Book of Common Prayer
God Implored to Confound His Enemies.
A Song, a Psalm of Asaph.
83 God, (A)do not remain quiet;
(B)Do not be silent and, God, do not be still.
2 For behold, Your enemies (C)make an uproar,
And (D)those who hate You have [a](E)exalted themselves.
3 They (F)make shrewd plans against Your people,
And [b]conspire together against (G)Your [c]treasured ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and (H)let’s wipe them out [d]as a nation,
So that the (I)name of Israel will no longer be remembered.”
5 For they have [e](J)conspired together with one mind;
They make a covenant against You:
6 The tents of (K)Edom and the (L)Ishmaelites,
(M)Moab and the (N)Hagrites;
7 (O)Gebal, (P)Ammon, and (Q)Amalek,
(R)Philistia with the inhabitants of (S)Tyre;
8 (T)Assyria also has joined them;
They have become [f]a help to the (U)children of Lot. Selah
9 Deal with them (V)as with Midian,
As (W)with Sisera and Jabin at the river of Kishon,
10 Who were destroyed at En-dor,
Who (X)became like dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like (Y)Oreb and Zeeb,
And all their leaders like (Z)Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “(AA)Let’s possess for ourselves
The (AB)pastures of God.”
13 My God, make them like the [g](AC)whirling dust,
Like (AD)chaff before the wind.
14 Like (AE)fire that burns the forest,
And like a flame that (AF)sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them (AG)with Your heavy gale,
And terrify them with Your storm.
16 (AH)Fill their faces with dishonor,
So that they will seek Your name, Lord.
17 May they be (AI)ashamed and dismayed forever,
And may they be humiliated and perish,
18 So that they will (AJ)know that (AK)You alone, whose name is the Lord,
Are the (AL)Most High over all the earth.
The Lord, an Abundant Helper.
146 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
(A)Praise the Lord, my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord (B)while I live;
I will (C)sing praises to my God while I [c]have my being.
3 (D)Do not trust in noblemen,
In [d]mortal (E)man, in whom there is (F)no salvation.
4 His (G)spirit departs, he (H)returns to [e]the earth;
On that very day his (I)plans perish.
5 (J)Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose (K)hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who (L)made heaven and earth,
The (M)sea and everything that is in them;
Who (N)keeps [f]faith forever;
7 Who (O)executes justice for the oppressed;
Who (P)gives food to the hungry.
The Lord (Q)frees the prisoners.
8 The Lord (R)opens the eyes of those who are blind;
The Lord (S)raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord (T)loves the righteous.
9 The Lord (U)watches over strangers;
He [g](V)supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He [h]thwarts (W)the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord will (X)reign forever,
Your God, Zion, to all generations.
[i]Praise [j]the Lord!
Praise for Jerusalem’s Restoration and Prosperity.
147 [k]Praise [l]the Lord!
For (Y)it is good to sing praises to our God;
For [m]it is pleasant and praise is [n](Z)beautiful.
2 The Lord (AA)builds up Jerusalem;
He (AB)gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the (AC)brokenhearted
And (AD)binds up their [o]wounds.
4 He (AE)counts the number of the stars;
He [p](AF)gives names to all of them.
5 (AG)Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His (AH)understanding is [q]infinite.
6 The Lord [r](AI)supports the afflicted;
He brings the wicked down to the ground.
7 (AJ)Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre;
8 It is He who (AK)covers the heavens with clouds,
Who (AL)provides rain for the earth,
Who (AM)makes grass sprout on the mountains.
9 It is He who (AN)gives an animal its food,
And feeds (AO)young ravens that cry.
10 He does not delight in [s]the strength of the (AP)horse;
He (AQ)does not take pleasure in the [t]legs of a man.
11 The Lord (AR)favors those who fear Him,
(AS)Those who wait for His [u]faithfulness.
12 Praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Praise your God, Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the (AT)bars of your gates;
He has (AU)blessed your sons among you.
14 He (AV)makes [v]peace in your borders;
He (AW)satisfies you with (AX)the [w]finest of the wheat.
15 He sends His (AY)command to the earth;
His (AZ)word runs very swiftly.
16 He [x]showers (BA)snow like wool;
He scatters the (BB)frost like ashes.
17 He hurls His (BC)ice as fragments;
Who can stand before His (BD)cold?
18 He (BE)sends His word and makes them melt;
He (BF)makes His wind blow, and the waters flow.
19 He (BG)declares His words to Jacob,
His (BH)statutes and His judgments to Israel.
20 He (BI)has not dealt this way with any other nation;
And as for His judgments, [y]they have (BJ)not known them.
[z]Praise [aa]the Lord!
Prayer for God’s Mercy upon the Nation.
For the music director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
85 Lord, You showed (A)favor to Your land;
You (B)restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You (C)forgave the guilt of Your people;
You (D)covered all their sin. Selah
3 You (E)withdrew all Your fury;
You (F)turned away from Your burning anger.
4 (G)Restore us, God of our salvation,
And (H)cause Your indignation toward us to cease.
5 Will (I)You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger to [a]all generations?
6 Will You not [b](J)revive us again,
So that Your people may (K)rejoice in You?
7 Show us Your mercy, Lord,
And (L)grant us Your salvation.
8 [c]I will hear what God the Lord will say;
For He will (M)speak peace to His people, to His godly ones;
And may they not (N)turn back to [d]foolishness.
9 Certainly (O)His salvation is near to those who [e]fear Him,
That (P)glory may dwell in our land.
10 (Q)Graciousness and [f]truth have met together;
(R)Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 [g]Truth (S)sprouts from the earth,
And righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 Indeed, (T)the Lord will give what is good,
And our (U)land will yield its produce.
13 (V)Righteousness will go before Him
And will make His footsteps into a way.
Pleading and Trust.
A Prayer of David.
86 (W)Incline Your ear, Lord, and answer me;
For I am (X)afflicted and needy.
2 (Y)Protect my [h]soul, for I am (Z)godly;
You my God, save Your servant who (AA)trusts in You.
3 Be (AB)gracious to me, Lord,
For (AC)I call upon You all day long.
4 Make the soul of Your servant joyful,
For to You, Lord, (AD)I lift up my soul.
5 For You, Lord, are (AE)good, and (AF)ready to forgive,
And (AG)abundant in mercy to all who call upon You.
6 (AH)Listen, Lord, to my prayer;
And give Your attention to the sound of my pleading!
7 On (AI)the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
For (AJ)You will answer me.
8 There is (AK)no one like You among the gods, Lord,
Nor are there any works (AL)like Yours.
9 (AM)All nations whom You have made will come and worship before You, Lord,
And they will glorify Your name.
10 For You are (AN)great, and You (AO)do [i]wondrous deeds;
You alone (AP)are God.
11 (AQ)Teach me Your way, Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
(AR)Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will (AS)give thanks to You, Lord my God, with all my heart,
And I will glorify Your name forever.
13 For Your graciousness toward me is great,
And You have (AT)saved my soul from the [j]depths of [k]Sheol.
14 God, arrogant men have (AU)risen up against me,
And a gang of violent men have sought my [l]life,
And they have not set You before them.
15 But You, Lord, are a (AV)compassionate and gracious God,
Slow to anger and abundant in mercy and [m]truth.
16 (AW)Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
(AX)Grant Your strength to Your servant,
And save the (AY)son of Your maidservant.
17 (AZ)Show me a sign of good,
That those who hate me may (BA)see it and be ashamed,
Because You, Lord, (BB)have helped me and comforted me.
The Stolen Blessing
30 Now it came about, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had hardly gone out from the presence of his father Isaac, that his brother Esau came in from his hunting. 31 Then he also made a delicious meal, and brought it to his father; and he said to his father, “(A)Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that [a](B)you may bless me.” 32 His father Isaac said to him, “(C)Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, (D)your firstborn, Esau.” 33 Then Isaac [b]trembled violently, and said, “(E)Who then was he who hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate from all of it before you came, and blessed him? (F)Yes, and he shall be blessed.” 34 When Esau heard the words of his father, (G)he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, me as well, my father!” 35 And he said, “(H)Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.” 36 Then Esau said, “[c]Is he not rightly named [d](I)Jacob, for he has betrayed me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37 But Isaac replied to Esau, “Behold, I have made him (J)your master, and I have given to him all his relatives [e]as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. 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, me as well, my father.” So Esau raised his voice and (K)wept.
39 Then (L)his father Isaac answered and said to him,
“Behold, [f](M)away from the [g]fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling,
And [h]away from the dew of heaven from above.
40 And by your sword you shall live,
And (N)you shall serve your brother;
But it shall come about (O)when you become restless,
That you will [i]break his yoke from your neck.”
41 So Esau (P)held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said [j]to himself, “(Q)The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 Now when the words of her elder son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she sent word and called her younger son Jacob, and said to him, “Behold your brother Esau is consoling himself concerning you by planning to kill you. 43 Now then, my son, (R)obey my voice, and arise, [k]flee to (S)Haran, to my brother (T)Laban! 44 Stay with him (U)a few days, until your brother’s fury [l]subsides, 45 until your brother’s anger [m]against you subsides and he forgets (V)what you did to him. Then I will send word and get you from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?”
9 [a](A)Love must be free of hypocrisy. (B)Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be (C)devoted to one another in brotherly love; [b]give preference to one another (D)in honor, 11 not lagging behind in diligence, (E)fervent in spirit, (F)serving the Lord; 12 (G)rejoicing in hope, (H)persevering in tribulation, (I)devoted to prayer, 13 (J)contributing to the needs of the [c]saints, [d](K)practicing hospitality.
14 (L)Bless those who persecute [e]you; bless and do not curse. 15 (M)Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 (N)Be of the same mind toward one another; (O)do not be [f]haughty in mind, but [g]associate with the lowly. (P)Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 (Q)Never repay evil for evil to anyone. [h](R)Respect what is right in the sight of all people. 18 If possible, (S)so far as it depends on you, (T)be at peace with all people. 19 (U)Never take your own revenge, beloved, but [i]leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “(V)Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 “(W)But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
21 Then He said again to them, “I am going away, and (A)you will look for Me, and (B)will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So (C)the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘(D)Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 And He was saying to them, “(E)You are from below, I am from above; (F)you are of this world, (G)I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you (H)will die in your sins; for unless you believe that [a](I)I am, (J)you will die in your sins.” 25 Then they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “[b]What have I even been saying to you from the beginning? 26 I have many things to say and to judge regarding you, but (K)He who sent Me is true; and (L)the things which I heard from Him, these I say to the world.” 27 They did not realize that He was speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you (M)lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that [c](N)I am, and (O)I do nothing [d]on My own, but I say these things as the Father instructed Me. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me; (P)He [e]has not left Me alone, for (Q)I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” 30 As He said these things, (R)many came to believe in Him.
The Truth Will Set You Free
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “(S)If you continue in My word, then you are truly My (T)disciples; 32 and (U)you will know the truth, and (V)the truth will set you free.”
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