Book of Common Prayer
Prayer for Protection against the Wicked.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
140 (A)Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men;
Preserve me from (B)violent men
2 Who (C)devise evil things in their hearts;
They (D)continually stir up wars.
3 They (E)sharpen their tongues as a serpent;
(F)Poison of a viper is under their lips. [a]Selah.
4 (G)Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
(H)Preserve me from violent men
Who have [b]purposed to [c](I)trip up my feet.
5 The proud have (J)hidden a trap for me, and cords;
They have spread a (K)net by the [d]wayside;
They have set (L)snares for me. Selah.
6 I (M)said to the Lord, “You are my God;
(N)Give ear, O Lord, to the (O)voice of my supplications.
7 “O [e]God the Lord, (P)the strength of my salvation,
You have (Q)covered my head in the day of [f]battle.
8 “Do not grant, O Lord, the (R)desires of the wicked;
Do not promote (S)his evil device, that they not be exalted. Selah.
9 “As for the head of those who surround me,
May the (T)mischief of their lips cover them.
10 “May (U)burning coals fall upon them;
May they be (V)cast into the fire,
Into [g]deep pits from which they (W)cannot rise.
11 “May a [h]slanderer not be established in the earth;
(X)May evil hunt the violent man [i]speedily.”
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
[a]Maskil of David, when he was [b]in the cave. A Prayer.
142 I (A)cry aloud with my voice to the Lord;
I (B)make supplication with my voice to the Lord.
2 I (C)pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare my (D)trouble before Him.
3 When (E)my spirit [c]was overwhelmed within me,
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have (F)hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see;
For there is (G)no one who regards me;
[d]There is no (H)escape for me;
(I)No one cares for my soul.
5 I cried out to You, O Lord;
I said, “You are (J)my refuge,
My (K)portion in the (L)land of the living.
6 “(M)Give heed to my cry,
For I am (N)brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are too (O)strong for me.
7 “(P)Bring my soul out of prison,
So that I may give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will surround me,
For You will (Q)deal bountifully with me.”
An Evening Prayer for Sanctification and Protection.
A Psalm of David.
141 O Lord, I call upon You; (A)hasten to me!
(B)Give ear to my voice when I call to You!
2 May my prayer be [a]counted as (C)incense before You;
The (D)lifting up of my hands as the (E)evening offering.
3 Set a (F)guard, O Lord, [b]over my mouth;
Keep watch over the (G)door of my lips.
4 (H)Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice deeds [c]of wickedness
With men who (I)do iniquity;
And (J)do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5 Let the (K)righteous smite me [d]in kindness and reprove me;
It is (L)oil upon the head;
Do not let my head refuse it,
[e]For still my prayer (M)is [f]against their wicked deeds.
6 Their judges are (N)thrown down by the sides of the rock,
And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one (O)plows and breaks open the earth,
Our (P)bones have been scattered at the (Q)mouth of [g]Sheol.
8 For my (R)eyes are toward You, O [h]God, the Lord;
In You I (S)take refuge; (T)do not [i]leave me defenseless.
9 Keep me from the [j](U)jaws of the trap which they have set for me,
And from the (V)snares of those who do iniquity.
10 Let the wicked (W)fall into their own nets,
While I pass by [k](X)safely.
Prayer for Deliverance and Guidance.
A Psalm of David.
143 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
(A)Give ear to my supplications!
Answer me in Your (B)faithfulness, in Your (C)righteousness!
2 And (D)do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For in Your sight (E)no man living is righteous.
3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life (F)to the ground;
He (G)has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead.
4 Therefore (H)my spirit [a]is overwhelmed within me;
My heart is [b](I)appalled within me.
5 I (J)remember the days of old;
I (K)meditate on all Your doings;
I (L)muse on the work of Your hands.
6 I (M)stretch out my hands to You;
My (N)soul longs for You, as a [c]parched land. [d]Selah.
7 (O)Answer me quickly, O Lord, my (P)spirit fails;
(Q)Do not hide Your face from me,
Or I will become like (R)those who go down to the pit.
8 Let me hear Your (S)lovingkindness (T)in the morning;
For I trust (U)in You;
Teach me the (V)way in which I should walk;
For to You I (W)lift up my soul.
9 (X)Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies;
[e]I take refuge in You.
10 (Y)Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Let (Z)Your good Spirit (AA)lead me on level [f]ground.
11 (AB)For the sake of Your name, O Lord, (AC)revive me.
(AD)In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.
12 And in Your lovingkindness, [g](AE)cut off my enemies
And (AF)destroy all those who afflict my soul,
For (AG)I am Your servant.
14 (A)They raise their voices, they shout for joy;
They cry out from the [a]west concerning the majesty of the Lord.
15 Therefore (B)glorify the Lord in the [b]east,
The (C)name of the Lord, the God of Israel,
In the [c](D)coastlands of the sea.
16 From the (E)ends of the earth we hear songs, “(F)Glory to the Righteous One,”
But I say, “[d](G)Woe to me! [e]Woe to me! Alas for me!
The (H)treacherous deal treacherously,
And the treacherous deal very treacherously.”
17 (I)Terror and pit and snare
[f]Confront you, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 Then it will be that he who flees the [g]report of disaster will fall into the pit,
And he who [h]climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare;
For the (J)windows [i]above are opened, and the (K)foundations of the earth shake.
19 (L)The earth is broken asunder,
The earth is (M)split through,
The earth is shaken violently.
20 The earth (N)reels to and fro like a drunkard
And it totters like a [j]shack,
For its (O)transgression is heavy upon it,
And it will fall, (P)never to rise again.
21 So it will happen in that day,
That the Lord will (Q)punish the host of [k]heaven on high,
And the (R)kings of the earth on earth.
22 They will be gathered together
Like (S)prisoners in the [l]dungeon,
And will be confined in prison;
And after many days they will (T)be punished.
23 Then the (U)moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed,
For the (V)Lord of hosts will reign on (W)Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
And His glory will be before His elders.
13 (A)Who is [a]there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should (B)suffer for the sake of righteousness, (C)you [b]are blessed. (D)And do not fear their [c]intimidation, and do not be troubled, 15 but [d]sanctify (E)Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready (F)to make a [e]defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the (G)hope that is in you, yet (H)with gentleness and [f](I)reverence; 16 [g]and keep a (J)good conscience so that in the thing in which (K)you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For (L)it is better, (M)if [h]God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. 18 For (N)Christ also died for sins (O)once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might (P)bring us to God, having been put to death (Q)in the flesh, but made alive (R)in the [i]spirit; 19 in [j]which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the (S)patience of God (T)kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of (U)the ark, in which a few, that is, (V)eight (W)persons, were brought safely through the [k]water. 21 (X)Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—(Y)not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God [l]for a (Z)good conscience—through (AA)the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 (AB)who is at the right hand of God, (AC)having gone into heaven, (AD)after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.
Keep Fervent in Your Love
4 Therefore, since (AE)Christ has [m]suffered in the flesh, (AF)arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because (AG)he who has [n]suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 (AH)so as to live (AI)the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the (AJ)will of God. 3 For (AK)the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, [o](AL)having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and [p]abominable idolatries. 4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of (AM)dissipation, and they (AN)malign you; 5 but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge (AO)the living and the dead. 6 For (AP)the gospel has for this purpose been [q]preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.
Death, Resurrection Foretold
17 (A)As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man (B)will be [a]delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and (C)will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on (D)the third day He will be raised up.”
Preferment Asked
20 (E)Then the mother of (F)the sons of Zebedee came to [b]Jesus with her sons, (G)bowing down and making a request of Him. 21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She *said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine (H)may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.” 22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able (I)to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They *said to Him, “We are able.” 23 He *said to them, “(J)My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, (K)but it is for those for whom it has been (L)prepared by My Father.”
24 And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. 25 (M)But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 It is not this way among you, (N)but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 just as (O)the Son of Man (P)did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His [c]life a ransom for many.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.