Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 38[a]
A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention.[b]
38 O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger.
Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury.[c]
2 For your arrows pierce[d] me,
and your hand presses me down.[e]
3 My whole body is sick because of your judgment;[f]
I am deprived of health because of my sin.[g]
4 For my sins overwhelm me;[h]
like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear.
5 My wounds[i] are infected and starting to smell,[j]
because of my foolish sins.[k]
6 I am dazed[l] and completely humiliated;[m]
all day long I walk around mourning.
7 For I am overcome with shame,[n]
and my whole body is sick.[o]
8 I am numb with pain and severely battered;[p]
I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel.[q]
9 O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire;[r]
my groaning is not hidden from you.
10 My heart beats quickly;
my strength leaves me.
I can hardly see.[s]
11 Because of my condition,[t] even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance;[u]
my neighbors stand far away.[v]
12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me;[w]
those who want to harm me speak destructive words.
All day long they say deceitful things.
13 But I am like a deaf man—I hear nothing;
I am like a mute who cannot speak.[x]
14 I am like a man who cannot hear
and is incapable of arguing his defense.[y]
15 Yet[z] I wait for you, O Lord!
You will respond, O Lord, my God!
16 I have prayed for deliverance, because otherwise they will gloat over me;[aa]
when my foot slips they will arrogantly taunt me.[ab]
17 For I am about to stumble,
and I am in constant pain.[ac]
18 Yes,[ad] I confess my wrongdoing,
and I am concerned about my sins.
19 But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous;[ae]
those who hate me without cause outnumber me.[af]
20 They repay me evil for the good I have done;
though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me.[ag]
21 Do not abandon me, O Lord.
My God, do not remain far away from me.
22 Hurry and help me,[ah] O Lord, my deliverer.
ד (Dalet)
25 I collapse in the dirt.[a]
Revive me with your word.[b]
26 I told you about my ways[c] and you answered me.
Teach me your statutes.
27 Help me to understand what your precepts mean.[d]
Then I can meditate[e] on your marvelous teachings.[f]
28 I collapse[g] from grief.
Sustain me by your word.[h]
29 Remove me from the path of deceit.[i]
Graciously give me[j] your law.
30 I choose the path of faithfulness;
I am committed to[k] your regulations.
31 I hold fast[l] to your rules.
O Lord, do not let me be ashamed.
32 I run along the path of your commands,
for you enable me to do so.[m]
ה (He)
33 Teach me, O Lord, the lifestyle prescribed by your statutes,[n]
so that I might observe it continually.[o]
34 Give me understanding so that I might observe your law,
and keep it with all my heart.[p]
35 Guide me[q] in the path of your commands,
for I delight to walk in it.[r]
36 Give me a desire for your rules,[s]
rather than for wealth gained unjustly.[t]
37 Turn my eyes away from what is worthless.[u]
Revive me with your word.[v]
38 Confirm to your servant your promise,[w]
which you made to the one who honors you.[x]
39 Take away the insults that I dread.[y]
Indeed,[z] your regulations are good.
40 Look, I long for your precepts.
Revive me with your deliverance.[aa]
ו (Vav)
41 May I experience your loyal love,[ab] O Lord,
and your deliverance,[ac] as you promised.[ad]
42 Then I will have a reply for the one who insults me,[ae]
for I trust in your word.
43 Do not completely deprive me of a truthful testimony,[af]
for I await your justice.
44 Then I will keep[ag] your law continually
now and for all time.[ah]
45 I will be secure,[ai]
for I seek your precepts.
46 I will speak[aj] about your regulations before kings
and not be ashamed.
47 I will find delight in your commands,
which I love.
48 I will lift my hands to[ak] your commands,
which I love,
and I will meditate on your statutes.
17 Better is a dry crust of bread[a] where there is quietness[b]
than a house full of feasting with strife.[c]
2 A servant who acts wisely[d] will rule
over[e] an heir[f] who behaves shamefully,[g]
and will share the inheritance along with the relatives.[h]
3 The crucible[i] is for refining[j] silver and the furnace[k] is for gold,
likewise[l] the Lord tests[m] hearts.
4 One who acts wickedly[n] pays attention to evil counsel;[o]
a liar listens[p] to a malicious tongue.[q]
5 The one who mocks the poor[r] has insulted[s] his Creator;
whoever rejoices over disaster will not go unpunished.
6 Grandchildren[t] are like[u] a crown[v] to the elderly,
and the glory[w] of children is their parents.[x]
7 Excessive[y] speech[z] is not becoming for a fool;[aa]
how much less are lies[ab] for a ruler![ac]
8 A bribe works like[ad] a charm[ae] for the one who offers it;[af]
in whatever he does[ag] he succeeds.[ah]
9 The one who forgives[ai] an offense seeks[aj] love,
but whoever repeats a matter separates close friends.[ak]
10 A rebuke makes a greater impression on[al] a discerning person
than a hundred blows on a fool.[am]
11 An evil person seeks only rebellion,[an]
and so[ao] a cruel messenger[ap] will be sent against him.
12 It is better for a person to meet[aq] a mother bear being robbed of her cubs,
than[ar] to encounter[as] a fool in his folly.[at]
13 As for the one who repays[au] evil for good,
evil will not leave[av] his house.[aw]
14 Starting a quarrel[ax] is like letting out water;[ay]
abandon strife before it breaks out![az]
15 The one who acquits the guilty and the one who condemns the innocent[ba]—
both of them are an abomination to the Lord.[bb]
16 What’s the point[bc] of a fool having money[bd] in hand
to buy wisdom, when his head is empty?[be]
17 A friend[bf] loves at all times,
and a relative[bg] is born to help in adversity.[bh]
18 The one who lacks sense[bi] strikes hands in pledge,[bj]
and puts up financial security[bk] for his neighbor.[bl]
19 The one who loves a quarrel loves transgression;[bm]
whoever builds his gate high seeks destruction.[bn]
20 The one who has a perverse heart[bo] does not find good,[bp]
and the one who is deceitful in speech[bq] falls into trouble.
Qualifications for Overseers and Deacons
3 This saying[a] is trustworthy: “If someone aspires to the office of overseer,[b] he desires a good work.” 2 The overseer[c] then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,[d] temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher, 3 not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money. 4 He must manage his own household well and keep his children in control without losing his dignity.[e] 5 But if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for the church of God? 6 He must not be a recent convert or he may become arrogant[f] and fall into the punishment that the devil will exact.[g] 7 And he must be well thought of by[h] those outside the faith,[i] so that he may not fall into disgrace and be caught by the devil’s trap.[j]
8 Deacons likewise must be dignified,[k] not two-faced,[l] not given to excessive drinking,[m] not greedy for gain, 9 holding to the mystery of the faith[n] with a clear conscience. 10 And these also must be tested first and then let them serve as deacons if they are found blameless. 11 Likewise also their wives[o] must be dignified, not slanderous, temperate, faithful in every respect. 12 Deacons must be husbands of one wife[p] and good managers of their children and their own households. 13 For those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves[q] and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.[r]
Conduct in God’s Church
14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions[s] to you 15 in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves[t] in the household of God, because it is[u] the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth. 16 And we all agree,[v] our religion contains amazing revelation:[w]
The Return of the Unclean Spirit
43 “When[a] an unclean spirit[b] goes out of a person,[c] it passes through waterless places[d] looking for rest but[e] does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’[f] When it returns,[g] it finds the house[h] empty, swept clean, and put in order.[i] 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so[j] the last state of that person is worse than the first. It will be that way for this evil generation as well!”
Jesus’ True Family
46 While Jesus[k] was still speaking to the crowds,[l] his mother and brothers[m] came and stood outside, asking[n] to speak to him. 47 [o] Someone[p] told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting[q] to speak to you.” 48 To the one who had said this, Jesus[r] replied,[s] “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” 49 And pointing[t] toward his disciples he said, “Here[u] are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is[v] my brother and sister and mother.”
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