Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 5[a]
Morning Prayer for Divine Help
1 For the director.[b] With flutes. A psalm of David.
2 Listen to my words, O Lord;
pay heed to my sighs.
3 Hear my cry for help,
my King and my God;
for to you I pray.
4 O Lord, at daybreak[c] you hear my voice;
at daybreak I bring my petition before you
and await your reply.
5 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil cannot remain in your presence.
6 The arrogant shrink before your gaze;
you hate all who do evil.
7 You destroy all who tell lies;
the Lord detests the violent and the deceitful.
8 But I will enter your house
because of your great kindness,[d]
and I will bow down in your holy temple,
filled with awe of you.
9 Lead me in your ways of righteousness, O Lord,
for I am surrounded by enemies;
make your path straight before me.[e]
10 For there is nothing trustworthy in their mouth;[f]
their heart devises treacherous schemes.
Their throat is a wide open grave;
with their tongue they utter flattery.
11 Punish them, O God;
may their intrigues result in their downfall.
Cast them out because of their many transgressions,
for they have rebelled against you.[g]
12 But may all who take refuge in you rejoice;
may they shout for joy forever.
Grant them your protection
so that those who love your name[h] may rejoice in you.
13 Truly, you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you surround them with your goodwill as with a shield.
Psalm 6[i]
Evening Prayer for God’s Mercy
1 For the director.[j] With stringed instruments. “Upon the eighth.” A psalm of David.
2 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or punish me in your wrath.
3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am tottering;
help me, O Lord, for my body is in agony.[k]
4 My soul[l] is also filled with anguish.
But you, O Lord—how long?
5 Turn, O Lord, and deliver my soul;
save me because of your kindness.[m]
6 For among the dead who remembers you?
In the netherworld who sings your praises?[n]
7 I am exhausted from my sighing;
every night I flood my bed with my tears,
and I soak my couch with my weeping.
8 My eyes grow dim because of my grief;
they are worn out[o] because of all my foes.
9 Depart from me, all you evildoers,[p]
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
10 The Lord has listened to my pleas;
the Lord has accepted my prayer.
11 All my enemies will be shamed and terrified;
they will flee in utter confusion.[q]
Psalm 10[a]
Prayer for Help against Oppressors
1 Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you remain hidden in times of trouble?
2 In his arrogance the wicked hunts down the poor;
let him be ensnared by the schemes he has devised.
3 The wicked boasts of his wicked desires;
he upholds the greedy and renounces the Lord.
4 Filled with arrogance, he does not seek God,
but thinks, “God does not exist.”[b]
5 The wicked always seems to prosper;
your judgments are far from his mind,
and he scoffs at all those who oppose him.
6 He says in his heart,[c] “I will not be swayed;
I will never experience misfortune.”
7 His mouth is filled with curses, deceit, and threats;[d]
his tongue breeds evil and malice.
8 He lies in wait near the villages,
and from ambush he slays the innocent;
his eyes are on the watch for the helpless.
9 He lies in wait like a lurking lion,
ready to strike the helpless;
he snares his victims,
seizing them in his net.
10 He crouches and lies low,
and the poor are overwhelmed by his might.
11 He thinks in his heart,
“God has forgotten;
he hides his face and will never see what is happening.”
12 Arise, O Lord! Lift up your hand, O God!
Do not forget the afflicted.
13 Why should the wicked reject God
and say in his heart,
“He will not call me to account”?
14 But you note our troubles and our grief
so that you may resolve our difficulties.
The helpless entrusts himself to you;
you are the recourse of the fatherless.
15 Break the arms of the sinner and the evildoer;
seek out the wicked
until no more endure.[e]
16 [f]The Lord is King forever and ever;
the heathen will disappear from his land.
17 You listen, O Lord, to the longings of the poor;
you strengthen their courage and heed their prayers.
18 You ensure justice for the fatherless and the oppressed
so that no one on earth may fill them with terror.
Psalm 11[g]
Unshakable Confidence in God
1 For the director.[h] Of David.
[i]In the Lord I take refuge.
How can you say to me,
“Flee like a bird to your mountains!
2 For behold, the wicked are bending their bows
as they fit their arrows to the string
so that from the shadows
they can shoot at those who are upright.[j]
3 If the foundations[k] are destroyed,
what can be done by those who are righteous?”
4 [l]The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord, whose throne is in heaven.
His eyes are fixed on the world;
his gaze examines everyone.
5 The Lord tests the upright and the wicked;
he detests the lover of violence.
6 Upon the wicked he will rain down
fiery coals and brimstone;[m]
a scorching wind will be their allotted portion.
7 For the Lord is just
and he loves righteous deeds;
the upright will behold his face.[n]
38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down. They had Solomon ride upon King David’s donkey, and they brought him to Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest took a horn of oil out from the tabernacle and he anointed Solomon. They sounded the trumpet and all of the people proclaimed, “Long live, King Solomon.” 40 All of the people went up and joined his following, and they played upon flutes and so greatly rejoiced that the ground shook from the noise.
41 Adonijah Acknowledges Solomon. Adonijah and all of those whom he had invited to be with him finished eating and heard it. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he asked, “What is this uproar coming from the city?” 42 While he was still speaking, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for a brave man like you must bring good news.” 43 Jonathan answered Adonijah saying, “It is not so! Our Lord, king David, has made Solomon king. 44 The king sent him with Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, 45 and Zadok, the priest, and Nathan the prophet anointed him in Gihon. They are coming up from there rejoicing so that the city resounds with it. This is the noise that you heard. 46 Moreover, Solomon is sitting upon the royal throne.
47 “The king’s servants have come to bless our lord, King David, saying, ‘May God make the name of Solomon greater than your name, and his throne than your throne.’ The king then worshiped in his bed 48 and the king said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has allowed me to see with my own eyes the one who will sit upon my throne.’ ”
49 All of those whom Adonijah had invited became frightened, and they rose up and they each went his own way. 50 But Adonijah, because he feared Solomon, got up and went and took hold of the horns of the altar.[a]
51 Solomon was told, “Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, for he has taken hold of the horns of the altar saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear an oath to me today that he will not harm his servant.’ ” 52 Solomon replied, “If he shows himself to be a man of virtue, then not one of his hairs will fall to the ground. But if he proves to be wicked, he will die!”
53 So King Solomon sent and had him brought down from the altar. He came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go home.”
Chapter 2
David’s Parting Words before Death. 1 As David’s death drew near, he instructed Solomon, his son, saying, 2 “I am going the way of all upon the earth. Be strong, and show yourself to be a man. 3 [b]Observe the ordinances of the Lord, your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and what he witnessed in writing in the law of Moses. In this way you will prosper in whatever you do and wherever you go. 4 The Lord will keep the promise he made about me saying, ‘If your descendants heed their way and they walk before me faithfully with all of their heart and all of their soul, there will always be one of yours upon the throne of Israel.’
24 Reactions to Paul’s Speech. While Paul was still speaking in his own defense, Festus exclaimed, “You are out of your mind, Paul! Too much learning is driving you insane.” 25 But he replied, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus. What I am asserting is true and reasonable. 26 The king understands these matters, and to him I now speak freely. I am confident that none of this has escaped his notice, for all this was not done in a corner.[a] 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets?[b] I know that you do.”
28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a brief time you can persuade me to become a Christian?” 29 Paul responded, “Whether in a short time or longer, I pray to God that not only you but also all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”
30 Then the king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those who had been seated with them. 31 And as they were leaving, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing that deserves death or imprisonment.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
The Journey to Rome[c]
Chapter 27
Paul’s Voyage toward Rome. 1 When it was decided that we[d] should sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to Julius, a centurion of the Augustan cohort. 2 We embarked on a ship from Adramyttium[e] that was about to sail to ports in the province of Asia, and we put out to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.
3 On the next day, we landed at Sidon,[f] and Julius was considerate enough to allow Paul to visit his friends there and be cared for by them. 4 From there, we put out to sea again and sailed around the sheltered side of Cyprus because of the headwinds. 5 Then, crossing the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia.[g]
Storm and Shipwreck. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship[h] that was bound for Italy and put us on board. 7 For a good many days, we made little headway, and we experienced difficulty in reaching Cnidus.[i] Then, as the wind continued to pose difficulties, we sailed for the sheltered side of Crete off Salmone. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and reached a place called Fair Havens,[j] near the city of Lasea.
28 The Parable of the Fig Tree.[a]“Learn this lesson from the fig tree. As soon as its twigs become tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see these things come to pass, know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away before all these things have taken place.[b] 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
32 The Day and Hour Unknown.[c]“But as for that day or that hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on your guard and keep alert, because you do not know when the time will come.
34 “It is like a man going on a journey. He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his own duties to perform, and he commands the doorkeeper to remain alert. 35 Therefore, keep watch, for you do not know when the master of the house will return, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36 lest he arrive unexpectedly and find you asleep. 37 What I say to you, I say to all: Keep awake!”
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