Book of Common Prayer
ק Qoph
145 I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord,
I will keep Your statutes.
146 I cried unto You; deliver me,
and I shall keep Your testimonies.
147 I arose before the dawn of the morning and cried for help;
I hope in Your words.
148 My eyes are awake before the night watches,
that I might meditate on Your word.
149 Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness, O Lord;
revive me according to Your judgment.
150 They draw close, those who persecute me with evil;
they are far from Your law.
151 But You are near, O Lord,
and all Your commandments are true.
152 I have known of old
that You have established Your testimonies forever.
ר Resh
153 Consider my affliction, and deliver me,
for I do not forget Your law.
154 Plead my cause, and defend me;
revive me according to Your word.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked,
for they do not seek Your statutes.
156 Great are Your compassions, O Lord;
revive me according to Your judgments.
157 Many are my persecutors and my enemies,
yet I do not turn from Your testimonies.
158 I behold the transgressors with disgust,
because they have not kept Your word.
159 Consider how I love Your precepts;
revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.
160 Your word is true from the beginning,
and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
ש Sin and Shin
161 Princes have persecuted me without a cause,
but my heart stands in awe of Your words.
162 I rejoice at Your word,
as one who finds great plunder.
163 I hate and abhor lying,
but I love Your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise You,
because of Your righteous judgments.
165 Those who love Your law have great peace,
and nothing shall cause them to stumble.
166 Lord, I have hoped for Your deliverance,
and I carry out Your commandments.
167 My soul has kept Your testimonies,
and I love them greatly.
168 I have kept Your precepts and Your testimonies,
for all my ways are before You.
ת Taw
169 Let my cry come near before You, O Lord;
give me understanding according to Your word.
170 Let my supplication come before You;
deliver me according to Your word.
171 My lips shall declare praise,
for You have taught me Your statutes.
172 My tongue shall speak of Your word,
for all Your commandments are right.
173 Let Your hand help me,
for I have chosen Your precepts.
174 I have longed for Your salvation, O Lord,
and Your law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live and praise You,
and let Your judgments come to my aid.
176 I have wandered like a lost sheep;
seek Your servant,
for I do not forget Your commandments.
Psalm 128
A Song of Ascents.
1 Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in His ways.
2 For you shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you will be happy, and it shall be well with you.
3 Your wife shall be as a fruitful vine
in your house,
your children like olive shoots
around your table.
4 Behold, this man shall be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5 The Lord shall bless you from Zion,
and may you see the welfare of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6 Indeed, may you see your children’s children.
Peace upon Israel!
Psalm 129
A Song of Ascents.
1 “Often they have afflicted me from my youth,”
may Israel now say,
2 “often they have afflicted me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowmen plowed upon my back;
they made their furrows long.”
4 The Lord is righteous;
He has cut the cords of the wicked.
5 Let all those be shamed
and turned back who hate Zion.
6 Let them be as the grass on the housetops,
which withers before it even grows,
7 where the reaper is unable to fill his hand,
or he who binds sheaves, his arms.
8 Neither do they who pass by say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you;
we bless you in the name of the Lord!”
Psalm 130
A Song of Ascents.
1 From the depths I call on You, O Lord!
2 O Lord, hear my voice;
let Your ears be attentive
to the sound of my supplications.
3 If you, O Lord, should keep track of iniquities,
O Lord, who shall stand?
4 For there is forgiveness with You,
that You may be feared.
5 I wait for the Lord, with bated breath I wait;
I long for His Word!
6 My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
7 Let Israel wait for the Lord!
For mercy is found with the Lord;
with Him is great redemption.
8 He shall redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
30 Therefore prophesy against them all these words, and say to them:
The Lord will roar from on high,
and utter His voice from His holy habitation;
He will mightily roar against His fold.
He will give a shout, as those who tread the grapes,
against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 A noise shall come even to the remote parts of the earth,
for the Lord has a controversy with the nations;
He shall enter into judgment with all flesh.
He shall give those who are wicked to the sword,
says the Lord.
32 Thus says the Lord of Hosts:
See, disaster shall go forth
from nation to nation,
and a great whirlwind shall be raised up
from the remote parts of the earth.
33 The slain of the Lord on that day will be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They will not be lamented or gathered or buried. They will be as dung on the ground.
34 Howl, you shepherds, and cry;
and wallow in the ashes, you leaders of the flock.
For the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished;
and you will fall like a choice vessel.
35 The shepherds will have no way to flee,
nor the leaders of the flock to escape.
36 A voice of the cry of the shepherds
and a howling of the leaders of the flock shall be heard,
for the Lord has devastated their pasture.
37 The peaceable habitations are cut down
because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
38 He has left His lair as the lion;
for their land is desolate
because of the fierceness of the oppressor
and because of His fierce anger.
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring good news of good things!”[a]
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”[b] 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes, indeed:
“Their voice went into all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”[c]
19 But I say, did Israel not know? First, Moses says:
“I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation,
and by a foolish nation I will anger you.”[d]
20 And Isaiah is very bold and says:
“I was found by those who did not seek Me;
I revealed myself to those who did not ask for Me.”[e]
21 But to Israel He says:
“All day long I have stretched out My hands
to a disobedient and contrary people.”[f]
The Parable of the Shepherd
10 “Truly, truly I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out. 4 When he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them. And the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him. For they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand what He was telling them.
Jesus the Good Shepherd
7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come, except to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 But he who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and runs away. So the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because he is a hired hand and does not care about the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and am known by My own. 15 Even as the Father knows Me, so I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep who are not of this fold. I must also bring them, and they will hear My voice. There will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I received this command from My Father.”
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.