Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 101
A Vow of Integrity
A psalm of David.
1 I will sing of faithful love and justice;
I will sing praise to you, Lord.(A)
2 I will pay attention to the way of integrity.
When will you come to me?
I will live with a heart of integrity in my house.(B)
3 I will not let anything worthless guide me.[a]
I hate the practice of transgression;
it will not cling to me.(C)
4 A devious heart will be far from me;
I will not be involved with[b] evil.(D)
5 I will destroy anyone
who secretly slanders his neighbor;(E)
I cannot tolerate anyone
with haughty eyes or an arrogant heart.(F)
6 My eyes favor the faithful of the land
so that they may sit down with me.
The one who follows the way of integrity
may serve me.(G)
7 No one who acts deceitfully
will live in my palace;
the one who tells lies
will not be retained here to guide me.[c](H)
8 Every morning I will destroy
all the wicked of the land,
wiping out all evildoers from the Lord’s city.(I)
Psalm 109
Prayer against an Enemy
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 God of my praise, do not be silent.(A)
2 For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me;
they speak against me with lying tongues.(B)
3 They surround me with hateful words
and attack me without cause.(C)
4 In return for my love they accuse me,
but I continue to pray.[a](D)
5 They repay me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.(E)
6 Set a wicked person over him;
let an accuser[b] stand at his right hand.(F)
7 When he is judged, let him be found guilty,
and let his prayer be counted as sin.(G)
8 Let his days be few;
let another take over his position.(H)
9 Let his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.(I)
10 Let his children wander as beggars,
searching for food far[c] from their demolished homes.(J)
11 Let a creditor seize all he has;
let strangers plunder what he has worked for.(K)
12 Let no one show him kindness,
and let no one be gracious to his fatherless children.(L)
13 Let the line of his descendants be cut off;
let their name be blotted out in the next generation.(M)
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers
be remembered before the Lord,(N)
and do not let his mother’s sin be blotted out.(O)
15 Let their sins[d] always remain before the Lord,
and let him remove[e] all memory of them from the earth.(P)
16 For he did not think to show kindness,
but pursued the suffering, needy, and brokenhearted
in order to put them to death.(Q)
17 He loved cursing—let it fall on him;
he took no delight in blessing—let it be far from him.(R)
18 He wore cursing like his coat—
let it enter his body like water
and go into his bones like oil.(S)
19 Let it be like a robe he wraps around himself,
like a belt he always wears.(T)
20 Let this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers,
to those who speak evil against me.(U)
21 But you, Lord, my Lord,
deal kindly with me for your name’s sake;(V)
because your faithful love is good, rescue me.(W)
22 For I am suffering and needy;(X)
my heart is wounded within me.(Y)
23 I fade away like a lengthening shadow;(Z)
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak from fasting,
and my body is emaciated.[f](AA)
25 I have become an object of ridicule to my accusers;[g]
when they see me, they shake their heads in scorn.(AB)
26 Help me, Lord my God;
save me according to your faithful love(AC)
27 so they may know that this is your hand
and that you, Lord, have done it.(AD)
28 Though they curse, you will bless.
When they rise up, they will be put to shame,
but your servant will rejoice.(AE)
29 My accusers will be clothed with disgrace;
they will wear their shame like a cloak.(AF)
30 I will fervently thank the Lord with my mouth;
I will praise him in the presence of many.(AG)
ע Ayin
121 I have done what is just and right;(A)
do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Guarantee your servant’s well-being;(B)
do not let the arrogant oppress me.
123 My eyes grow weary(C) looking for your salvation
and for your righteous promise.
124 Deal with your servant based on your faithful love;(D)
teach me your statutes.
125 I am your servant;(E) give me understanding(F)
so that I may know your decrees.
126 It is time for the Lord to act,(G)
for they have violated your instruction.
127 Since I love your commands(H)
more than gold, even the purest gold,
128 I carefully follow all your precepts(I)
and hate every false way.(J)
פ Pe
129 Your decrees are wondrous;(K)
therefore I obey them.(L)
130 The revelation of your words(M) brings light
and gives understanding to the inexperienced.(N)
131 I open my mouth and pant(O)
because I long for your commands.
132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,(P)
as is your practice toward those who love your name.
133 Make my steps steady through your promise;(Q)
don’t let any sin dominate me.(R)
134 Redeem me from human oppression,(S)
and I will keep your precepts.
135 Make your face shine on your servant,(T)
and teach me your statutes.(U)
136 My eyes pour out streams of tears(V)
because people do not follow your instruction.
צ Tsade
137 You are righteous, Lord,(W)
and your judgments are just.
138 The decrees you issue are righteous
and altogether trustworthy.(X)
139 My anger overwhelms me
because my foes forget your words.(Y)
140 Your word is completely pure,(Z)
and your servant loves it.(AA)
141 I am insignificant and despised,(AB)
but I do not forget your precepts.(AC)
142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
and your instruction is true.(AD)
143 Trouble and distress have overtaken me,
but your commands are my delight.(AE)
144 Your decrees are righteous forever.(AF)
Give me understanding, and I will live.
Review of Israel’s Fall
9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Israel’s King Hoshea son of Elah, Assyria’s King Shalmaneser marched against Samaria and besieged it.(A) 10 The Assyrians captured it at the end of three years. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Israel’s King Hoshea, Samaria was captured. 11 The king of Assyria deported the Israelites to Assyria and put them in Halah, along the Habor (Gozan’s river), and in the cities of the Medes,(B) 12 because they did not listen to the Lord their God but violated his covenant—all he had commanded Moses the servant of the Lord. They did not listen, and they did not obey.(C)
Sennacherib’s Invasion
13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Assyria’s King Sennacherib attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.(D) 14 So King Hezekiah of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria at Lachish:(E) “I have done wrong;(F) withdraw from me. Whatever you demand from me, I will pay.” The king of Assyria demanded eleven tons[a] of silver and one ton[b] of gold from King Hezekiah of Judah. 15 So Hezekiah gave him all the silver found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the king’s palace.
16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the Lord’s sanctuary and from the doorposts he had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria.(G)
17 Then the king of Assyria sent the field marshal,(H) the chief of staff, and his royal spokesman, along with a massive army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.(I) They advanced and came to Jerusalem, and[c] they took their position by the aqueduct of the upper pool, by the road to the Launderer’s Field.(J) 18 They called for the king, but Eliakim(K) son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, Shebnah(L) the court secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian, came out to them.(M)
The Royal Spokesman’s Speech
19 Then(N) the royal spokesman said to them, “Tell Hezekiah this is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: ‘What are you relying on?[d](O) 20 You think mere words are strategy and strength for war. Who are you now relying on so that you have rebelled against me?(P) 21 Now look, you are relying on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff(Q) that will pierce the hand of anyone who grabs it and leans on it.(R) This is what Pharaoh king of Egypt is to all who rely on him. 22 Suppose you say to me, “We rely on the Lord our God.” Isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed,(S) saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You must worship at this altar in Jerusalem”?’
23 “So now, make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria. I’ll give you two thousand horses if you’re able to supply riders for them! 24 How then can you drive back a single officer(T) among the least of my master’s servants? How can you rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 25 Now, have I attacked this place to destroy it without the Lord’s approval?(U) The Lord said to me, ‘Attack this land and destroy it.’”
Food Offered to Idols
8 Now about food sacrificed to idols:(A) We know that “we all have knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up,(B) but love(C) builds up. 2 If anyone thinks he knows anything, he does not yet know it as he ought to know it.(D) 3 But if anyone loves God,(E) he is known(F) by him.
4 About eating food sacrificed to idols, then, we know that “an idol is nothing in the world,”[a] and that “there is no God but one.”(G) 5 For even if there are so-called gods,(H) whether in heaven or on earth—as there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father.(I) All things are from him,(J) and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we exist through him.(K)
7 However, not everyone has this knowledge. Some have been so used to idolatry up until now that when they eat food sacrificed to an idol, their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not bring us close to God.[b] We are not worse off if we don’t eat, and we are not better if we do eat.(L) 9 But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block(M) to the weak. 10 For if someone sees you, the one who has knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, won’t his weak conscience be encouraged[c] to eat food offered to idols? 11 So the weak person, the brother or sister for whom Christ died,(N) is ruined[d](O) by your knowledge.(P) 12 Now when you sin like this against brothers and sisters and wound their weak conscience, you are sinning against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food causes my brother or sister to fall, I will never again eat meat,(Q) so that I won’t cause my brother or sister to fall.
Entering the Kingdom
13 “Enter through the narrow gate.(A) For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,(B) and there are many who go through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.
15 “Be on your guard against false prophets(C) who come to you in sheep’s(D) clothing(E) but inwardly are ravaging wolves.(F) 16 You’ll recognize them by their fruit.(G) Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?(H) 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.(I) 20 So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.(J)
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,(K) but only the one who does the will(L) of my Father in heaven.(M)
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