Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 56[a]
Boundless Trust in God
1 For the director.[b] According to Yonath elem rehoqim. A miktam of David. When the Philistines seized him at Gath.
2 Be merciful to me, O God,
for people are trampling upon me;
all day long they keep up their attack.
3 My foes pursue me all day long,
with their forces too many to number.
4 When I am terrified,
I place my trust in you.
5 In God, whose word[c] I praise,
in God I place my trust and know no fear;
what can people do to me?
6 All day long they slander me;
their one thought is to bring evil upon me.
7 In groups they hide in ambush
and spy on my every step,
determined to take my life.
8 Shall they escape in their iniquity?
Strike down the nations, O God, in your anger.
9 You have kept count of my wanderings
and stored my tears in your flask,
recording all these in your book.[d]
10 My foes will turn back
when I call out to you.
Of this I am confident:
that God is on my side.
11 In God, whose word I praise—
in the Lord, whose word I praise—
12 in God I place my trust and know no fear;
what can people do to me?
13 I am bound, O God, by vows[e] to you,
and I will pay you my debt of gratitude.
14 For you have delivered my life from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk in the presence of God[f]
in the light of the living.
Psalm 57[g]
Trust in God amid Suffering
1 For the director.[h] According to “Do not destroy.” A miktam of David. When he fled from Saul into the cave.
2 Have mercy on me, O God,
have mercy on me,
for in you my soul[i] takes refuge.
I will seek shelter in the shadow of your wings
until the time of danger has passed.
3 I call out to God Most High,
to God who takes care of me.[j]
4 May he send his help from heaven to deliver me
and put to shame those who trample upon me; Selah
may God send his kindness[k] and his faithfulness.
5 I lie prostrate in the midst of lions
who are hungrily seeking human prey.
Their teeth are spears and arrows,
and their tongues are razor-sharp swords.
6 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory shine over all the earth.[l]
7 They set a trap for my feet,
and I was overcome with distress.
They dug a pit in my path,
but they themselves fell into it. Selah
8 [m]My heart[n] is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and chant your praise;
9 awake, my soul!
Awake, lyre and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.[o]
10 [p]I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O Lord;
I will sing your praises among the nations.
11 For your kindness extends to the heavens;
your faithfulness, to the skies.
12 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory radiate over all the earth.
Psalm 58[q]
The Judge of Unjust Rulers
1 For the director.[r] According to “Do not destroy.” A miktam of David.
2 O you rulers,[s] do you render justice?
Do you judge your people impartially?
3 No! You devise wickedness in your hearts,[t]
and your hands bring about violence on the earth.
4 The wicked have gone astray right from the womb;
from birth these liars have taken the wrong path.[u]
5 Their venom is like that of a serpent;
they are as deaf as an asp that stops its ears
6 so as not to hear the voice of the charmer
no matter how skillful the spells he casts.[v]
7 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of these lions, O Lord.[w]
8 [x]Cause them to vanish like water that drains off;
make them wither like grass that is trampled.[y]
9 Let them melt like a snail[z] that oozes into slime
or like a stillborn child that will never see the sun.
10 Before they sprout thorns[aa] like brambles or thistles,
may your whirlwind sweep them away.
11 The righteous will rejoice
when he sees that justice has been done,
and he will bathe his feet
in the blood[ab] of the wicked.
12 Then the people will say,
“There is truly a reward for the righteous;
there is a God who dispenses justice on the earth.”
Psalm 64[a]
Thanksgiving for Recovery from Illness
1 For the director.[b] A psalm of David.
2 Listen, O God, to my cry of lament;
from the dreaded enemy preserve my life.
3 Protect me from the council of the wicked,
from the band of those who do evil.
4 They sharpen their tongues[c] like swords,
and they shoot forth their venomous words like arrows,
5 while they attack the innocent from ambush,
shooting suddenly and without fear.
6 [d]They agree on their evil plan,
and they resolve to lay snares,
saying, “Who will see us?”
7 They plot evil schemes
and devise shrewd plots;
the thoughts of their hearts[e] are hidden.
8 [f]However, God will shoot his arrows at them,[g]
and they will suddenly be struck down.
9 Their own tongues will bring them down,
and all who see them will wag their heads.[h]
10 [i]Then everyone will be in awe,
as they proclaim God’s mighty deeds
and contemplate what he has done.[j]
11 The righteous will rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him;
all the upright in heart will praise him.
Psalm 65[k]
Thanksgiving for Divine Blessings
1 For the director.[l] A psalm of David. A song.
2 It is fitting to offer praise to you,[m]
O God, in Zion.
To you our vows must be fulfilled,
3 for you answer our prayers.
To you all flesh must come,[n]
4 burdened by its sinful deeds.
Too heavy for us are our sins,
and only you can blot them out.[o]
5 Blessed[p] is the one whom you choose
and invite to dwell in your courts.
We will be filled with the good things of your house,
of your holy temple.
6 Through your awesome deeds[q] of righteousness,
you respond to us, O God, our Savior;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the far-off islands.
7 Clothed in your great power,
you hold the mountains in place.[r]
8 You quiet the roaring of the seas,
the turbulence of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.[s]
9 Those who dwell at the ends of the earth
are awestruck by your wonders.[t]
You call forth songs of joy
from sunrise and sunset.
10 You care for the earth and water it,
making it most fertile.
The streams of God[u] are filled with water
to provide grain for its people.
Thus, you prepare the earth for growth:
11 you water its furrows
and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers
and bless its yield.[v]
12 You crown the year with your bounty,[w]
and your tracks dispense fertility.
13 The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
and the hills are covered with rejoicing.
14 The meadows are clothed with flocks,
and the valleys are decked out with grain;
in their joy they shout and sing together.[x]
Chapter 9
1 “God of my ancestors and Lord of mercy,
by your word[a] you have created all things,
7 You have chosen me to be king of your people
and to sit in judgment over your sons and daughters.
8 You have commanded me to build a temple on your holy mountain,
and an altar in the city that is your dwelling,
a replica of the sacred tabernacle that you prepared from the beginning.[a]
9 With you is Wisdom, who knows your works
and was present when you created the world.
She understands what is pleasing in your eyes
and what is in conformity with your commandments.
10 “Send her forth from your holy heavens,
and dispatch her from the throne of your glory,
so that she may labor at my side
and I may learn what is pleasing to you.
11 For she knows and understands all things,
and with prudence she will guide me in my deeds
and guard me with her splendor.
12 Then will my works be acceptable to you,
and I will judge your people uprightly
and be worthy of the throne of my father.
13 “What person can have knowledge of the counsel of God,
or who can discern what the will of the Lord is?
14 The reasonings of mortals are faulty
and our reflections are unstable.
15 For a perishable body burdens the soul,
and its earthly tent[b] weighs down the mind filled with many cares.
16 With difficulty do we assess what is on earth,
and that which is within our reach we discover only after arduous labor;
who then can seek out the things of heaven?
17 Who could ever have known your counsel if you had not given Wisdom
and sent your Holy Spirit from on high?
18 And thus the paths of those on earth were straightened,
and men were taught what pleases you
and were saved by Wisdom.”
18 The Christian Family.[a]Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not treat them harshly. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children lest they lose heart.
22 Slaves and Masters. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only when you are being observed or in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, out of reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly, as if you were doing it for the Lord and not for others, 24 since you know that you will receive from the Lord an inheritance as your reward for you are serving the Lord Christ. 25 But anyone who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done. There will not be any favoritism shown.
Chapter 4
1 Masters, be just and fair in your treatment of your slaves, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
Assiduous Prayer.[b] 2 Persevere in prayer, with alert minds and thankful hearts. 3 At the same time, pray for us too, so that God may open a door to us to proclaim the word, the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it as clearly as I should.
Christian Behavior.[c] 5 Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of your opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be gracious and seasoned with wisdom, so that you will know how to respond properly to all.
Conclusion
Tychicus and Onesimus.[d] 7 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, so that you will know how we are and that he may cheer your hearts. 9 He will be accompanied by Onesimus, our trustworthy and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything that has happened here.
10 Paul’s Coworkers. Aristarchus,[e] my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, make him welcome.) 11 And Jesus who is called Justus also greets you. Of all those who are of the circumcision, these are the only ones who are working with me for the kingdom of God, and they have been a great comfort to me.
12 Epaphras sends you greetings. He is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, and he is always pleading earnestly in his prayers on your behalf so that you may seek perfection and fulfill the will of God. 13 I can testify for him that he has worked tirelessly for you and those in Laodicea and Hierapolis.[f] 14 Luke,[g] the beloved physician, and Demas send you greetings.
15 Notes for the Laodiceans. Give my greetings to the brethren in Laodicea, and to Nymphas[h] and the Church in her house. 16 Then when this letter has been read to you, see to it that it is also read to the Church at Laodicea; and I ask you in turn to read my letter that is coming from Laodicea. 17 Also tell Archippus:[i] “See that you carry out fully the ministry that you received in the Lord.”
18 Paul’s Signature.[j] I, Paul, write this farewell in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
36 Jesus Pardons a Sinful Woman.[a] One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to dine with him. When he arrived at the Pharisee’s house, he took his place at table. 37 A woman of that town, who was leading a sinful life, learned that Jesus was a dinner guest in the Pharisee’s house. Carrying with her an alabaster jar of ointment,[b] 38 she stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were really a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.” 40 Jesus then said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He replied, “What is it, Teacher?”
41 “There were two men who were in debt to a certain creditor. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other owed fifty. 42 When they were unable to repay him, he canceled both debts. Now which one of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “I would imagine that it would be the one who was forgiven the larger amount.” Jesus replied, “You have judged rightly.”
44 Then, turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your home, and you provided no water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but she has not ceased to kiss my feet from the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore, I tell you: her many sins have been forgiven her because she has shown great love. But the one who has been forgiven little has little love.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Those who were at table began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” 50 But Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
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