Book of Common Prayer
I Love Your Law, O Yahweh
Aleph
119 How blessed are those whose way is [a](A)blameless,
Who (B)walk in the law of Yahweh.
2 How blessed are those who (C)observe His testimonies,
They (D)seek Him (E)with all their heart.
3 They also do not (F)work unrighteousness;
They walk in His ways.
4 You have (G)commanded us,
To keep Your precepts [b]diligently.
5 Oh may my (H)ways be established
To (I)keep Your statutes!
6 Then I (J)shall not be ashamed
When I look [c]upon all Your commandments.
7 I shall (K)give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
8 I shall keep Your statutes;
Do not (L)forsake me utterly!
Beth
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By (M)keeping it according to Your word.
10 With (N)all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me (O)stray from Your commandments.
11 Your word I have (P)treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.
12 Blessed are You, O Yahweh;
(Q)Teach me Your statutes.
13 With my lips I have (R)recounted
All the (S)judgments of Your mouth.
14 I have (T)rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
[d]As much as in all riches.
15 I will (U)muse upon Your precepts
And look upon (V)Your ways.
16 I shall [e](W)delight in Your statutes;
I shall (X)not forget Your word.
Gimel
17 (Y)Deal bountifully with Your slave,
That I may live and keep Your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your law.
19 I am a (Z)sojourner in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.
20 My soul is crushed [f](AA)with longing
For Your judgments at all times.
21 You (AB)rebuke the arrogant, [g]the (AC)cursed,
Who (AD)stray from Your commandments.
22 (AE)Take away reproach and contempt from me,
For I (AF)observe Your testimonies.
23 Even though (AG)princes sit and talk against me,
Your slave (AH)muses on Your statutes.
24 Your testimonies also are my (AI)delight;
They are [h]my counselors.
Yahweh Will Set the Needy in Safety
For the choir director. According to the [a]Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
12 Save, O Yahweh, for (A)the holy man ceases to be,
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
2 They (B)speak worthlessness to one another;
With a (C)flattering lip and with a double heart they speak.
3 May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips,
The tongue that (D)speaks great things;
4 Who (E)have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are [b]our own; who is lord over us?”
5 “Because of the (F)devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now (G)I will arise,” says Yahweh; “I will (H)set him in the [c]safety for which he [d]longs.”
6 The (I)words of Yahweh are pure words;
As silver (J)tried in a furnace on the ground, refined seven times.
7 You, O Yahweh, will keep them;
You will (K)guard him from this generation forever.
8 The (L)wicked strut about on every side
When [e](M)vileness is exalted among the sons of men.
How Long, O Yahweh?
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
13 How long, O Yahweh? Will You (N)forget me forever?
How long (O)will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long shall I (P)take counsel in my soul,
Having (Q)sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3 (R)Look and answer me, O Yahweh my God;
(S)Give light to my eyes, lest I (T)sleep the sleep of death,
4 Lest my enemy (U)says, “I have overcome him,”
And (V)my adversaries rejoice that I am shaken.
5 But I have (W)trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall (X)rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will (Y)sing to Yahweh,
Because He has (Z)dealt bountifully with me.
There Is No One Who Does Good
For the choir director. Of David.
14 The [f]wicked fool (AA)says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They act corruptly, they commit abominable [g]deeds;
There is (AB)no one who does good.
2 Yahweh (AC)looks down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there is anyone who [h](AD)has insight,
Anyone who (AE)seeks after God.
3 They have all (AF)turned aside, altogether they have become [i]worthless;
There is (AG)no one who does good, not even one.
12 Thus says Yahweh,
“Just as the shepherd (A)delivers from the lion’s mouth a couple of legs or a piece of an ear,
So will the sons of Israel inhabiting Samaria be delivered—
With the (B)corner of a bed and the [a](C)cover of a couch!
13 Hear and (D)testify against the house of Jacob,”
Declares Lord Yahweh, the God of hosts.
14 “For on the day that I punish Israel’s transgressions,
I will also punish the altars of (E)Bethel;
The horns of the altar will be cut in pieces,
And they will fall to the ground.
15 I will also strike the [b](F)winter house together with the (G)summer house;
The houses of [c](H)ivory will also perish,
And the (I)great houses will come to an end,”
Declares Yahweh.
Yet You Have Not Returned to Me
4 Hear this word, you cows of (J)Bashan who are on the (K)mountain of Samaria,
Who (L)oppress the poor, who crush the needy,
Who say to their [d]husbands, “Bring now, that we may (M)drink!”
2 Lord Yahweh has (N)sworn by His (O)holiness that,
“Behold, the days are coming upon you,
And [e]they will take you away with (P)meat hooks,
And the last of you with (Q)fish hooks.
3 And you will (R)go out through breaches in the walls,
Each one straight before her,
And you [f]will be cast to Harmon,” declares Yahweh.
4 “Enter Bethel and transgress;
In Gilgal multiply transgression!
(S)Bring your sacrifices every morning,
Your tithes every three days.
5 [g]And offer a (T)thank offering also from that which is leavened,
And call for (U)freewill offerings; cause them to be heard about.
For so you (V)love to do, you sons of Israel,”
Declares Lord Yahweh.
The Day of the Lord Will Come
3 This is now, (A)beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am (B)stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should (C)remember the words spoken beforehand by (D)the holy prophets and (E)the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles, 3 (F)knowing this first of all, that (G)in the last days (H)mockers will come with their mocking, (I)following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “(J)Where is the promise of His (K)coming? For since the fathers (L)fell asleep, all continues just as it was (M)from the beginning of creation.” 5 For [a]when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that (N)by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was (O)formed out of water and by water, 6 through which (P)the world at that time was (Q)destroyed, being deluged with water. 7 But by His word (R)the present heavens and earth are being reserved for (S)fire, being kept for (T)the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, (U)beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and (V)a thousand years like one day. 9 (W)The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some consider slowness, but (X)is patient toward you, (Y)not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 10 But (Z)the day of the Lord (AA)will come like a thief, in which (AB)the heavens (AC)will pass away with a roar and the (AD)elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and (AE)the earth and [b]its works will be [c]found out.
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
23 (A)And when He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him (B)while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” 24 And Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask you one [a]thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the crowd; for they all regard John as (C)a prophet.” 27 And they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
Parable of Two Sons
28 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the (D)vineyard.’ 29 And he answered and said, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 And the man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered and said, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They *said, “The first.” Jesus *said to them, “Truly I say to you that (E)the tax collectors and prostitutes [b]will get into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but (F)the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even regret afterward so as to believe him.
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