Book of Common Prayer
49 [a]Remember the word you gave to your servant
by which you have given me hope.
50 This is my consolation in my distress:
your word gives me life.
51 The arrogant[b] overwhelm me with scorn,
but I refuse to turn away from your law.
52 I recall your judgments of old, O Lord,
and I am greatly comforted.
53 I am filled with fury against the wicked,
those who forsake your law.
54 Your decrees have become my songs
wherever I make my dwelling.
55 Even during the night I remember your name[c]
and observe your teaching, O Lord.
56 This is my practice:
I obey your commandments.
Heth
57 [d]My portion, I have said, O Lord,
is to observe your words.[e]
58 With all my heart[f] I seek your favor;
fulfill your word and be gracious to me.
59 I have reflected on my ways
and resolved to follow your statutes.
60 I will make haste and not delay
to observe your precepts.
61 Though the nets of the wicked entrap me,
I do not forget your law.
62 At midnight I rise to offer praise to you
for the righteousness of your judgments.
63 I am a friend to all who fear you,
all who observe your commands.
64 The earth overflows with your kindness,[g] O Lord;
teach me your decrees.
Teth
65 [h]You have dealt kindly with your servant
in accord with your word, O Lord.
66 Grant me good judgment and knowledge,
for I place my trust in your precepts.
67 Before I was afflicted[i] I went astray,
but now I observe your word.
68 You are good, and what you do is good;
teach me your decrees.
69 The arrogant[j] spread lies about me,
but with all my heart I observe your commands.
70 Their hearts are gross and insensitive,[k]
but I find my delight in your law.
71 It was a blessing for me to be afflicted,
so that I might learn your decrees.
72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
Yodh
Psalm 49[a]
Deceptive Riches
1 For the director.[b] A psalm of the sons of Korah.
2 [c]Hear this, all you peoples;
listen carefully, all you inhabitants of the world,
3 whether lowborn or highborn,
rich and poor alike.
4 My mouth will speak words of wisdom,
and the utterance of my heart[d] will give understanding.
5 I will listen carefully to a proverb,
and with the harp[e] I will interpret my riddle.
6 Why should I be afraid in evil times
when I am beset by the wickedness of my foes,[f]
7 those who place their trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?
8 [g]For no one can ever redeem himself
or pay a ransom to God for his release.
9 The price to ransom a life would be too costly;
no one would ever have enough
10 to enable him to live on forever
and avoid being consigned to the pit.
11 [h]For all can see that the wise die,
just as the foolish and the stupid also pass away,
and all leave their wealth to others.[i]
12 Their graves are their eternal homes,
their dwelling places for all generations,
even though they had named lands after themselves.
13 Despite his riches,
a man cannot escape death;
he is like the beasts that perish.[j]
14 Such is the destiny of those who trust in themselves alone,
the fate of those who are pleased with their lot.[k] Selah
15 Like sheep[l] they are destined for the netherworld,
with death as their shepherd.
They descend straight to the grave
where their bodies will waste away;
the netherworld will be their home.
16 But God will ransom me from the netherworld;
he will take me[m] to himself. Selah
17 [n]Do not be afraid when someone becomes rich
and the splendor of his house increases.
18 When he dies, he will take nothing with him;
his wealth will not accompany him below.[o]
19 Although during his lifetime he considered himself blessed:
“They will praise me because I have done well,”
20 he will end up joining the company of his ancestors
who will never again see the light.[p]
21 Despite his riches,
a man who does not have wisdom
is like the beasts that perish.[q]
Psalm 53[a]
Foolishness of the Wicked
1 For the director.[b] According to Mahalath. A maskil of David.
2 [c]The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
Such are depraved and their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does what is right.
3 God looks down from heaven
upon the entire human race,
to see if there are any who act with wisdom,
if even a single one seeks God.
4 But they have all turned aside;
all alike are corrupt.
There is no one who does what is right,
not even one.
5 Have all these evildoers no understanding?
They devour my people as they eat bread,
and they never call out to God.
6 Later, they will be filled with terror,
and with good reason,[d]
although now they do not fear.
For God will scatter the bones
of those who attack you;
they will be put to shame,
for God has rejected them.
7 Who will bring about the salvation of Israel
that is to come out of Zion?[e]
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice and Israel will exult.
Chapter 3
A Time for Everything[a]
1 For everything there is a season,
and a time[b] for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear 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 scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
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 discard.
7 A time to tear, and a time to mend;
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 gain does the worker have from his toil? 10 I have observed the tasks that God has designated to keep men occupied. 11 He has made everything suitable for its time, and he has given men a sense of past and future,[c] but they never have the slightest comprehension of what God has wrought from beginning to end.
12 I understand that man’s greatest happiness is to be glad and do well throughout his life. 13 And when we eat and drink and find satisfaction in all our labors, this is a gift of God.
14 I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it or subtracted from it. God has done this so that everyone will be in awe standing in his presence.
15 Whatever is now has already been,
that which is to come already is,
and God will restore whatever might be displaced.
Paul Rebukes Peter[a]
11 Peter’s Inconsistency at Antioch. However, when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was in the wrong. 12 For until some people came from James,[b] he had been eating with the Gentiles; but when they arrived, he drew back and kept himself apart because he was afraid of the circumcised. 13 And the rest of the Jews[c] carried out the same pretense that he did, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their pretense.
14 Paul’s Rebuke. But when I saw that their conduct was not in accordance with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of all of them, “You are a Jew, yet you are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How then can you require the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
Paul Defends the Freedom of Christians[d]
It Is Faith That Saves[e]
Justified by Faith in Christ.[f] We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners,[g] 16 yet we know that a man is justified not by the works of the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ. So we too came to believe in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in him and not by the works of the Law, for no one will be justified by the works of the Law.17 But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves are found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? By no means! 18 However, if I am now rebuilding what I previously tore down, then I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the Law I died to the Law[h] so that I might live to God.
I have been crucified with Christ. 20 And now it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. The life I live now in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if justification comes through the Law, then Christ died for nothing.
Chapter 14
John the Baptist, Herod, and Jesus.[a] 1 At that time Herod the tetrarch[b] heard reports about Jesus, 2 and he said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead. That is why such powers are at work in him.”
3 Now Herod had ordered the arrest of John, put him in chains, and imprisoned him on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. 4 For John had told him, “It is against the law for you to have her.”
5 Herod wanted to put John to death, but he was afraid of the people because they regarded John as a prophet. 6 But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias[c] danced in front of the guests, and she pleased Herod so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give her anything she asked for. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests present there, he ordered that her request be granted. 10 He had John beheaded in the prison.[d] 11 The head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 John’s disciples came and removed the body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
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