Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 72[a]
[A Psalm] for Solomon.
1 Give the king [knowledge of] Your [way of] judging, O God, and [the spirit of] Your righteousness to the king’s son [to control all his actions].
2 Let him judge and govern Your people with righteousness, and Your poor and afflicted ones with judgment and justice.
3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the hills, through [the general establishment of] righteousness.
4 May he judge and defend the poor of the people, deliver the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor,
5 So that they may revere and fear You while the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
6 May he [Solomon as a type of King David’s greater Son] be like rain that comes down upon the mown grass, like showers that water the earth.
7 In [b]His [Christ’s] days shall the [uncompromisingly] righteous flourish and peace abound till there is a moon no longer.(A)
8 He [Christ] shall have dominion also from sea to sea and from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth.(B)
9 Those who dwell in the wilderness shall bow before Him and His enemies shall lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of the coasts shall bring offerings; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
11 Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him, all nations shall serve Him.(C)
12 For He delivers the needy when he calls out, the poor also and him who has no helper.
13 He will have pity on the poor and weak and needy and will save the lives of the needy.
14 He will redeem their lives from oppression and fraud and violence, and precious and costly shall their blood be in His sight.
15 And He shall live; and to Him shall be given gold of Sheba; prayer also shall be made for Him and through Him continually, and they shall bless and praise Him all the day long.
16 There shall be abundance of grain in the soil upon the top of the mountains [the least fruitful places in the land]; the fruit of it shall wave like [the forests of] Lebanon, and [the inhabitants of] the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17 His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun [indeed, His name continues before the sun]. And men shall be blessed and bless themselves by Him; all nations shall call Him blessed!
18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who alone does wondrous things!
19 Blessed be His glorious name forever; let the whole earth be filled with His glory! Amen and Amen!
20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.
73 Your hands have made me, cunningly fashioned and established me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
74 Those who reverently and worshipfully fear You will see me and be glad, because I have hoped in Your word and tarried for it.
75 I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right and righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.(A)
76 Let, I pray You, Your merciful kindness and steadfast love be for my comfort, according to Your promise to Your servant.
77 Let Your tender mercy and loving-kindness come to me that I may live, for Your law is my delight!
78 Let the proud be put to shame, for they dealt perversely with me without a cause; but I will meditate on Your precepts.
79 Let those who reverently and worshipfully fear You turn to me, and those who have known Your testimonies.
80 Let my heart be sound (sincere and wholehearted and blameless) in Your statutes, that I may not be put to shame.
81 My soul languishes and grows faint for Your salvation, but I hope in Your word.
82 My eyes fail, watching for [the fulfillment of] Your promise. I say, When will You comfort me?
83 For I have become like a bottle [a wineskin blackened and shriveled] in the smoke [in which it hangs], yet do I not forget Your statutes.
84 How many are the days of Your servant [which he must endure]? When will You judge those who pursue and persecute me?(B)
85 The godless and arrogant have dug pitfalls for me, men who do not conform to Your law.
86 All Your commandments are faithful and sure. [The godless] pursue and persecute me with falsehood; help me [Lord]!
87 They had almost consumed me upon earth, but I forsook not Your precepts.
88 According to Your steadfast love give life to me; then I will keep the testimony of Your mouth [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it].
89 Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven [stands firm as the heavens].(C)
90 Your faithfulness is from generation to generation; You have established the earth, and it stands fast.
91 All [the whole universe] are Your servants; therefore they continue this day according to Your ordinances.(D)
92 Unless Your law had been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget Your precepts, [how can I?] for it is by them You have quickened me (granted me life).
94 I am Yours, therefore save me [Your own]; for I have sought (inquired of and for) Your precepts and required them [as my urgent need].(E)
95 The wicked wait for me to destroy me, but I will consider Your testimonies.
96 I have seen that everything [human] has its limits and end [no matter how extensive, noble, and excellent]; but Your commandment is exceedingly broad and extends without limits [into eternity].(F)
22 Then the servants of David came with Joab from pursuing a troop and brought much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.
23 When Joab and all the army with him had come, it was told to Joab, Abner son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he is gone in peace.
24 Then Joab came to the king and said, What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it you have sent him away and he is quite gone?
25 You know that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you and to know your going out and coming in and all you are doing.
26 When Joab came from seeing David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David did not know it.
27 And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside to the center of the gate to speak to him privately, and there he smote Abner in the abdomen, so that he died to avenge the blood of Asahel, Joab’s brother.
28 When David heard of it, he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner son of Ner.
29 Let it fall on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and let the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or is a leper or walks with a crutch or is a distaff holder [unfit for war] or who falls by the sword or lacks food!
30 So Joab and Abishai his brother slew Abner because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.
31 And David said to Joab and to all the people with him, Rend your clothes, gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And King David followed the bier.
32 They buried Abner in Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept.
33 And the king lamented over Abner and said, Should Abner die as a fool dies?
34 Your hands were not bound or your feet put into fetters; as a man falls before wicked men, so you fell. And all the people wept again over him.
35 All the people came to urge David to eat food while it was yet day; but David took an oath, saying, May God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else, till the sun is down.
36 And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them, as whatever the king did pleased all the people.
37 For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not the king’s will to slay Abner son of Ner.
38 King David said to his servants, Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel?
39 And I am this day weak, though anointed [but not crowned] king; these sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness!
16 As we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination [claiming to foretell future events and to discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners much gain by her fortunetelling.
17 She kept following Paul and [the rest of] us, shouting loudly, These men are the servants of the Most High God! They announce to you the way of salvation!
18 And she did this for many days. Then Paul, being sorely annoyed and worn out, turned and said to the spirit within her, I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her! And it came out that very [a]moment.
19 But when her owners discovered that their hope of profit was gone, they caught hold of Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the forum (marketplace), [where trials are held].
20 And when they had brought them before the magistrates, they declared, These fellows are Jews and they are throwing our city into great confusion.
21 They encourage the practice of customs which it is unlawful for us Romans to accept or observe!
22 The crowd [also] joined in the attack upon them, and the rulers tore the clothes off of them and commanded that they be beaten with rods.
23 And when they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely.
24 He, having received [so strict a] charge, put them into the inner prison (the dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks.
47 Now when evening had come, the boat was out in the middle of the lake, and He was by Himself on the land.
48 And having seen that they were troubled and tormented in [their] rowing, for the wind was against them, about the fourth watch of the night [between 3:00-6:00 a.m.] He came to them, walking [directly] on the sea. And He acted as if He meant to pass by them,
49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and [a]raised a [deep, throaty] shriek of terror.
50 For they all saw Him and were agitated (troubled and filled with fear and dread). But immediately He talked with them and said, Take heart! I Am! Stop being alarmed and afraid.(A)
51 And He went up into the boat with them, and the wind ceased ([b]sank to rest as if exhausted by its own beating). And they were astonished exceedingly [beyond measure],
52 For they failed to consider or understand [the teaching and meaning of the miracle of] the loaves; [in fact] their hearts had [c]grown callous [had become dull and had [d]lost the power of understanding].
53 And when they had crossed over, they reached the land of Gennesaret and [e]came to [anchor at] the shore.
54 As soon as they got out of the boat, [the people] recognized Him,
55 And they ran about the whole countryside, and began to carry around sick people on their sleeping pads or mats to any place where they heard that He was.
56 And wherever He came into villages or cities or the country, they would lay the sick in the marketplaces and beg Him that they might touch even the fringe of His outer garment, and as many as touched Him were restored to health.
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation