Book of Common Prayer
Prayer for Protection from the Wicked.
For the music director; for [a]flute accompaniment. A Psalm of David.
5 (A)Listen to my words, Lord,
Consider my (B)sighing.
2 Listen to (C)the sound of my cry for help, (D)my King and my God,
For to You I pray.
3 In the morning, Lord, [b]You will hear my voice;
In the (E)morning I will present my [c]prayer to You and be on the (F)watch.
4 For You are not a God (G)who takes pleasure in wickedness;
(H)No evil can dwell with You.
5 The (I)boastful will not (J)stand before Your eyes;
You (K)hate all who do injustice.
6 You (L)destroy those who speak lies;
The Lord loathes (M)the person of bloodshed and deceit.
7 But as for me, (N)by Your abundant graciousness I will enter Your house,
[d]At Your holy temple I will (O)bow in (P)reverence for You.
8 Lord, (Q)lead me (R)in Your righteousness (S)because of my enemies;
Make Your way [e]straight before me.
9 For there is (T)nothing [f]trustworthy in [g]their mouth;
Their (U)inward part is destruction itself.
Their (V)throat is an open grave;
They [h]flatter with their tongue.
10 Make them pay, God;
(W)Have them fall by their own schemes!
(X)Scatter them in the multitude of their wrongdoings,
For they are (Y)rebellious against You.
11 But (Z)rejoice, all who (AA)take refuge in You,
Sing for joy forever!
And [i]may You (AB)shelter them,
That those who (AC)love Your name may rejoice in You.
12 For You (AD)bless the righteous person, Lord,
You (AE)surround him with favor as with a shield.
Prayer for Mercy in Time of Trouble.
For the music director; with stringed instruments, [j]upon an eight-string lyre. A Psalm of David.
6 Lord, (AF)do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor discipline me in Your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am (AG)frail;
(AH)Heal me, Lord, for (AI)my bones are horrified.
3 And my (AJ)soul is greatly horrified;
But You, Lord—(AK)how long?
4 Return, Lord, (AL)rescue my [k]soul;
Save me because of Your mercy.
5 For (AM)there is no [l]mention of You in death;
In [m]Sheol, who will praise You?
A Prayer for the Overthrow of the Wicked.
10 Why (A)do You stand far away, Lord?
Why (B)do You hide [a]Yourself in times of trouble?
2 In (C)arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the needy;
[b]Let them be (D)caught in the plots which they have devised.
3 For the wicked (E)boasts of his (F)soul’s desire,
And [c]the greedy person curses and (G)shows disrespect to the Lord.
4 The wicked, [d]in his haughtiness, (H)does not seek Him.
(I)There is no God in all his schemes.
5 His ways (J)succeed at all times;
Yet Your judgments are on high, (K)out of his sight;
As for all his enemies, he snorts at them.
6 He says to himself, “(L)I will not be moved;
[e]Throughout the generations (M)I will not be in adversity.”
7 His (N)mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and (O)oppression;
(P)Under his tongue is harm and injustice.
8 He sits in the (Q)lurking places of the villages;
He (R)kills the innocent in the secret places;
His eyes [f]surreptitiously watch for the [g](S)unfortunate.
9 He lurks in secret like (T)a lion in his [h]lair;
He (U)lurks to catch (V)the needy;
He catches the needy when he pulls him into his (W)net.
10 Then he crushes the needy one, who cowers;
And [i]unfortunate people fall by his mighty power.
11 He (X)says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He has hidden His face; He will never see it.”
12 Arise, Lord; God, (Y)lift up Your hand.
(Z)Do not forget the humble.
13 Why has the wicked (AA)treated God disrespectfully?
He has said to himself, “[j]You will not require an account.”
14 You have seen it, for You have looked at (AB)harm and provocation to [k]take it into Your hand.
The [l](AC)unfortunate commits himself to You;
You have been the (AD)helper of the orphan.
15 (AE)Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer,
[m](AF)Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
16 The Lord is (AG)King forever and ever;
(AH)Nations have perished from His land.
17 Lord, You have heard the (AI)desire of the humble;
You will (AJ)strengthen their heart, (AK)You will make Your ear attentive
18 To [n]vindicate the (AL)orphan and the (AM)oppressed,
So that mankind, which is of the earth, will no longer cause (AN)terror.
The Lord, a Refuge and Defense.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
11 In the Lord I (AO)take refuge;
How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your (AP)mountain?
2 For, behold, the wicked (AQ)bend the bow,
They have [o](AR)set their arrow on the string
To (AS)shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
3 If the (AT)foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”
4 The Lord is in His (AU)holy temple; the [p]Lord’s (AV)throne is in heaven;
His (AW)eyes see, His eyelids test the sons of mankind.
5 The Lord (AX)tests the righteous and (AY)the wicked,
And His soul hates one who loves violence.
6 He will (AZ)rain [q]coals of fire upon the wicked,
(BA)And brimstone and (BB)burning wind will be the portion of (BC)their cup.
7 For the Lord is (BD)righteous, (BE)He loves [r]righteousness;
The upright will (BF)see His face.
The Song of Moses and Israel
15 (A)Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, [a]saying:
“[b](B)I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted;
(C)The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
2 [c](D)The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
(E)This is my God, and I will praise Him;
(F)My father’s God, and I will (G)exalt Him.
3 (H)The Lord is a warrior;
[d](I)The Lord is His name.
4 (J)Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has thrown into the sea;
And the choicest of his officers are [e]drowned in the [f]Red Sea.
5 The waters cover them;
(K)They went down into the depths like a stone.
6 (L)Your right hand, Lord, is majestic in power;
(M)Your right hand, Lord, destroys the enemy.
7 And in the greatness of Your [g]excellence You (N)overthrow those who rise up against You;
(O)You send out Your burning anger, and it (P)consumes them like chaff.
8 (Q)At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up,
(R)The flowing waters stood up like a heap;
The depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 (S)The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will (T)divide the spoils;
[h]I shall [i]be satisfied against them;
I will draw my sword, my hand will [j]destroy them.’
10 (U)You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them;
(V)They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 (W)Who is like You among the gods, Lord?
Who is like You, (X)majestic in holiness,
(Y)Awesome in praises, (Z)working wonders?
12 (AA)You reached out with Your right hand,
The earth swallowed them.
13 In Your [k]faithfulness You have (AB)led the people whom You have (AC)redeemed;
In Your strength You have guided them (AD)to Your holy habitation.
14 (AE)The peoples have heard, they tremble;
Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Then the (AF)chiefs of Edom were terrified;
(AG)The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them;
(AH)All the inhabitants of Canaan have despaired.
16 (AI)Terror and dread fall upon them;
(AJ)By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone,
Until Your people pass over, Lord,
Until the people pass over whom You (AK)have purchased.
17 (AL)You will bring them and (AM)plant them in (AN)the mountain of Your inheritance,
(AO)The place, Lord, which You have made as Your dwelling,
(AP)The sanctuary, Lord, which Your hands have established.
18 (AQ)The Lord shall reign forever and ever.”
19 (AR)For the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on (AS)dry land through the midst of the sea.
20 (AT)Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the (AU)tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with [l](AV)dancing. 21 And Miriam answered them,
13 Therefore, [a](A)prepare your minds for action, [b](B)keep sober in spirit, set your (C)hope completely on the (D)grace to be brought to you at (E)the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As [c](F)obedient children, do not [d](G)be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your (H)ignorance, 15 but [e](I)like the Holy One who called you, [f](J)be holy yourselves also (K)in all your behavior; 16 because it is written: “(L)You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
17 If you (M)address as Father the One who (N)impartially (O)judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves (P)in fear during the time of your (Q)stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not [g](R)redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your (S)futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious (T)blood, as of a (U)lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 20 For He was (V)foreknown before (W)the foundation of the world, but has (X)appeared [h]in these last times (Y)for the sake of you 21 who through Him are (Z)believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and (AA)gave Him glory, so that your faith and (AB)hope are in God.
22 Since you have (AC)purified your souls (AD)in obedience to the truth for a (AE)sincere love of the brothers and sisters, fervently love one another from [i]the heart, 23 for you have been (AF)born again (AG)not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring (AH)word of God. 24 For,
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; (A)I am coming to you. 19 [a](B)After a little while, (C)the world no longer is going to see Me, but you are going to see Me; (D)because I live, you also will live. 20 (E)On that day you will know that (F)I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I in you. 21 (G)The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and (H)the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will (I)reveal Myself to him.” 22 (J)Judas (not Iscariot) *said to Him, “Lord, what has happened (K)that You are going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “(L)If anyone loves Me, he will (M)follow My word; and (N)My Father will love him, and We (O)will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. 24 The one who does not love Me (P)does not follow My words; and (Q)the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while remaining with you. 26 But the (R)Helper, the Holy Spirit (S)whom the Father will send in My name, (T)He will teach you all things, and (U)remind you of all that I said to you. 27 (V)Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. [b](W)Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor [c]fearful. 28 (X)You heard that I said to you, ‘I am going away, and (Y)I am coming to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced [d]because (Z)I am going to the Father, for (AA)the Father is greater than I. 29 And now (AB)I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. 30 I will not speak much more with you, for (AC)the ruler of the world is coming, and he has [e]nothing in regard to Me, 31 but so that the world may know that I love the Father, [f]I do exactly as (AD)the Father commanded Me. Get up, (AE)let’s go from here.
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