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.
The Day of the Lord
14 A day of the Lord is coming when the things of much worth taken from you will be divided among you. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle. The city will be taken. The houses will be robbed. The women will be taken against their will. And half of the city will be taken away to a strange land. But the rest of the people will not be taken away from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, in front of Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives will be divided in two from east to west by a very large valley. Half the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. 5 You will run away by the valley of My mountains, for it will go as far as Azel. You will run away just as you did when the earth shook in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him. 6 On that day there will be no light. The stars of heaven will be made dark. 7 It will be a special day which is known to the Lord. It will not be day or night. For when evening comes, there will be light. 8 On that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem. Half of them will flow toward the sea in the east. The other half will flow toward the sea in the west. They will flow in summer and in winter.
9 The Lord will be King over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one. 10 The whole land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem will rise and stay on its land from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to where the king’s wine is made. 11 People will live in it, and there will be no more curse. The people of Jerusalem will live without fear.
7 Receive each other as Christ received you. This will honor God. 8 Christ came to help the Jews. This proved that God had told the truth to their early fathers. This proved that God would do what He promised. 9 This was done so the people who are not Jews can thank God for His loving-kindness. The Holy Writings say, “This is why I will give thanks to you among the people who are not Jews. I will sing to Your name.” (A) 10 It says also, “You who are not Jews, be happy with His people, the Jews.” (B) 11 And, “Honor and give thanks to the Lord, you who are not Jews. Let everyone honor Him.” (C) 12 And Isaiah says, “There will be One from the family of Jesse Who will be a leader over the people who are not Jews. Their hope will be in Him.” (D) 13 Our hope comes from God. May He fill you with joy and peace because of your trust in Him. May your hope grow stronger by the power of the Holy Spirit.
28 When He had finished the picture-story, He went on ahead of them up to Jerusalem.
The Last Time Jesus Goes into Jerusalem (A)
29 When Jesus was coming near the towns of Bethphage and Bethany by the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His followers on ahead. 30 He said, “Go into the town ahead of you. There you will find a young donkey tied. No man has ever sat on it. Let it loose and bring it to Me. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you letting it loose?’ say to him, ‘Because the Lord needs it.’”
32 Those who were sent found everything as Jesus had told them. 33 As they were letting the young donkey loose, the owners said to them, “Why are you letting the young donkey loose?” 34 They answered, “The Lord needs it.” 35 Then they brought it to Jesus. They put their coats on the donkey and they put Jesus on it.
36 As Jesus was going, they put their coats down on the road. 37 Jesus was near the city and ready to go down the Mount of Olives. The many people who were following Him began to sing with loud voices and give thanks for all the powerful works they had seen. 38 They said, “Great and honored is the King Who comes in the name of the Lord. There is peace and greatness in the highest heaven.”
39 Some of the proud religious law-keepers who were in among the people said to Jesus, “Teacher, speak sharp words to Your followers.” 40 Jesus said to them, “I tell you that if these did not speak, the very stones would call out.”
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