Book of Common Prayer
Protestation of Integrity and Prayer for Protection.
A Psalm of David.
26 [a](A)Vindicate me, Lord, for I have (B)walked in my integrity,
And I have (C)trusted in the Lord [b](D)without wavering.
2 (E)Examine me, Lord, and put me to the test;
(F)Refine my [c]mind and my heart.
3 For Your [d](G)goodness is before my eyes,
And I have (H)walked in Your truth.
4 I do not (I)sit with [e]deceitful people,
Nor will I go with [f](J)pretenders.
5 I (K)hate the assembly of evildoers,
And I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I will (L)wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go around (M)Your altar, Lord,
7 That I may proclaim with the voice of (N)thanksgiving
And declare all Your [g]wonders.
8 Lord, I (O)love the dwelling of Your house,
And the place [h]where Your (P)glory remains.
9 (Q)Do not [i]take my soul away along with sinners,
Nor my life with (R)men of bloodshed,
10 In whose hands is a (S)wicked scheme,
And whose right hand is full of (T)bribes.
11 But as for me, I will (U)walk in my integrity;
(V)Redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 (W)My foot stands on (X)level ground;
In the (Y)congregations I will bless the Lord.
A Prayer for Help, and Praise for Its Answer.
A Psalm of David.
28 To You, Lord, I call;
My (A)rock, do not be deaf to me,
For if You (B)are silent to me,
I will become like those who (C)go down to the pit.
2 Hear the (D)sound of my pleadings when I cry to You for help,
When I (E)raise my hands (F)toward [a]Your holy (G)sanctuary.
3 (H)Do not drag me away with the wicked
And with those who practice injustice,
Who (I)speak peace with their neighbors,
While evil is in their hearts.
4 Give back to them (J)according to their work and according to the evil of their practices;
Give back to them according to the work of their hands;
Repay them what is due them.
5 Because they (K)do not regard the works of the Lord
Nor the deeds of His hands,
He will tear them down and not build them up.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
Because He (L)has heard the sound of my pleading.
7 The Lord is my (M)strength and my (N)shield;
My heart (O)trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore (P)my heart triumphs,
And with (Q)my song I shall thank Him.
8 The Lord is [b]their (R)strength,
And He is a refuge of (S)salvation to His anointed.
9 (T)Save Your people and bless (U)Your inheritance;
Be their (V)shepherd also, and (W)carry them forever.
Wickedness of Humanity and Goodness of God.
For the music director. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.
36 [a]Wrongdoing speaks to the ungodly within [b]his heart;
There is (A)no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For it (B)flatters him in his own eyes
Concerning the discovery of his wrongful deed and the hatred of it.
3 The (C)words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has (D)ceased to [c]be wise and to do good.
4 He (E)plans wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself on a (F)path that is not good;
He (G)does not reject evil.
5 Your (H)mercy, Lord, [d]extends to the heavens,
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
6 Your (I)righteousness is like the [e]mountains of God;
Your (J)judgments are like the great deep.
Lord, You [f](K)protect mankind and animals.
7 How (L)precious is Your mercy, God!
And the sons of mankind (M)take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8 They (N)drink their fill of the [g]abundance of Your house;
And You allow them to drink from the (O)river of Your delights.
9 For the (P)fountain of life is with You;
In Your light we see light.
The Futility of Life.
For the music director, for [a]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will (A)keep watch over my ways
So that I (B)do not sin with my tongue;
I will keep watch over (C)my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was (D)mute [b]and silent,
I [c]refused to say even something good,
And my pain was stirred up.
3 My (E)heart was hot within me,
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, let me know (F)my end,
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how (G)transient I am.
5 Behold, You have made (H)my days like [d]hand widths,
And my (I)lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Certainly all mankind standing is [e]a mere (J)breath. Selah
6 Certainly every person (K)walks around as [f]a fleeting shadow;
They certainly make an (L)uproar for nothing;
He (M)amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.
7 “And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My (N)hope is in You.
8 (O)Save me from all my wrongdoings;
Do not make me an object of (P)reproach for the foolish.
9 I have become (Q)mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is (R)You who have done it.
10 (S)Remove Your plague from me;
Because of (T)the opposition of Your hand I am [g]perishing.
11 With (U)rebukes You punish a person for wrongdoing;
You (V)consume like a moth what is precious to him;
Certainly (W)all mankind is mere breath! Selah
13 Therefore My people go into exile for their (A)lack of knowledge;
And their [a](B)nobles are famished,
And their multitude is parched with thirst.
14 Therefore (C)Sheol has enlarged its [b]throat and opened its mouth beyond measure;
And [c]Jerusalem’s splendor, her multitude, her noise of revelry, and the jubilant within her, descend into it.
15 So the common people will be humbled and the person of importance brought low,
(D)The eyes of the haughty also will be brought low.
16 But the (E)Lord of armies will be (F)exalted in judgment,
And the holy God will show Himself (G)holy in righteousness.
17 (H)Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture,
And strangers will eat in the ruins of the [d]wealthy.
24 Therefore, (A)as a tongue of fire consumes stubble,
And dry grass collapses in the flame,
So their (B)root will become (C)like rot, and their blossom [a]blow away like dust;
For they have (D)rejected the Law of the Lord of armies,
And discarded the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 For this reason the (E)anger of the Lord has burned against His people,
And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them.
And the (F)mountains quaked, and their (G)corpses [b]lay like refuse in the middle of the streets.
(H)Despite all this, His anger [c]is not spent,
But His (I)hand is still stretched out.
Christian Conduct
12 But we ask you, brothers and sisters, to (A)recognize those (B)who diligently labor among you and [a](C)are in leadership over you in the Lord, and give you [b]instruction, 13 and that you regard them very highly in love because of their work. (D)Live in peace with one another. 14 We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish (E)the [c]unruly, encourage (F)the fainthearted, help (G)the weak, be (H)patient with everyone. 15 See that (I)no one repays another with evil for evil, but always (J)seek what is good for one another and for all people. 16 (K)Rejoice always, 17 (L)pray without ceasing, 18 in everything (M)give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 19 (N)Do not quench the Spirit, 20 do not utterly reject [d](O)prophecies, 21 but (P)examine everything; (Q)hold firmly to that which is good, 22 abstain from every [e]form of evil.
23 Now (R)may the God of peace (S)Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your (T)spirit and soul and body be kept complete, (U)without blame at (V)the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 (W)Faithful is He who (X)calls you, and He also will do it.
25 Brothers and sisters, (Y)pray for us[f].
26 (Z)Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. 27 I put you under oath by the Lord to (AA)have this letter read to all the (AB)brothers and sisters.
28 (AC)May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
29 And He told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees: 30 as soon as they put forth leaves, you see for yourselves and (A)know that summer is now near. 31 So you too, when you see these things happening, [a]recognize that (B)the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place. 33 (C)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
34 “But (D)be on your guard, so that your hearts will not be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that [b]this day will not come on you suddenly, like a trap; 35 for it will come upon all those who live on the face of all the earth. 36 But (E)stay alert at all times, praying that you will have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to (F)stand before the Son of Man.”
37 Now [c]during the day He was (G)teaching in the temple, but [d](H)at evening He would go out and spend the night on (I)the [e]mountain that is called [f]Olivet. 38 And all the people would get up (J)very early in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.