Book of Common Prayer
49 Remember Your Word to Your servant, for You have given me hope. 50 Your Word has given me new life. This is my comfort in my suffering. 51 The proud always laugh at me, but I do not turn away from Your Law. 52 I have remembered Your Law from a long time ago, O Lord, and I am comforted. 53 Burning anger comes upon me because of the sinful who turn away from Your Law. 54 Your Laws are my songs in whatever house I stay. 55 I remember Your name in the night, O Lord, and I have kept Your Law. 56 It has become my way to obey Your Law.
57 The Lord is my share. I have promised to obey Your Word. 58 I begged for Your favor with all my heart. Show me Your love because of Your Word. 59 I thought about my ways and turned my steps to Your Law. 60 I hurried and did not wait to obey Your Law. 61 The ropes of the sinful are all around me, but I have not forgotten Your Law. 62 I will rise late in the night to give thanks to You because Your Law is right and good. 63 I am a friend to all who fear You and of those who keep Your Law. 64 The earth is full of Your loving-kindness, O Lord. Teach me Your Law.
65 You have done good to Your servant, O Lord, because of Your Word. 66 Teach me what I should know to be right and fair for I believe in Your Law. 67 Before I suffered I went the wrong way, but now I obey Your Word. 68 You are good and You do good. Teach me Your Law. 69 The proud have put together a lie against me. I will keep Your Law with all my heart. 70 Their heart is covered with fat, but I find joy in Your Law. 71 It is good for me that I was troubled, so that I might learn Your Law. 72 The Law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
A Fool Trusts in Riches
49 Hear this, all people. Listen, all who live in the world, 2 both small and great, rich and poor together. 3 My mouth will speak wisdom. And the thoughts of my heart will be understanding. 4 I will turn my ear to a wise saying. With a harp, I will tell what is hard to understand.
5 Why should I be afraid in the days of trouble, when the sin of those who hate me is all around me? 6 They trust in their riches, and are proud of all they have. 7 No man can save his brother. No man can pay God enough to save him. 8 The cost is much for his soul to be saved. Man should stop trying 9 to live forever and not see the grave.
10 For he sees that even wise men die. The fool and those who cannot think well die alike. And they leave their riches to others. 11 They think in their hearts that their houses will last forever, and that the places where they live will last for all their children to follow. They have used their own names to name their lands. 12 But man with all his honor does not last. He is like the animals that die.
13 This is the way of the foolish, and of those after them who believe in their words. 14 Like sheep they are meant for the grave. Death will be their shepherd. And those who are right with God will rule over them in the morning. Their bodies will be eaten by the grave, so that they have no place to stay. 15 But God will free my soul from the power of the grave. For He will take me to Himself.
16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich and when his house grows in greatness. 17 For when he dies he will take nothing with him. His greatness will not go down with him. 18 Even if while he lives, he thinks good of himself, and even though men praise you when you do well for yourself, 19 he will go and join the family of his fathers. They will never see the light. 20 Man with all his honor, yet without understanding, is like the animals that die.
Foolish Men
53 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are sinful and have done bad things. There is no one who does good. 2 God has looked down from heaven at the children of men to see if there is anyone who understands and looks for God. 3 They have all turned back. They have all turned to sin. There is no one who does good, not even one. 4 Have those who do wrong no understanding? They eat up My people like they eat bread. They have not called upon God. 5 There they were, in much fear, where there was nothing to be afraid of. For God has spread out the bones of those who come against you. You put them to shame, because God has turned away from them. 6 O, that the saving of Israel would come out of Zion! Jacob will be full of joy and Israel will be glad when God returns His people to their land.
A Time for Everything
3 There is a special time for everything. There is a time for everything that happens under heaven. 2 There is a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pick what is planted. 3 There is a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up. 4 There is a time to cry, and a time to laugh; a time to have sorrow, and a time to dance. 5 There is a time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to kiss, and a time to turn from kissing. 6 There is a time to try to find, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away. 7 There is a time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; a time to be quiet, and a time to speak. 8 There is a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
The God-Given Work
9 What does the worker get for his work? 10 I have seen the work which God has given the sons of men to do. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has put thoughts of the forever in man’s mind, yet man cannot understand the work God has done from the beginning to the end.
12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and to do good as long as they live. 13 And I know that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his work. It is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will last forever. There is nothing to add to it, and nothing to take from it. God works so that men will honor Him with fear. 15 That which is, already has been. And that which will be, has already been. For God allows the same things to happen again.
11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to stand up against him because he was guilty. 12 Peter had been eating with the people who are not Jews. But after some men came who had been with James, he kept away from them. He was afraid of those who believe in the religious act of becoming a Jew. 13 Then the rest of the Jews followed him because they were afraid to do what they knew they should do. Even Barnabas was fooled by those who pretended to be someone they were not. 14 When I saw they were not honest about the truth of the Good News, I spoke to Peter in front of them all. I said, “If you are a Jew, but live like the people who are not Jews, why do you make the people who are not Jews live like the Jews?” 15 You and I were born Jews. We were not sinners from among the people who are not Jews. 16 Even so, we know we cannot become right with God by obeying the Law. A man is made right with God by putting his trust in Jesus Christ. For that reason, we have put our trust in Jesus Christ also. We have been made right with God because of our faith in Christ and not by obeying the Law. No man can be made right with God by obeying the Law. 17 As we try to become right with God by what Christ has done for us, what if we find we are sinners also? Does that mean Christ makes us sinners? No! Never! 18 But if I work toward being made right with God by keeping the Law, then I make myself a sinner. 19 The Law has no power over me. I am dead to the Law. Now I can live for God. 20 I have been put up on the cross to die with Christ. I no longer live. Christ lives in me. The life I now live in this body, I live by putting my trust in the Son of God. He was the One Who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I say that we are not to put aside the loving-favor of God. If we could be made right with God by keeping the Law, then Christ died for nothing.
John the Baptist Is Put in Prison (A)
14 At that time King Herod heard much about Jesus. 2 He said to his helpers, “This must be John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead. That is why these powerful works are done by him.” 3 For Herod had taken John and put him in prison. It was because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. 4 For John had said to him, “It is against the Law for you to have her.” 5 He would have killed John but he was afraid of the people. The people thought John was one who spoke for God.
John the Baptist Is Killed (B)
6 On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced in front of them. Herod was made happy by her. 7 He promised he would give her anything she asked. 8 Because her mother told her to do it, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist on a plate.” 9 The king was sorry. But he said for it to be given because he had promised and because of those who were eating with him. 10 He sent to the prison and had John’s head cut off. 11 It was brought in on a plate and given to the girl. She brought it to her mother. 12 Then the followers of John came and took his body and buried it. They went and told Jesus.
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