Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 38[a]
Prayer of a Sinner in Great Peril
1 A psalm of David. For remembrance.[b]
2 O Lord, do not punish me in your anger
or chastise me in your wrath.
3 For your arrows[c] have pierced me deeply,
and your hand has come down upon me.
4 No portion of my body[d] has been unscathed
as a result of your anger;
my bones have become weak
as a result of my sins.
5 My iniquities tower far above my head;[e]
they are a burden too heavy to bear.
6 My wounds are fetid and fester
because of my folly.
7 I am bowed down and bent over,
as I spend each day in sorrow.
8 My loins are filled with searing pain;
no part of my body[f] is unafflicted.
9 I am numb and completely crushed,
and I groan in anguish of heart.[g]
10 O Lord, all my longing is known to you,
and my sighs are not hidden from you.
11 My heart throbs, and my strength is spent;
even the light has faded from my eyes.
12 My friends and companions stay away from my affliction,
and my neighbors keep their distance.
13 Those who seek my life set traps;
those who wish me harm threaten violence
and plot treachery all day long.[h]
14 [i]But I am like a man who cannot hear,
like one who cannot open his mouth.
15 I am like one who hears nothing
and has no answer to offer.
16 I place my hope in you, O Lord;
you, O Lord, my God, will answer for me.
17 For I prayed, “Never let them gloat over me
or exult should my foot slip.”
18 I am at the point of exhaustion,
and my grief is with me constantly.
19 I acknowledge my iniquity,
and I sincerely grieve for my sin.
20 [j]Numerous and strong are my enemies without cause;
many are those who hate me without good reason.[k]
21 Those who repay my good deeds with evil
oppose me because I follow a path of righteousness.
22 Do not abandon me, O Lord;
my God, do not remain far from me.
23 Come quickly to my aid,
O Lord, my Savior.
25 [a]My soul lies prostrate in the dust;[b]
revive me in accordance with your word.
26 I proclaim my ways and you answer me;
teach me your decrees.
27 Help me to understand the way of your commandments,
and I will meditate on your wonders.
28 My soul is wasting away in sorrow;
renew my strength in accordance with your word.
29 Keep me from the way of falsehood,
and let me live according to your law.
30 [c]I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I have set your judgments before me.
31 I cling to your statutes, O Lord;
do not allow me to be put to shame.
32 I run in the way of your precepts,
for you have set my heart free.
He
33 [d]Teach me, O Lord, the way of your decrees,
and I will follow it to the end.[e]
34 Give me understanding, and I will observe your law
and obey it with all my heart.[f]
35 Guide me in the way of your precepts,
for in them is my delight.
36 Dispose my heart to follow your statutes
and to flee selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from what is unimportant,
and let me live in your way.
38 Fulfill your word to your servant,
so that you may be feared.[g]
39 Let me escape the disgrace that I dread,
for your judgments are good.
40 See, I long for your commandments;
in your righteousness preserve my life.
Waw
41 [h]Let your kindness[i] descend on me, O Lord,
your salvation in accord with your promise.
42 Then I will respond to those who insult me,
because I trust in your word.
43 Do not remove from my mouth the word of truth,[j]
for I place my hope in your judgment.
44 I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever.
45 I will walk in complete freedom
because I have sought your commands.[k]
46 I will speak of your statutes in the presence of kings
and will not be ashamed.
47 Your precepts fill me with delight
because I love them.
48 I lift up my hands[l] to your precepts, which I love,
and I meditate on your decrees.
Zayin
Chapter 14
Everyone Born of Woman . . .[a]
1 “Everyone born of woman
has life that is short and filled with troubles.
2 He blossoms like a flower and soon begins to wither;
as fleeting as a shadow, he does not endure.
3 Is it upon a creature like this that you fix your gaze
and bring him before you to be judged?
4 “Can a man be found who has avoided defilement?
There is no such person.
5 The extent of his life has already been determined,
and the number of his months is known to you;
you have established the limits that he cannot pass.
6 Turn your gaze away from him and leave him alone
so that, like a hired laborer, he may complete his days.
7 “At least for a tree there is always hope:
if it is cut down, it may sprout once again,
and its new shoots may burst with life.
8 Although its roots age in the earth
and its stump dies in the ground,
9 once it scents water it will begin to bud
and put forth branches like a sapling.
10 “But when a man dies, he remains lifeless;
what is his fate once he expires?
11 As occurs when the waters of a lake recede
or a river ceases to flow and runs dry,
12 so men lie down and never rise again;
until the heavens cease to exist, they will not awaken
or be stirred out of their slumber.
Hide Me in the Netherworld[b]
13 “How I wish you would hide me in the netherworld
and shelter me until your wrath has subsided
while designating a time to call me to mind.
14 If one who dies were permitted to live once again,
I would willingly endure all the days of my service
waiting for my relief to arrive.
15 You would call and I would answer you;
you would long to see once again the creature you have made.
16 You would count my every step
but not watch for any evidence of sin in me.
17 You would store up all my transgressions in a bag,
and you would cover over my guilt.
18 “But as a mountain eventually falls
and a rock is removed from its place,
19 as the waters wear away the stones
and cloudbursts wash away the soil,
so you destroy the hope of man.
20 You crush him once for all and he disappears;
you alter his appearance and send him away.
21 If his sons are honored, he is unaware of it;
if they are disgraced, he does not know it.
22 He is cognizant only of the pains his flesh endures,
and he grieves for no one except himself.”
18 At daybreak, there was a great deal of commotion among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. 19 After instituting a search for him and being unable to find him, Herod interrogated the guards and ordered their execution. Then he left Judea to reside for a while in Caesarea.
20 Death of Herod Agrippa I.[a] For a long time, Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, who now came to him in a body. After gaining the support of Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace because their country depended on the king’s territory for their food supplies.
21 On the designated day, Herod donned his royal robes and, seated on a throne, delivered a public address to them. 22 They began to acclaim him, shouting, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!” 23 Immediately, the angel of the Lord struck him down because he had not attributed the honor to God. He was eaten away by worms and died.
24 Return of Barnabas and Saul to Jerusalem.[b] Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread and gain more followers. 25 Then, after Barnabas and Saul had completed their mission, they returned to Jerusalem, bringing with them John, also called Mark.[c]
47 Whoever comes from God
listens to the words of God.
The reason why you refuse to listen
is that you do not belong to God.”
48 The Jews answered, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and are possessed?” 49 Jesus said,
“I am not possessed.
I honor my Father,
but you dishonor me.
50 I do not seek my own glory.
There is one who seeks it,
and he is the judge.
51 Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word
will never see death.”
52 The Jews retorted, “Now we are positive that you are possessed. Abraham died, and the Prophets are dead. Yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He is dead, and the Prophets are also dead. Who do you claim to be?” 54 Jesus answered,
“If I glorify myself,
that glory is of no value.
It is my Father who glorifies me,
the one about whom you say,
‘He is our God,’
55 even though you do not know him.
However, I do know him.
If I would say
that I do not know him,
I would be a liar like you.
But I do know him,
and I keep his word.
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced
that he would see my day.
He saw it and was glad.”[a]
57 The Jews then said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old. How can you have seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus responded,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham was,
I AM.”[b]
59 Then they picked up stones to throw at him, but he hid himself and left the temple.
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