Book of Common Prayer
God, the Judge of the Righteous and the Wicked.
A Psalm of [a]Asaph.
50 (A)The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken
And summoned the earth, (B)from [b]the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, (C)the perfection of beauty,
God (D)has shone.
3 May our God (E)come and not keep silent;
(F)Fire devours before Him,
And a storm is violently (G)raging around Him.
4 He (H)summons the heavens above,
And the earth, to judge His people:
5 “Gather My (I)godly ones to Me,
Those who have made a (J)covenant with Me by (K)sacrifice.”
6 And the (L)heavens declare His righteousness,
For (M)God Himself is judge. Selah
7 “(N)Hear, My people, and I will speak;
Israel, I will testify [c]against you;
I am God, (O)your God.
8 I do (P)not rebuke you for your sacrifices,
And your burnt offerings are continually before Me.
9 I will not take a (Q)bull from your house,
Nor male goats from your folds.
10 For (R)every animal of the forest is Mine,
The cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every (S)bird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is [d]Mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
For the (T)world is Mine, and [e]everything it contains.
13 Shall I eat the flesh of [f](U)bulls
Or drink the blood of male goats?
14 Offer God (V)a sacrifice of thanksgiving
And (W)pay your vows to the Most High;
15 (X)Call upon Me on the day of trouble;
I will (Y)rescue you, and you will (Z)honor Me.”
16 But to the wicked God says,
“What right do you have to tell of My statutes
And to take (AA)My covenant in your mouth?
17 For you yourself (AB)hate discipline,
And you (AC)throw My words behind you.
18 When you see a thief, you (AD)become friends with him,
And [g]you (AE)associate with adulterers.
19 You [h](AF)let your mouth loose in evil,
And your (AG)tongue harnesses deceit.
20 You sit and (AH)speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
21 These things you have done and (AI)I kept silent;
You thought that I was just like you;
I will (AJ)rebuke you and present the case before your eyes.
Prayer for Rescue from Enemies.
For the music director; set to [a]Al-tashheth. A [b]Mikhtam of David, [c]when Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him.
59 (A)Rescue me from my enemies, my God;
[d](B)Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.
2 Rescue me from (C)those who practice injustice,
And save me from (D)men of bloodshed.
3 For behold, they (E)have [e]set an ambush for my [f]life;
[g]Fierce men (F)attack me,
(G)Not for my wrongdoing nor for my sin, Lord,
4 [h](H)For no guilt of mine, they run and take their stand against me.
(I)Stir Yourself to [i]help me, and see!
5 You, (J)Lord God of armies, the God of Israel,
Awake to [j](K)punish all the nations;
(L)Do not be gracious to any who deal treacherously in wrongdoing. Selah
6 They (M)return at evening, they howl like a (N)dog,
And prowl around the city.
7 Behold, they (O)gush forth with their mouths;
(P)Swords are in their lips,
For, they say, “(Q)Who hears?”
8 But You, Lord, (R)laugh at them;
You (S)scoff at all the nations.
9 Because of [k]his (T)strength I will watch for You,
For God is my (U)refuge.
10 [l]My God (V)in His faithfulness will meet me;
God will let me (W)look triumphantly upon my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, (X)or my people will forget;
[m](Y)Scatter them by Your power and bring them down,
Lord, (Z)our shield.
12 [n]On account of the (AA)sin of their mouths and the words of their lips,
May they even be (AB)caught in their pride,
And on account of (AC)curses and lies which they tell.
13 [o](AD)Destroy them in wrath, [p]destroy them so that they will no longer exist;
So that people may (AE)know that God [q]rules in Jacob,
To the ends of the earth. Selah
14 They (AF)return at evening, they howl like a dog,
And prowl around the city.
15 They (AG)wander about [r]for food
And [s]murmur if they are not satisfied.
16 But as for me, I will (AH)sing of Your strength;
Yes, I will (AI)joyfully sing of Your faithfulness in the (AJ)morning,
For You have been my (AK)refuge
And a (AL)place of refuge on the day of my distress.
17 (AM)My strength, I will sing praises to You;
For God is my (AN)refuge, the [t]God who shows me favor.
Grieving over Defeat in Battle, and Prayer for Help.
For the music director; according to [u]Shushan Eduth. A [v]Mikhtam of David, to teach; [w]when he fought with Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and killed twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.
60 God, (AO)You have rejected us. You have [x](AP)broken us;
You have been (AQ)angry; (AR)restore us!
2 You have made the [y](AS)land quake, You have split it open;
(AT)Heal its cracks, for it sways.
3 You have [z](AU)made Your people experience hardship;
You have given us [aa]wine to (AV)drink that makes us stagger.
4 You have given a (AW)banner to those who fear You,
That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah
5 (AX)That Your (AY)beloved may be rescued,
(AZ)Save us with Your right hand, and answer [ab]us!
6 God has spoken in His [ac](BA)holiness:
“I will triumph, I will divide up (BB)Shechem, and measure out the Valley of (BC)Succoth.
7 (BD)Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
(BE)Ephraim also is the [ad]helmet of My head;
Judah is My (BF)scepter.
8 (BG)Moab is My washbowl;
I will throw My sandal over (BH)Edom;
Shout loud, (BI)Philistia, because of Me!”
9 Who will bring me into the besieged city?
Who [ae]will lead me to Edom?
10 Have You Yourself not (BJ)rejected us, God?
And (BK)will You not go out with our armies, God?
11 Oh give us help against the enemy,
For (BL)rescue [af]by man is worthless.
12 [ag]Through God we will (BM)do valiantly,
And it is He who will (BN)trample down our enemies.
The Works and the Word of God.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
19 The (A)heavens tell of the glory of God;
And their (B)expanse declares the work of His hands.
2 Day to (C)day pours forth speech,
And (D)night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
4 Their [a](E)line has gone out into all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has (F)placed a tent for the sun,
5 Which is like a groom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices like a strong person to run his course.
6 Its (G)rising is from [b]one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the [c]other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 (H)The Law of the Lord is [d](I)perfect, (J)restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is (K)sure, making (L)wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are (M)right, (N)rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is (O)pure, (P)enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are (Q)true; they are (R)righteous altogether.
10 They are more desirable than (S)gold, yes, than much pure gold;
(T)Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, (U)Your servant is warned by them;
In keeping them there is great (V)reward.
12 Who can (W)discern his errors? (X)Acquit me of (Y)hidden faults.
13 Also keep Your servant back (Z)from presumptuous sins;
Let them not (AA)rule over me;
Then I will be (AB)innocent,
And I will be blameless of (AC)great wrongdoing.
14 May the words of my mouth and (AD)the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
Lord, (AE)my rock and my (AF)Redeemer.
God, the Refuge of His People.
For the music director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, [a]set to Alamoth. A Song.
46 God is our (A)refuge and strength,
A [b]very (B)ready help (C)in [c]trouble.
2 Therefore we will (D)not fear, though (E)the earth shakes
And (F)the mountains slip into the heart of the [d]sea;
3 Though its (G)waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah
4 There is a (H)river whose streams make the (I)city of God happy,
The holy (J)dwelling places of the Most High.
5 God is (K)in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will (L)help her [e]when morning dawns.
6 The [f]nations (M)made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He [g](N)raised His voice, the earth (O)quaked.
7 The Lord of armies (P)is with us;
The God of Jacob is (Q)our stronghold. Selah
8 Come, (R)behold the works of the Lord,
[h]Who has inflicted (S)horrific events on the earth.
9 He (T)makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He (U)breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He (V)burns the chariots with fire.
10 “[i]Stop striving and (W)know that I am God;
I will be (X)exalted among the [j]nations, I will be exalted on the earth.”
11 The Lord of armies is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah
Joseph’s Success in Egypt
39 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him [a]from the (A)Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. 2 And (B)the Lord was with Joseph, so he became a [b]successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. 3 Now his master (C)saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord (D)made all that he did prosper in his hand. 4 So Joseph (E)found favor in his sight and [c]became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and [d]put him in charge of (F)all that he owned. 5 It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the Lord (G)blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; so (H)the Lord’s blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. 6 So he left [e]Joseph in charge of everything that he owned; and with him there he did not [f]concern himself with anything except the [g]food which he [h]ate.
Now Joseph was (I)handsome in form and appearance. 7 And it came about after these events (J)that his master’s wife [i]had her eyes on Joseph, and she said, “(K)Sleep with me.” 8 But (L)he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me here, my master [j]does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has [k]put me in charge of all that he owns. 9 [l](M)There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil, and (N)sin against God?” 10 Though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her. 11 Now it happened [m]one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the people of the household was there inside. 12 So she grabbed him by his garment, saying, “Sleep with me!” But he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside. 13 [n]When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought in a [o]Hebrew to us to make fun of us; he came in to me to sleep with me, and I [p]screamed. 15 When he heard that I raised my voice and [q]screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside.” 16 So she [r]left his garment beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she (O)spoke to him [s]with these [t]words: “The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make fun of me; 18 but when I raised my voice and [u]screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.”
Joseph Imprisoned
19 Now when his master heard the words of his wife which she spoke to him, saying, “[v]This is what your slave did to me,” (P)his anger burned. 20 So Joseph’s master took him and (Q)put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the prison. 21 But (R)the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and (S)gave him favor in the sight of the warden of the prison. 22 And the warden of the prison [w](T)put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison; so that whatever was done there, he was [x]responsible for it. 23 (U)The warden of the prison did not supervise anything [y]under Joseph’s authority, because (V)the Lord was with him; and, (W)the Lord made whatever he did prosper.
14 But [a]a (A)natural person (B)does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are (C)foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But the one who is (D)spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is [b]discerned by no one. 16 For (E)who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But (F)we have the mind of Christ.
Foundations for Living
3 And I, brothers and sisters, could not speak to you as (G)spiritual people, but only as (H)fleshly, as to (I)infants in Christ. 2 I gave you (J)milk to drink, not solid food; for you (K)were not yet able to consume it. But even now you are not yet able, 3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is (L)jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking (M)like ordinary people? 4 For when (N)one person says, “I am [c]with Paul,” and another, “I am [d]with Apollos,” are you not ordinary (O)people?
5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? (P)Servants through whom you believed, even (Q)as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6 (R)I planted, (S)Apollos watered, but (T)God was causing the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8 Now the one who plants and the one who waters are one; but each will (U)receive his own [e]reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s (V)fellow workers; you are God’s [f](W)field, God’s (X)building.
10 According to (Y)the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder (Z)I laid a foundation, and (AA)another is building on it. But each person must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no one can lay a (AB)foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 (AC)each one’s work will become evident; for (AD)the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test [g]the quality of each one’s work. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will (AE)receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only (AF)so as through fire.
The Paralyzed Man Healed
2 When Jesus came back to Capernaum a few days later, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And (A)many were gathered together, so that there was no longer space, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3 (B)And some people *came, bringing to Him a man who was (C)paralyzed, carried by four men. 4 And when they were unable to [a]get to Him because of the crowd, they (D)removed the roof [b]above Him; and after digging an opening, they let down the pallet on which the (E)paralyzed man was lying. 5 And Jesus, seeing their faith, *said to the paralyzed man, “Son, (F)your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking it over in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming! (G)Who can forgive sins except God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus, aware [c]in His spirit that they were thinking that way within themselves, *said to them, “Why are you thinking about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the (H)paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He *said to the paralyzed man, 11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet, and go home.” 12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and (I)were glorifying God, saying, “(J)We have never seen anything like this!”
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