Book of Common Prayer
49 Remember Your Word to Your servant, for You have given me hope. 50 Your Word has given me new life. This is my comfort in my suffering. 51 The proud always laugh at me, but I do not turn away from Your Law. 52 I have remembered Your Law from a long time ago, O Lord, and I am comforted. 53 Burning anger comes upon me because of the sinful who turn away from Your Law. 54 Your Laws are my songs in whatever house I stay. 55 I remember Your name in the night, O Lord, and I have kept Your Law. 56 It has become my way to obey Your Law.
57 The Lord is my share. I have promised to obey Your Word. 58 I begged for Your favor with all my heart. Show me Your love because of Your Word. 59 I thought about my ways and turned my steps to Your Law. 60 I hurried and did not wait to obey Your Law. 61 The ropes of the sinful are all around me, but I have not forgotten Your Law. 62 I will rise late in the night to give thanks to You because Your Law is right and good. 63 I am a friend to all who fear You and of those who keep Your Law. 64 The earth is full of Your loving-kindness, O Lord. Teach me Your Law.
65 You have done good to Your servant, O Lord, because of Your Word. 66 Teach me what I should know to be right and fair for I believe in Your Law. 67 Before I suffered I went the wrong way, but now I obey Your Word. 68 You are good and You do good. Teach me Your Law. 69 The proud have put together a lie against me. I will keep Your Law with all my heart. 70 Their heart is covered with fat, but I find joy in Your Law. 71 It is good for me that I was troubled, so that I might learn Your Law. 72 The Law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
A Fool Trusts in Riches
49 Hear this, all people. Listen, all who live in the world, 2 both small and great, rich and poor together. 3 My mouth will speak wisdom. And the thoughts of my heart will be understanding. 4 I will turn my ear to a wise saying. With a harp, I will tell what is hard to understand.
5 Why should I be afraid in the days of trouble, when the sin of those who hate me is all around me? 6 They trust in their riches, and are proud of all they have. 7 No man can save his brother. No man can pay God enough to save him. 8 The cost is much for his soul to be saved. Man should stop trying 9 to live forever and not see the grave.
10 For he sees that even wise men die. The fool and those who cannot think well die alike. And they leave their riches to others. 11 They think in their hearts that their houses will last forever, and that the places where they live will last for all their children to follow. They have used their own names to name their lands. 12 But man with all his honor does not last. He is like the animals that die.
13 This is the way of the foolish, and of those after them who believe in their words. 14 Like sheep they are meant for the grave. Death will be their shepherd. And those who are right with God will rule over them in the morning. Their bodies will be eaten by the grave, so that they have no place to stay. 15 But God will free my soul from the power of the grave. For He will take me to Himself.
16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich and when his house grows in greatness. 17 For when he dies he will take nothing with him. His greatness will not go down with him. 18 Even if while he lives, he thinks good of himself, and even though men praise you when you do well for yourself, 19 he will go and join the family of his fathers. They will never see the light. 20 Man with all his honor, yet without understanding, is like the animals that die.
Foolish Men
53 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are sinful and have done bad things. There is no one who does good. 2 God has looked down from heaven at the children of men to see if there is anyone who understands and looks for God. 3 They have all turned back. They have all turned to sin. There is no one who does good, not even one. 4 Have those who do wrong no understanding? They eat up My people like they eat bread. They have not called upon God. 5 There they were, in much fear, where there was nothing to be afraid of. For God has spread out the bones of those who come against you. You put them to shame, because God has turned away from them. 6 O, that the saving of Israel would come out of Zion! Jacob will be full of joy and Israel will be glad when God returns His people to their land.
Job Tells of His Past Days
29 Then Job spoke again and said,
Job Keeps On Talking
30 “But now those who are younger than I make fun of me. I thought so little of their fathers that I did not want them with my sheep dogs. 2 Yes, what good could I get from the strength of their hands? Their strength was gone.
16 “Now my soul is poured out within me. Days of trouble have taken hold of me. 17 Night cuts into my bones with pain. The pain keeps on and takes no rest. 18 My clothing is torn by a strong power. It pulls against me like the top of my coat. 19 God has thrown me into the mud, and I have become like dust and ashes. 20 I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me. I stand up, and You turn away from me. 21 You work against me. With the power of Your hand you make it hard for me. 22 You lift me up to the wind and make it carry me. You throw me around in the storm. 23 For I know that You will bring me to death, to the place for all the living.
24 “Yet does not one in a destroyed place put out his hand, and in his trouble cry out for help? 25 Have I not cried for the one whose life is hard? Was not my soul filled with sorrow for the poor? 26 When I expected good, then trouble came. When I waited for light, darkness came. 27 My heart is troubled and does not rest. Days of trouble are before me. 28 I go about full of sorrow without comfort. I stand up where the people are gathered and cry out for help. 29 I have become a brother to wild dogs, and a friend of ostriches. 30 My skin becomes black and falls from me. My bones burn because I am sick. 31 So my harp is turned to sorrow, and my horn to the sound of crying.
19 By this time some Jews from the cities of Antioch and Iconium came. They turned the minds of the people against Paul and Barnabas and told them to throw stones at Paul. After they threw stones at him, they dragged him out of the city thinking he was dead.
Paul and Barnabas Preach to the Christians on Their Return Trip to Antioch
20 As the Christians gathered around Paul, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he went with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 In that city they preached the Good News and taught many people. Then they returned to the cities of Lystra and Iconium and Antioch. 22 In each city they helped the Christians to be strong and true to the faith. They told them, “We must suffer many hard things to get into the holy nation of God.”
23 In every church they chose leaders for them. They went without food during that time so they could pray better. Paul and Barnabas prayed for the leaders, giving them over to the Lord in Whom they believed.
24 When they had gone through the city of Pisidia, they came to the city of Pamphylia. 25 Then they preached the Good News in the city of Perga. After this they went down to the city of Attalia. 26 From there they went by ship to Antioch where they had been given to the Lord for His work. The work of this trip was done.
27 When they got there, they called the church together. They told them everything God had done for them. They told how God had opened the door for the people who were not Jews to have faith. 28 They stayed there with the followers a long time.
Jesus Hears about Lazarus
11 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in the town of Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. 2 This was the Mary who put perfume on the Lord and dried His feet with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was sick. 3 The sisters sent word to Jesus, saying, “Lord, your friend is sick!” 4 When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death. It has happened so that it will bring honor to God. And the Son of God will be honored by it also.”
Jesus Tells of the Death of Lazarus
5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 But when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days. 7 Then He said to His followers, “Let us go into the country of Judea again.” 8 The followers said to Him, “Teacher, the Jews tried to throw stones at You to kill You not long ago. Are You going there again?” 9 Jesus said, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walks during the day, he will not fall. He sees the light of this world. 10 If a man walks during the night, he will fall. The light is not in him.”
11 After Jesus had said this, He spoke again and said, “Our friend Lazarus is sleeping. I will go and wake him up.” 12 The followers said to Him, “If he is sleeping, he will get well.” 13 But Jesus meant Lazarus was dead. They thought He meant Lazarus was resting in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them, “Lazarus is dead. 15 Because of you I am glad I was not there so that you may believe. Come, let us go to him.”
16 Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to the other followers, “Let us go also so we may die with Jesus.”
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