Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 83
Prayer against Enemies
A song. A psalm of Asaph.(A)
1 God, do not keep silent.
Do not be deaf, God; do not be quiet.(B)
2 See how your enemies make an uproar;
those who hate you have acted arrogantly.[a](C)
3 They devise clever schemes against your people;
they conspire against your treasured ones.(D)
4 They say, “Come, let’s wipe them out as a nation
so that Israel’s name will no longer be remembered.”(E)
5 For they have conspired with one mind;
they form an alliance[b] against you(F)—
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,(G)
Moab and the Hagrites,(H)
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek,(I)
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre.(J)
8 Even Assyria has joined them;
they lend support[c] to the sons of Lot.[d](K)Selah
9 Deal with them as you did with Midian,(L)
as you did with Sisera
and Jabin at the Kishon River.(M)
10 They were destroyed at En-dor;
they became manure for the ground.(N)
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,(O)
and all their tribal leaders like Zebah and Zalmunna,(P)
12 who said, “Let’s seize God’s pastures for ourselves.”(Q)
13 Make them like tumbleweed, my God,
like straw before the wind.(R)
14 As fire burns a forest,
as a flame blazes through mountains,(S)
15 so pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your storm.(T)
16 Cover their faces with shame
so that they will seek your name, Lord.(U)
17 Let them be put to shame and terrified forever;
let them perish in disgrace.(V)
18 May they know that you alone—
whose name is the Lord—
are the Most High over the whole earth.(W)
Psalm 146
The God of Compassion
1 Hallelujah!
My soul, praise the Lord.(A)
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing to my God as long as I live.(B)
3 Do not trust in nobles,
in a son of man,[a] who cannot save.(C)
4 When his breath[b] leaves him,
he returns to the ground;
on that day his plans die.(D)
5 Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,(E)
6 the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea and everything in them.(F)
He remains faithful forever,(G)
7 executing justice for the exploited
and giving food to the hungry.(H)
The Lord frees prisoners.(I)
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.(J)
The Lord raises up those who are oppressed.[c](K)
The Lord loves the righteous.(L)
9 The Lord protects resident aliens
and helps the fatherless and the widow,(M)
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.(N)
10 The Lord reigns forever;
Zion, your God reigns for all generations.(O)
Hallelujah!
Psalm 147
God Restores Jerusalem
1 Hallelujah!
How good it is to sing to our God,
for praise is pleasant and lovely.(P)
2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;(Q)
he gathers Israel’s exiled people.(R)
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds.(S)
4 He counts the number of the stars;
he gives names to all of them.(T)
5 Our Lord is great, vast in power;
his understanding is infinite.[d](U)
6 The Lord helps the oppressed
but brings the wicked to the ground.(V)
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
play the lyre to our God,(W)
8 who covers the sky with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
and causes grass to grow on the hills.(X)
9 He provides the animals with their food,
and the young ravens what they cry for.(Y)
10 He is not impressed by the strength of a horse;
he does not value the power of a warrior.[e](Z)
11 The Lord values those who fear him,
those who put their hope in his faithful love.(AA)
12 Exalt the Lord, Jerusalem;
praise your God, Zion!(AB)
13 For he strengthens the bars of your city gates
and blesses your children within you.(AC)
14 He endows your territory with prosperity;[f](AD)
he satisfies you with the finest wheat.(AE)
Psalm 85
Restoration of Favor
For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 Lord, you showed favor to your land;(A)
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.[a](B)
2 You forgave your people’s guilt;
you covered all their sin.(C)Selah
3 You withdrew all your fury;
you turned from your burning anger.(D)
4 Return to us, God of our salvation,
and abandon your displeasure with us.(E)
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger for all generations?(F)
6 Will you not revive us again
so that your people may rejoice in you?(G)
7 Show us your faithful love, Lord,
and give us your salvation.(H)
8 I will listen to what God will say;
surely the Lord will declare peace
to his people, his faithful ones,
and not let them go back to foolish ways.(I)
9 His salvation is very near those who fear him,
so that glory may dwell in our land.(J)
10 Faithful love and truth will join together;
righteousness and peace will embrace.(K)
11 Truth will spring up from the earth,
and righteousness will look down from heaven.(L)
12 Also, the Lord will provide what is good,
and our land will yield its crops.(M)
13 Righteousness will go before him
to prepare the way for his steps.(N)
Psalm 86
Lament and Petition
A prayer of David.
1 Listen, Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.(O)
2 Protect my life, for I am faithful.(P)
You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.(Q)
3 Be gracious to me, Lord,
for I call to you all day long.(R)
4 Bring joy to your servant’s life,
because I appeal to you, Lord.(S)
5 For you, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive,(T)
abounding in faithful love to all who call on you.(U)
6 Lord, hear my prayer;
listen to my cries for mercy.(V)
7 I call on you in the day of my distress,
for you will answer me.(W)
8 Lord, there is no one like you among the gods,
and there are no works like yours.(X)
9 All the nations you have made
will come and bow down before you, Lord,
and will honor your name.(Y)
10 For you are great and perform wonders;
you alone are God.(Z)
11 Teach me your way, Lord,
and I will live by your truth.
Give me an undivided mind to fear your name.(AA)
12 I will praise you with all my heart, Lord my God,
and will honor your name forever.(AB)
13 For your faithful love for me is great,
and you rescue my life from the depths of Sheol.(AC)
14 God, arrogant people have attacked me;
a gang of ruthless men intends to kill me.
They do not let you guide them.[b](AD)
15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth.(AE)
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me.
Give your strength to your servant;
save the son of your female servant.(AF)
17 Show me a sign of your goodness;
my enemies will see and be put to shame
because you, Lord, have helped and comforted me.(AG)
30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob and Jacob had left the presence of his father Isaac, his brother Esau arrived from his hunting. 31 He had also made some delicious food and brought it to his father. He said to his father, “Let my father get up and eat some of his son’s game, so that you may bless me.”
32 But his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?”
He answered, “I am Esau your firstborn son.”
33 Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably. “Who was it then,” he said, “who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it all before you came in, and I blessed him. Indeed, he will be blessed!”
34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he cried out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me too, my father!” (A)
35 But he replied, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”
36 So he said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob?[a](B) For he has cheated me twice now. He took my birthright, and look, now he has taken my blessing.” Then he asked, “Haven’t you saved a blessing for me?”
37 But Isaac answered Esau, “Look, I have made him a master over you, have given him all of his relatives as his servants, and have sustained him with grain and new wine. What then can I do for you, my son?”
38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” And Esau wept loudly.[b]
39 His father Isaac answered him,
Look, your dwelling place will be
away from the richness of the land,
away from the dew of the sky above.
40 You will live by your sword,
and you will serve your brother.
But when you rebel,[c]
you will break his yoke from your neck.
Esau’s Anger
41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau determined in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
42 When the words of her older son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she summoned her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Listen, your brother Esau is consoling himself by planning to kill you. 43 So now, my son, listen to me. Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran, 44 and stay with him for a few days until your brother’s anger subsides— 45 until your brother’s rage turns away from you and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?”
Christian Ethics
9 Let love be without hypocrisy.(A) Detest evil;(B) cling to what is good. 10 Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters.(C) Take the lead in honoring one another.(D) 11 Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit;[a](E) serve the Lord.(F) 12 Rejoice in hope;(G) be patient in affliction;(H) be persistent in prayer.(I) 13 Share with the saints in their needs;(J) pursue hospitality.(K) 14 Bless those who persecute you;(L) bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice;(M) weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another.(N) Do not be proud;(O) instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.(P) 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil.(Q) Give careful thought to do what is honorable(R) in everyone’s eyes. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.(S) 19 Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay,[b](T) says the Lord. 20 But
If your enemy is hungry, feed him.(U)
If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
For in so doing
you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.[c](V)
21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
Jesus Predicts His Departure
21 Then he said to them again, “I’m going away; (A) you will look for me, and you will die in your sin.(B) Where I’m going, you cannot come.”(C)
22 So the Jews said again, “He won’t kill himself, will he, since he says, ‘Where I’m going, you cannot come’(D)?”
23 “You are from below,” he told them, “I am from above.(E) You are of this world; (F) I am not of this world.(G) 24 Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”
25 “Who are you?” they questioned.
“Exactly what I’ve been telling you from the very beginning,” Jesus told them. 26 “I have many things to say and to judge about you, but the one who sent me(H) is true, and what I have heard from him—these things I tell the world.”(I)
27 They did not know he was speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man,(J) then you will know that I am(K) he, and that I do nothing on my own.(L) But just as the Father taught me, I say these things. 29 The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone,(M) because I always do what pleases him.”
Truth and Freedom
30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word,[a](N) you really are my disciples. 32 You will know the truth,(O) and the truth will set you free.”
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