Book of Common Prayer
Prayer for Protection against the Wicked.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
140 (A)Rescue me, Lord, from evil people;
Protect me from (B)violent men
2 Who (C)devise evil things in their hearts;
They (D)continually stir up wars.
3 They (E)sharpen their tongues like a snake;
(F)The venom of a viper is under their lips. Selah
4 (G)Keep me, Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
(H)Protect me from violent men
Who [a]intend to [b](I)trip up my feet.
5 The proud have (J)hidden a trap for me, and snares;
They have spread a (K)net at the [c]wayside;
They have set (L)snares for me. Selah
6 I (M)said to the Lord, “You are my God;
(N)Listen, Lord, to the (O)sound of my pleadings.
7 [d]God the Lord, (P)the strength of my salvation,
You have (Q)covered my head on the day of [e]battle.
8 Do not grant, Lord, the (R)desires of the wicked;
Do not bring about (S)his evil planning, so that they are not exalted. Selah
9 “As for the head of those who surround me,
May the (T)harm of their lips cover them.
10 May (U)burning coals fall upon them;
May they be (V)cast into the fire,
Into bottomless pits from which they (W)cannot rise.
11 May a [f]slanderer not endure on the earth;
(X)May evil hunt a violent person [g]violently.”
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
[a]Maskil of David, when he was [b]in the cave. A Prayer.
142 I (A)cry out with my voice to the Lord;
With my voice I (B)implore the Lord for compassion.
2 I (C)pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare my (D)trouble before Him.
3 When (E)my spirit felt weak within me,
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have (F)hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see;
For there is (G)no one who regards me favorably;
[c]There is no (H)escape for me;
(I)No one cares for my soul.
5 I cried out to You, Lord;
I said, “You are (J)my refuge,
My (K)portion in the (L)land of the living.
6 (M)Give Your attention to my cry,
For I have been (N)brought very low;
Rescue me from my persecutors,
For they are too (O)strong for me.
7 (P)Bring my soul out of prison,
So that I may give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will surround me,
For You will (Q)look after me.”
An Evening Prayer for Sanctification and Protection.
A Psalm of David.
141 Lord, I call upon You; (A)hurry to me!
(B)Listen to my voice when I call to You!
2 May my prayer be [a]counted as (C)incense before You;
The (D)raising of my hands as the (E)evening offering.
3 Set a (F)guard, Lord, [b]over my mouth;
Keep watch over the (G)door of my lips.
4 (H)Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice deeds [c]of wickedness
With people who (I)do wrong;
And (J)may I not taste their delicacies.
5 May the (K)righteous strike me with mercy and discipline me;
It is (L)oil for the head;
My head shall not refuse it,
For my prayer (M)is still against their evil deeds.
6 Their judges are (N)thrown down by the sides of the rock,
And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one (O)plows and breaks open the earth,
Our (P)bones have been scattered at the (Q)mouth of [d]Sheol.
Prayer for Help and Guidance.
A Psalm of David.
143 Hear my prayer, Lord,
(A)Listen to my pleadings!
Answer me in Your (B)faithfulness, in Your (C)righteousness!
2 And (D)do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For (E)no person living is righteous in Your sight.
3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life (F)to the ground;
He (G)has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead.
4 Therefore (H)my spirit [a]feels weak within me;
My heart is [b](I)appalled within me.
5 I (J)remember the days of old;
I (K)meditate on all Your accomplishments;
I (L)reflect on the work of Your hands.
6 I (M)spread out my hands to You;
My (N)soul longs for You, like a weary land. Selah
7 (O)Answer me quickly, Lord, my (P)spirit fails;
(Q)Do not hide Your face from me,
Or I will be the same as (R)those who go down to the pit.
8 Let me hear Your (S)faithfulness (T)in the morning,
For I trust (U)in You;
Teach me the (V)way in which I should walk;
For to You I (W)lift up my soul.
9 (X)Save me, Lord, from my enemies;
[c]I take refuge in You.
10 (Y)Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Let (Z)Your good Spirit (AA)lead me on level [d]ground.
11 (AB)For the sake of Your name, Lord, (AC)revive me.
(AD)In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.
12 And in Your faithfulness, [e](AE)destroy my enemies,
And (AF)eliminate all those who attack my soul,
For (AG)I am Your servant.
14 (A)They raise their voices, they shout for joy;
They cry out from the [a]west concerning the majesty of the Lord.
15 Therefore (B)glorify the Lord in the [b]east,
The (C)name of the Lord, the God of Israel,
In the [c](D)coastlands of the sea.
16 From the (E)ends of the earth we hear songs: “(F)Glory to the Righteous One,”
But I say, “[d]I am finished! I am finished! Woe to me!
The (G)treacherous deal treacherously,
And the treacherous deal very treacherously.”
17 (H)Terror and pit and snare
[e]Confront you, you inhabitant of the earth.
18 Then it will be that the one who flees the sound of terror will fall into the pit,
And the one who [f]climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare;
For the (I)windows [g]above are opened, and the (J)foundations of the earth shake.
19 (K)The earth is broken apart,
The earth is (L)split through,
The earth is shaken violently.
20 The earth (M)trembles like a heavy drinker
And sways like a hut,
For its (N)wrongdoing is heavy upon it,
And it will fall, (O)never to rise again.
21 So it will happen on that day,
That the Lord will (P)punish the rebellious [h](Q)angels of [i]heaven on high,
And the (R)kings of the earth on earth.
22 They will be gathered together
Like (S)prisoners in the [j]dungeon,
And will be confined in prison;
And after many days they will (T)be punished.
23 Then the (U)moon will be ashamed and the sun be put to shame,
For the (V)Lord of armies will reign on (W)Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
And His glory will be before His elders.
13 (A)And who is [a]there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should (B)suffer for the sake of righteousness, (C)you [b]are blessed. (D)And do not fear their [c]intimidation, and do not be in dread, 15 but [d]sanctify (E)Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready (F)to make a [e]defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the (G)hope that is in you, but (H)with gentleness and (I)respect; 16 [f]and keep a (J)good conscience so that in the thing in which (K)you are slandered, those who disparage your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For (L)it is better, (M)if [g]God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. 18 For (N)Christ also [h]suffered for sins (O)once for all time, the just for the unjust, so that He might (P)bring us to God, having been put to death (Q)in the flesh, but made alive (R)in the [i]spirit; 19 in [j]which He also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20 who once were disobedient when the (S)patience of God (T)kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of (U)the ark, in which a few, that is, (V)eight (W)persons, were brought safely through the water. 21 (X)Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—(Y)not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God [k]for a (Z)good conscience—through (AA)the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 (AB)who is at the right hand of God, (AC)having gone into heaven, (AD)after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.
Keep Fervent in Your Love
4 Therefore, since (AE)Christ has [l]suffered in the flesh, (AF)arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because (AG)the one who has [m]suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 (AH)so as to live (AI)the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human lusts, but for the (AJ)will of God. 3 For (AK)the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, [n](AL)having pursued a course of indecent behavior, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries. 4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them in the same excesses of [o](AM)debauchery, and they (AN)slander you; 5 but they will give an account to Him who is ready to judge (AO)the living and the dead. 6 For (AP)the gospel has for this purpose been [p]preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as people, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.
Death, Resurrection Foretold
17 (A)As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the road He said to them, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man (B)will be [a]handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and they (C)will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and flog and crucify, and on (D)the third day He will be raised up.”
Request for Preferred Treatment
20 (E)Then the mother of (F)the [b]sons of Zebedee came to [c]Jesus with her sons, (G)bowing down and making a request of Him. 21 And He said to her, “What do you desire?” She *said to Him, “Say that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine (H)shall sit, one at Your right, and one at Your left.” 22 But Jesus replied, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able (I)to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They *said to Him, “We are able.” 23 He *said to them, “(J)My cup you shall drink; but to sit at My right and at My left is not Mine to give, (K)but it is for those for whom it has been (L)prepared by My Father.”
24 And after hearing this, the other ten disciples became indignant with the two brothers. 25 (M)But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them, and [d]those in high position exercise authority over them. 26 It [e]is not this way among you, (N)but whoever wants to become [f]prominent among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever desires to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 just as (O)the Son of Man (P)did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His [g]life as a ransom for many.”
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