Book of Common Prayer
Joy Comes with the Morning
A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of (A)the temple.
30 I will (B)extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes (C)rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I (D)cried to you for help,
and you have (E)healed me.
3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from (F)Sheol;
you restored me to life from among those who (G)go down to the pit.[a]
4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you (H)his saints,
and (I)give thanks to his holy name.[b]
5 (J)For his anger is but for a moment,
and (K)his favor is for a lifetime.[c]
(L)Weeping may tarry for the night,
but (M)joy comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my (N)prosperity,
“I shall never be (O)moved.”
7 By your favor, O Lord,
you made my (P)mountain stand strong;
you (Q)hid your face;
I was (R)dismayed.
Blessed Are the Forgiven
A Maskil[a] of David.
32 (A)Blessed is the one whose (B)transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord (C)counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit (D)there is no deceit.
3 For when I kept silent, my (E)bones wasted away
through my (F)groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your (G)hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up[b] as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 I (H)acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I (I)will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is (J)godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you (K)may be found;
surely in the rush of (L)great waters,
they shall not reach him.
7 You are a (M)hiding place for me;
you preserve me from (N)trouble;
you surround me with (O)shouts of deliverance. Selah
Book Two
Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?
To the choirmaster. A Maskil[a] of (A)the Sons of Korah.
42 (B)As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 (C)My soul thirsts for God,
for (D)the living God.
When shall I come and (E)appear before God?[b]
3 (F)My tears have been my food
day and night,
(G)while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember,
as I (H)pour out my soul:
(I)how I would go (J)with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
(K)a multitude keeping festival.
5 (L)Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you (M)in turmoil within me?
(N)Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation[c] 6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I (O)remember you
(P)from the land of Jordan and of (Q)Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
(R)all your breakers and your (S)waves
have gone over me.
8 By day the Lord (T)commands his steadfast love,
and at (U)night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, (V)my rock:
“Why have you forgotten me?
(W)Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
(X)while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 (Y)Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
Send Out Your Light and Your Truth
43 (Z)Vindicate me, O God, and (AA)defend my cause
against an ungodly people,
from (AB)the deceitful and unjust man
deliver me!
2 For you are (AC)the God in whom I take refuge;
why have you (AD)rejected me?
Why do I (AE)go about mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?
15 With (A)patience a ruler may be persuaded,
and a soft tongue will break a bone.
16 If you have (B)found honey, eat (C)only enough for you,
lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
17 Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house,
lest he have his fill of you and hate you.
18 A man who (D)bears false witness against his neighbor
is like a war club, or (E)a sword, or a sharp arrow.
19 Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble
is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.
20 Whoever (F)sings songs to a heavy heart
is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,
and like vinegar on soda.
21 (G)If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
22 for you will heap (H)burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.
23 The north wind brings forth rain,
and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
24 (I)It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
25 Like cold water to (J)a thirsty soul,
so is (K)good news from a far country.
26 Like (L)a muddied spring or a polluted fountain
is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
27 It is (M)not good to eat much honey,
nor is it glorious to (N)seek one's own glory.[a]
28 A man (O)without self-control
is like (P)a city broken into and left without walls.
6 But (A)godliness (B)with contentment is great gain, 7 for (C)we brought nothing into the world, and[a] we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But (D)if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But (E)those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, (F)into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that (G)plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of (H)all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Fight the Good Fight of Faith
11 But as for you, (I)O man of God, (J)flee these things. (K)Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 (L)Fight the good fight of the faith. (M)Take hold of the eternal life (N)to which you were called and about which you made (O)the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 (P)I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, (Q)who in his testimony before[b] Pontius Pilate made (R)the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until (S)the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display (T)at the proper time—he who is (U)the blessed and only Sovereign, (V)the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 (W)who alone has immortality, (X)who dwells in (Y)unapproachable light, (Z)whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
17 As for the rich in (AA)this present age, charge them (AB)not to be haughty, nor (AC)to set their hopes on (AD)the uncertainty of riches, but on God, (AE)who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, (AF)to be rich in good works, to be generous and (AG)ready to share, 19 thus (AH)storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may (AI)take hold of (AJ)that which is truly life.
20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. (AK)Avoid the (AL)irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” 21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
36 Then he left the crowds and went into (A)the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, (B)“Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is (C)the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are (D)the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. (E)The harvest is (F)the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds (G)are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at (H)the end of the age. 41 (I)The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all (J)causes of sin and (K)all law-breakers, 42 (L)and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place (M)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then (N)the righteous will shine like the sun (O)in the kingdom of their Father. (P)He who has ears, let him hear.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.