Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 119[a]
1 Blessed are those whose lives have integrity,
those who follow the teachings of Yahweh.
2 Blessed are those who obey his written instructions.
They wholeheartedly search for him.
3 They do nothing wrong.
They follow his directions.
4 You have commanded
that your guiding principles be carefully followed.
5 I pray that my ways may become firmly established
so that I can obey your laws.
6 Then I will never feel ashamed
when I study all your commandments.
7 I will give thanks to you
as I learn your regulations, which are based on your righteousness.
8 I will obey your laws.
Never abandon me.
9 How can a young person keep his life pure?
He can do it by holding on to your word.
10 I wholeheartedly searched for you.
Do not let me wander away from your commandments.
11 I have treasured your promise in my heart
so that I may not sin against you.
12 Thanks be to you, O Yahweh.
Teach me your laws.
13 With my lips I have repeated
every regulation that comes from your mouth.
14 I find joy in the way shown by your written instructions
more than I find joy in all kinds of riches.
15 I want to reflect on your guiding principles
and study your ways.
16 Your laws make me happy.
I never forget your word.
17 Be kind to me so that I may live
and hold on to your word.
18 Uncover my eyes
so that I may see the miraculous things in your teachings.
19 I am a foreigner in this world.
Do not hide your commandments from me.
20 My soul is overwhelmed with endless longing for your regulations.
21 You threaten arrogant people, who are condemned
and wander away from your commandments.
22 Remove the insults and contempt that have fallen on me
because I have obeyed your written instructions.
23 Even though influential people plot against me,
I reflect on your laws.
24 Indeed, your written instructions make me happy.
They are my best friends.
Psalm 12
For the choir director; on the sheminith; a psalm by David.
1 Help, O Yahweh.
No godly person is left.
Faithful people have vanished from among Adam’s descendants!
2 All people speak foolishly.
They speak with flattering lips. They say one thing but mean another.
3 May Yahweh cut off every flattering lip
and every bragging tongue
4 that has said,
“We will overcome with our tongues.
With lips such as ours, who can be our master?”
5 “Because oppressed people are robbed and needy people groan,
I will now arise,” says Yahweh.
“I will provide safety for those who long for it.”
6 The promises of Yahweh are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace[a] and purified seven times.
7 O Yahweh, you will protect them.
You will keep each one safe from those people forever.
8 Wicked people parade around
when immorality increases among Adam’s descendants.
Psalm 13
For the choir director; a psalm by David.
1 How long, O Yahweh? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I make decisions alone
with sorrow in my heart day after day?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look at me! Answer me, O Yahweh my Elohim!
Light up my eyes,
or else I will die
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overpowered him.”
My opponents will rejoice because I have been shaken.
5 But I trust your mercy.
My heart finds joy in your salvation.
6 I will sing to Yahweh because he has been good to me.
Psalm 14[b]
For the choir director; by David.
1 Godless fools say in their hearts,
“There is no Elohim.”
They are corrupt.
They do disgusting things.
There is no one who does good things.
2 Yahweh looks down from heaven on Adam’s descendants
to see if there is anyone who acts wisely,
if there is anyone who seeks help from Elohim.
3 Everyone has turned away.
Together they have become rotten to the core.
No one, not even one person, does good things.
4 Are all those troublemakers,
those who devour my people as if they were devouring food,
so ignorant that they do not call on Yahweh?
5 There they are—panic-stricken
because Elohim is with the person who is righteous.
6 They put the advice of oppressed people to shame
because Yahweh is their Machseh.
7 If only salvation for Israel would come from Zion!
When Yahweh restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice.
Israel will be glad.
3 King Zedekiah sent Jehucal (son of Shelemiah) and the priest Zephaniah (son of Maaseiah) to the prophet Jeremiah. They asked him, “Please pray to Yahweh our Elohim for us.”
4 Jeremiah was still free to come and go among the people. The people of Jerusalem hadn’t put him in prison yet. 5 Pharaoh’s army had come from Egypt, and when the Babylonians who were blockading Jerusalem heard this news, they retreated from Jerusalem.
6 Yahweh spoke his word to the prophet Jeremiah. He said, 7 “This is what Yahweh Elohim of Israel says: Say this to the king of Judah, who sent you to get advice from me: ‘Pharaoh’s army has come out to help you. But it will go back to Egypt, its own land. 8 Then the Babylonians will return. They will attack the city, capture it, and burn it down.
9 “‘This is what Yahweh says: Don’t deceive yourselves by thinking that the Babylonians will leave you. They will not leave you. 10 Even if you would defeat the entire Babylonian army so that they had only a few badly wounded men left in their tents, they would get up and burn down this city.’”
11 The Babylonian army had retreated from Jerusalem because Pharaoh’s army was coming. 12 So Jeremiah wanted to leave Jerusalem and go to the territory of Benjamin to take possession of his property there among the people. 13 But when he came to Benjamin Gate, the captain of the guard there, whose name was Irijah, son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah, arrested the prophet Jeremiah. He said, “You’re deserting to the Babylonians!”
14 Jeremiah answered, “That’s a lie! I’m not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah wouldn’t listen to him. Irijah arrested Jeremiah and took him to the officials. 15 The officials were so angry with Jeremiah that they beat him and put him in prison in the scribe Jonathan’s house, which had been turned into a prison. 16 Jeremiah went into a prison cell, and he stayed there a long time.
17 Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah, and the king asked him privately in the palace, “Is there any message from Yahweh?”
Jeremiah answered, “Yes! There is a message from Yahweh. You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.” 18 Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “What crime have I committed against you, your administrators, or these people? Why have you put me in prison? 19 Where are the prophets who told you that the king of Babylon wouldn’t attack you and this land? 20 But now, Your Majesty, please listen, and accept my plea for mercy. Don’t return me to the scribe Jonathan’s house, or I will die there.”
21 King Zedekiah gave the command to have Jeremiah put in the courtyard of the prison. He gave him a loaf of bread every day from the bakers’ street until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the prison.
13 So the person who speaks in another language should pray for an interpretation of what he says.
14 If I pray in another language, my spirit prays, but my mind is not productive. 15 So what does this mean? It means that I will pray with my spirit, and I will pray with my mind. I will sing psalms with my spirit, and I will sing psalms with my mind. 16 Otherwise, if you praise God only with your spirit, how can outsiders say “Amen!” to your prayer of thanksgiving? They don’t know what you’re saying. 17 Your prayer of thanksgiving may be very good, but it doesn’t help other people grow. 18 I thank God that I speak in other languages more than any of you. 19 Yet, in order to teach others in church, I would rather say five words that can be understood than ten thousand words in another language.
20 Brothers and sisters, don’t think like children. When it comes to evil, be like babies, but think like mature people. 21 God’s word says,
“Through people who speak foreign languages
and through the mouths of foreigners
I will speak to these people,
but even then they will not listen to me,
says the Lord.”
22 So the gift of speaking in other languages is a sign for unbelievers, not for believers. The gift of speaking what God has revealed is a sign for believers, not for unbelievers. 23 Suppose the whole congregation gathers in the same place and you speak in other languages. When outsiders or unbelievers come in, won’t they say that you’re out of your mind? 24 Now suppose you speak what God has revealed. When unbelievers or outsiders come in you will show them where they are wrong and convince them that they are sinners. 25 The secrets in their hearts will become known, and in this way they will quickly bow with their faces touching the ground, worship God, and confess that God is truly among you.
24 “A student is not better than his teacher. Nor is a slave better than his owner. 25 It is enough for a student to become like his teacher and a slave like his owner. If they have called the owner of the house Beelzebul,[a] they will certainly call the family members the same name. 26 So don’t be afraid of them. Nothing has been covered that will not be exposed. Whatever is secret will be made known. 27 Tell in the daylight what I say to you in the dark. Shout from the housetops what you hear whispered. 28 Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell.
29 “Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s permission. 30 Every hair on your head has been counted. 31 Don’t be afraid! You are worth more than many sparrows.
32 “So I will acknowledge in front of my Father in heaven that person who acknowledges me in front of others. 33 But I will tell my Father in heaven that I don’t know the person who tells others that he doesn’t know me.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.