Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 119
Delight in God’s Word
א Aleph
1 How[a] happy are those whose way is blameless,(A)
who walk according to the Lord’s instruction!(B)
2 Happy are those who keep his decrees(C)
and seek him with all their heart.(D)
3 They do nothing wrong;(E)
they walk in his ways.
4 You have commanded that your precepts(F)
be diligently kept.
5 If only my ways were committed
to keeping your statutes!(G)
6 Then I would not be ashamed(H)
when I think about all your commands.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart(I)
when I learn your righteous judgments.
8 I will keep your statutes;
never abandon me.(J)
ב Beth
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping your[b] word.(K)
10 I have sought you with all my heart;(L)
don’t let me wander from your commands.(M)
11 I have treasured your word in my heart(N)
so that I may not sin against you.
12 Lord, may you be blessed;
teach me your statutes.(O)
13 With my lips I proclaim
all the judgments from your mouth.(P)
14 I rejoice in the way revealed by your decrees(Q)
as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on your precepts(R)
and think about your ways.(S)
16 I will delight in your statutes;(T)
I will not forget your word.
ג Gimel
17 Deal generously with your servant(U)
so that I might live;
then I will keep your word.
18 Open my eyes so that I may contemplate
wondrous things from your instruction.
19 I am a resident alien on earth;(V)
do not hide your commands from me.
20 I am continually overcome
with longing for your judgments.(W)
21 You rebuke the arrogant,
the ones under a curse,(X)
who wander from your commands.(Y)
22 Take insult and contempt away from me,(Z)
for I have kept your decrees.
23 Though princes sit together speaking against me,(AA)
your servant will think about your statutes;(AB)
24 your decrees are my delight
and my counselors.(AC)
Psalm 12
Oppression by the Wicked
For the choir director: according to Sheminith.(A) A psalm of David.
1 Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains;
the loyal have disappeared from the human race.[a](B)
2 They lie to one another;
they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.(C)
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips
and the tongue that speaks boastfully.(D)
4 They say, “Through our tongues we have power;
our lips are our own—who can be our master?” (E)
5 “Because of the devastation of the needy
and the groaning of the poor,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord.
“I will provide safety for the one who longs for it.”(F)
6 The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in an earthen furnace,
purified seven times.(G)
7 You, Lord, will guard us;[b]
you will protect us[c] from this generation forever.(H)
8 The wicked prowl[d] all around,
and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.(I)
Psalm 13
A Plea for Deliverance
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?(J)
2 How long will I store up anxious concerns[e] within me,
agony in my mind every day?
How long will my enemy dominate me?(K)
3 Consider me and answer, Lord my God.
Restore brightness to my eyes;(L)
otherwise, I will sleep in death.
4 My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,”
and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.(M)
5 But I have trusted in your faithful love;(N)
my heart will rejoice in your deliverance.(O)
6 I will sing to the Lord
because he has treated me generously.(P)
Psalm 14
A Portrait of Sinners
For the choir director. Of David.
1 The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.”(Q)
They are corrupt; they do vile deeds.
There is no one who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race[f](R)
to see if there is one who is wise,
one who seeks God.
3 All have turned away;
all alike have become corrupt.
There is no one who does good,
not even one.(S)
4 Will evildoers never understand?
They consume my people as they consume bread;(T)
they do not call on the Lord.(U)
12 The Lord says:
As the shepherd snatches two legs
or a piece of an ear
from the lion’s mouth,(A)
so the Israelites who live in Samaria
will be rescued
with only the corner of a bed(B)
or the[a] cushion[b] of a couch.[c](C)
13 Listen and testify(D) against the house of Jacob—
this is the declaration of the Lord God,
the God of Armies.
14 I will punish the altars of Bethel(E)
on the day I punish Israel for its crimes;
the horns of the altar(F) will be cut off
and fall to the ground.(G)
15 I will demolish the winter house(H)
and the summer house;(I)
the houses inlaid with ivory(J) will be destroyed,
and the great houses(K) will come to an end.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Social and Spiritual Corruption
4 Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan(L)
who are on the hill of Samaria,
women who oppress the poor
and crush the needy,(M)
who say to their husbands,
“Bring us something to drink.”(N)
2 The Lord God has sworn(O) by his holiness:(P)
Look, the days are coming[d]
when you will be taken away with hooks,(Q)
every last one of you with fishhooks.(R)
3 You will go through breaches in the wall,(S)
each woman straight ahead,
and you will be driven along toward Harmon.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
4 Come to Bethel and rebel;
rebel even more at Gilgal!(T)
Bring your sacrifices every morning,(U)
your tenths every three days.
5 Offer leavened bread as a thanksgiving sacrifice,(V)
and loudly proclaim your freewill offerings,(W)
for that is what you Israelites love to do!(X)
This is the declaration of the Lord God.
The Day of the Lord
3 Dear friends, this is now the second letter(A) I have written to you; in both letters, I want to stir up your sincere(B) understanding by way of reminder, 2 so that you recall the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles. 3 Above all, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days(C) scoffing and following their own evil desires, 4 saying, “Where is his ‘coming’ that he promised?(D) Ever since our ancestors fell asleep,(E) all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” 5 They deliberately overlook this: By the word of God(F) the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought about from water and through water.(G) 6 Through these the world of that time perished when it was flooded.(H) 7 By the same word,(I) the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment(J) and destruction of the ungodly.
8 Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.(K) 9 The Lord does not delay his promise,(L) as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any(M) to perish(N) but all to come to repentance.(O)
10 But the day of the Lord(P) will come like a thief;[a](Q) on that day the heavens will pass away(R) with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved,(S) and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.[b][c]
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
23 When he entered the temple,(A) the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority?” (B)
24 Jesus answered them, “I will also ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Did John’s baptism come from heaven, or was it of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ (C) 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we’re afraid of the crowd,(D) because everyone considers John to be a prophet.”(E) 27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go work in the vineyard today.’(F)
29 “He answered, ‘I don’t want to,’ but later he changed his mind and went. 30 Then the man went to the other and said the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he answered, but he didn’t go. 31 Which of the two did his father’s will?”
They said, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness,(G) and you didn’t believe him. Tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; but you, when you saw it, didn’t even change your minds then and believe him.
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