Book of Common Prayer
God Humbles the Proud, but Exalts the Righteous.
For the music director; set to [a]Al-tashheth. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song.
75 We (A)give thanks to You, God, we give thanks,
For Your name is (B)near;
People declare (C)Your wondrous works.
2 “When I select an (D)appointed time,
It is I who (E)judge fairly.
3 The (F)earth and all who inhabit it [b]are unsteady;
It is I who have firmly set its (G)pillars. Selah
4 I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
And to the wicked, ‘(H)Do not lift up the horn;
5 Do not lift up your horn on high,
(I)Do not speak with insolent [c]pride.’”
6 For not from the east, nor from the west,
Nor from the [d](J)desert comes exaltation;
7 But (K)God is the Judge;
He (L)puts down one and exalts another.
8 For a (M)cup is in the hand of the Lord, and the wine foams;
It is [e](N)well mixed, and He pours out of this;
Certainly all the wicked of the earth must drain and (O)drink its dregs.
9 But as for me, I will (P)declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 And [f]He will cut off all the (Q)horns of the wicked,
But (R)the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.
The Victorious Power of the God of Jacob.
For the music director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song.
76 God is (S)known in Judah;
His name is (T)great in Israel.
2 His [g](U)tabernacle is in (V)Salem;
His (W)dwelling place also is in Zion.
3 There He (X)broke the [h]flaming arrows,
The shield, the sword, and the [i]weapons of war. Selah
4 You are resplendent,
[j]More majestic than the mountains of prey.
5 The (Y)stouthearted were plundered,
[k]They sank into sleep;
And none of the [l]warriors could use his hands.
6 At Your (Z)rebuke, God of Jacob,
Both [m](AA)rider and horse were cast into a dead sleep.
7 You, You indeed are (AB)to be feared,
And (AC)who may stand in Your presence, [n]once You are angry?
The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my (A)shepherd,
I will (B)not be in need.
2 He lets me lie down in (C)green pastures;
He (D)leads me beside [a](E)quiet waters.
3 He (F)restores my soul;
He (G)guides me in the [b](H)paths of righteousness
For the sake of His name.
4 Even though I (I)walk through the [c]valley of the shadow of death,
I (J)fear no [d]evil, for (K)You are with me;
Your (L)rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You (M)prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You [e]have (N)anointed my head with oil;
My (O)cup overflows.
6 [f]Certainly (P)goodness and [g]faithfulness will follow me all the days of my life,
And my (Q)dwelling will be in the house of the Lord [h]forever.
A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God.
A Psalm of David.
27 The Lord is my (A)light and my (B)salvation;
Whom should I fear?
The Lord is the [a](C)defense of my life;
(D)Whom should I dread?
2 When evildoers came upon me to (E)devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they (F)stumbled and fell.
3 If an (G)army encamps against me,
My heart will not fear;
If war arises against me,
In spite of this I am (H)confident.
4 (I)One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may (J)dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold (K)the [b]beauty of the Lord
And to [c](L)meditate in His temple.
5 For on the (M)day of trouble He will (N)conceal me in His [d]tabernacle;
He will (O)hide me in the secret place of His tent;
He will (P)lift me up on a rock.
6 And now (Q)my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
And I will offer (R)sacrifices in His tent [e]with shouts of joy;
I will (S)sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
7 (T)Hear, Lord, when I cry with my voice,
And be gracious to me and (U)answer me.
8 When You said, “(V)Seek My face,” my heart said to You,
“(W)I shall seek Your face, Lord.”
9 (X)Do not hide Your face from me,
Do not turn Your servant away in (Y)anger;
You have been (Z)my help;
(AA)Do not abandon me nor (AB)forsake me,
God of my salvation!
10 [f]For my father and (AC)my mother have forsaken me,
But (AD)the Lord will take me up.
11 (AE)Teach me Your way, Lord,
And lead me on a (AF)level path
Because of my enemies.
12 Do not turn me over to the [g](AG)desire of my enemies,
For (AH)false witnesses have risen against me,
And the violent (AI)witness.
13 I certainly believed that I would see the (AJ)goodness of the Lord
In the (AK)land of the living.
14 (AL)Wait for the Lord;
Be (AM)strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.
Joseph Sees Benjamin
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his (A)house steward, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and make preparations; for the men are to dine with me at noon.” 17 So the man did as Joseph said, and [a]brought the men to Joseph’s house. 18 Now the men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time that we are being brought in, so that he may [b]attack us and [c]overpower us, and take us as slaves with our donkeys.” 19 So they approached Joseph’s house steward, and spoke to him at the entrance of the house, 20 and said, “Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food, 21 and it happened when we came to the campsite, that we opened our sacks, and behold, (B)each man’s money was in the opening of his sack, our money in [d]full. So (C)we have brought it back in our hand. 22 We have also brought down other money in our hand to buy food; we do not know who put our money in our sacks.” 23 But he said, “Peace be to you, do not be afraid. (D)Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; your [e]money was in my possession.” Then (E)he brought Simeon out to them. 24 Then the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and (F)gave them water, and they (G)washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. 25 So they prepared (H)the gift [f]for Joseph’s arrival at noon; for they had heard that they were to eat [g]a meal there.
26 When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the gift which was in their hand, and they (I)bowed down to the ground before him. 27 Then he asked them about their welfare, and said, “(J)Is your old father well, of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” 28 And they said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” Then (K)they bowed down again [h]in homage. 29 And as he raised his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, he said, “Is this (L)your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?” Then he said, “(M)May God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 Joseph then hurried out, for [i](N)he was deeply stirred over his brother, and he looked for a place to weep; so he entered his chamber and (O)wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out; and he (P)controlled himself and said, “[j]Serve the meal.” 32 Then they served him by himself, and [k]Joseph’s brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an (Q)abomination to the Egyptians. 33 Now they [l]were seated before him, from (R)the firstborn according to his birthright to the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at one another in astonishment. 34 Then he took portions to them from [m]his own table, (S)but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank freely with him.
10 But to the married I give instructions, (A)not I, but the Lord, that the wife is not to leave her husband 11 (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband is not to [a]divorce his wife.
12 But to the rest (B)I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she consents to live with him, he must not [b]divorce her. 13 And [c]if any woman has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not [d]divorce her husband. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through [e]her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are (C)holy. 15 Yet if the unbelieving one is leaving, [f]let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called [g]us (D)in peace. 16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will (E)save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
17 Only, (F)as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this way let him walk. And (G)so I direct in (H)all the churches. 18 Was any man called when he was already circumcised? He is not to become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? (I)He is not to be circumcised. 19 (J)Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is (K)the keeping of the commandments of God. 20 (L)Each person is to remain in that [h]state in which he was called.
21 Were you called as a slave? Do not let it concern you. But if you are also able to become free, take advantage of that. 22 For the one who was called in the Lord as a slave, is (M)the Lord’s freed person; likewise the one who was called as free, is (N)Christ’s slave. 23 (O)You were bought for a price; do not become slaves of people. 24 Brothers and sisters, (P)each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called.
The Demon-possessed Man Cured
5 (A)They came to the other side of the sea, into the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When He got out of (B)the boat, immediately a man from the tombs (C)with an unclean spirit met Him. 3 He lived among the tombs; and no one was able to bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces; and no one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and cutting himself with stones. 6 Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; 7 and shouting with a loud voice, he *said, “[a](D)What business do You have with me, Jesus, (E)Son of (F)the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” 8 For He had already been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he *said to Him, “My name is (G)Legion, for we are many.” 10 And he begged Him earnestly not to send them out of the region. 11 Now there was a large herd of pigs feeding [b]nearby on the mountain. 12 And the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us into the pigs so that we may enter them.” 13 Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the pigs; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.
14 Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the countryside. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And then they *came to Jesus and *saw the man who had been (H)demon-possessed sitting down, (I)clothed and (J)in his right mind, the very man who had previously had the “(K)legion”; and they became frightened. 16 Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the (L)demon-possessed man, and all about the pigs. 17 And they began to (M)beg Him to leave their region. 18 (N)And as He was getting into the boat, the man who had been (O)demon-possessed was begging Him that he might [c]accompany Him. 19 And He did not let him, but He *said to him, “(P)Go home to your people and report to them [d]what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to (Q)proclaim in (R)Decapolis [e]what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.
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