Book of Common Prayer
145 I cried with all my heart. Answer me, O Lord! I will keep Your Law. 146 I cried to You. Save me, and I will keep Your Word. 147 I rise before the morning comes and cry for help. I have put my hope in Your Word. 148 My eyes wait for the night hours, so I may think about Your Word. 149 Hear my voice because of Your loving-kindness. O Lord, give me new life again because of Your Law. 150 Those who follow sinful ways come near. But they are far from Your Law. 151 You are near, O Lord. And all of Your Word is truth. 152 I learned from Your Law long ago that You made it to last forever.
153 Look upon my suffering and take me from it. For I do not forget Your Law. 154 Stand by me and set me free. Give me life again because of Your Word. 155 Your saving help is far from the sinful, for they do not look to Your Law. 156 Your loving-kindness is great, O Lord. Give me life again because of Your Law. 157 There are many who hate me and make it hard for me. Yet I do not turn from Your Law. 158 I look with hate on those who cannot be trusted, because they do not keep Your Word. 159 Think about how I love Your Law. Give me life again, O Lord, because of Your loving-kindness. 160 All of Your Word is truth, and every one of Your laws, which are always right, will last forever.
161 Rulers make it hard for me for no reason, but my heart honors Your Words with fear. 162 I am made happy by Your Word, like one who finds great riches. 163 I hate what is false, but I love Your Law. 164 I praise You seven times a day, because Your Law is right. 165 Those who love Your Law have great peace, and nothing will cause them to be hurt in their spirit. 166 I hope for Your saving power, O Lord, and I follow Your Word. 167 I obey Your Law, for I love it very much. 168 I obey Your Word and Laws, for You know all my ways.
169 Let my cry come to You, O Lord. Give me understanding because of Your Word. 170 Let my prayer come to You. Help me because of Your Word. 171 May praise come from my lips, for You teach me Your Law. 172 May my tongue sing about Your Word, for all of Your Word is right and good. 173 May Your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen Your Law. 174 I have much desire for Your saving power, O Lord. Your Law is my joy. 175 Let me live so I may praise You, and let Your Law help me. 176 I have gone from the way like a lost sheep. Look for Your servant, for I do not forget Your Word.
The Joy of Obeying
128 Happy are all who honor the Lord with fear, and who walk in His ways. 2 For you will eat the fruit of your hands. You will be happy and it will be well with you. 3 Your wife will be like a vine with much fruit within your house. Your children will be like olive plants around your table. 4 This is the good that will come to the man who honors the Lord with fear.
5 May the Lord do good things for you from Zion. And may you see good come to Jerusalem all the days of your life. 6 Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel.
A Prayer against All Who Hate Zion
129 “They have made it hard for me many times since I was young,” let Israel now say. 2 “They have made it hard for me many times since I was young. But they have not won over me. 3 Those who plow have plowed my back. And they have made their ditches long.” 4 The Lord is right and good. He has cut in two the ropes of the sinful.
5 May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned away. 6 Let them be like grass on the roof, which dries up before it grows. 7 No one can pick it and fill his hand. No one can gather it and fill his arms. 8 And those who pass by do not say, “May the Lord be good to you. We pray that good will come to you in the name of the Lord.”
A Prayer for Help
130 O Lord, I have cried to You out of the deep places. 2 Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears hear the voice of my prayers. 3 If you, Lord, should write down our sins, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But You are the One Who forgives, so You are honored with fear.
5 I wait for the Lord. My soul waits and I hope in His Word. 6 My soul waits for the Lord more than one who watches for the morning; yes, more than one who watches for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For there is loving-kindness with the Lord. With Him we are saved for sure. 8 And He will save Israel from all their sins.
16 The 600 men of the sons of Dan who were ready for war were standing by the gate. 17 The five men who had gone to look over the land went in the house. They took the objects made to look like gods, the holy vest and the other gods. The religious leader stood by the gate with the 600 men who were ready for war. 18 When the men went into Micah’s house and took the objects made to look like gods, the holy vest and the other gods, the religious leader said to them, “What are you doing?” 19 They said to him, “Be quiet. Put your hand over your mouth and come with us. Be a father and a religious leader to us. Is it better for you to be a religious leader to the house of one man, or to a family in Israel?” 20 The religious leader felt glad in his heart. He took the holy vest, the house gods and objects made to look like gods. And he went among the people.
21 Then they turned and left. They put the little ones, the animals and their riches in front of them. 22 They had gone a long way from the house of Micah. And the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house gathered together and went after them. When they came to the sons of Dan, 23 they called out to them. The sons of Dan turned around and said to Micah, “What is wrong with you? Why have you gathered together?” 24 Micah said, “You have taken away my gods which I made. And you go away with the religious leader. What do I have left? How can you say to me, ‘What is wrong with you?’” 25 The sons of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us. Or angry men will kill you and those of your house.” 26 Then the sons of Dan went on their way. Micah saw that they were too strong for him. So he returned to his house.
27 The men of Dan took what Micah had made and the religious leader who had belonged to him. They came to Laish, to people who were quiet and felt safe. And they killed them with the sword. They burned the city with fire. 28 There was no one to take them away from their trouble, because it was far from Sidon and they had nothing to do with anyone. It was in the valley near Beth-rehob. The sons of Dan built the city again, and lived in it. 29 They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father who was born in Israel. The name of the city had been Laish before. 30 The people of Dan set up for themselves the object made to look like a god. And Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were religious leaders to the family of Dan until the day their land was taken. 31 They set up the false god that Micah had made, while the house of God was at Shiloh.
14 The missionaries in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had received the Word of God. They sent Peter and John to them. 15 When Peter and John got there, they prayed that the new followers might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 He had not yet come on any of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 They laid their hands on them and the followers received the Holy Spirit.
18 When Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given when the missionaries laid their hands on the people, he wanted to give money to the missionaries. 19 He said, “Let me also have this power. Then I can give the Holy Spirit to anyone I lay my hands on.” 20 Peter said to him, “May your money be destroyed with you because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or place in this work. Your heart is not right in God’s sight. 22 You must be sorry for this sin of yours and turn from it. Pray to the Lord that He will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 I see that you are full of jealousy and chained by your sin.” 24 Simon said, “Pray to the Lord for me that nothing you have said will come to me.”
25 Peter and John went back to Jerusalem after telling what they had seen and heard. They had preached the Word of the Lord also. On the way they preached the Good News in many other towns in the country of Samaria.
The Feeding of the Five Thousand (A)
6 After this Jesus went over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. It is sometimes called Tiberias. 2 Many people followed Him. They saw the powerful works He did on those who were sick. 3 Jesus went up on a mountain and sat down with His followers. 4 The special religious supper to remember how the Jews left Egypt was soon.
5 Jesus looked up and saw many people coming to Him. He said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread to feed these people?” 6 He said this to see what Philip would say. Jesus knew what He would do. 7 Philip said to Him, “The money we have is not enough to buy bread to give each one a little.”
8 One of His followers was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He said to Jesus, 9 “There is a boy here who has five loaves of barley bread and two small fish. What is that for so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was much grass in that place. About five thousand men sat down.
11 Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks. Then He gave the bread to those who were sitting down. The fish were given out the same way. The people had as much as they wanted. 12 When they were filled, Jesus said to His followers, “Gather up the pieces that are left. None will be wasted.” 13 The followers gathered the pieces together. Twelve baskets were filled with pieces of barley bread. These were left after all the people had eaten.
14 The people saw the powerful work Jesus had done. They said, “It is true! This is the One Who speaks for God Who is to come into the world.”
Jesus Walks on the Water (B)
15 Jesus knew they were about to come and take Him to make Him king, so He went to the mountain by Himself.
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