Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 16
Confidence in the Lord
A Miktam of David.(A)
1 Protect me, God, for I take refuge in you.(B)
2 I[a] said to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have nothing good besides you.”[b](C)
3 As for the holy people who are in the land,(D)
they are the noble ones.
All my delight is in them.
4 The sorrows of those who take another god
for themselves will multiply;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
and I will not speak their names with my lips.(E)
5 Lord, you are my portion[c]
and my cup of blessing;
you hold my future.(F)
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me
in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.(G)
7 I will bless the Lord who counsels me(H)—
even at night when my thoughts trouble me.[d](I)
8 I always let the Lord guide me.[e]
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.(J)
9 Therefore my heart is glad
and my whole being rejoices;
my body also rests securely.(K)
10 For you will not abandon me to Sheol;(L)
you will not allow your faithful one to see decay.(M)
11 You reveal the path of life to me;
in your presence is abundant joy;(N)
at your right hand are eternal pleasures.(O)
Psalm 17
A Prayer for Protection
A prayer of David.
1 Lord, hear a just cause;(P)
pay attention to my cry;
listen to my prayer—
from lips free of deceit.(Q)
2 Let my vindication come from you,
for you see what is right.(R)
3 You have tested my heart;(S)
you have examined me at night.
You have tried me and found nothing evil;(T)
I have determined that my mouth will not sin.[f]
4 Concerning what people do:
by the words from your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.(U)
5 My steps are on your paths;
my feet have not slipped.(V)
6 I call on you, God,
because you will answer me;(W)
listen closely to me; hear what I say.
7 Display the wonders of your faithful love,(X)
Savior of all who seek refuge(Y)
from those who rebel against your right hand.[g]
8 Protect me as the pupil of your eye;(Z)
hide me in the shadow of your wings(AA)
9 from[h] the wicked who treat me violently,[i]
my deadly enemies who surround me.(AB)
10 They are uncaring;[j](AC)
their mouths speak arrogantly.(AD)
11 They advance against me;[k] now they surround me.(AE)
They are determined[l]
to throw me to the ground.(AF)
12 They are[m] like a lion eager to tear,
like a young lion lurking in ambush.(AG)
13 Rise up, Lord!
Confront him; bring him down.(AH)
With your sword, save me from the wicked.(AI)
14 With your hand, Lord, save me from men,
from men of the world
whose portion is in this life:
You fill their bellies with what you have in store;
their sons are satisfied,
and they leave their surplus to their children.(AJ)
Psalm 134
Call to Evening Worship
A song of ascents.
1 Now bless the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord
who stand in the Lord’s house at night!(A)
2 Lift up your hands in the holy place
and bless the Lord!(B)
3 May the Lord,
Maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.(C)
Psalm 135
The Lord Is Great
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the name of the Lord.
Give praise, you servants of the Lord(D)
2 who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.(E)
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing praise to his name, for it is delightful.(F)
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his treasured possession.(G)
5 For I know that the Lord is great;
our Lord is greater than all gods.(H)
6 The Lord does whatever he pleases
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all the depths.(I)
7 He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain
and brings the wind from his storehouses.(J)
8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both people and animals.(K)
9 He sent signs and wonders against you, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his officials.(L)
10 He struck down many nations
and slaughtered mighty kings:(M)
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan.(N)
12 He gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to his people Israel.(O)
13 Lord, your name endures forever,
your reputation, Lord,
through all generations.(P)
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.(Q)
23 He told them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath(A) to the Lord. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, and set aside everything left over to be kept until morning.’”
24 So they set it aside until morning as Moses commanded, and it didn’t stink or have maggots in it. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you won’t find any in the field. 26 For six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”
27 Yet on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find any. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you[a] refuse to keep my commands(B) and instructions? 29 Understand that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he will give you two days’ worth of bread. Each of you stay where you are; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The house of Israel named the substance manna.[b](C) It resembled coriander seed, was white, and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Two quarts[c] of it are to be preserved throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”
33 Moses told Aaron, “Take a container and put two quarts[d] of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be preserved throughout your generations.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron placed it before the testimony(D) to be preserved.
35 The Israelites ate manna for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate manna until they reached the border of the land of Canaan.(E) 36 (They used a measure called an omer, which held two quarts.[e])
Undeserved Suffering
13 Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness,(A) you are blessed. Do not fear them[a](B) or be intimidated,[b](C) 15 but in your hearts regard[c] Christ[d] the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.(D) 16 Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience,(E) so that when you are accused,[e] those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer(F) for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
18 For Christ also suffered(G) for sins once for all,(H) the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God.(I) He was put to death in the flesh[f](J) but made alive by the Spirit,[g] 19 in which[h] he also went and made proclamation to the spirits(K) in prison 20 who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah(L) while the ark was being prepared. In it a few—that is, eight people[i](M)—were saved through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not as the removal of dirt from the body,(N) but the pledge[j] of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,(O) 22 who has gone into heaven(P) and is at the right hand of God(Q) with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.(R)
Following Christ
4 Therefore, since Christ suffered[k] in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same understanding[l]—because the one who suffers in the flesh is finished(S) with sin[m]— 2 in order to live the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for God’s will.(T) 3 For there has already been enough time spent in doing what the Gentiles choose to do: carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires,(U) drunkenness, orgies,(V) carousing, and lawless idolatry. 4 They are surprised that you don’t join them in the same flood of wild living—and they slander[n] you. 5 They will give an account to the one who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.(W) 6 For this reason the gospel was also preached to those who are now dead,[o](X) so that, although they might be judged in the flesh according to human standards,(Y) they might live(Z) in the spirit according to God’s standards.
16 “I have told you these things to keep you from stumbling. 2 They will ban you from the synagogues.(A) In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service(B) to God. 3 They will do these things because they haven’t known(C) the Father or me. 4 But I have told you these things so that when their time[a] comes you will remember(D) I told them to you. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going away(E) to him who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’(F) 6 Yet, because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth.(G) It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you.(H) 8 When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: 9 About sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father(I) and you will no longer see me; 11 and about judgment,(J) because the ruler of this world(K) has been judged.(L)
12 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now.(M) 13 When the Spirit of truth(N) comes, he will guide you into all the truth.(O) For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. 15 Everything the Father(P) has is mine.(Q) This is why I told you that he takes from what is mine and will declare it to you.(R)
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