Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 83[a]
A song. A psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, do not remain silent;(A)
do not turn a deaf ear,
do not stand aloof, O God.
2 See how your enemies growl,(B)
how your foes rear their heads.(C)
3 With cunning they conspire(D) against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.(E)
4 “Come,” they say, “let us destroy(F) them as a nation,(G)
so that Israel’s name is remembered(H) no more.”
5 With one mind they plot together;(I)
they form an alliance against you—
6 the tents of Edom(J) and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab(K) and the Hagrites,(L)
7 Byblos,(M) Ammon(N) and Amalek,(O)
Philistia,(P) with the people of Tyre.(Q)
8 Even Assyria(R) has joined them
to reinforce Lot’s descendants.[b](S)
9 Do to them as you did to Midian,(T)
as you did to Sisera(U) and Jabin(V) at the river Kishon,(W)
10 who perished at Endor(X)
and became like dung(Y) on the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,(Z)
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,(AA)
12 who said, “Let us take possession(AB)
of the pasturelands of God.”
Psalm 34[a][b]
Of David. When he pretended to be insane(A) before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;(B)
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory(C) in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.(D)
3 Glorify the Lord(E) with me;
let us exalt(F) his name together.
4 I sought the Lord,(G) and he answered me;
he delivered(H) me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;(I)
their faces are never covered with shame.(J)
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.(K)
7 The angel of the Lord(L) encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers(M) them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;(N)
blessed is the one who takes refuge(O) in him.
9 Fear the Lord,(P) you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.(Q)
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.(R)
11 Come, my children, listen(S) to me;
I will teach you(T) the fear of the Lord.(U)
12 Whoever of you loves life(V)
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue(W) from evil
and your lips from telling lies.(X)
14 Turn from evil and do good;(Y)
seek peace(Z) and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord(AA) are on the righteous,(AB)
and his ears are attentive(AC) to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is against(AD) those who do evil,(AE)
to blot out their name(AF) from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears(AG) them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close(AH) to the brokenhearted(AI)
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 85[a]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 You, Lord, showed favor to your land;
you restored the fortunes(A) of Jacob.
2 You forgave(B) the iniquity(C) of your people
and covered all their sins.[b]
3 You set aside all your wrath(D)
and turned from your fierce anger.(E)
4 Restore(F) us again, God our Savior,(G)
and put away your displeasure toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever?(H)
Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
6 Will you not revive(I) us again,
that your people may rejoice(J) in you?
7 Show us your unfailing love,(K) Lord,
and grant us your salvation.(L)
8 I will listen to what God the Lord says;
he promises peace(M) to his people, his faithful servants—
but let them not turn to folly.(N)
9 Surely his salvation(O) is near those who fear him,
that his glory(P) may dwell in our land.
10 Love and faithfulness(Q) meet together;
righteousness(R) and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness(S) looks down from heaven.
12 The Lord will indeed give what is good,(T)
and our land will yield(U) its harvest.
13 Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps.
Psalm 86
A prayer of David.
1 Hear me, Lord, and answer(V) me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.(W)
You are my God; 3 have mercy(X) on me, Lord,
for I call(Y) to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord,
for I put my trust(Z) in you.
5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
abounding in love(AA) to all who call to you.
6 Hear my prayer, Lord;
listen to my cry(AB) for mercy.
7 When I am in distress,(AC) I call(AD) to you,
because you answer(AE) me.
8 Among the gods(AF) there is none like you,(AG) Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.
9 All the nations you have made
will come(AH) and worship(AI) before you, Lord;
they will bring glory(AJ) to your name.
10 For you are great(AK) and do marvelous deeds;(AL)
you alone(AM) are God.
11 Teach me your way,(AN) Lord,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;(AO)
give me an undivided(AP) heart,
that I may fear(AQ) your name.
12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;(AR)
I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me(AS) from the depths,
from the realm of the dead.(AT)
14 Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God;
ruthless people are trying to kill me—
they have no regard for you.(AU)
15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious(AV) God,
slow to anger,(AW) abounding(AX) in love and faithfulness.(AY)
16 Turn to me(AZ) and have mercy(BA) on me;
show your strength(BB) in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
just as my mother did.(BC)
17 Give me a sign(BD) of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses
12 Miriam(A) and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife,(B) for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?”(C) And the Lord heard this.(D)
3 (Now Moses was a very humble man,(E) more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)
4 At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud;(F) he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, 6 he said, “Listen to my words:
“When there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, reveal(G) myself to them in visions,(H)
I speak to them in dreams.(I)
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;(J)
he is faithful in all my house.(K)
8 With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;(L)
he sees the form of the Lord.(M)
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?”(N)
9 The anger of the Lord burned against them,(O) and he left them.(P)
10 When the cloud lifted from above the tent,(Q) Miriam’s skin was leprous[a]—it became as white as snow.(R) Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease,(S) 11 and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed.(T) 12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”
13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “Please, God, heal her!(U)”
14 The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face,(V) would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp(W) for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp(X) for seven days,(Y) and the people did not move on till she was brought back.
16 After that, the people left Hazeroth(Z) and encamped in the Desert of Paran.(AA)
12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law(A) will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey(B) the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law,(C) they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets(D) through Jesus Christ,(E) as my gospel(F) declares.
The Jews and the Law
17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God;(G) 18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?(H) 22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?(I) 23 You who boast in the law,(J) do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”[a](K)
The Parable of the Wandering Sheep(A)
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels(B) in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. [11] [a]
12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
Dealing With Sin in the Church
15 “If your brother or sister[b] sins,[c] go and point out their fault,(C) just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’[d](D) 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church;(E) and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.(F)
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be[e] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[f] loosed in heaven.(G)
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them(H) by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”(I)
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