Book of Common Prayer
ז (Zayin)
49 Remember your word to your servant,
for you have given me hope.
50 This[a] is what comforts me in my trouble,
for your promise revives me.[b]
51 Arrogant people do nothing but scoff at me.[c]
Yet I do not turn aside from your law.
52 I remember your ancient regulations,[d]
O Lord, and console myself.[e]
53 Rage takes hold of me because of the wicked,
those who reject your law.
54 Your statutes have been my songs[f]
in the house where I live.[g]
55 I remember your name during the night, O Lord,
and I will keep[h] your law.
56 This[i] has been my practice,
for I observe your precepts.
ח (Khet)
57 The Lord is my source of security.[j]
I have determined[k] to follow your instructions.[l]
58 I seek your favor[m] with all my heart.
Have mercy on me as you promised.[n]
59 I consider my actions[o]
and follow[p] your rules.
60 I keep your commands eagerly
and without delay.[q]
61 The ropes of the wicked tighten around[r] me,
but I do not forget your law.
62 In the middle of the night I arise[s] to thank you
for your just regulations.
63 I am a friend to all your loyal followers,[t]
and to those who keep your precepts.
64 O Lord, your loyal love fills the earth.
Teach me your statutes!
ט (Tet)
65 You are good[u] to your servant,
O Lord, just as you promised.[v]
66 Teach me proper discernment[w] and understanding.
For I consider your commands to be reliable.[x]
67 Before I was afflicted I used to stray off,[y]
but now I keep your instructions.[z]
68 You are good and you do good.
Teach me your statutes.
69 Arrogant people smear my reputation with lies,[aa]
but I observe your precepts with all my heart.
70 Their hearts are calloused,[ab]
but I find delight in your law.
71 It was good for me to suffer,
so that I might learn your statutes.
72 The law you have revealed is more important to me
than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.[ac]
Psalm 49[a]
For the music director, a psalm by the Korahites.
49 Listen to this, all you nations.
Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world.[b]
2 Pay attention, all you people,[c]
both rich and poor.
3 I will declare a wise saying;[d]
I will share my profound thoughts.[e]
4 I will learn a song that imparts wisdom;
I will then sing my insightful song to the accompaniment of a harp.[f]
5 Why should I be afraid in times of trouble,[g]
when the sinful deeds of deceptive men threaten to overwhelm me?[h]
6 They trust[i] in their wealth
and boast[j] in their great riches.
7 Certainly a man cannot rescue his brother;[k]
he cannot pay God an adequate ransom price[l]
8 (the ransom price for a human life[m] is too high,
and people go to their final destiny),[n]
9 so that he might continue to live[o] forever
and not experience death.[p]
10 Surely[q] one sees[r] that even wise people die;[s]
fools and spiritually insensitive people all pass away[t]
and leave their wealth to others.[u]
11 Their grave becomes their permanent residence,
their eternal dwelling place.[v]
They name their lands after themselves,[w]
12 but, despite their wealth, people do not last.[x]
They are like animals[y] that perish.[z]
13 This is the destiny of fools,[aa]
and of those who approve of their philosophy.[ab] (Selah)
14 They will travel to Sheol like sheep,[ac]
with death as their shepherd.[ad]
The godly will rule[ae] over them when the day of vindication dawns.[af]
Sheol will consume their bodies, and they will no longer live in impressive houses.[ag]
15 But[ah] God will rescue[ai] my life[aj] from the power[ak] of Sheol;
certainly[al] he will pull me to safety.[am] (Selah)
16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich[an]
and his wealth multiplies.[ao]
17 For he will take nothing with him when he dies;
his wealth will not follow him down into the grave.[ap]
18 He pronounces this blessing on himself while he is alive:
“May men praise you, for you have done well.”
19 But he will join his ancestors;[aq]
they will never again see the light of day.[ar]
20 Wealthy people do not understand;[as]
they are like animals[at] that perish.[au]
Psalm 53[a]
For the music director, according to the machalath style;[b] a well-written song[c] by David.
53 Fools say to themselves,[d] “There is no God.”[e]
They sin and commit evil deeds;[f]
none of them does what is right.[g]
2 God looks down from heaven[h] at the human race,[i]
to see if there is anyone who is wise[j] and seeks God.[k]
3 Everyone rejects God;[l]
they are all morally corrupt.[m]
None of them does what is right,[n]
not even one!
4 All those who behave wickedly[o] do not understand[p]—
those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,
and do not call out to God.
5 They are absolutely terrified,[q]
even by things that do not normally cause fear.[r]
For God annihilates[s] those who attack you.[t]
You are able to humiliate them because God has rejected them.[u]
6 I wish the deliverance[v] of Israel would come from Zion!
When God restores the well-being of his people,[w]
may Jacob rejoice,[x]
may Israel be happy![y]
IV. Job’s Concluding Soliloquy (29:1-31:40)
Job Recalls His Former Condition[a]
29 Then Job continued[b] his speech:
Job’s Despondency
16 “And now my soul pours itself out within me;[a]
days of suffering take hold of me.
17 Night pierces[b] my bones;[c]
my gnawing pains[d] never cease.
18 With great power God[e] grasps my clothing;[f]
he binds me like the collar[g] of my tunic.
19 He has flung me into the mud,
and I have come to resemble dust and ashes.
20 I cry out to you,[h] but you do not answer me;
I stand up,[i] and you only look at me.[j]
21 You have become cruel to me;[k]
with the strength of your hand you attack me.[l]
22 You pick me up on the wind and make me ride on it;[m]
you toss me about[n] in the storm.[o]
23 I know that you are bringing[p] me to death,
to the meeting place for all the living.
The Contrast With the Past
24 “Surely one does not stretch out his hand
against a broken man[q]
when he cries for help in his distress.[r]
25 Have I not wept for the unfortunate?[s]
Was not my soul grieved for the poor?
26 But when I hoped for good, trouble came;
when I expected light, then darkness came.
27 My heart[t] is in turmoil[u] unceasingly;[v]
the days of my affliction confront me.
28 I go about blackened,[w] but not by the sun;
in the assembly I stand up and cry for help.
29 I have become a brother to jackals
and a companion of ostriches.[x]
30 My skin has turned dark on me;[y]
my body[z] is hot with fever.[aa]
31 My harp is used for[ab] mourning
and my flute for the sound of weeping.
19 But Jews came from Antioch[a] and Iconium,[b] and after winning[c] the crowds over, they stoned[d] Paul and dragged him out of the city, presuming him to be dead. 20 But after the disciples had surrounded him, he got up and went back[e] into the city. On[f] the next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.[g]
Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch in Syria
21 After they had proclaimed the good news in that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra,[h] to Iconium,[i] and to Antioch.[j] 22 They strengthened[k] the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue[l] in the faith, saying, “We must enter the kingdom of God[m] through many persecutions.”[n] 23 When they had appointed elders[o] for them in the various churches,[p] with prayer and fasting[q] they entrusted them to the protection[r] of the Lord in whom they had believed. 24 Then they passed through[s] Pisidia and came into Pamphylia,[t] 25 and when they had spoken the word[u] in Perga,[v] they went down to Attalia.[w] 26 From there they sailed back to Antioch,[x] where they had been commended[y] to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.[z] 27 When they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported[aa] all the things God[ab] had done with them, and that he had opened a door[ac] of faith for the Gentiles. 28 So they spent[ad] considerable[ae] time with the disciples.
The Death of Lazarus
11 Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived.[a] 2 (Now it was Mary who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil[b] and wiped his feet dry with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)[c] 3 So the sisters sent a message[d] to Jesus,[e] “Lord, look, the one you love is sick.” 4 When Jesus heard this, he said, “This sickness will not lead to death,[f] but to God’s glory,[g] so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”[h] 5 (Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.)[i]
6 So when he heard that Lazarus[j] was sick, he remained in the place where he was for two more days. 7 Then after this, he said to his disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”[k] 8 The disciples replied,[l] “Rabbi, the Jewish leaders[m] were just now trying[n] to stone you to death! Are[o] you going there again?” 9 Jesus replied,[p] “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If anyone walks around in the daytime, he does not stumble,[q] because he sees the light of this world.[r] 10 But if anyone walks around at night,[s] he stumbles,[t] because the light is not in him.”
11 After he said this, he added,[u] “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep.[v] But I am going there to awaken him.” 12 Then the disciples replied,[w] “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 (Now Jesus had been talking about[x] his death, but they[y] thought he had been talking about real sleep.)[z]
14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and I am glad[aa] for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe.[ab] But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas (called Didymus[ac])[ad] said to his fellow disciples, “Let us go too, so that we may die with him.”[ae]
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