Book of Common Prayer
Meditations and Prayers Relating to the Law of God.
Aleph.
119 How blessed are those whose way is [a](A)blameless,
Who (B)walk in the law of the Lord.
2 How blessed are those who (C)observe His testimonies,
Who (D)seek Him (E)with all their heart.
3 They also (F)do no unrighteousness;
They walk in His ways.
4 You have [b](G)ordained Your precepts,
[c]That we should keep them diligently.
5 Oh that my (H)ways may be established
To (I)keep Your statutes!
6 Then I (J)shall not be ashamed
When I look [d]upon all Your commandments.
7 I shall (K)give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
8 I shall keep Your statutes;
Do not (L)forsake me utterly!
Beth.
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By (M)keeping it according to Your word.
10 With (N)all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me (O)wander from Your commandments.
11 Your word I have (P)treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.
12 Blessed are You, O Lord;
(Q)Teach me Your statutes.
13 With my lips I have (R)told of
All the (S)ordinances of Your mouth.
14 I have (T)rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
[e]As much as in all riches.
15 I will (U)meditate on Your precepts
And [f]regard (V)Your ways.
16 I shall [g](W)delight in Your statutes;
I shall (X)not forget Your word.
Gimel.
17 (Y)Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your law.
19 I am a (Z)stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.
20 My soul is crushed [h](AA)with longing
After Your ordinances at all times.
21 You (AB)rebuke the arrogant, [i]the (AC)cursed,
Who (AD)wander from Your commandments.
22 (AE)Take away reproach and contempt from me,
For I (AF)observe Your testimonies.
23 Even though (AG)princes sit and talk against me,
Your servant (AH)meditates on Your statutes.
24 Your testimonies also are my (AI)delight;
They are [j]my counselors.
God, a Helper against the Treacherous.
For the choir director; [a]upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.
12 Help, Lord, for (A)the godly man ceases to be,
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
2 They (B)speak [b]falsehood to one another;
With (C)flattering [c]lips and with a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
The tongue that (D)speaks great things;
4 Who (E)have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are [d]our own; who is lord over us?”
5 “Because of the (F)devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now (G)I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will (H)set him in the safety for which he longs.”
6 The (I)words of the Lord are pure words;
As silver (J)tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.
7 You, O Lord, will keep them;
You will (K)preserve him from this generation forever.
8 The (L)wicked strut about on every side
When [e](M)vileness is exalted among the sons of men.
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
13 How long, O Lord? Will You (N)forget me forever?
How long (O)will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long shall I (P)take counsel in my soul,
Having (Q)sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3 (R)Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
(S)Enlighten my eyes, or I will (T)sleep the sleep of death,
4 And my enemy will (U)say, “I have overcome him,”
And (V)my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.
5 But I have (W)trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall (X)rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will (Y)sing to the Lord,
Because He has (Z)dealt bountifully with me.
Folly and Wickedness of Men.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
14 The fool has (AA)said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed abominable [f]deeds;
There is (AB)no one who does good.
2 The Lord has (AC)looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there are any who [g](AD)understand,
Who (AE)seek after God.
3 They have all (AF)turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
There is (AG)no one who does good, not even one.
12 Thus says the Lord,
“Just as the shepherd [a](A)snatches from the lion’s mouth a couple of legs or a piece of an ear,
So will the sons of Israel dwelling in Samaria be [b]snatched away—
With the (B)corner of a bed and the [c](C)cover of a couch!
13 “Hear and (D)testify against the house of Jacob,”
Declares the Lord God, the God of hosts.
14 “For on the day that I punish Israel’s transgressions,
I will also punish the altars of (E)Bethel;
The horns of the altar will be cut off
And they will fall to the ground.
15 “I will also smite the [d](F)winter house together with the (G)summer house;
The houses of [e](H)ivory will also perish
And the (I)great houses will come to an end,”
Declares the Lord.
“Yet You Have Not Returned to Me”
4 Hear this word, you cows of (J)Bashan who are on the (K)mountain of Samaria,
Who (L)oppress the poor, who crush the needy,
Who say to [f]your husbands, “Bring now, that we may (M)drink!”
2 The Lord [g]God has (N)sworn by His (O)holiness,
“Behold, the days are coming upon you
When [h]they will take you away with (P)meat hooks,
And the last of you with (Q)fish hooks.
3 “You will (R)go out through breaches in the walls,
Each one straight before her,
And you [i]will be cast to Harmon,” declares the Lord.
4 “Enter Bethel and transgress;
In Gilgal multiply transgression!
(S)Bring your sacrifices every morning,
Your tithes every three days.
5 “[j]Offer a (T)thank offering also from that which is leavened,
And proclaim (U)freewill offerings, make them known.
For so you (V)love to do, you sons of Israel,”
Declares the Lord God.
Purpose of This Letter
3 This is now, (A)beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am (B)stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should (C)remember the words spoken beforehand by (D)the holy prophets and (E)the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.
The Coming Day of the Lord
3 (F)Know this first of all, that (G)in the last days (H)mockers will come with their mocking, (I)following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “(J)Where is the promise of His (K)coming? For ever since the fathers (L)fell asleep, all continues just as it was (M)from the beginning of creation.” 5 For [a]when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that (N)by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was (O)formed out of water and by water, 6 through which (P)the world at that time was (Q)destroyed, being flooded with water. 7 But by His word (R)the present heavens and earth are being reserved for (S)fire, kept for (T)the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, (U)beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and (V)a thousand years like one day. 9 (W)The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but (X)is patient toward you, (Y)not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
A New Heaven and Earth
10 But (Z)the day of the Lord (AA)will come like a thief, in which (AB)the heavens (AC)will pass away with a roar and the (AD)elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and (AE)the earth and [b]its works will be [c]burned up.
Authority Challenged
23 (A)When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him (B)while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” 24 Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one [a]thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the [b]people; for they all regard John as (C)a prophet.” 27 And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
Parable of Two Sons
28 “But what do you think? A man had two [c]sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘[d]Son, go work today in the (D)vineyard.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They *said, “The first.” Jesus *said to them, “Truly I say to you that (E)the tax collectors and prostitutes [e]will get into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but (F)the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.
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