Book of Common Prayer
Teach Me Your Paths
Psalm 25
1 Of David.
To You, Adonai, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in You I trust,
so I will not be ashamed,
and my enemies will not gloat over me.
3 Surely no one who waits for You will be ashamed.
But the treacherous without cause will be ashamed.
4 Show me Your ways, Adonai.
Teach me Your paths.
5 Guide me in Your truth, and teach me,
for You are God, my salvation,
for You I wait all day.
6 Remember, Adonai,
Your compassions and Your mercies—
for they are from eternity.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my rebellion.
According to Your mercy remember me,
for the sake of Your goodness, Adonai.
8 Good and upright is Adonai.
Therefore He directs sinners in the way.
9 He guides the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble His way.
10 All Adonai’s ways are lovingkindness
and truth
to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.
11 For Your Name’s sake, Adonai,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who is this man who fears Adonai?
He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
13 His soul abides in goodness,
and his offspring will inherit the land.
14 The secret of Adonai is for those who fear Him.
He makes His covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are always looking to Adonai,
for He will pull my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart increase.
Bring me out of my distress.
18 See my affliction and my suffering,
and take away all my sins.
19 See my enemies, how many they are—
they hate me with violent hatred.
20 Guard my soul and deliver me.
Let me not be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me—
for I wait for You.
22 Redeem Israel, O God,
from all their troubles.
Our Righteous Judge
Psalm 9
1 For the music director, to the tune of “The Death of the Son,” a psalm of David.
2 I will praise Adonai with my whole heart.
I will tell about all Your wonders.
3 I will be glad and rejoice in You.
I will sing praise to Your Name, Elyon!
4 When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before You.
5 For You upheld my right and my cause.
You sat upon the throne, judging righteously.
6 You rebuked the nations,
You destroyed the wicked—
blotting out their name forever and ever.
7 The enemy is finished, in ruins forever.
You overturned their cities—
even the memory of them has perished.
8 But Adonai reigns forever.
He established His throne for judgment.
9 He judges the world in righteousness
and governs the peoples justly.
10 Adonai is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a high tower in times of trouble.
11 Those who know Your Name trust You—
for You, Adonai, never have forsaken those who seek You.
12 Sing praises to Adonai, who dwells in Zion.
Declare His deeds among the peoples.
13 He who avenges blood remembers.
He will not forget the cry of the afflicted.
14 Be compassionate to me, Adonai.
See my affliction from those hating me.
Lift me up from the gates of death.
15 Then I will tell all your praises
in the gates of the daughter of Zion,
rejoicing in Your salvation.
16 The nations sank into the pit they made.
The net they hid caught their own foot.
17 Adonai is known for executing judgment.
The wicked one is trapped in the work of his own hands.
Selah
18 The wicked will turn to Sheol,
as will all the nations that forget God.
19 For the needy will not forever be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
20 Arise, Adonai, do not let man triumph.
Let the nations be judged before You.
21 Strike them with terror, Adonai.
Let the nations know they are only human. Selah
Walking with Integrity
Psalm 15
1 A psalm of David.
Adonai, who may dwell in Your tent?
Who may live on Your holy mountain?
2 The one who walks with integrity,
who does what is right,
and speaks truth in his heart,
3 who does not slander with his tongue,
does not wrong his neighbor,
and does not disgrace his friend,
4 who despises a vile person in his eyes,
but honors those who fear Adonai,
who keeps his oath even when it hurts,
and does not change,
5 who lends his money without usury,
and takes no bribe against the innocent.
One who does these things will never be shaken.
13 The next day, Moses sat to judge the people, and they stood around Moses from morning till evening. 14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What’s this you’re doing to the people? Why sit by yourself, alone, with all the people standing around from morning until evening?”
15 Moses answered his father-in-law, “It’s because the people come to me to inquire of God. 16 When they have an issue, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, so I make them understand God’s statutes and His laws.”
17 But Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you’re doing is no good. 18 You will surely wear yourself out, as well as these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You cannot do it alone, by yourself. 19 Now listen to my voice—I will give you advice, and may God be with you! You, represent the people before God, and bring their cases to God. 20 Enlighten them as to the statutes and the laws, and show them the way by which they must walk and the work they must do. 21 But you should seek out capable men out of all the people—men who fear God, men of truth, who hate bribery. Appoint them to be rulers over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Let them judge the people all the time. Then let every major case be brought to you, but every minor case they can judge for themselves. Make it easier for yourself, as they bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this thing as God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people will go to their places in shalom.”
24 So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 Moses chose capable men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They judged the people all the time. The hard cases they brought to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went on his way to his own land.
Shepherds Lead by Example
5 Therefore I appeal to the elders among you—as a fellow elder and witness of Messiah’s sufferings, and a partaker also of the glory about to be revealed— 2 shepherd God’s flock among you. Watch over it not under compulsion but willingly before God, not for dishonest gain but eagerly. 3 Don’t lord it over[a] those apportioned to you, but become examples to the flock. 4 When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you younger ones, submit yourselves to the elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for
“God opposes the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.”[b]
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may lift you up at the appropriate time. 7 Cast all your worries on Him,[c] for He cares for you. 8 Stay alert! Watch out! Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, searching for someone to devour. 9 Stand up against him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being laid upon your brothers and sisters throughout the world. 10 After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace—who has called you into His eternal glory in Messiah—will Himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. 11 All power to Him forever![d] Amen.
Final Greetings
12 Through Silvanus,[e] whom I consider our faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! 13 Messiah’s community in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings. So does my son Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Shalom to you all who are in Messiah. Amen.
Forefathers of Yeshua the Messiah
1 The book of the genealogy[a] of Yeshua ha-Mashiach, Ben-David,[b] Ben-Avraham: 2 Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar,[c] Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Ram, 4 Ram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 5 Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth,[d] Obed fathered Jesse, 6 and Jesse fathered David the king.
David fathered Solomon by the wife of Uriah, [e] 7 Solomon fathered Rehoboam, Rehoboam fathered Abijah, Abijah fathered Asa, 8 Asa fathered Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, Joram fathered Uzziah, 9 Uzziah fathered Jotham, Jotham fathered Ahaz, Ahaz fathered Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered Amon, Amon fathered Josiah, 11 and Josiah fathered Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12 After the Babylonian exile Jeconiah fathered Shealtiel, Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel fathered Abiud, Abiud fathered Eliakim, Eliakim fathered Azor, 14 Azor fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Achim, Achim fathered Eliud, 15 Eliud fathered Eleazar, Eleazar fathered Matthan, Matthan fathered Jacob, 16 and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Miriam, from whom was born Yeshua who is called the Messiah. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the Babylonian exile are fourteen generations, and from the Babylonian exile until the Messiah are fourteen generations.
John’s Witness to Israel’s Leaders
3 In those days, John the Immerser came proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Turn away from your sins, for the kingdom of heaven is near!” [a] 3 For he is the one Isaiah the prophet spoke about, saying,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way of Adonai, and make His paths straight.’”[b]
4 Now John wore clothing from camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts[c] and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were being immersed by him in the Jordan River.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.