Book of Common Prayer
I Will Bless the Lord
Of David.
26 (A)Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have (B)walked in my integrity,
and I have (C)trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 (D)Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and (E)my mind.[a]
3 For your (F)steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I (G)walk in your (H)faithfulness.
4 I do not (I)sit with men of (J)falsehood,
nor do I consort with hypocrites.
5 I (K)hate the assembly of evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I (L)wash my hands in innocence
and go around your altar, O Lord,
7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
and telling all your (M)wondrous deeds.
The Lord Is My Strength and My Shield
Of David.
28 To you, O Lord, I call;
(A)my rock, be not deaf to me,
lest, if you (B)be silent to me,
I become like those who (C)go down to the pit.
2 (D)Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,
when I cry to you for help,
when I (E)lift up my hands
(F)toward your most holy sanctuary.[a]
3 Do not (G)drag me off with the wicked,
with the workers of evil,
(H)who speak peace with their neighbors
while evil is in their hearts.
4 (I)Give to them according to their work
and according to the evil of their deeds;
give to them according to the work of their hands;
(J)render them their due reward.
5 Because they (K)do not regard the works of the Lord
or the work of his hands,
he will tear them down and build them up no more.
How Precious Is Your Steadfast Love
To the choirmaster. Of David, the (A)servant of the Lord.
36 Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in his heart;[a]
(B)there is no fear of God
before his eyes.
2 (C)For he flatters himself in his own eyes
that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3 The words of his mouth are (D)trouble and deceit;
(E)he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
4 He (F)plots (G)trouble while on his bed;
he sets himself in (H)a way that is not good;
(I)he does not reject evil.
5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 (J)Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
(K)your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you (L)save, O Lord.
7 (M)How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge (N)in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on (O)the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from (P)the river of (Q)your delights.
9 For with you is (R)the fountain of life;
(S)in your light do we see light.
What Is the Measure of My Days?
To the choirmaster: to (A)Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will (B)guard my ways,
that I (C)may not sin with my tongue;
I will (D)guard my mouth with a muzzle,
so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was (E)mute and silent;
I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse.
3 My (F)heart became hot within me.
As I mused, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “O Lord, (G)make me know my end
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!
5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
and (H)my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely (I)all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah
6 Surely a man (J)goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing[a] they are in turmoil;
man (K)heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!
7 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
(L)My hope is in you.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.
(M)Do not make me the scorn of the fool!
9 (N)I am mute; I do not open my mouth,
(O)for it is you who have done it.
10 (P)Remove your stroke from me;
I am spent by the hostility of your hand.
11 When you discipline a man
with (Q)rebukes for sin,
you (R)consume like a (S)moth what is dear to him;
(T)surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah
Israel at Mount Sinai
19 On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they (A)came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 They set out from (B)Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before (C)the mountain, 3 while (D)Moses went up to God. (E)The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: 4 (F)‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how (G)I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be (H)my treasured possession among all peoples, for (I)all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a (J)kingdom of priests and (K)a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. 8 (L)All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord. 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you (M)in a thick cloud, that (N)the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also (O)believe you forever.”
When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord, 10 the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and (P)consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them (Q)wash their garments 11 and be ready for the third day. For on the third day (R)the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. (S)Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. 13 No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot;[a] whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When (T)the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.” 14 So Moses (U)went down from the mountain to the people and (V)consecrated the people; (W)and they washed their garments. 15 And he said to the people, “Be ready for the (X)third day; (Y)do not go near a woman.”
16 On the morning of the (Z)third day there were (AA)thunders and lightnings and (AB)a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud (AC)trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp (AD)trembled.
Greeting
1 Paul, (A)an apostle of Christ Jesus (B)by the will of God, and Timothy (C)our brother,
2 To the (D)saints and faithful brothers[a] in Christ at Colossae:
(E)Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 (F)We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of (G)your faith in Christ Jesus and of (H)the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of (I)the hope (J)laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in (K)the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed (L)in the whole world it is (M)bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you (N)heard it and understood (O)the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from (P)Epaphras our beloved (Q)fellow servant.[b] He is (R)a faithful minister of Christ on your[c] behalf 8 and has made known to us your (S)love in the Spirit.
9 And so, (T)from the day we heard, (U)we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that (V)you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all (W)spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as (X)to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, (Y)fully pleasing to him: (Z)bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 (AA)being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for (AB)all endurance and patience (AC)with joy; 12 (AD)giving thanks[d] to the Father, who has qualified you[e] to share in (AE)the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He (AF)has delivered us from (AG)the domain of darkness and transferred us to (AH)the kingdom of (AI)his beloved Son, 14 (AJ)in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
7 But when he saw many of (A)the Pharisees and (B)Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, (C)“You brood of (D)vipers! Who warned you to flee from (E)the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit (F)in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, (G)‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from (H)these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. (I)Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 (J)“I baptize you with water (K)for repentance, but (L)he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you (M)with the Holy Spirit and (N)fire. 12 His (O)winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and (P)gather his wheat into the barn, (Q)but the chaff he will burn with (R)unquenchable fire.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.