Book of Common Prayer
Mem.
97 O how I (A)love Your law!
It is my (B)meditation all the day.
98 Your (C)commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
For they are ever [a]mine.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my (D)meditation.
100 I understand (E)more than the aged,
Because I have (F)observed Your precepts.
101 I have (G)restrained my feet from every evil way,
That I may keep Your word.
102 I have not (H)turned aside from Your ordinances,
For You Yourself have taught me.
103 How (I)sweet are Your [b]words to my [c]taste!
Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 From Your precepts I (J)get understanding;
Therefore I (K)hate every false way.
Nun.
105 Your word is a (L)lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
106 I have (M)sworn and I will confirm it,
That I will keep Your righteous ordinances.
107 I am exceedingly (N)afflicted;
[d](O)Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.
108 O accept the (P)freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord,
And (Q)teach me Your ordinances.
109 My [e](R)life is continually [f]in my hand,
Yet I do not (S)forget Your law.
110 The wicked have (T)laid a snare for me,
Yet I have not (U)gone astray from Your precepts.
111 I have (V)inherited Your testimonies forever,
For they are the (W)joy of my heart.
112 I have (X)inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, even (Y)to the end.
Samekh.
113 I hate those who are (Z)double-minded,
But I love Your (AA)law.
114 You are my (AB)hiding place and my (AC)shield;
I [g](AD)wait for Your word.
115 (AE)Depart from me, evildoers,
That I may (AF)observe the commandments of my God.
116 (AG)Sustain me according to Your [h]word, that I may live;
And (AH)do not let me be [i]ashamed of my hope.
117 Uphold me that I may be (AI)safe,
That I may (AJ)have regard for Your statutes continually.
118 You have [j]rejected all those (AK)who wander from Your statutes,
For their deceitfulness is [k]useless.
119 You have [l]removed all the wicked of the earth like (AL)dross;
Therefore I (AM)love Your testimonies.
120 My flesh [m](AN)trembles for fear of You,
And I am (AO)afraid of Your judgments.
God’s Goodness and Israel’s Waywardness.
For the choir director; [a]on the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.
81 (A)Sing for joy to God our (B)strength;
Shout (C)joyfully to the (D)God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song, strike (E)the timbrel,
The sweet sounding (F)lyre with the (G)harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the (H)new moon,
At the full moon, on our (I)feast day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
An ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He established it for a testimony in Joseph
When he [b](J)went throughout the land of Egypt.
I heard a (K)language that I did not know:
6 “I [c](L)relieved his shoulder of the burden,
His hands were freed from the [d]basket.
7 “You (M)called in trouble and I rescued you;
I (N)answered you in the hiding place of thunder;
I proved you at the (O)waters of Meribah. [e]Selah.
8 “(P)Hear, O My people, and I will [f]admonish you;
O Israel, if you (Q)would listen to Me!
9 “Let there be no (R)strange god among you;
Nor shall you worship any foreign god.
10 “(S)I, the Lord, am your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
(T)Open your mouth wide and I will (U)fill it.
11 “But My people (V)did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not [g]obey Me.
12 “So I (W)gave [h]them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk in their own devices.
13 “Oh that My people (X)would listen to Me,
That Israel would (Y)walk in My ways!
14 “I would quickly (Z)subdue their enemies
And (AA)turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 “(AB)Those who hate the Lord would (AC)pretend obedience to Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
16 “[i]But I would feed you with the [j](AD)finest of the wheat,
And with (AE)honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Unjust Judgments Rebuked.
A Psalm of Asaph.
82 God takes His (AF)stand in [k]His own congregation;
He (AG)judges in the midst of the [l](AH)rulers.
2 How long will you (AI)judge unjustly
And (AJ)show partiality to the wicked? [m]Selah.
3 (AK)Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
4 (AL)Rescue the weak and needy;
Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.
5 They (AM)do not know nor do they understand;
They (AN)walk about in darkness;
All the (AO)foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 [n]I (AP)said, “You are gods,
And all of you are (AQ)sons of the Most High.
7 “Nevertheless (AR)you will die like men
And fall like any (AS)one of the princes.”
8 (AT)Arise, O God, (AU)judge the earth!
For it is You who (AV)possesses all the nations.
Jacob’s Deception
27 Now it came about, when Isaac was old and (A)his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his (B)older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 2 [a](C)Isaac said, “Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and (D)hunt game for me; 4 and prepare a savory dish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that (E)my soul may bless you before I die.”
5 Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game to bring home, 6 (F)Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, saying, 7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare a savory dish for me, that I may eat, and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’ 8 Now therefore, my son, (G)listen to [b]me [c]as I command you. 9 Go now to the flock and [d]bring me two choice [e]young goats from there, that I may prepare them as a savory dish for your father, such as he loves. 10 Then you shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.” 11 Jacob [f]answered his mother Rebekah, “Behold, Esau my brother is a (H)hairy man and I am a smooth man. 12 (I)Perhaps my father will feel me, then I will be as a [g]deceiver in his sight, and I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing.” 13 But his mother said to him, “Your curse be on me, my son; only (J)obey my voice, and go, get them for me.” 14 So he went and got them, and brought them to his mother; and his mother made savory food such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the [h]best (K)garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And she put the skins of the [i]young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 She also gave the savory food and the bread, which she had made, [j]to her son Jacob.
18 Then he came to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me. (L)Get up, please, sit and eat of my game, that [k](M)you may bless me.” 20 Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “(N)Because the Lord your God caused it to happen to me.” 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come close, that (O)I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob came close to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, because his hands were (P)hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. 24 And he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.” 25 So he said, “Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, that [l](Q)I may bless you.” And he brought it to him, and he ate; he also brought him wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come close and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he (R)blessed him and said,
“See, (S)the smell of my son
Is like the smell of a field (T)which the Lord has blessed;
28 Now may (U)God give you of the dew of heaven,
And of the (V)fatness of the earth,
And an abundance of grain and new wine;
29 (W)May peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you;
(X)Be master of your brothers,
(Y)And may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
(Z)Cursed be those who curse you,
And blessed be those who bless you.”
Dedicated Service
12 Therefore (A)I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to (B)present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, [a]acceptable to God, which is your [b]spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not (C)be conformed to (D)this [c]world, but be transformed by the (E)renewing of your mind, so that you may [d](F)prove what the will of God is, that which is good and [e]acceptable and perfect.
3 For through (G)the grace given to me I say to everyone among you (H)not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to (I)each a measure of faith. 4 For (J)just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, (K)who are many, are (L)one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that (M)differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if (N)prophecy, [f]according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if [g](O)service, in his serving; or he who (P)teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who (Q)exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with [h](R)liberality; (S)he who [i]leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with (T)cheerfulness.
Jesus Is the Light of the World
12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “(A)I am the Light of the world; (B)he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “(C)You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not [a]true.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, “(D)Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is [b]true, for I know (E)where I came from and where I am going; but (F)you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 (G)You judge [c]according to the flesh; (H)I am not judging anyone. 16 But even (I)if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. 17 Even in (J)your law it has been written that the testimony of (K)two men is [d]true. 18 I am He who testifies about Myself, and (L)the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” 19 So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; (M)if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” 20 These words He spoke in (N)the treasury, as (O)He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because (P)His hour had not yet come.
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