Book of Common Prayer
Thanksgiving for Escaping Death
A song of David. A song for giving the Temple to the Lord.
30 I will praise you, Lord,
because you rescued me.
You did not let my enemies laugh at me.
2 Lord, my God, I prayed to you.
And you healed me.
3 You lifted me out of the grave.
You spared me from going down where the dead are.
4 Sing praises to the Lord, you who belong to him.
Praise his holy name.
5 His anger lasts only a moment.
But his kindness lasts for a lifetime.
Crying may last for a night.
But joy comes in the morning.
6 When I felt safe, I said,
“I will never fail.”
7 Lord, in your kindness you made my mountain safe.
But when you turned away, I was frightened.
8 I called to you, Lord.
I asked you to have mercy on me.
9 I said, “What good will it do if I die
or if I go down to the grave?
Dust cannot praise you.
It cannot speak about your truth.
10 Lord, hear me and be merciful to me.
Lord, help me.”
11 You changed my sorrow into dancing.
You took away my rough cloth, which shows sadness, and clothed me in happiness.
12 I will sing to you and not be silent.
Lord, my God, I will praise you forever.
It Is Better to Confess Sin
A maskil of David.
32 Happy is the person
whose sins are forgiven,
whose wrongs are pardoned.
2 Happy is the person
whom the Lord does not consider guilty.
In that person there is nothing false.
3 When I kept things to myself,
I felt weak deep inside me.
I moaned all day long.
4 Day and night
you punished me.
My strength was gone
as in the summer heat. Selah
5 Then I confessed my sins to you.
I didn’t hide my guilt.
I said, “I will confess my sins to the Lord.”
And you forgave my guilt. Selah
6 For this reason, all who obey you
should pray to you while they still can.
When troubles rise like a flood,
they will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place.
You protect me from my troubles.
You fill me with songs of salvation. Selah
8 The Lord says, “I will make you wise. I will show you where to go.
I will guide you and watch over you.
9 So don’t be like a horse or donkey.
They don’t understand.
They must be led with bits and reins,
or they will not come near you.”
10 Wicked people have many troubles.
But the Lord’s love surrounds those who trust him.
11 Good people, rejoice and be happy in the Lord.
All you whose hearts are right, sing.
Book 2
Psalms 42—72
Wishing to Be Near God
For the director of music. A maskil of the sons of Korah.
42 A deer thirsts for a stream of water.
In the same way, I thirst for you, God.
2 I thirst for the living God.
When can I go to meet with him?
3 Day and night, my tears have been my food.
People are always saying,
“Where is your God?”
4 When I remember these things,
I speak with a broken heart.
I used to walk with the crowd.
I led the happy crowd to God’s Temple,
with songs of praise.
5 Why am I so sad?
Why am I so upset?
I should put my hope in God.
I should keep praising him,
My Savior and 6 my God.
I am very sad.
So I remember you while I am in the land where the Jordan River begins.
I will remember you while I am near the Hermon mountains
and on the mountain of Mizar.
7 Troubles have come again and again.
They sound like waterfalls.
Your waves are crashing
all around me.
8 The Lord shows his true love every day.
At night I have a song,
and I pray to my living God.
9 I say to God, my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why am I sad
and troubled by my enemies?”
10 My enemies’ insults make me feel
as if my bones were broken.
They are always saying,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why am I so sad?
Why am I so upset?
I should put my hope in God.
I should keep praising him,
my Savior and my God.
A Prayer for Protection
43 God, defend me.
Argue my case against those who don’t follow you.
Save me from liars and those who do evil.
2 God, you are my strength.
Why have you rejected me?
Why am I sad
and troubled by my enemies?
3 Send me your light and truth.
They will guide me.
Lead me to your holy mountain.
Lead me to where you live.
4 I will go to the altar of God,
to God who is my joy and happiness.
I will praise you with a harp,
God, my God.
5 Why am I so sad?
Why am I so upset?
I should put my hope in God.
I should keep praising him,
my Savior and my God.
7 Later Artaxerxes became king of Persia. Then Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and those with them wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in the Aramaic language.
11 (This is a copy of the letter they sent to Artaxerxes:)
To King Artaxerxes.
From your servants who live west of the Euphrates River.
12 King Artaxerxes, you remember the Jews who came to us from you. You should know they have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that evil city that refuses to obey. They are fixing the walls and repairing the foundations of the buildings.
13 Now, King Artaxerxes, you should know what could happen. If Jerusalem is built and its walls are fixed, Jerusalem will pay no taxes of any kind. Then the amount of money your government collects will be less. 14 Since we must be loyal to the government, we don’t want to see the king dishonored. So we are writing to let the king know. 15 We suggest you search the records of the kings who ruled before you. You will find out that the city of Jerusalem refuses to obey. It makes trouble for kings and areas controlled by Persia. Since long ago it has been a place where disobedience started. That is why it was destroyed. 16 We want you to know this, King Artaxerxes. This city should not be rebuilt and its walls fixed. If it is, you will be left with nothing west of the Euphrates River.
17 King Artaxerxes sent this answer:
To Rehum the governor and Shimshai the assistant. To all the people with them living in Samaria. And to those in other places west of the Euphrates.
Greetings.
18 The letter you sent to us has been translated and read to me. 19 I ordered the records to be searched, and it was done. We found that Jerusalem has a long history of disobedience to kings. It has been a place of problems and trouble. 20 Jerusalem has had powerful kings. They have ruled over the whole area west of the Euphrates. Taxes of all kinds have been paid to them. 21 Now, give an order for those men to stop work. The city of Jerusalem will not be rebuilt until I say so. 22 Make sure you do this. If it continues, it will hurt the government.
23 A copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes sent was read. It was read to Rehum and Shimshai the assistant and the others. Then they quickly went to the Jews in Jerusalem. They forced them to stop building.
24 So the work on the Temple of God in Jerusalem stopped. It stopped until the second year Darius was king of Persia.
A Slave Becomes a Christian
1 From Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and from Timothy, our brother.
To Philemon, our dear friend and worker with us; 2 to Apphia, our sister; to Archippus, a worker with us; and to the church that meets in your home.
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philemon’s Love and Faith
4 I remember you in my prayers. And I always thank my God for you. 5 I hear about the love you have for all God’s holy people and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that the faith you share will make you understand every blessing that we have in Christ. 7 My brother, you have shown love to God’s people. You have made them feel happy. This has given me great joy and comfort.
Accept Onesimus as a Brother
8 There is something that you should do. And because of your love in Christ, I feel free to order you to do it. 9 But because I love you, I am asking you instead. I, Paul, am an old man now, and a prisoner for Christ Jesus. 10 I am asking you a favor for my son Onesimus. He became my son while I was in prison. 11 In the past he was useless to you. But now he has become useful for both you and me.
12 I am sending him back to you, and with him I am sending my own heart. 13 I wanted to keep him with me to help me while I am in prison for the Good News. By helping me he would be serving you. 14 But I did not want to do anything without asking you first. Then any favor you do for me will be because you want to do it, not because I forced you to do it.
15 Onesimus was separated from you for a short time. Maybe that happened so that you could have him back forever— 16 not to be a slave, but better than a slave, to be a loved brother. I love him very much. But you will love him even more. You will love him as a man and as a brother in the Lord.
17 If you think of me as your friend, then accept Onesimus back. Welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If Onesimus has done anything wrong to you, charge that to me. If he owes you anything, charge that to me. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay back anything Onesimus owes. And I will say nothing about what you owe me for your own life. 20 So, my brother, I ask that you do this for me in the Lord. Comfort my heart in Christ. 21 I write this letter, knowing that you will do what I ask you and even more.
22 Also, please prepare a room for me to stay in. I hope that God will answer your prayers and I will be able to come to you.
Final Greetings
23 Epaphras is a prisoner with me for Christ Jesus. He sends greetings to you. 24 And also Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke send greetings. They are workers together with me.
25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
People Know You by Your Words
33 “If you want good fruit, you must make the tree good. If your tree is not good, then it will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. 34 You snakes! You are evil people! How can you say anything good? The mouth speaks the things that are in the heart. 35 A good person has good things in his heart. And so he speaks the good things that come from his heart. But an evil person has evil in his heart. So he speaks the evil things that come from his heart. 36 And I tell you that people will have to explain about every careless thing they have said. This will happen on the Judgment Day. 37 The words you have said will be used to judge you. Some of your words will prove you right, but some of your words will prove you guilty.”
The Leaders Ask for a Miracle
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law answered Jesus. They said, “Teacher, we want to see you work a miracle as a sign.”
39 Jesus answered, “Evil and sinful people are the ones who want to see a miracle for a sign. But no sign will be given to them. The only sign will be what happened to the prophet Jonah. 40 Jonah was in the stomach of the big fish for three days and three nights. In the same way, the Son of Man will be in the grave three days and three nights. 41 And on the Judgment Day the men from Nineveh[a] will stand up with you people who live today. They will show that you are guilty because when Jonah preached to them, they were sorry and changed their lives. And I tell you that someone greater than Jonah is here! 42 On the Judgment Day, the Queen of the South[b] will stand up with you people who live today. She will show that you are guilty because she came from far away to listen to Solomon’s wise teaching. And I tell you that someone greater than Solomon is here!
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.