Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 6
A Prayer for Mercy
For the choir director: with stringed instruments, according to Sheminith.(A) A psalm of David.
1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger;
do not discipline me in your wrath.(B)
2 Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak;[a](C)
heal me,(D) Lord, for my bones are shaking;(E)
3 my whole being is shaken with terror.(F)
And you, Lord—how long?(G)
4 Turn, Lord! Rescue me;
save me because of your faithful love.(H)
5 For there is no remembrance of you in death;
who can thank you in Sheol?(I)
Psalm 12
Oppression by the Wicked
For the choir director: according to Sheminith.(A) A psalm of David.
1 Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains;
the loyal have disappeared from the human race.[a](B)
2 They lie to one another;
they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.(C)
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips
and the tongue that speaks boastfully.(D)
4 They say, “Through our tongues we have power;
our lips are our own—who can be our master?” (E)
5 “Because of the devastation of the needy
and the groaning of the poor,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord.
“I will provide safety for the one who longs for it.”(F)
6 The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in an earthen furnace,
purified seven times.(G)
Psalm 94
The Just Judge
1 Lord, God of vengeance—
God of vengeance, shine!(A)
2 Rise up, Judge of the earth;
repay the proud what they deserve.(B)
3 Lord, how long will the wicked—
how long will the wicked celebrate?(C)
4 They pour out arrogant words;
all the evildoers boast.(D)
5 Lord, they crush your people;
they oppress your heritage.(E)
6 They kill the widow and the resident alien
and murder the fatherless.(F)
7 They say, “The Lord doesn’t see it.
The God of Jacob doesn’t pay attention.”(G)
8 Pay attention, you stupid people!
Fools, when will you be wise?(H)
9 Can the one who shaped the ear not hear,
the one who formed the eye not see?(I)
10 The one who instructs nations,
the one who teaches mankind knowledge—
does he not discipline?(J)
11 The Lord knows the thoughts of mankind;
they are futile.(K)
12 Lord, how happy is anyone you discipline
and teach from your law(L)
13 to give him relief from troubled times
until a pit is dug for the wicked.(M)
14 The Lord will not leave his people
or abandon his heritage,(N)
15 for the administration of justice will again be righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow[a] it.(O)
16 Who stands up for me against the wicked?
Who takes a stand for me against evildoers?(P)
17 If the Lord had not been my helper,
I would soon rest in the silence of death.(Q)
18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,”
your faithful love will support me, Lord.(R)
19 When I am filled with cares,
your comfort brings me joy.(S)
20 Can a corrupt throne be your ally,
a throne that makes evil laws?(T)
21 They band together against the life of the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.(U)
22 But the Lord is my refuge;
my God is the rock of my protection.(V)
23 He will pay them back for their sins
and destroy them for their evil.
The Lord our God will destroy them.(W)
פ Pe
17 Zion stretches out her hands;
there is no one to comfort her.
The Lord has issued a decree against Jacob
that his neighbors should be his adversaries.
Jerusalem has become
something impure(A) among them.
צ Tsade
18 The Lord is just,
for I have rebelled against his command.(B)
Listen, all you people;
look at my pain.
My young women and young men
have gone into captivity.(C)
ק Qoph
19 I called to my lovers,(D)
but they betrayed me.
My priests and elders
perished in the city
while searching for food
to keep themselves alive.(E)
ר Resh
20 Lord, see how I am in distress.
I am churning within;(F)
my heart is broken,[a]
for I have been very rebellious.
Outside, the sword takes the children;
inside, there is death.(G)
שׁ Shin
21 People have heard me groaning,(H)
but there is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my misfortune;
they are glad that you have caused it.(I)
Bring on the day you have announced,
so that they may become like me.(J)
ת Taw
22 Let all their wickedness come before you,
and deal with them
as you have dealt with me
because of all my transgressions.(K)
For my groans are many,
and I am sick at heart.
8 We don’t want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction that took place in Asia.(A) We were completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength(B)—so that we even despaired(C) of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God(D) who raises(E) the dead. 10 He has delivered(F) us from such a terrible death,(G) and he will deliver us. We have put our hope in him that he will deliver us again 11 while you join in helping us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our[a] behalf for the gift that came to us through the prayers of many.
A Clear Conscience
12 Indeed, this is our boast: The testimony(H) of our conscience(I) is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with godly sincerity and purity, not by human wisdom(J) but by God’s grace.(K) 13 For we are writing nothing to you other than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely— 14 just as you have partially understood us—that we are your reason for pride,(L) just as you also are ours(M) in the day of our[b] Lord Jesus.(N)
A Visit Postponed
15 Because of this confidence, I planned to come to you first,(O) so that you could have a second benefit,[c] 16 and to visit you on my way to Macedonia,(P) and then come to you again from Macedonia and be helped by you(Q) on my journey(R) to Judea.(S) 17 Now when I planned this, was I of two minds? Or what I plan, do I plan in a purely human[d](T) way so that I say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As God is faithful,(U) our message to you is not “Yes and no.” 19 For the Son of God,(V) Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you—Silvanus,[e](W) Timothy, and I—did not become “Yes and no.” On the contrary, in him it is always “Yes.”(X) 20 For every one of God’s promises(Y) is “Yes” in him. Therefore, through him we also say “Amen”(Z) to the glory of God.(AA) 21 Now it is God who strengthens us together with you in Christ, and who has anointed(AB) us. 22 He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts(AC) as a down payment.(AD)
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
27 They(A) came again to Jerusalem.(B) As he was walking in the temple,(C) the chief priests, the scribes,(D) and the elders(E) came 28 and asked him, “By what authority(F) are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do these things?”
29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question;(G) then answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was John’s baptism(H) from heaven or of human origin? Answer me.”
31 They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe(I) him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’”—they were afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought that John was truly a prophet.(J) 33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
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