Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 119[a]
א (Alef)
119 How blessed are those whose actions are blameless,[b]
who obey[c] the law of the Lord.
2 How blessed are those who observe his rules,
and seek him with all their heart,
3 who, moreover, do no wrong,
but follow in his footsteps.[d]
4 You demand that your precepts
be carefully kept.[e]
5 If only I were predisposed[f]
to keep your statutes.
6 Then I would not be ashamed,
if[g] I were focused on[h] all your commands.
7 I will give you sincere thanks,[i]
when I learn your just regulations.
8 I will keep your statutes.
Do not completely abandon me.[j]
ב (Bet)
9 How can a young person[k] maintain a pure life?[l]
By guarding it according to your instructions.[m]
10 With all my heart I seek you.
Do not allow me to stray from your commands.
11 In my heart I store up[n] your words,[o]
so I might not sin against you.
12 You deserve praise,[p] O Lord.
Teach me your statutes.
13 With my lips I proclaim
all the regulations you have revealed.[q]
14 I rejoice in the lifestyle prescribed by your rules[r]
as if[s] they were riches of all kinds.[t]
15 I will meditate on[u] your precepts
and focus on[v] your behavior.[w]
16 I find delight[x] in your statutes;
I do not forget your instructions.[y]
ג (Gimel)
17 Be kind to your servant.
Then I will live[z] and keep[aa] your instructions.[ab]
18 Open[ac] my eyes so I can truly see[ad]
the marvelous things in your law.
19 I am a resident foreigner in this land.[ae]
Do not hide your commands from me.
20 I desperately long to know[af]
your regulations at all times.
21 You reprimand arrogant people.
Those who stray from your commands are doomed.[ag]
22 Spare me[ah] shame and humiliation,
for I observe your rules.
23 Though rulers plot and slander me,[ai]
your servant meditates on your statutes.
24 Yes, I find delight in your rules;
they give me guidance.[aj]
Psalm 12[a]
For the music director, according to the sheminith style;[b] a psalm of David.
12 Deliver, Lord!
For the godly[c] have disappeared;[d]
people of integrity[e] have vanished.[f]
2 People lie to one another;[g]
they flatter and deceive.[h]
3 May the Lord cut off[i] all flattering lips,
and the tongue that boasts![j]
4 They say,[k] “We speak persuasively;[l]
we know how to flatter and boast.[m]
Who is our master?”[n]
5 “Because of the violence done to the oppressed,[o]
because of the painful cries[p] of the needy,
I will spring into action,”[q] says the Lord.
“I will provide the safety they so desperately desire.”[r]
6 The Lord’s words are absolutely reliable.[s]
They are as untainted as silver purified in a furnace on the ground,
where it is thoroughly refined.[t]
7 You, Lord, will protect them;[u]
you will continually shelter each one from these evil people,[v]
8 for the wicked seem to be everywhere,[w]
when people promote evil.[x]
Psalm 13[y]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
13 How long, Lord, will you continue to ignore me?[z]
How long will you pay no attention to me?[aa]
2 How long must I worry,[ab]
and suffer in broad daylight?[ac]
How long will my enemy gloat over me?[ad]
3 Look at me![ae] Answer me, O Lord my God!
Revive me,[af] or else I will die.[ag]
4 Then[ah] my enemy will say, “I have defeated him.”
Then[ai] my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I[aj] trust in your faithfulness.
May I rejoice because of your deliverance.[ak]
6 I will sing praises[al] to the Lord
when he vindicates me.[am]
Psalm 14[an]
For the music director, by David.
14 Fools say to themselves,[ao] “There is no God.”[ap]
They sin and commit evil deeds;[aq]
none of them does what is right.[ar]
2 The Lord looks down from heaven[as] at the human race,[at]
to see if there is anyone who is wise[au] and seeks God.[av]
3 Everyone rejects God;[aw]
they are all morally corrupt.[ax]
None of them does what is right,[ay]
not even one.
4 All those who behave wickedly[az] do not understand—[ba]
those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,
and do not call out to the Lord.
5 They are absolutely terrified,[bb]
for God defends the godly.[bc]
6 You want to humiliate the oppressed,[bd]
even though[be] the Lord is their[bf] shelter.
7 I wish the deliverance[bg] of Israel would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the well-being of his people,[bh]
may Jacob rejoice,[bi]
may Israel be happy![bj]
The Bitter Water
22 [a] Then Moses led Israel to journey away[b] from the Red Sea. They went out to the wilderness of Shur, walked for three days[c] into the wilderness, and found no water. 23 Then they came to Marah,[d] but they were not able to drink[e] the waters of Marah, because[f] they were bitter.[g] (That is[h] why its name was[i] Marah.)
24 So the people murmured[j] against Moses, saying, “What can[k] we drink?” 25 He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him[l] a tree.[m] When Moses[n] threw it into the water, the water became safe to drink. There the Lord[o] made for them[p] a binding ordinance,[q] and there he tested[r] them. 26 He said, “If you will diligently obey[s] the Lord your God, and do what is right[t] in his sight, and pay attention[u] to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, then all[v] the diseases[w] that I brought on the Egyptians I will not bring on you, for I, the Lord, am your healer.”[x]
27 Then they came to Elim,[y] where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the water.
The Provision of Manna
16 [z] When[aa] they journeyed from Elim, the entire company[ab] of Israelites came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their exodus[ac] from the land of Egypt. 2 The entire company[ad] of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died[ae] by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by[af] the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full,[ag] for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill[ah] this whole assembly with hunger!”
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain[ai] bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out[aj] and gather the amount for each day, so that I may test them.[ak] Will they walk in my law[al] or not? 5 On the sixth day[am] they will prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather every other day.”[an]
6 Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening[ao] you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you will see[ap] the glory of the Lord, because he has heard[aq] your murmurings against the Lord. As for us, what are we,[ar] that you should murmur against us?”
8 Moses said, “You will know this[as] when the Lord gives you[at] meat to eat in the evening and bread in the morning to satisfy you, because the Lord has heard your murmurings that you are murmuring against him. As for us, what are we?[au] Your murmurings are not against us,[av] but against the Lord.”
9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole community[aw] of the Israelites, ‘Come[ax] before the Lord, because he has heard your murmurings.’”
10 As Aaron spoke[ay] to the whole community of the Israelites and they looked toward the wilderness, there the glory of the Lord[az] appeared[ba] in the cloud,
2 So get rid of[a] all evil and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 And[b] yearn[c] like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk,[d] so that by it you may grow up to[e] salvation,[f] 3 if you have experienced[g] the Lord’s kindness.[h]
A Living Stone, a Chosen People
4 So as you come to him,[i] a living stone rejected by men but[j] chosen and precious[k] in God’s sight, 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer[l] spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it says[m] in scripture, “Look, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone,[n] and whoever believes[o] in him[p] will never[q] be put to shame.”[r] 7 So you who believe see[s] his value,[t] but for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the[u] cornerstone,[v] 8 and a stumbling-stone[w] and a rock to trip over.[x] They stumble[y] because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.[z] 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues[aa] of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 You[ab] once were not a people, but now you are God’s people. You were shown no mercy,[ac] but now you have received mercy.
The Vine and the Branches
15 “I am the true vine[a] and my Father is the gardener.[b] 2 He takes away[c] every branch that does not bear[d] fruit in me. He[e] prunes[f] every branch that bears[g] fruit so that it will bear more fruit. 3 You are clean already[h] because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Remain[i] in me, and I will remain in you.[j] Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself,[k] unless it remains[l] in[m] the vine, so neither can you unless you remain[n] in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains[o] in me—and I in him—bears[p] much fruit,[q] because apart from me you can accomplish[r] nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain[s] in me, he is thrown out like a branch, and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire,[t] and are burned up.[u] 7 If you remain[v] in me and my words remain[w] in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you.[x] 8 My Father is honored[y] by this, that[z] you bear[aa] much fruit and show that you are[ab] my disciples.
9 “Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; remain[ac] in my love. 10 If you obey[ad] my commandments, you will remain[ae] in my love, just as I have obeyed[af] my Father’s commandments and remain[ag] in his love. 11 I have told you these things[ah] so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete.
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