Book of Common Prayer
The Lord, the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Salvation in Death.
A [a]Mikhtam of David.
16 (A)Protect me, God, for (B)I take refuge in You.
2 [b]I said to the Lord, “You are [c]my Lord;
I (C)have nothing good besides You.”
3 As for the [d](D)saints who are on the earth,
[e]They are the majestic ones; (E)all my delight is in them.
4 [f]The (F)pains of those who have acquired another god will be multiplied;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of (G)blood,
Nor will I (H)take their names upon my lips.
5 The Lord is the (I)portion of my inheritance and my (J)cup;
You support my (K)lot.
6 The measuring (L)lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my inheritance is (M)beautiful to me.
7 I will bless the Lord who has (N)advised me;
Indeed, my [g](O)mind instructs me in the night.
8 (P)I have (Q)set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is (R)at my right hand, (S)I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore (T)my heart is glad and (U)my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will (V)dwell securely.
10 For You (W)will not abandon my soul to [h]Sheol;
You will not [i](X)allow Your [j]Holy One to [k]undergo decay.
11 You will make known to me (Y)the way of life;
In (Z)Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are (AA)pleasures forever.
Prayer for Protection against Oppressors.
A Prayer of David.
17 Hear a (AB)just cause, Lord, (AC)give Your attention to my cry;
(AD)Listen to my prayer, which is not from (AE)deceitful lips.
2 Let (AF)my [l]judgment come forth from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look with (AG)integrity.
3 You have (AH)put my heart to the test;
You have visited me by night;
You have (AI)sifted me and (AJ)You find [m]nothing;
My (AK)intent is that my mouth will not offend.
4 As for the works of mankind, (AL)by the word of Your lips
I have kept from the (AM)ways of the violent.
5 My (AN)steps have held to Your [n]paths.
My (AO)feet have not slipped.
6 I have (AP)called upon You, for You will answer me, God;
(AQ)Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech.
7 (AR)Show Your wonderful faithfulness,
(AS)Savior of those who take refuge [o]at Your right hand
From those who rise up against them.
8 Keep me as [p]the (AT)apple of the eye;
Hide me (AU)in the shadow of Your wings
9 From the (AV)wicked who deal violently with me,
My (AW)deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They have (AX)closed their [q]unfeeling hearts,
With their mouths they (AY)speak proudly.
11 They have now (AZ)surrounded us in our steps;
They set their eyes (BA)to cast us down to the ground.
12 He is (BB)like a lion that is eager to tear,
And as a young lion (BC)lurking in secret places.
13 (BD)Arise, Lord, confront him, (BE)make him bow down;
(BF)Save my soul from the wicked with (BG)Your sword,
14 From people by (BH)Your hand, Lord,
From people [r]of the world, (BI)whose portion is in this life,
And whose belly You (BJ)fill with Your treasure;
They are satisfied with children,
And leave their abundance to their babies.
15 As for me, I shall (BK)behold Your face in righteousness;
(BL)I shall be satisfied with Your (BM)likeness when I awake.
Greetings of Night Watchers.
A Song of Ascents.
134 Behold, (A)bless the Lord, all you (B)servants of the Lord,
Who [a](C)serve (D)by night in the house of the Lord!
2 (E)Lift up your hands to the (F)sanctuary
And bless the Lord.
3 May the Lord (G)bless you from Zion,
He who (H)made heaven and earth.
Praise the Lord’s Wonderful Works. Futility of Idols.
135 [b](I)Praise [c]the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord;
Praise Him, you (J)servants of the Lord,
2 You who stand in the house of the Lord,
In the (K)courtyards of the house of our God!
3 [d]Praise [e]the Lord, for (L)the Lord is good;
(M)Sing praises to His name, (N)for it is lovely.
4 For [f]the Lord has (O)chosen Jacob for Himself,
Israel as His (P)own possession.
5 For I know that (Q)the Lord is great
And that our Lord is (R)above all gods.
6 (S)Whatever the Lord pleases, He does,
In heaven and on earth, in the seas and in all the ocean depths.
7 [g]He (T)causes the [h]mist to ascend from the ends of the earth,
[i]He (U)makes lightning for the rain;
[j]He (V)brings forth the wind from His treasuries.
8 [k]He (W)struck the firstborn of Egypt,
[l]Both human firstborn and animal.
9 [m]He sent (X)signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
Upon (Y)Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 [n](Z)He (AA)struck many nations
And brought death to mighty kings,
11 (AB)Sihon, king of the Amorites,
(AC)Og, king of Bashan,
And (AD)all the kingdoms of Canaan;
12 And He (AE)gave their land as an inheritance,
An inheritance to His people Israel.
13 Your (AF)name, Lord, is everlasting,
The mention of You, Lord, is [o]throughout all generations.
14 For the Lord will (AG)judge His people
And (AH)will have compassion on His servants.
15 The (AI)idols of the nations are nothing but silver and gold,
The work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
They have eyes, but they do not see;
17 They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will become like them,
Yes, everyone who trusts in them.
23 then he said to them, “This is what the Lord [a]meant: (A)Tomorrow is a Sabbath observance, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and (B)all that is left over [b]put aside to be kept until morning.” 24 So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and (C)it did not stink nor was there a maggot in it. 25 Then Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 (D)Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be [c]none.”
27 Yet it came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(E)How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My [d]instructions? 29 See, [e]the Lord has given you the Sabbath; for that reason He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain, everyone, in his place; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 And the house of (F)Israel named the bread [f]manna, and it was like (G)coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey. 32 Then Moses said, “This is [g]what the Lord has commanded: ‘A [h]full omer of it is to be kept safe throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33 And Moses said to Aaron, “(H)Take a jar and put a [i]full omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept safe throughout your generations.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before (I)the Testimony, to be kept. 35 And (J)the sons of Israel ate the manna for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (Now (K)an [j]omer is a tenth of an ephah.)
13 (A)And who is [a]there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should (B)suffer for the sake of righteousness, (C)you [b]are blessed. (D)And do not fear their [c]intimidation, and do not be in dread, 15 but [d]sanctify (E)Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready (F)to make a [e]defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the (G)hope that is in you, but (H)with gentleness and (I)respect; 16 [f]and keep a (J)good conscience so that in the thing in which (K)you are slandered, those who disparage your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For (L)it is better, (M)if [g]God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. 18 For (N)Christ also [h]suffered for sins (O)once for all time, the just for the unjust, so that He might (P)bring us to God, having been put to death (Q)in the flesh, but made alive (R)in the [i]spirit; 19 in [j]which He also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20 who once were disobedient when the (S)patience of God (T)kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of (U)the ark, in which a few, that is, (V)eight (W)persons, were brought safely through the water. 21 (X)Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—(Y)not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God [k]for a (Z)good conscience—through (AA)the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 (AB)who is at the right hand of God, (AC)having gone into heaven, (AD)after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.
Keep Fervent in Your Love
4 Therefore, since (AE)Christ has [l]suffered in the flesh, (AF)arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because (AG)the one who has [m]suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 (AH)so as to live (AI)the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human lusts, but for the (AJ)will of God. 3 For (AK)the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, [n](AL)having pursued a course of indecent behavior, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries. 4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them in the same excesses of [o](AM)debauchery, and they (AN)slander you; 5 but they will give an account to Him who is ready to judge (AO)the living and the dead. 6 For (AP)the gospel has for this purpose been [p]preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as people, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.
Jesus’ Warning
16 “(A)These things I have spoken to you so that you will not [a]be (B)led into sin. 2 They will [b](C)ban you from the synagogue, yet (D)an hour is coming for everyone (E)who kills you to think that he is offering a [c]service to God. 3 These things they will do (F)because they have not known the Father nor Me. 4 But these things I have spoken to you, (G)so that when their hour comes, you [d]may remember that I told you of them. However, I did not say these things to you (H)at the beginning, because I was with you.
The Holy Spirit Promised
5 “But now (I)I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘(J)Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, (K)grief has filled your heart. 7 But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the [e](L)Helper will not come to you; but if I go, (M)I will send Him to you. 8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment: 9 regarding sin, (N)because they do not believe in Me; 10 and regarding (O)righteousness, because (P)I am going to the Father and you no longer are going to see Me; 11 (Q)and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them at the present time. 13 But when He, (R)the Spirit of truth, comes, He will (S)guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will (T)glorify Me, for He will take from Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 (U)All things that the Father has are Mine; this is why I said that He takes from Mine and will disclose it to you.
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