Book of Common Prayer
Prologue—Psalms 1–2[a]
Psalm 1[b]
True Happiness
1 Blessed[c] is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stand in the way of sinners,
nor sit in the company of scoffers.
2 Rather, his delight is in the law of the Lord,[d]
and on that law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted near streams of water,
which bears fruit in its season,
and whose leaves never wither.[e]
In the same way,
everything he does will prosper.
4 This is not true of the wicked,
for they are like chaff that the wind blows away.[f]
5 Therefore, the wicked will not stand firm at the judgment,[g]
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over[h] the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 2[i]
Universal Reign of the Messiah
1 Why do the nations rage
and the peoples devise futile plots?
2 The kings of the earth rise up,
and the princes conspire together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One:[j]
3 “Let us finally break their shackles
and cast away their chains from us.”
4 The one who is enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord mocks their plans.
5 Then he rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 “I myself have anointed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”[k]
7 I will proclaim the decree[l] of the Lord:
He said to me, “You are my son;
this day I have begotten you.”
8 Simply make the request of me,
and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,
and the ends of the earth as your possession.[m]
9 You will rule them with an iron scepter;
you will shatter them like a potter’s vessel.[n]
10 Therefore, O kings, pay heed;
take warning, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice before him;
with trembling 12 bow down in homage[o]
lest he become angry
and you perish from the way,
for his wrath can flare up in an instant.
Blessed are all those
who take refuge in him.
Book I—Psalms 3–41[p]
Psalm 3[q]
Trust in God in Time of Danger
1 A psalm of David. When he was fleeing from his son Absalom.
2 O Lord, how great is the number of my enemies,
how many are those who rise up against me.
3 How numerous are the ones who say of me,
“He will not receive salvation from God.” Selah[r]
4 But you, O Lord, are a shield to protect me;
you are my glory and the one who raises my head high.[s]
5 Whenever I cry aloud to the Lord,
he answers me from his holy mountain.[t] Selah
6 I lie down and sleep;
I awaken again, for the Lord sustains me.[u]
7 Thus, I will not fear the multitudes
who have surrounded me on every side.
8 Rise up, O Lord!
Rescue me, O my God!
You will strike all my enemies across the face[v]
and break the teeth of the wicked.
9 Salvation comes from the Lord.
May your blessing be upon your people. Selah
Psalm 4[w]
Joyful Confidence in God
1 For the director.[x] With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.
2 When I call upon you, answer me, O God,
you who uphold my rights.
When I was in distress, you set me free;
have pity on me and listen to my prayer.
3 How long[y] will you people turn my glory into shame,
cherishing what is worthless and pursuing what is false? Selah
4 Remember that the Lord wonderfully favors those who are faithful,[z]
and the Lord listens when I call out to him.
5 [aa]When you are angry, be careful not to sin;
reflect in silence
as you lie upon your beds. Selah
6 Offer worthy sacrifices
and place your trust in the Lord.
7 Many exclaim, “Who will show us better times!
Let the light of your face shine on[ab] us, O Lord!”
8 You have granted my heart[ac] greater joy
than others experience when grain and wine abound.
9 In peace I lie down and sleep,
for only with your help, O Lord,
can I rest secure.
Psalm 7[a]
Appeal to the Divine Judge
1 A plaintive song of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush,[b] a Benjaminite.
2 O Lord, my God, I take refuge in you;
keep me safe from all my pursuers and deliver me,
3 lest like a lion they tear me to pieces
and carry me off, with no one to rescue me.
4 O Lord, my God, if I have done this,
if my hands are stained with guilt,
5 if I have repaid a friend with treachery—
I who spared the lives of those who without cause were my enemies—[c]
6 then let my foe pursue and overtake me;
let him trample my life into the ground
and leave my honor in the dust. Selah
7 Rise up, O Lord, in your indignation;
rise against the fury of my enemies.
Rouse yourself for me,
and fulfill the judgment you have decreed.
8 Let the peoples assemble in your presence
as you sit above them enthroned on high.
9 The Lord is the judge of the nations.
Therefore, pass judgment on me, O Lord, according to my righteousness,
according to my innocence, O Most High.
10 Put an end to the malice of the wicked
but continue to sustain the righteous,
O God of justice,
you who search minds and hearts.[d]
11 God is a shield to me;
he saves those who are upright of heart.
12 God is a just judge,
a God who expresses his indignation every day.
13 When a sinner refuses to repent,
God sharpens his sword,
and he bends and aims his bow.
14 He has prepared deadly weapons for him
and made his arrows into fiery shafts.
15 [e]Behold, he who conceives iniquity
and is pregnant with mischief
will give birth to lies.
16 He digs a pit and makes it deep,
but he will fall into the trap he has made.
17 His wickedness will recoil upon his own head,
and his violence will fall back on his own crown.
18 I will offer thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness,
and I will sing hymns of praise[f] to the name of the Lord Most High.
Chapter 15[a]
Saul’s Disobedience. 1 Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over his people Israel. Therefore, hearken to the sound of the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will remember what the Amalekites did to Israel when they waylaid them as they were coming up out of Egypt. 3 Go now, and attack Amalek. Wipe out everything that belongs to them. Do not spare any of them, kill men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ”
7 Saul then struck down the Amalekites from Havilah down to Shur which lies to the east of Egypt. 8 He captured Agag, the king of the Amalekites alive, but he put all of the people to the sword. 9 Saul and the people spared Agag, all of the best of the sheep and oxen, the fat calves and lambs, everything that was good. Yet, everything that was weak and useless they totally destroyed.
10 Samuel Rebukes Saul. The word of the Lord came to Samuel saying, 11 “I am sorry that I appointed Saul as king, for he has turned away from me by not observing my commandments.” Samuel was disturbed, and he cried out to the Lord all that night. 12 Early in the morning, Samuel went out to meet Saul. Samuel was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. He set up a monument there for himself, so he turned around and traveled on, going down to Gilgal.”[a]
13 Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “May you be blessed. I have fulfilled the command of the Lord.” 14 Samuel responded, “Then what is the bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15 Saul answered, “They have brought them from the Amalekites. The people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord, your God. We have totally destroyed the rest of it.” 16 Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me tonight.” He said, “Keep speaking.” 17 Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own opinion, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? Has the Lord not anointed you as king over Israel? 18 The Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites. Fight against them until they are wiped out.’ 19 Why did you not heed the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil, doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord?”
20 Saul answered Samuel, “But I did hearken to the voice of the Lord. I went on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have wiped out Agag, the king of Amalek, and the Amalekites. 21 The people took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of the dedicated things, to sacrifice them to the Lord, your God, in Gilgal.”
22 [b]But Samuel replied, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in heeding the voice of the Lord? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, being attentive is better than the fat of rams. 23 Rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft, arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
19 then, after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul Preaches in Damascus. For several days, Saul stayed with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astounded, and they said, “Is not this the man who in Jerusalem was persecuting those who invoked this name? And did he not come here for the specific purpose of arresting them so that they might be taken to the chief priests?” 22 But Saul’s strength continued to increase, and he confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by showing that Jesus is indeed the Christ.
23 After some time had passed, the Jews devised a plan to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were keeping watch on the city gates day and night so that they might kill him, 25 but his disciples took him one night and let him down in a basket over the wall.
26 Saul in Jerusalem and Tarsus. When he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him because they did not believe that he had become a disciple. 27 However, Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He related to them how on his journey Saul had seen the Lord who had spoken to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.
28 Saul then moved about with them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He also engaged in debate with the Hellenists[a] but they began planning to kill him. 30 When the brethren learned of this, they brought him to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.[b]
31 Period of Peace for the Church.[c]Meanwhile, the Church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed peace, building up strength and living in the fear of the Lord. Encouraged by the Holy Spirit,[d] the Church grew in numbers.
44 Jesus Dies on the Cross.[a] It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun was darkened. Then the veil of the temple was torn in two. 46 He cried out, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” And with these words he breathed his last.[b]
47 On seeing what had taken place, the centurion praised God and said, “Surely, this man was innocent.” 48 When all the people who had gathered there to witness the spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts.[c] 49 However, all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance and watched all these events.
50 Jesus Is Buried.[d] Now there was a good and upright man named Joseph[e] who was a member of the council. 51 However, he had not agreed to their plan and the action they had taken. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was awaiting the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and requested the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of rock in which no one had ever been interred. 54 It was the Day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was about to begin.
55 The women who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph. They saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. But on the Sabbath they rested in obedience to the commandment.
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