Book of Common Prayer
A Prayer for Vindication
Of David.[a]
26 Judge me, O Yahweh, because I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted Yahweh and not wavered.
2 Prove me, O Yahweh, and test me.
Try my innermost being[b] and my mind.[c]
3 Because your loyal love is before my eyes,
and I walk about in your faithfulness.
4 I do not sit with deceitful people,
nor will I go about with hypocrites.
5 I hate the crowd of evildoers,
and with the wicked I will not sit.
6 I will wash my hands in innocence,
and I will walk about your altar, O Yahweh,
7 to declare with a voice of thanksgiving,
and tell of all your wondrous deeds.
8 O Yahweh, I love the dwelling of your house,[d]
and the place where your glory abides.[e]
9 Do not destroy me[f] with the sinners,
nor my life with men of bloodshed,
10 in whose hands is an evil plan,
and whose right hand is full of bribes.[g]
11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity.
Redeem me and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on level ground.
In assemblies I will bless Yahweh.
A Prayer for Help, and Joy in Its Answer
A psalm of David.[a]
28 To you, O Yahweh, I call.
O my rock, do not be deaf to me.
Or else, if you are silent to me,
then I will become like those descending to the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplications
when I cry to you for help,
when I lift up my hands
toward your holy inner sanctuary.
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked
or with the workers of evil,
who speak of peace with their neighbors,
while evil is in their heart.
4 Give to them according to their work,
even according to the evil of their deeds.
Give to them according to the work of their hands;
repay them their rightful due.
5 Because they do not regard the works of Yahweh,
nor the work of his hands,
he will destroy them
and not rebuild them.
6 Blessed is Yahweh,
because he has heard the voice of my supplications.
7 Yahweh is my strength and my shield.
My heart trusts him and I am helped.
So my heart rejoices,
and with my song I will give thanks to him.
8 Yahweh is their strength,
and he is the refuge for the salvation of his anointed one.
9 Save your people
and bless your heritage.
Shepherd them also and carry them always.
Human Wickedness and God’s Love
For the music director. Of David, the servant of Yahweh.[a]
36 An oracle: the wicked has rebellion
in the midst of his[b] heart.
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his eyes,
hating to detect his iniquity.[c]
3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit.
He has ceased to have insight and to do good.
4 He plans sin on his bed.
He puts himself on a way that is not good.
He does not reject evil.
5 O Yahweh, your loyal love extends into the heavens,
your faithfulness unto the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,[d]
your judgments like the great deep.
You save man and beast, O Yahweh.
7 How precious is your loyal love, O God,
and the children of humankind
take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They are refreshed with the fullness[e] of your house,[f]
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
10 Prolong your loyal love to those who know you,
and your righteousness to the upright of heart.
11 Do not let a foot of pride come against me,
nor let a wicked hand make me to wander homeless.
12 There doers of evil have fallen;
they are thrust down and not able to rise.
The Brevity of Human Life
For the music director. For Jeduthun.[a] A psalm of David.[b]
39 I said, “I will guard my ways
that I may not sin[c] with my tongue.
I will keep a muzzle over my mouth
as long as the wicked are before me.”
2 I was mute with silence. I was silent even from saying good things,
and my pain was stirred up.
3 My heart grew hot inside me;
in my sighing a fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue,
4 “Let me know, O Yahweh, my end,
and what is the measure of my days.
Let me know how transient I am.”
5 Look, you have made my days mere handbreadths,
and my lifespan as nothing next to you.
Surely every person standing firm is complete vanity. Selah
6 Surely a man walks about as a mere shadow;[d]
surely in vain they bustle about.
He heaps up possessions but does not know who will gather them in.
7 And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is for you.
8 From all my transgressions deliver me;
do not make me the taunt of the fool.
9 I am mute. I do not open my mouth,
for you, yourself, have done it.
10 Remove from me your affliction.
By the opposition of your hand I perish.
11 When with rebukes you chastise a man for sin,
you[e] consume[f] like a moth his delightful things.
Surely everyone is a mere vapor.[g] Selah
12 Hear my prayer, O Yahweh, and listen to my cry for help;
do not be deaf to my tears.
For I am an alien[h] with you,
a sojourner like all my ancestors.[i]
13 Look away from me that I may be cheerful,
before I depart and I am no more.
Job’s Fourth Speech
12 Then[a] Job answered and said,
3 But I would speak to Shaddai,
and I desire to argue with God.
4 “But[a] you[b] whitewash with lies;[c]
all of you[d] are worthless healers.[e]
5 O that[f] you[g] would keep completely silent,
and that it would become wisdom for you.[h]
6 Please hear my argument,
and listen attentively to the pleadings of my lips.
7 “Will you[i] speak falsely for God?
And will you[j] speak deceitfully for him?
8 Will you[k] show partiality for him?[l]
Or do you[m] want to plead God’s case?
9 Will it be well, if he examines you?[n]
Or can you[o] deceive him like deceiving a human being?
10 “Surely he will rebuke you[p]
if you[q] show partiality[r] in secret.
11 Will not his majesty terrify you,[s]
and his dread fall upon you?[t]
12 Your[u] maxims are proverbs of ashes;
your[v] defenses are defenses of clay.
13 “Let me have silence,[w] and I myself[x] will speak,
and let come over me whatever may.
14 Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
and[y] put[z] my life in my hand?
15 Look,[aa] though he kill me, I will hope in[ab] him;
however, I will defend my ways before him.[ac]
16 Moreover, this is salvation to me,
that the godless would not come before him.[ad]
17 “Listen carefully to my words,
and let my exposition be in your ears.
21 withdraw your[a] hand from me,
and let not your[b] dread terrify me.
22 Then[c] call, and I myself[d] will answer;
or let me speak, then[e] reply to me.
23 “How many[f] are my iniquities and sins?
Make known to me my transgression and my sin.
24 Why do you[g] hide your[h] face
and count me as your[i] enemy?
25 Will you[j] terrify a blown leaf?
And will you[k] pursue dry stubble?
26 “Indeed, you[l] write bitter things against me,
and you[m] make me reap the iniquities of my childhood.
27 And you[n] put my feet in the block,
and you[o] watch all my paths;
you carve a mark on the soles of my feet.[p]
Herod Kills James and Imprisons Peter
12 Now at that time, Herod the king laid hands on some of those from the church to harm them.[a] 2 So he executed James the brother of John with a sword. 3 And when he[b] saw that it was pleasing to the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (Now this was during the feast[c] of Unleavened Bread.) 4 After he[d] had arrested him,[e] he also put him[f] in prison, handing him[g] over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out for public trial[h] after the Passover. 5 Thus Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer was fervently being made to God by the church for him.
Peter Rescued by an Angel
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards before the door were watching the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood near him,[i] and a light shone in the prison cell. And striking Peter’s side, he woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!”[j] And his chains fell off of his[k] hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your sandals!” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me!” 9 And he went out and[l] was following him.[m] And he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but was thinking he was seeing a vision. 10 And after they[n] had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened for them by itself, and they went out and[o] went forward along one narrow street, and at once the angel departed from him.
11 And when[p] Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know truly that the Lord has sent out his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and all that the Jewish people expected!”[q] 12 And when he[r] realized this,[s] he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John (who is also called Mark), where many people were gathered together and were praying. 13 And when[t] he knocked at the door of the gateway, a female slave named[u] Rhoda came up to answer. 14 And recognizing Peter’s voice, because of her[v] joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and[w] announced that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 But they said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting[x] it was so. And they kept saying,[y] “It is his angel!” 16 But Peter was continuing to knock, and when they[z] opened the door[aa] they saw him and were astonished. 17 But motioning to them with his[ab] hand to be silent, he related to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and to the brothers,” and he departed and[ac] went to another place.
33 They replied to him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have not been enslaved to anyone at any time. How do you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus replied to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, that everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And the slave does not remain in the household forever;[a] the son remains forever.[b] 36 So if the son sets you free, you will be truly free. 37 I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are seeking to kill me, because my word makes no progress among you. 38 I speak the things that I have seen with the Father; so also you do the things that you have heard from the Father.”
The Priority of Jesus Over Abraham
39 They answered and said to him, “Abraham is our father!” Jesus said to them, “If you are children of Abraham, do the deeds of Abraham! 40 But now you are seeking to kill me, a man who spoke to you the truth which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do. 41 You are doing the deeds of your father!”
They said[c] to him, “We were not born from sexual immorality! We have one father, God!” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love me, for I have come forth from God and have come. For I have not come from myself, but that one sent me. 43 Why[d] do you not understand my way of speaking? Because you are not able to listen to my message. 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father! That one was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand firm in the truth, because truth is not in him. Whenever he speaks the lie, he speaks from his own nature,[e] because he is a liar and the father of lies.[f] 45 But because I am telling the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Who among you convicts me concerning sin? If I am telling the truth, why[g] do you not believe me? 47 The one who is from God listens to the words of God. Because of this you do not listen—because you are not of God.”
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