Book of Common Prayer
The Reign of the Righteous King.
A Psalm of Solomon.
72 Give the king (A)Your judgments, God,
And (B)Your righteousness to the king’s son.
2 [a]May [b]he (C)judge Your people with righteousness
And [c](D)Your afflicted with justice.
3 [d]May the mountains bring [e](E)peace to the people,
And the hills, in righteousness.
4 [f]May he (F)vindicate the [g]afflicted of the people,
Save the children of the needy,
And crush the oppressor.
5 [h]May they fear You (G)while the sun shines,
And [i]as long as the moon shines, throughout all generations.
6 [j]May he come down (H)like rain upon the mown grass,
Like (I)showers that water the earth.
7 [k]May the (J)righteous flourish in his days,
As well as an (K)abundance of peace, until the moon is no more.
8 May he also rule (L)from sea to sea,
And from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
9 [l]May (M)the nomads of the desert (N)bow before him,
And his enemies (O)lick the dust.
10 [m]May the kings of (P)Tarshish and of the [n](Q)islands bring gifts;
May the kings of (R)Sheba and (S)Seba (T)offer tributes.
11 [o]And may all (U)kings bow down before him,
All (V)nations serve him.
12 For he will (W)save the needy when he cries for help,
The [p]afflicted also, and him who has no helper.
13 He will have (X)compassion on the poor and needy,
And he will save the [q]lives of the needy.
14 He will [r](Y)rescue their [s]life from oppression and violence,
And their blood will be (Z)precious in his sight;
15 So may he live, and may the (AA)gold of Sheba be given to him;
And [t]they are to pray for him continually;
[u]They are to bless him all day long.
16 May there be abundance of grain on the earth on top of the mountains;
Its fruit will wave like the cedars of (AB)Lebanon;
And may those from the city flourish like the (AC)vegetation of the earth.
17 May his (AD)name endure forever;
May his name produce descendants [v](AE)as long as the sun shines;
And may people (AF)wish blessings on themselves by him;
(AG)May all nations call him blessed.
18 (AH)Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who alone (AI)works wonders.
19 And blessed be His (AJ)glorious name forever;
And may the whole (AK)earth be filled with His glory.
(AL)Amen and Amen.
20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
Yodh
73 (A)Your hands made me and [a]fashioned me;
(B)Give me understanding, so that I may learn Your commandments.
74 May those who [b]fear You (C)see me and be glad,
Because I [c](D)wait for Your word.
75 I know, Lord, that Your judgments are (E)righteous,
And that You have afflicted me (F)in faithfulness.
76 May Your favor [d]comfort me,
According to Your [e]word to Your servant.
77 May (G)Your compassion come to me so that I may live,
For Your Law is my (H)delight.
78 May (I)the arrogant be put to shame, because they lead me astray (J)with a lie;
But I shall (K)meditate on Your precepts.
79 May those who [f]fear You turn to me,
And those who know Your testimonies.
80 May my heart be [g](L)blameless in Your statutes,
So that I will not (M)be ashamed.
Kaph
81 My (N)soul languishes for Your salvation;
I [h](O)wait for Your word.
82 My (P)eyes fail with longing for Your [i]word,
[j]While I say, “When will You comfort me?”
83 Though I have (Q)become like a wineskin in the smoke,
I do (R)not forget Your statutes.
84 How many are the (S)days of Your servant?
When will You (T)execute judgment on those who persecute me?
85 The arrogant have (U)dug pits for me,
People who are not in accord with Your Law.
86 All Your commandments are (V)faithful;
They have (W)persecuted me with a lie; (X)help me!
87 They almost destroyed me on earth,
But as for me, I (Y)did not abandon Your precepts.
88 Revive me according to Your faithfulness,
So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.
Lamedh
89 (Z)Forever, Lord,
Your word stands in heaven.
90 Your (AA)faithfulness continues [k]throughout generations;
You (AB)established the earth, and it (AC)stands.
91 They stand this day by Your (AD)ordinances,
For (AE)all things are Your servants.
92 If Your Law had not been my (AF)delight,
Then I would have perished (AG)in my misery.
93 I will (AH)never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have [l](AI)revived me.
94 I am Yours, (AJ)save me;
For I have (AK)sought Your precepts.
95 The wicked (AL)wait for me to destroy me;
I will diligently consider Your testimonies.
96 I have seen [m]a limit to all perfection;
Your commandment is exceedingly broad.
Ahab’s Third Campaign against Aram
22 Now [a]three years passed without war between Aram and Israel. 2 (A)In the third year, (B)Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. 3 Now the king of Israel said to his servants, “Are you aware that (C)Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, yet we are hesitant to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?” 4 So he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go to battle with me at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “[b](D)Consider me yours, my people yours, and my horses yours!”
5 However, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please request the word of the Lord [c]first.” 6 So (E)the king of Israel assembled the [d]prophets, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Should I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead or should I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.” 7 But (F)Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of him?” 8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy anything good regarding me, but only bad. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “May the king not say so.” 9 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly.” 10 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting, each on his throne, dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and (G)all the prophets were prophesying before them. 11 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made (H)horns of iron for himself and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘(I)With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed!’” 12 All the prophets were prophesying this as well, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.”
Micaiah Predicts Defeat
13 Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold now, the words of the prophets are [e]unanimously favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” 14 But Micaiah said, “(J)As the Lord lives, whatever (K)the Lord says to me, I shall speak it.”
15 When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?” And he said, “(L)Go up and succeed, for the Lord will hand it over to the king!” 16 Then the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear that you will tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” 17 So he said,
“I saw all Israel
Scattered on the mountains,
(M)Like sheep that have no shepherd.
And the Lord said,
‘These people have no master.
Each of them is to return to his house in peace.’”
18 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “(N)Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy anything good regarding me, but only bad?”
19 And Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. (O)I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and (P)all the [f]angels of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will [g]entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one spirit said this, while another said that. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will [h]entice him.’ 22 And the Lord said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and (Q)be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall [i]entice him, and you will also prevail. Go and do so.’ 23 Now then, behold, (R)the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours; and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”
24 Then (S)Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek; and he said, “(T)How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?” 25 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you are going to see how on that day when you (U)go from one inner room to [j]another trying to hide yourself.” 26 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; 27 and say, ‘This is what the king says: “(V)Put this man in prison, and feed him enough bread and water to survive until I [k]return safely.”’” 28 But Micaiah said, “(W)If you actually return [l]safely, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “(X)Listen, all you people!”
Paul’s Reliance upon the Spirit
2 And when I came to you, brothers and sisters, I (A)did not come as someone superior in [a]speaking ability or [b]wisdom, as I proclaimed to you (B)the [c]testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except (C)Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I also was with you in (D)weakness and (E)fear, and in great trembling, 4 and my [d]message and my preaching were (F)not in persuasive words of [e]wisdom, but in demonstration of (G)the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not [f]rest on the [g]wisdom of mankind, but on (H)the power of God.
6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are (I)mature; a wisdom, however, not of (J)this age nor of the rulers of (K)this age, who are (L)passing away; 7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a (M)mystery, the hidden wisdom which God (N)predestined before the (O)ages to our glory; 8 the wisdom (P)which none of the rulers of (Q)this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified (R)the Lord of glory; 9 but just as it is written:
“(S)Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the human heart,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10 [h](T)For to us God revealed them (U)through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the (V)depths of God. 11 For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the (W)spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we (X)have not received the spirit of (Y)the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. 13 We also speak these things, (Z)not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, [i]combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
The First Disciples
18 (A)Now as Jesus was walking by (B)the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, (C)Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And He *said to them, “[a]Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there He saw two other brothers, [b](D)James the son of Zebedee, and his brother [c]John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets; and He called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Ministry in Galilee
23 Jesus was going (E)about in all of Galilee, (F)teaching in their synagogues and (G)proclaiming the [d]gospel of the kingdom, and (H)healing every disease and every sickness among the people.
24 And the news about Him spread (I)throughout Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and severe pain, (J)demon-possessed, people with (K)epilepsy, and people who were (L)paralyzed; and He healed them. 25 Large crowds (M)followed Him from Galilee and (N)the Decapolis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and from (O)beyond the Jordan.
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