Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 56
A Call for God’s Protection
For the choir director: according to “A Silent Dove Far Away.” A Miktam of David. When the Philistines seized him in Gath.(A)
1 Be gracious to me, God, for a man is trampling me;
he fights and oppresses me all day long.
2 My adversaries trample me all day,
for many arrogantly fight against me.[a](B)
3 When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.(C)
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?(D)
5 They twist my words all day long;
all their thoughts against me are evil.(E)
6 They stir up strife,[b] they lurk,
they watch my steps
while they wait to take my life.(F)
7 Will they escape in spite of such sin?
God, bring down the nations in wrath.(G)
8 You yourself have recorded my wanderings.[c]
Put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?(H)
9 Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call.(I)
This I know: God is for me.(J)
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mere humans do to me?(K)
12 I am obligated by vows[d] to you, God;
I will make my thanksgiving sacrifices to you.(L)
13 For you rescued me from death,
even my feet from stumbling,
to walk before God in the light of life.(M)
Psalm 57
Praise for God’s Protection
For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. When he fled before Saul into the cave.(N)
1 Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
for I take refuge in you.
I will seek refuge in the shadow of your wings
until danger passes.(O)
2 I call to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.[e](P)
3 He reaches down from heaven and saves me,
challenging the one who tramples me.(Q)Selah
God sends his faithful love and truth.(R)
4 I am surrounded by lions;
I lie down among devouring lions—
people whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.(S)
5 God, be exalted above the heavens;
let your glory be over the whole earth.(T)
6 They prepared a net for my steps;
I was despondent.
They dug a pit ahead of me,
but they fell into it!(U)Selah
7 My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident.
I will sing; I will sing praises.(V)
8 Wake up, my soul!
Wake up, harp and lyre!
I will wake up the dawn.(W)
9 I will praise you, Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.(X)
10 For your faithful love is as high as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches the clouds.(Y)
11 God, be exalted above the heavens;(Z)
let your glory be over the whole earth.(AA)
Psalm 58
A Cry against Injustice
For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David.
1 Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones?[f]
Do you judge people fairly?(AB)
2 No, you practice injustice in your hearts;
with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.(AC)
3 The wicked go astray from the womb;
liars wander about from birth.(AD)
4 They have venom like the venom of a snake,
like the deaf cobra that stops up its ears,(AE)
5 that does not listen to the sound of the charmers
who skillfully weave spells.(AF)
6 God, knock the teeth out of their mouths;
Lord, tear out the young lions’ fangs.(AG)
7 May they vanish like water that flows by;
may they aim their blunted arrows.[g](AH)
8 Like a slug that moves along in slime,
like a woman’s miscarried child,
may they not see the sun.(AI)
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
whether green or burning—
he will sweep them away.[h](AJ)
10 The righteous one will rejoice
when he sees the retribution;(AK)
he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.(AL)
11 Then people will say,
“Yes, there is a reward for the righteous!
There is a God who judges on earth!” (AM)
Psalm 64
Protection from Evildoers
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 God, hear my voice when I am in anguish.(A)
Protect my life from the terror of the enemy.(B)
2 Hide me from the scheming of wicked people,(C)
from the mob of evildoers,(D)
3 who sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim bitter words like arrows,(E)
4 shooting from concealed places at the blameless.
They shoot at him suddenly and are not afraid.(F)
5 They adopt[a] an evil plan;
they talk about hiding traps and say,
“Who will see them?” [b](G)
6 They devise crimes and say,
“We have perfected a secret plan.”(H)
The inner man and the heart are mysterious.(I)
7 But God will shoot them with arrows;
suddenly, they will be wounded.(J)
8 They will be made to stumble;
their own tongues work against them.
All who see them will shake their heads.(K)
9 Then everyone will fear
and will tell about God’s work,
for they will understand what he has done.(L)
10 The righteous one rejoices in the Lord
and takes refuge in him;
all those who are upright in heart
will offer praise.(M)
Psalm 65
God’s Care for the Earth
For the choir director. A psalm of David. A song.
1 Praise is rightfully yours,[c]
God, in Zion;
vows to you will be fulfilled.(N)
2 All humanity will come to you,
the one who hears prayer.(O)
3 Iniquities overwhelm me;
only you can atone for our rebellions.(P)
4 How happy is the one you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house,(Q)
the holiness of your temple.[d](R)
5 You answer us in righteousness,
with awe-inspiring works,
God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the distant seas.(S)
6 You establish the mountains by your power;
you are robed with strength.(T)
7 You silence the roar of the seas,
the roar of their waves,
and the tumult of the nations.(U)
8 Those who live far away are awed by your signs;
you make east and west shout for joy.(V)
9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly,
enriching it greatly.
God’s stream is filled with water,
for you prepare the earth in this way,
providing people with grain.(W)
10 You soften it with showers and bless its growth,
soaking its furrows and leveling its ridges.(X)
11 You crown the year with your goodness;
your carts overflow with plenty.[e](Y)
12 The wilderness pastures overflow,
and the hills are robed with joy.(Z)
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks
and the valleys covered with grain.(AA)
They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing.(AB)
David, King of Judah
2 Some time later, David inquired of the Lord:(A) “Should I go to one of the towns of Judah?”
The Lord answered him, “Go.”
Then David asked, “Where should I go?”
“To Hebron,”(B) the Lord replied.
2 So David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.(C) 3 In addition, David brought the men who were with him, each one with his family, and they settled in the towns near Hebron.(D) 4 Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.(E) They told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.”(F)
5 David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, “The Lord bless you because you have shown this kindness to Saul your lord when you buried him. 6 Now, may the Lord show kindness and faithfulness to you, and I will also show the same goodness to you because you have done this deed. 7 Therefore, be strong[a] and valiant, for though Saul your lord is dead, the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
8 Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army,(G) took Saul’s son Ish-bosheth[b][c] and moved him to Mahanaim. 9 He made him king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin—over all Israel. 10 Saul’s son Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he became king over Israel; he reigned for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. 11 The length of time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.(H)
Paul and Barnabas Part Company
36 After some time had passed, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit the brothers and sisters in every town(A) where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they’re doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take along John who was called Mark. 38 But Paul insisted that they should not take along this man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company, and Barnabas took Mark(B) with him and sailed off to Cyprus. 40 But Paul chose Silas and departed, after being commended by the brothers and sisters to the grace of the Lord.(C) 41 He traveled through Syria(D) and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Paul Selects Timothy
16 Paul went on to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy,(E) the son of a believing Jewish woman,(F) but his father was a Greek. 2 The brothers and sisters at Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him.(G) 3 Paul wanted Timothy to go with him; so he took him and circumcised(H) him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled through the towns, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem for the people to observe.(I) 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.(J)
John the Baptist Beheaded
14 King(A) Herod(B) heard about it, because Jesus’s name(C) had become well known. Some[a] said, “John the Baptist(D) has been raised from the dead,(E) and that’s why miraculous powers(F) are at work(G) in him.” 15 But others said, “He’s Elijah.”(H) Still others said, “He’s a prophet, like one of the prophets from long ago.”(I)
16 When Herod(J) heard of it, he said, “John,(K) the one I beheaded, has been raised!” (L)
17 For(M) Herod himself had given orders to arrest John and to chain(N) him in prison on account of Herodias,(O) his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her.(P) 18 John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful(Q) for you to have your brother’s wife.”(R) 19 So Herodias held a grudge against him and wanted to kill(S) him. But she could not, 20 because Herod feared(T) John and protected him, knowing he was a righteous(U) and holy(V) man. When Herod heard him he would be very perplexed,[b](W) and yet he liked to listen to him.(X)
21 An opportune time came on his birthday, when Herod gave a banquet(Y) for his nobles,(Z) military commanders,(AA) and the leading men of Galilee.(AB) 22 When Herodias’s own daughter[c] came in and danced,(AC) she pleased Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 He promised her with an(AD) oath:(AE) “Whatever you ask me I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”(AF)
24 She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?”
“John the Baptist’s(AG) head,” she said.
25 At once she hurried to the king and said, “I want you to give me John the Baptist’s(AH) head on a platter(AI) immediately.” 26 Although the king was deeply distressed,(AJ) because of his oaths(AK) and the guests[d] he did not want to refuse(AL) her. 27 The king immediately sent for an executioner and commanded him to bring John’s head. So he went and beheaded him in prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When John’s disciples(AM) heard about it, they came and removed his corpse and placed it in a tomb.(AN)
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