Book of Common Prayer
Zayin
49 Remember your word to your servant,
upon which you have caused me to hope.
50 This is my comfort in my misery:
that your word[a] preserves my life.
51 The arrogant utterly deride me;
I have not turned aside from your law.
52 I remember your ordinances of old, O Yahweh,
and I take comfort.
53 Rage seizes me because of the wicked,
those who forsake your law.
54 Your statutes have been my songs
in the house of my sojourning.
55 I remember your name in the night, O Yahweh,
and I heed your law.
56 This has been mine,
that I have kept your precepts.
Heth
57 Yahweh is my portion;
I intend to heed your words.
58 I seek your favor[b] with my whole heart;
be gracious to me according to your word.[c]
59 I think about my ways,
and turn my feet to your testimonies.
60 I hurry and do not delay
to heed your commands.
61 The cords of the wicked surround me,
but I do not forget your law.
62 In the middle of the night I rise to give you thanks,
because of your righteous ordinances.
63 I am a companion of all who fear you
and heed your precepts.
64 The earth, O Yahweh, is full of your loyal love.
Teach me your statutes.
Teth
65 You have dealt well with your servant,
O Yahweh, according to your word.
66 Teach me good discernment and knowledge,
for I believe your commands.
67 Before I was afflicted, I was going astray,
but now I heed your word.
68 You are good and do good;
teach me your statutes.
69 The arrogant smear me with lies;[d]
I keep your precepts with my whole heart.
70 Their heart is insensitive like fat;[e]
As for me, I take delight in your law.
71 It is good for me that I was afflicted,
so that I might learn your statutes.
72 The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver coins.
Wealth and the Fate of the Wicked
For the music director. Of the sons of Korah. A psalm.[a]
49 Hear this, all you peoples;
give ear, all you inhabitants of the world,
2 both low and high,
rich and poor together.
3 My mouth will speak wisdom,
and the meditation of my heart will be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will propound[b] my riddle on a lyre.
5 Why should I fear in times of calamity,[c]
when iniquity surrounds me at my heels,
6 those who trust their wealth
and boast about the abundance of their riches?
7 Surely a man cannot redeem a brother.
He cannot give to God his ransom
8 (since[d] the redemption price for their life is costly
and it always fails),
9 so that he may stay alive forever
and not see the pit.
10 For he sees that the wise die,
together with the fool and brute they perish,
and leave their wealth to the next generation.
11 Within them they think their houses are forever,
their dwelling places from generation to generation.
They name[e] their lands by their own names.
12 But man cannot continue in his pomp.
He is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the journey[f] of those who have foolish confidence,
and those after them who accept their sayings. Selah
14 Like sheep they are destined to Sheol;
death will shepherd them.
But the upright will rule over them in the morning,
and their forms will be for Sheol to consume,
far from his lofty abode.
15 Surely God will ransom my life
from the power[g] of Sheol,
because he will receive me. Selah
16 Do not fear when a man becomes rich,
when the wealth[h] of his house increases,
17 because when he dies he will not take away any of it.
His wealth will not follow down after him.
18 Though he congratulated his soul while he was living
—and people will praise you when you do well for yourself—
19 it[i] will go to the generation of his fathers.
Never will they see light.
20 Humankind in its pomp, but does not understand,
is like the beasts that perish.
The Folly of the Godless and Salvation for Israel
For the music director, according to Mahalath.
A maskil of David.[a]
53 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt and they have done abominable iniquity.
There is none who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven upon the children of humankind
to see whether there is one who has insight,
one who seeks God.
3 All of them[b] have turned back.
They are altogether corrupt.
There is none who does good;
there is not even one.
4 Do not evildoers know,
they who eat my people as though they were eating bread?
They do not call on God.
5 There they are very fearful[c]
where no fear had been,
because God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you.
You have put them to shame, because God has rejected them.
6 Oh, that from Zion[d] would come salvation for Israel!
When God returns the fortunes[e] of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
God Has Ordained the Ebb and Flow of Human Activities
3 For everything there is an appointed time, a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to bear[a] and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to root up what is planted;
3 a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to break down and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
5 a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones;
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek and a time to lose;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
7 a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to be silent and a time to speak;
8 a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What does the worker gain in his toil?
No One Understands God’s Mysterious Plan
10 I have seen the busyness God gives to humans[b] to preoccupy[c] them. 11 He has made everything suitable in its time. He also has put the past[d] in their hearts, yet no one can grasp what God does from the beginning to the end. 12 So I realized that there is nothing better[e] for them than to rejoice and enjoy themselves[f] during their lives. 13 And for anyone to eat and drink, that is, to enjoy the fruit of all his toil,[g] this also is a gift of God.
Paul Confronts Peter at Antioch
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was condemned. 12 For before certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles, but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he[a] was afraid of those who were of the circumcision, 13 and the rest of the Jews also joined in this hypocrisy with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with them in their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not being straightforward with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of them all, “If you, although you[b] are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you try to compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
Justified by Faith in Christ
15 We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles, 16 but knowing that a person is not justified by the works of the law, if not by faith in Jesus Christ,[c] and we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we may be justified by faith in Christ[d] and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified[e]. 17 But if while seeking to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also have been found to be sinners, then is Christ an agent of sin? May it never be! 18 For if I build up again these things which I destroyed, I show myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, in order that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ, 20 and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, and that life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not declare invalid the grace of God, for if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died to no purpose.
Herod Kills John the Baptist
14 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus 2 and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist! He has been raised from the dead, and for this reason miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3 For Herod, after[a] arresting John, bound him and put him[b] in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, 4 because John had been saying to him, “It is not permitted for you to have her.” 5 And although he[c] wanted to kill him, he feared the crowd, because they looked upon him as a prophet.
6 But when[d] Herod’s birthday celebration took place, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst of them and pleased Herod. 7 Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 And coached by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter!” 9 And although[e] the king was distressed, because of his oaths and his dinner guests[f] he commanded the request[g] to be granted. 10 And he sent orders[h] and[i] had John beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it[j] to her mother. 12 And his disciples came and[k] took away the corpse and buried it, and went and[l] told Jesus.
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