Book of Common Prayer
Book I
Psalms 1–41
Psalm 1
Two Responses to God’s Word
The Way of the Godly Leads to Blessing
1 How blessed is the man
who does not walk in the advice of the wicked,
who does not stand on the path with sinners,
and who does not sit in a meeting with mockers.
2 But his delight is in the teaching[a] of the Lord,
and on his teaching he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted beside streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season,
and its leaves do not wither.
Everything he does prospers.
The Way of the Ungodly Leads to Destruction
4 Not so the wicked!
No, they are like the chaff which the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
Conclusion
6 Yes, the Lord approves[b] of the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 2
The Nations Conspire, But God’s King Rules Securely
The Futile Rebellion of the Nations
1 Why do the nations rage?
Why do the peoples grumble in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take a stand,
and the rulers join together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.[c]
3 “Let us tear off their chains
and throw off their ropes from us.”
The Reaction of the Lord
4 The one who is seated in heaven laughs.
The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then he speaks to them in his anger,
and in his wrath he terrifies them.
6 “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy mountain.”
The Powerful Rule of God’s King
7 I will proclaim the decree of the Lord.
He said to me:
“You are my Son.
Today I have begotten you.[d]
8 Ask me,
and I will give you the nations as your inheritance
and the ends of the earth as your possession.
9 You will smash them with an iron rod.
You will break them to pieces like pottery.”
The Lesson to Be Learned
10 So now, you kings, do what is wise.
Accept discipline,[e] you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son,
or he will be angry,
and you will be destroyed in your way,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
How blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Psalm 3
How Many Are My Foes, But You Are My Shield
Heading
A psalm by David. When he fled from Absalom,[f] his son.
Many Enemies
1 O Lord, how my foes are multiplying!
Many are rising up against me!
2 Many are saying about my life, Interlude[g]
“There is no salvation for him in God.”
One Protector
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield for me.
You are my glory and the one who lifts up my head.
4 With a loud voice I cry out to the Lord, Interlude
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
Peaceful Rest
5 I lie down, and I sleep.
I awake, because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not be afraid of the thousands of people
who line up against me on all sides.
Certain Victory
7 Rise up, O Lord! Save me, my God!
Yes, you will strike all my enemies on the jaw.
The teeth of the wicked you will break.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord. Interlude
Your blessing rests on your people.
Psalm 4
My Righteous God, Give Me Relief
Heading
For the choir director. With stringed instruments. A psalm by David.
A Prayer to God
1 My righteous God, answer me when I call.
When I was under pressure, you gave me relief.
Be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
A Rebuke to Enemies
2 You people, how long will you turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love empty delusions? Interlude
How long will you pursue lies?
3 Know this: The Lord has set apart
his favored one[h] for himself.
The Lord will hear when I call to him.
Advice to Friends
4 You may be upset, but do not sin.
When you are on your beds,
speak to your heart, but remain silent. Interlude
5 Offer righteous sacrifices,
and trust in the Lord.
6 Many are saying, “Who can show us any good?”
Shine the light of your face on us, O Lord.
Closing Prayer
7 You have placed joy in my heart greater than the joy
when grain and new wine are plentiful.
8 In complete peace I will lie down, and I will sleep,
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 7
The Slandered Saint
Heading
A shiggaion[a] by David, which he sang to the Lord
because of the words of Cush, from the tribe of Benjamin.
David’s Innocence
1 O Lord my God, in you I take refuge.
Save me from all my pursuers and deliver me.
2 Otherwise, like a lion they will tear me apart.
They will drag me away with no one to rescue me.
3 O Lord my God, if I have done this,
if there is injustice in my hands,
4 if I have done evil to anyone who is at peace with me,
or if I have robbed my foe for no reason,
5 then let an enemy pursue my life and overtake me.
Let him trample my life to the ground
and make my glory dwell in the dust. Interlude
David’s Appeal for Justice
6 Stand up, O Lord, in your anger.
Rise up against the fury of my foes.
Awake for me. You have commanded justice.[b]
7 A crowd of peoples surrounds you.
Turn against them from on high.
8 Let the Lord judge the peoples.
Acquit me, O Lord, according to my righteousness,
according to my integrity which is in me.
9 The evil of the wicked will come to an end,
but you will establish the righteous.
You search minds and hearts,[c] O righteous God.
God’s Judgment Against the Wicked
10 My shield is God, who saves the upright in heart.
11 God, the judge, is righteous,
but he is a God who expresses his wrath every day.
12 If he[d] does not relent,
the Lord[e] will sharpen his sword.
He has bent his bow and will string it.
13 He prepares his deadly weapons.
He will make his arrows flames.
You Reap What You Sow
14 Yes, whoever conceives evil and is pregnant with trouble
will give birth to disappointment.[f]
15 He digs a pit and scoops it out,
and he will fall into the hole he has made.
16 The trouble he causes comes back on his own head.
His violence comes down on top of his own skull.
Closing Praise
17 I will thank the Lord because of his righteousness,
and I will make music to the name of the Lord Most High.
The Creation of Man and Woman
4 This is the account about the development[a] of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens:
5 No bushes that grow in the field were yet on the earth,[b] and no plants of the field had yet sprung up, since the Lord God had not yet caused it to rain on the earth. There was not yet a man to till the soil, 6 but water[c] came up from the earth and watered the entire surface of the ground.
7 The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground[d] and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8 The Lord God planted a garden[e] in Eden in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God made every kind of tree grow—trees that are pleasant to look at and good for food, including the Tree of Life in the middle of the garden and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
10 A river went out from Eden to water the garden, and from there it divided and became the headwaters of four rivers. 11 The name of the first river is Pishon. It flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold, 12 and the gold of that land is good. Incense[f] and onyx stone are also found there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon. It is the same river that winds through the whole land of Cush.[g] 14 The name of the third river is Tigris. This is the one which flows along the east side of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The Lord God took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to take care of it. 16 The Lord God gave a command to the man. He said, “You may freely eat from every tree in the garden, 17 but you shall not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, for on the day that you eat from it, you will certainly die.”
18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is a suitable partner for him.” 19 Out of the soil the Lord God had formed every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature, that became its name. 20 The man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal, but for Adam[h] no helper was found who was a suitable partner for him. 21 The Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. As the man slept, the Lord God took a rib[i] and closed up the flesh where it had been. 22 The Lord God built a woman from the rib that he had taken from the man and brought her to the man.
23 The man said,
Now this one is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh.
She will be called “woman,”
because she was taken out of man.[j]
24 For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother
and will remain united with his wife,
and they will become one flesh.[k]
25 They were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed.
God Speaks to Us By His Son
1 In the past, God spoke to our forefathers by the prophets at many times and in many ways. 2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of the divine nature. He sustains all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins,[a] he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
The Son Is Superior to the Angels
4 The Son became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say:
You are my Son. Today I have begotten you?[b]
And again:
I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.[c]
6 And again, when he brought his firstborn into the world, he said:
Let all God’s angels worship him.[d]
7 About the angels he says:
He makes his messengers winds and his ministers flaming fire.[e]
8 But about the Son he says:
God, your throne is forever and ever,
and the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy
beyond your companions.[f]
10 And he says:
In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the works of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain.
They will all become old like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a robe,
and they will be changed like a garment.[g]
But you are the same,
and your years will never end.[h]
13 To which of the angels has he ever said:
Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool under your feet?[i]
14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent out to serve for the benefit of those who are going to inherit salvation?
Christ, the Word, Becomes Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him everything was made, and without him not one thing was made that has been made. 4 In him was[a] life, and the life was the light of mankind. 5 The light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[b] it.
6 There was a man, sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as an eyewitness to testify about the light so that everyone would believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light.
9 The real light that shines on everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to what was his own, yet his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who did receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They were born, not of blood, or of the desire of the flesh, or of a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and dwelled[c] among us. We have seen his glory, the glory he has as the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John testified about him. He cried out, “This was the one I spoke about when I said, ‘The one coming after me outranks me because he existed before me.’” 16 For[d] out of his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. The only-begotten Son,[e] who is close to the Father’s side, has made him known.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.