Book of Common Prayer

A Prayer for Help

140 O Lord, take me away from sinful men. Keep me safe from men who want to hurt others. ² They make sinful plans in their hearts. They always start wars. ³ They make their tongues sharp like a snake’s. And the poison of a snake is under their lips.

⁴ O Lord, keep me from the hands of the sinful. Keep me safe from men who want to hurt others and have planned to trip my feet. ⁵ The proud have hidden a trap for me. With ropes they have spread a net. They have set traps for me beside the road. ⁶ I said to the Lord, “You are my God. Listen to the voice of my prayers, O Lord. ⁷ O God the Lord, the strength that saves me, You have covered my head in the day of battle. ⁸ O Lord, do not give the sinful what they want. Do not let their plans work, or they will be honored.

⁹ “As for those who gather around me, may the wrong-doing of their lips come upon their heads. ¹⁰ May burning coals fall upon them. May they be thrown into the fire, into deep holes, and rise no more. ¹¹ Do not let the man whose talking hurts people stand in the land. May trouble hurry to catch and destroy the man who wants to hurt others.”

¹² I know that the Lord will stand by those who suffer and do what is right for the poor. ¹³ For sure those who are right and good will give thanks to Your name. Those who are right will live with You.

A Prayer for Help

142 I cry with a loud voice to the Lord. I pray with my voice to the Lord. ² I talk and complain to Him. I tell Him all my trouble. ³ When my spirit had grown weak within me, You knew my path. They have hidden a trap for me in the way where I walk. ⁴ Look to the right and see. For there is no one who thinks about me. There is no place for me to go to be safe. No one cares about my soul.

⁵ I cried out to You, O Lord. I said, “You are my safe place, my share in the land of the living. ⁶ Listen to my cry, for I am brought down. Save me from those who make it hard for me. For they are too strong for me. ⁷ Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to Your name. Those who are right and good will gather around me. For You will give much to me.”

An Evening Prayer

141 I call upon You, O Lord. Hurry to me! Hear my voice when I call to You! ² May my prayer be like special perfume before You. May the lifting up of my hands be like the evening gift given on the altar in worship. ³ O Lord, put a watch over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips. ⁴ Do not let my heart turn to any sinful thing, to do wrong with men who sin. And do not let me eat their fine food.

⁵ Let those who are right with God punish me and speak strong words to me in kindness. It is oil upon my head. Do not let my head turn away from it. Yet my prayer is always against the sinful works of those who sin. ⁶ When their rulers are thrown down from high rocks, they will hear my words, for they are true. ⁷ Our bones have been spread around the mouth of the grave like the broken ground behind the plow.

⁸ For my eyes are toward You, O God the Lord. In You I have a safe place. Do not leave me without help. ⁹ Keep me from the trap they have set for me. Keep me from the nets of those who do wrong. ¹⁰ Let the sinful fall into their own nets, while I pass by and am safe.

A Prayer for Help

143 Hear my prayer, O Lord. Listen when I ask for help. Answer me because You are faithful and right. ² Do not find Your servant guilty, for no man living is right and good in Your eyes. ³ For the one who hates me has made it hard for my soul. He has crushed my life to the ground. He has made me live in dark places, like those who have been dead for a long time. ⁴ So my spirit grows weak within me. My heart within me is afraid.

⁵ I remember the days long ago. I think about all You have done. I think about the work of Your hands. ⁶ I put out my hands to You. My soul is thirsty for You like a dry land.

⁷ Hurry to answer me, O Lord! My spirit is becoming weak! Do not hide Your face from me, or I will become like those who go down to the grave. ⁸ Let me hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for I trust in You. Teach me the way I should go for I lift up my soul to You. ⁹ O Lord, take me away from those who hate me. I run to You to be safe.

¹⁰ Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Let Your good Spirit lead me on a straight path. ¹¹ Give me new life, O Lord, because of Your name. Bring me out of trouble because You are right and good. ¹² In Your loving-kindness cut off those who hate me. Destroy all those who make it hard for my soul, for I am Your servant.

⁹ Now listen to this, you leaders of Jacob and rulers of the people of Israel. You hate what is fair, and turn everything around that is right. ¹⁰ You built Zion with blood and Jerusalem with much wrong-doing. ¹¹ Her leaders take pay in secret for doing wrong. Her religious leaders teach for a price. Her men who tell what is going to happen in the future do it for money. Yet they rest upon the Lord and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No trouble will come to us.” ¹² So because of you Zion will be plowed as a field. Jerusalem will be laid waste. And the mountain of the Lord’s house will be covered with trees.

The Lord Rules in Jerusalem

4 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest one of all. It will be raised above the hills, and the people will flow to it. ² Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.” For the Law will go out from Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. ³ He will judge between many people. He will decide for strong nations that are far away. Then they will beat their swords into plows, and their spears into cutting hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and they will never learn war any more. ⁴ Every man will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, with no one to make him afraid. For the mouth of the Lord of All has spoken. ⁵ All the nations may walk in the name of their god. But we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.

Paul Speaks for Himself the Second Time

²⁴ Some days later Felix came again. His Jewish wife Drusilla was with him. He sent for Paul and heard him talk about faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ Paul spoke about being right with God. He spoke about being the boss over our own desires. He spoke about standing before One Who will tell us if we are guilty. When Felix heard this, he became afraid and said, “Go now. I will send for you when it is a better time.” ²⁶ He was hoping that Paul would give him money so he could go free. For that reason he kept sending for Paul and talking to him.

²⁷ After two years Porcius Festus became leader of the people instead of Felix. Felix wanted to please the Jews so he kept Paul in prison.

Paul Stands in Front of Festus

25 Three days after Festus had become leader in the country, he went from the city of Caesarea to Jerusalem. ² The head religious leaders and the leaders of the Jews told Festus what they had against Paul. ³ They asked Festus for a favor. They wanted Paul to be brought to Jerusalem because they had plans to kill him on the way. ⁴ Festus told them that Paul was to be kept in Caesarea and that he would be going there soon. ⁵ Festus said, “If Paul has done anything wrong, let your leaders go along with me and say what they have against him.”

⁶ After staying with them about ten days, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he sat in the courtroom and asked for Paul to be brought in. ⁷ Paul came into the courtroom. The Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They said many bad things against him. But they could not prove any of the things they said. ⁸ Paul spoke for himself, saying, “I have done nothing wrong against the Law of the Jews or against the house of God or against Caesar.”

⁹ Festus was hoping to get the respect of the Jews. He asked Paul, “Will you go to the court in Jerusalem and let me say if you are guilty or not about these things?” ¹⁰ Paul said, “I am standing in front of Caesar’s court where I should be told I am right or wrong. I have done no wrong to the Jews. You know that. ¹¹ If I have done wrong and should die, I am not trying to keep from dying. But if these things they say against me are not true, no one can give me over to them. I ask to be taken to Caesar.” ¹² Festus talked to the leaders of the court. Then he said to Paul, “You have asked to be taken to Caesar. You will go to him.”

Jesus Teaches in Galilee

8 After this Jesus went to all the cities and towns preaching and telling the Good News about the holy nation of God. The twelve followers were with Him. ² Some women who had been healed of demons and diseases were with Him. Mary Magdalene, who had had seven demons put out of her, was one of them. ³ Joanna, the wife of Chuza who was one of Herod’s helpers, was another one. Susanna and many others also cared for Jesus by using what they had.

The Picture-Story of the Man Who Planted Seed ^(A)

⁴ Many people came together from every town to Jesus. He told them a picture-story.

⁵ “A man went out to plant seed. As he planted the seed, some fell by the side of the road. It was walked on and birds came and ate it. ⁶ Some seed fell between rocks. As soon as it started to grow, it dried up because it had no water. ⁷ Some seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew and did not give the seed room to grow. ⁸ Some seed fell on good ground. It grew and gave one hundred times as much grain.” When Jesus had finished saying this, He cried out, “You have ears, then listen!”

⁹ His followers asked Him what this picture-story meant. ¹⁰ Jesus said, “You were given the secrets about the holy nation of God. Others are told picture-stories. As they look, they do not see. As they hear, they do not understand.

Jesus Tells about the Man Who Planted Seed

¹¹ “This is what the picture-story means. The seed is the Word of God. ¹² Those by the side of the road hear the Word. Then the devil comes and takes the Word from their hearts. He does not want them to believe and be saved from the punishment of sin. ¹³ Those which fell among rocks are those who when they hear the Word receive it with joy. These have no root. For awhile they believe, but when they are tempted they give up. ¹⁴ Those which fell among thorns hear the Word but go their own way. The cares of this life let the thorns grow. A love for money lets the thorns grow also. And the fun of this life lets the thorns grow. Their grain never becomes full-grown. ¹⁵ But those which fell on good ground have heard the Word. They keep it in a good and true heart and they keep on giving good grain.