Book of Common Prayer
A Plea for Personal and National Help
A prayer of one afflicted, when he grows faint
and pours out his lament before Yahweh.[a]
102 O Yahweh, hear my prayer,
and let my cry for help come to you.
2 Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my trouble.
Incline your ear to me.
In the day I call, answer me quickly,
3 for my days vanish in smoke,
and my bones are charred like a hearth.
4 My heart is struck like grass and withers.
Indeed, I forget to eat[b] my bread.
5 Because of the sound of my groaning
my bones[c] cling to my skin.[d]
6 I am like an owl[e] of the wilderness;
I am like a little owl of the ruins.
7 I lie awake and I am
like a lone bird on a roof.
8 All the day my enemies reproach me;
those who mock me swear oaths against me.
9 Indeed, I eat ashes like bread
and mix my drink with tears[f]
10 because of your indignation and anger,
for you have picked me up and thrown me away.
11 My days are like a lengthened shadow,
and I wither like grass.
12 But you, O Yahweh, abide[g] forever,
and your remembrance[h] from generation to generation.[i]
13 You rise up and take pity on Zion,
because it is time to favor it,
for the appointed time has come.
14 Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
and show favor to its dust.
15 Then the nations will fear the name of Yahweh,
and all the kings of the earth your glory.
16 For Yahweh will rebuild Zion;
he will appear in his glory.
17 He will turn his attention to the prayer of the destitute
and will not despise their prayer.
18 Let this be written for the next generation,
so that a people yet to be created may praise Yah,[j]
19 that he looked down from his holy height.
Yahweh looked from heaven over the earth
20 to hear the groaning of the prisoner,
to liberate those destined to die,[k]
21 so that they[l] may make known in Zion the name of Yahweh,
and his praise in Jerusalem,
22 when the peoples assemble,
together with[m] kingdoms, to serve Yahweh.
23 He has broken my strength along the way;
he has cut short my days.
24 I say, “My God, do not carry me off
from my life in the middle of my days.”
Your years continue throughout all generations.
25 Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you will endure.
And like a garment they will all wear out,
you will replace them like clothing, and they will be set aside.
27 But you are the same,
and your years do not end.
28 The children of your servants will continue,
and their descendants[n] will be established before you.
Thanksgiving to Yahweh for His of Deliverance
107 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,
for his loyal love is forever.
2 Let the redeemed of Yahweh declare[a] it,
those whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy
3 and gathered from the lands,
from east and from west, from north and from south.[b]
4 They wandered in the wilderness, in a desert.
They could find no way[c] to a city to inhabit.
5 Hungry and thirsty,
their soul grew faint within them.
6 Then they cried out to Yahweh in their trouble.
He delivered them from their distresses
7 and led them by a straight way
to get to a city to inhabit.
8 Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his loyal love,
and his wonderful deeds for the children of humankind,
9 for he satisfies the longing soul,[d]
and the hungry soul he fills with good.
10 Those who sat in darkness and gloom,
prisoners of misery and iron—
11 because they rebelled against the words of God
and spurned the counsel of the Most High,
12 he therefore humbled their heart with trouble.
They stumbled and there was no helper.
13 Then they called to Yahweh for help in their trouble;
he saved them from their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and gloom,
and tore off their bonds.
15 Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his loyal love
and his wonderful deeds for the children of humankind,
16 for he shatters the doors of bronze,
and cuts through the bars of iron.
17 Fools, because of their rebellious way
and their iniquities, were afflicted.
18 Their soul abhorred all food,
and they approached the gates of death.
19 Then they called to Yahweh for help in their trouble.
He saved them from their distresses.
20 He sent his word and healed them,
and he delivered them from their pits.[e]
21 Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his loyal love,
and his wonderful deeds for the children of humankind,
22 and let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his works with rejoicing.
23 Those who went down to the sea into ships,
doing business on the high seas,[f]
24 they saw the works of Yahweh,
and his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25 For he spoke and raised up a stormy wind,
and it whipped up its waves.
26 They rose to the heavens; they plunged to the depths.
Their soul melted in their calamity.
27 They reeled and staggered like a drunkard,
and they were at their wits’ end.[g]
28 Then they cried out to Yahweh in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distresses.
29 He made the storm be still
and their waves became calm.
30 Then they were glad because they grew silent,
so he guided them to their desired harbor.
31 Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his loyal love
and his wonderful deeds for the children of humankind,
32 and let them exalt him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
New Creation
17 For look! I am about to create new heavens and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered,
and they shall not come to mind.[a]
18 But rejoice and shout in exultation forever and ever over what I am about to create!
For look! I am about to create Jerusalem as a source of rejoicing,
and her people as a source of joy.
19 And I will shout in exultation over Jerusalem,
and I will rejoice over my people,
and the sound of weeping shall no longer be heard in it,
or[b] the sound of a cry for help.
20 There will no longer be a nursing infant who lives only a few[c] days,
or[d] an old man who does not fill his days,
for the boy will die a hundred years old,[e]
and the one who fails to reach[f] a hundred years[g] will be considered[h] accursed.
21 And they shall build houses and inhabit them,
and they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat.
For the days of my people shall be like the days of a tree,
and my chosen ones shall enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labor for nothing,
and they shall not give birth to horror,
for they shall be offspring blessed by[i] Yahweh,
and their descendants with them.
24 And this will happen: before they call, I myself will answer;
while still they are speaking, I myself will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed like one,
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
but[j] dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall do no evil,
and they shall not destroy on all my holy mountain,”[k] says Yahweh.
Honoring Worthy Elders and Dealing With Sinners
17 The elders who lead well must be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor by speaking and teaching. 18 For the scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox while it[a] is threshing,”[b] and “The worker is worthy of his wages.”[c] 19 Do not accept an accusation against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 20 Reprove those who sin in the presence of all, in order that the rest also may experience fear. 21 I testify solemnly before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing according to partiality. 22 Lay hands on no one hastily, and do not participate in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. 23 (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach and your frequent illnesses.) 24 The sins of some people are evident, preceding them to judgment, but for some also they follow after them. 25 Likewise also good works are evident, and those considered otherwise are not able to be hidden.
The Greatest Commandment
28 And one of the scribes came up and[a] heard them debating. When he[b] saw that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and from your whole soul and from your whole mind and from your whole strength.’[c] 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[d] There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “That is true, Teacher. You have said correctly[e] that he is one and there is no other except him. 33 And to love him from your[f] whole heart and from your[g] whole understanding and from your[h] whole strength, and to love your[i] neighbor as yourself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And Jesus, when he[j] saw that he had answered thoughtfully, said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to put a question to him any longer.
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