembered as long as the sun shines.
Let the nations be blessed because of him.
And may they all bless him.
18 Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel.
Only he does such miracles.
19 Praise his glorious name forever.
Let his glory fill the whole world.
Amen and amen.
20 This ends the prayers of David son of Jesse.
73 You made me and formed me with your hands.
Give me understanding so I can learn your commands.
74 Let those who fear you rejoice when they see me
because I put my hope in your word.
75 Lord, I know that your laws are right.
And it was right for you to punish me.
76 Comfort me with your love,
as you promised me, your servant.
77 Have mercy on me so that I may live.
I love your teachings.
78 Make the proud people ashamed because they lied about me.
But I will think about your orders.
79 Let those who fear you come to me.
They know your rules.
80 Let me obey your demands perfectly.
Then I will not be ashamed.
81 I am weak from waiting for you to save me.
But I trust your word.
82 My eyes are tired from looking for your promise.
When will you comfort me?
83 Even though I am like a leather wine bag going up in smoke,
I do not forget your demands.
84 How long will I live?
When will you judge those who are hurting me?
85 Proud people have dug pits to trap me.
They have nothing to do with your teachings.
86 All of your commands can be trusted.
Liars are hurting me. Help me!
87 They have almost put me in the grave.
But I have not rejected your orders.
88 Give me life by your love
so I can obey your rules.
89 Lord, your word is everlasting.
It continues forever in heaven.
90 Your loyalty will continue from now on.
You made the earth, and it still stands.
91 All things continue to this day because of your laws.
All things serve you.
92 If I had not loved your teachings,
I would have died from my sufferings.
93 I will never forget your orders
because you have given me life by them.
94 I am yours. Save me.
I have wanted to know your orders.
95 Wicked people are waiting to destroy me.
But I will think about your rules.
96 Everything I see has its limits.
But your commands have none.
The Death of Ahab
22 For three years there was peace between Israel and Aram. 2 During the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went to visit Ahab king of Israel.
3 At this same time Ahab asked his officers, “Remember that the king of Aram took Ramoth in Gilead from us? Why have we done nothing to get it back?” 4 So Ahab asked King Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with us? Will you fight against the army of Aram at Ramoth in Gilead?”
Jehoshaphat answered, “I will go with you. My soldiers and my horses are ready to join with your army. 5 But first we should ask the Lord to guide us.”
6 So Ahab called the prophets together. There were about 400 men. He asked them, “Should I go to war against the army of Aram at Ramoth in Gilead? Or should I wait?”
The prophets answered, “Go, because the Lord will let you defeat them.”
7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord here? Let’s ask him what we should do.”
8 King Ahab answered, “There is one other prophet. We could ask the Lord through him. But I hate him. When he prophesies, he never says anything good about me. He always says something bad. He is Micaiah, Imlah’s son.”
Jehoshaphat said, “King Ahab, you shouldn’t say that!”
9 So Ahab king of Israel told one of his officers to bring Micaiah to him at once.
10 Ahab king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah had on their royal robes. They were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor. This was near the entrance to the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were standing before them, speaking messages from the Lord. 11 One of the prophets was Zedekiah son of Kenaanah. He had made some iron horns. He said to Ahab, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You will use these horns to fight the Arameans. And you will destroy them.’”
12 All the other prophets said the same thing. They said, “Attack Ramoth in Gilead and win. The Lord will let you defeat the Arameans.”
13 The messenger who had gone to get Micaiah found him. He said to Micaiah, “All the other prophets are saying the king will succeed. You should agree with them. Give the king a good answer.”
14 But Micaiah answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me.”
15 Then Micaiah came to Ahab. The king asked him, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth in Gilead or not?”
Micaiah answered, “Attack and win! The Lord will let you defeat them.”
16 But Ahab said to Micaiah, “Tell me only the truth in the name of the Lord. How many times do I have to tell you this?”
17 So Micaiah answered, “I saw the army of Israel. They were scattered over the hills like sheep without a shepherd. The Lord said, ‘They have no leader. They should go home and not fight.’”
18 Then Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I told you! This prophet never says anything good about me. He only says bad things about me.”
19 But Micaiah continued to speak. He said, “Hear the message from the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne. His heavenly army was standing near him on his right and on his left. 20 The Lord said, ‘Who will trick Ahab into attacking Ramoth in Gilead? Do this so he will go and be killed.’
“The spirits did not agree about what they should do. 21 Then one spirit came and stood before the Lord. He said, ‘I will trick him.’
22 “The Lord asked, ‘How will you trick Ahab?’
“The spirit answered, ‘I will go to Ahab’s prophets. I will make them tell lies.’
“So the Lord said, ‘You will succeed in tricking him. Go and do it.’”
23 Micaiah said, “Ahab, this has now happened. The Lord has caused your prophets to lie to you. The Lord has decided that great trouble should come to you.”
24 Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up to Micaiah. And he hit Micaiah in the face. Zedekiah said, “Do you really believe the Lord’s spirit has left me and is now speaking through you?”
25 Micaiah answered, “You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inside room.”
26 Then Ahab king of Israel ordered, “Take Micaiah. Send him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king’s son. 27 Tell them I said to put Micaiah in prison. Give him only bread and water for food. Keep him there until I come home from the battle.”
28 Micaiah said, “Ahab, if you come back safely from battle, the Lord has not spoken through me. Remember my words, all you people.”
The Message of Christ’s Death
2 Dear brothers, when I came to you, I did not come as a proud man. I preached God’s truth, but not with fancy words or a show of great learning. 2 I decided that while I was with you I would forget about everything except Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. 3 When I came to you, I was weak and shook with fear. 4 My teaching and my speaking were not with wise words that persuade people. But the proof of my teaching was the power that the Spirit gives. 5 I did this so that your faith would be in God’s power, not in the wisdom of a man.
God’s Wisdom
6 Yet I speak wisdom to those who are mature. But this wisdom is not from this world or of the rulers of this world. (These rulers are losing their power.) 7 But I speak God’s secret wisdom, which he has kept hidden. God planned this wisdom for our glory, before the world began. 8 None of the rulers of this world understood it. If they had, they would not have killed the Lord of glory on a cross. 9 But as it is written in the Scriptures:
“No one has ever seen this.
No one has ever heard about it.
No one has ever imagined
what God has prepared for those
who love him.” Isaiah 64:4
10 But God has shown us these things through the Spirit.
The Spirit knows all things, even the deep secrets of God. 11 It is like this: No one knows the thoughts that another person has. Only a person’s spirit that lives in him knows his thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows the thoughts of God. Only the Spirit of God knows God’s thoughts. 12 We did not receive the spirit of the world, but we received the Spirit that is from God. We received this Spirit so that we can know all that God has given us. 13 When we speak, we do not use words taught to us by the wisdom that men have. We use words taught to us by the Spirit. We use spiritual words to explain spiritual things.
18 Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Simon’s brother Andrew. The brothers were fishermen, and they were fishing in the lake with a net. 19 Jesus said, “Come follow me. I will make you fishermen for men.” 20 At once Simon and Andrew left their nets and followed him.
21 Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets to catch fish. Jesus told them to come with him. 22 At once they left the boat and their father, and they followed Jesus.
Jesus Teaches and Heals People
23 Jesus went everywhere in Galilee. He taught in the synagogues and preached the Good News about the kingdom of heaven. And he healed all the people’s diseases and sicknesses. 24 The news about Jesus spread all over Syria, and people brought all the sick to him. These sick people were suffering from different kinds of diseases and pain. Some were suffering very great pain, some had demons, some were epileptics,[a] and some were paralyzed. Jesus healed all of them. 25 Many people followed him. They came from Galilee, the Ten Towns,[b] Jerusalem, Judea, and the land across the Jordan River.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.