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.
16 Now when (A)the [a]news was heard in Pharaoh’s house [b]that Joseph’s brothers had come, it [c]pleased Pharaoh and his servants. 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and [d]go to the land of Canaan, 18 and take your father and your households and come to me, and (B)I will give you the [e]best of the land of Egypt and you will eat the fat of the land.’ 19 Now you are ordered, ‘Do this: [f]take (C)wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father and come. 20 Do not [g]concern yourselves with your goods, for the [h]best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”
21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them (D)wagons according to the [i]command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. 22 To [j]each of them he gave (E)changes of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and (F)five changes of garments. 23 To his father he sent [k]as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the [l]best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and sustenance for his father [m]on the journey.
24 So he sent his brothers away, and [n]as they departed, he said to them, “Do not [o]quarrel on the journey.” 25 Then they went up from Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. 26 They told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” But [p]he was stunned, for (G)he did not believe them. 27 When they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and when he saw the (H)wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 Then Israel said, “It is enough; my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
Take Care with Your Liberty
8 Now concerning (A)things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have (B)knowledge. Knowledge [a](C)makes arrogant, but love (D)edifies. 2 (E)If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet (F)known as he ought to know; 3 but if anyone loves God, he (G)is known by Him.
4 Therefore concerning the eating of (H)things sacrificed to idols, we know that [b]there is (I)no such thing as an idol in the world, and that (J)there is no God but one. 5 For even if (K)there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, 6 yet for us (L)there is but one God, (M)the Father, (N)from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and (O)one Lord, Jesus Christ, (P)by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.
7 However not all men (Q)have this knowledge; but (R)some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. 8 But (S)food will not [c]commend us to God; we are neither [d]the worse if we do not eat, nor [e]the better if we do eat. 9 But (T)take care that this [f]liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the (U)weak. 10 For if someone sees you, who have (V)knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat (W)things sacrificed to idols? 11 For through (X)your knowledge he who is weak (Y)is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. 12 (Z)And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin (AA)against Christ. 13 Therefore, (AB)if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.
13 And they were casting out many demons and (A)were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.
John’s Fate Recalled
14 (B)And King Herod heard of it, for His name had become well known; and people were saying, “(C)John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.” 15 But others were saying, “He is (D)Elijah.” And others were saying, “He is (E)a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen!”
17 For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of (F)Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “(G)It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 (H)Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so; 20 for (I)Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; [a]but he [b]used to enjoy listening to him. 21 A strategic day came when Herod on his birthday (J)gave a banquet for his lords and [c]military commanders and the leading men (K)of Galilee; 22 and when the daughter of (L)Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and [d]his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.” 23 And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you; up to (M)half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 Immediately she came in a hurry to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of [e]his dinner guests, he was unwilling to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and had him beheaded in the prison, 28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about this, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb.
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