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.
God’s Rescue of Israel from Egypt.
114 When Israel went forth (A)from Egypt,
The house of Jacob from a people of a (B)foreign language,
2 Judah became (C)His sanctuary;
Israel, (D)His dominion.
3 The (E)sea looked and fled;
The (F)Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains (G)skipped like rams,
The hills, like lambs.
5 What (H)ails you, sea, that you flee?
Jordan, that you turn back?
6 Mountains, that you skip like rams?
Hills, like lambs?
7 (I)Tremble, earth, before the Lord,
Before the God of Jacob,
8 Who (J)turned the rock into a (K)pool of water,
The (L)flint into a fountain of water.
Heathen Idols Contrasted with the Lord.
115 (M)Not to us, Lord, not to us,
But (N)to Your name give glory,
Because of Your mercy, because of Your [a]truth.
2 (O)Why should the nations say,
“(P)Where, then, is their God?”
3 But our (Q)God is in the heavens;
He (R)does whatever He pleases.
4 Their (S)idols are silver and gold,
The (T)work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but they (U)cannot speak;
They have eyes, but they cannot see;
6 They have ears, but they cannot hear;
They have noses, but they cannot smell;
7 [b]They have hands, but they cannot feel;
[c]They have feet, but they cannot walk;
They cannot make a sound with their throat.
8 (V)Those who make them [d]will become like them,
Everyone who trusts in them.
9 (W)Israel, (X)trust in the Lord;
He is their (Y)help and their shield.
10 House of (Z)Aaron, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who [e](AA)fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord (AB)has been mindful of us; He will bless us.
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will (AC)bless those who [f]fear the Lord,
(AD)The small together with the great.
14 May the Lord (AE)increase you,
You and your children.
15 May you be blessed of the Lord,
(AF)Maker of heaven and earth.
The Two Tablets Replaced
34 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Cut out for yourself (A)two stone tablets like the former ones, and (B)I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you smashed. 2 So be ready by morning, and come up in the morning to (C)Mount Sinai, and [a]present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain. 3 And (D)no one is to come up with you, nor let anyone be seen [b]anywhere on the mountain; even the flocks and the herds are not to graze in front of that mountain.” 4 So he cut out (E)two stone tablets like the former ones, and Moses got up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and he took the two stone tablets in his hand. 5 And (F)the Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he [c]called upon the name of the Lord. 6 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, (G)compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and [d]truth; 7 who (H)keeps faithfulness for thousands, who forgives wrongdoing, violation of His Law, and sin; yet He (I)will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, (J)inflicting the [e]punishment of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” 8 And Moses hurried [f](K)to bow low toward the ground and worship. 9 Then he said, “(L)If in any way I have found favor in Your sight, Lord, please may the Lord go along in our midst, even though [g](M)the people are so obstinate, and (N)pardon our wrongdoing and our sin, and (O)take us as Your own [h]possession.”
The Covenant Renewed
10 Then [i]God said, “Behold, (P)I am going to make a covenant. Before all your people (Q)I will perform miracles which have not been [j]produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people [k]among whom you live will see the working of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you.
11 “[l]Be sure to comply with what I am commanding you this day: behold, (R)I am going to drive out the Amorite from you, and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 12 (S)Be careful that you do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. 13 (T)But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their memorial stones, and cut down their [m](U)Asherim 14 —for (V)you shall not worship any other god, because the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God— 15 otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they would prostitute themselves with their gods and (W)sacrifice to their gods, and someone (X)might invite you [n]to eat of his sacrifice, 16 and (Y)you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might prostitute themselves with their gods and cause your sons also to prostitute themselves with their gods. 17 (Z)You shall not make for yourself any gods cast in metal.
13 For this reason we also constantly (A)thank God that when you received the (B)word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it (C)not as the word of mere men, but as what it really is, the word of God, (D)which also is at work in you who believe. 14 For you, brothers and sisters, became (E)imitators of (F)the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are (G)in Judea, for (H)you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, (I)even as they did from the Jews, 15 (J)who both killed the Lord Jesus and (K)the prophets, and [a]drove us out. [b]They are not pleasing to God, [c]but hostile to all people, 16 (L)hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles (M)so that they may be saved; with the result that they always [d](N)reach the limit of their sins. But (O)wrath has come upon them [e]fully.
17 But we, brothers and sisters, having been orphaned from you by absence for a [f]short while—(P)in [g]person, not in [h]spirit—were all the more eager with great desire (Q)to see your face. 18 [i]For (R)we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, [j](S)more than once—and (T)Satan (U)hindered us. 19 For who is our hope, or (V)joy or crown of pride, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His [k](W)coming? Or is it not indeed you? 20 For you are (X)our glory and joy.
Personal Relationships
21 “(A)You have heard that [a]the ancients were told, ‘(B)You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to (C)the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to (D)the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘[b]You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to [c](E)the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the [d](F)fiery hell. 23 Therefore, if you are (G)presenting your [e]offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your [f]offering there before the altar and go; first be (H)reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your [g]offering. 25 [h](I)Come to good terms with your accuser quickly, while you are with him on the way to court, so that your accuser will not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will not be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I say to you, (J)you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last [i]quadrans.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.