Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 72
A Prayer for the King
Solomonic.(A)
1 God, give Your justice to the king
and Your righteousness to the king’s son.(B)
2 He will judge Your people with righteousness
and Your afflicted ones with justice.(C)
3 May the mountains bring prosperity[a] to the people
and the hills, righteousness.(D)
4 May he vindicate the afflicted among the people,
help the poor,
and crush the oppressor.(E)
5 May he continue[b] while the sun endures
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.(F)
6 May he be like rain that falls on the cut grass,
like spring showers that water the earth.(G)
7 May the righteous[c] flourish in his days
and prosperity[d] abound
until the moon is no more.(H)
8 May he rule from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates
to the ends of the earth.(I)
9 May desert tribes kneel before him
and his enemies lick the dust.(J)
10 May the kings of Tarshish
and the coasts and islands bring tribute,
the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.(K)
11 Let all kings bow down to him,
all nations serve him.(L)
12 For he will rescue the poor who cry out
and the afflicted who have no helper.(M)
13 He will have pity on the poor and helpless
and save the lives of the poor.(N)
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their lives are[e] precious[f] in his sight.(O)
15 May he live long!
May gold from Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be offered for him continually,
and may he be blessed all day long.(P)
16 May there be plenty of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains.
May its crops be like Lebanon.
May people flourish in the cities
like the grass of the field.(Q)
17 May his name endure forever;
as long as the sun shines,
may his fame increase.
May all nations be blessed by him
and call him blessed.(R)
י Yod
73 Your hands made me and formed me;(A)
give me understanding
so that I can learn Your commands.(B)
74 Those who fear You will see me and rejoice,(C)
for I put my hope in Your word.(D)
75 I know, Lord, that Your judgments are just
and that You have afflicted me fairly.(E)
76 May Your faithful love comfort me
as You promised Your servant.
77 May Your compassion come to me(F)
so that I may live,
for Your instruction is my delight.(G)
78 Let the arrogant be put to shame(H)
for slandering me with lies;
I will meditate on Your precepts.
79 Let those who fear You,
those who know Your decrees, turn to me.
80 May my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes(I)
so that I will not be put to shame.
כ Kaf
81 I long for Your salvation;(J)
I put my hope in Your word.(K)
82 My eyes grow weary
looking for what You have promised;(L)
I ask, “When will You comfort me?”
83 Though I have become like a wineskin dried by smoke,
I do not forget Your statutes.
84 How many days must Your servant wait?
When will You execute judgment on my persecutors?(M)
85 The arrogant have dug pits for me;(N)
they violate Your instruction.
86 All Your commands are true;
people persecute me with lies—help me!(O)
87 They almost ended my life on earth,
but I did not abandon Your precepts.
88 Give me life in accordance with Your faithful love,
and I will obey the decree You have spoken.
ל Lamed
89 Lord, Your word is forever;(P)
it is firmly fixed in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness is for all generations;(Q)
You established the earth, and it stands firm.(R)
91 They stand today in accordance with Your judgments,(S)
for all things are Your servants.(T)
92 If Your instruction had not been my delight,
I would have died in my affliction.(U)
93 I will never forget Your precepts,
for You have given me life through them.(V)
94 I am Yours; save me,(W)
for I have sought Your precepts.(X)
95 The wicked hope to destroy me,(Y)
but I contemplate Your decrees.
96 I have seen a limit to all perfection,
but Your command is without limit.
Laws of Holiness
19 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the entire Israelite community and tell them: Be holy(A) because I, Yahweh your God, am holy.(B)
3 “Each of you is to respect his mother and father.(C) You are to keep My Sabbaths; I am Yahweh your God. 4 Do not turn to idols(D) or make cast images(E) of gods for yourselves;(F) I am Yahweh your God.
5 “When you offer a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord, sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. 6 It is to be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day, but what remains on the third day must be burned up.(G) 7 If any is eaten on the third day, it is a repulsive thing; it will not be accepted.(H) 8 Anyone who eats it will bear his punishment, for he has profaned what is holy to the Lord. That person must be cut off from his people.(I)
9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleanings(J) of your harvest. 10 You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor(K) and the foreign resident;(L) I am Yahweh your God.
11 “You must not steal.(M) You must not act deceptively(N) or lie(O) to one another. 12 You must not swear falsely by My name, profaning the name of your God;(P) I am Yahweh.
13 “You must not oppress(Q) your neighbor or rob(R) him. The wages due a hired hand(S) must not remain with you until morning. 14 You must not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,(T) but you are to fear your God;(U) I am Yahweh.(V)
15 “You must not act unjustly(W) when deciding a case. Do not be partial(X) to the poor or give preference to the rich;(Y) judge your neighbor fairly. 16 You must not go about spreading slander(Z) among your people; you must not jeopardize[a] your neighbor’s life; I am Yahweh.
17 “You must not harbor hatred against your brother.[b](AA) Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him.(AB) 18 Do not take revenge(AC) or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself;(AD) I am Yahweh.
Exhortations and Blessings
12 Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition(A) to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace(B) among yourselves. 14 And we exhort you, brothers:(C) warn those who are irresponsible,[a] comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient(D) with everyone. 15 See to it that no one repays evil for evil(E) to anyone,(F) but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.(G)
16 Rejoice(H) always!
17 Pray constantly.
18 Give thanks in everything,
for this is God’s will(I) for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Don’t stifle the Spirit.
20 Don’t despise prophecies,
21 but test all things.(J)
Hold on to what is good.
22 Stay away(K) from every kind of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace(L) Himself sanctify you completely. And may your spirit,(M) soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming(N) of our Lord(O) Jesus Christ.(P) 24 He who calls(Q) you(R) is faithful, who also will do it. 25 Brothers, pray for us also. 26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers.(S) 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
God and Possessions
19 “Don’t collect for yourselves treasures[a] on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.(A) 20 But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven,(B) where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness—how deep is that darkness!(C)
24 “No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.(D)
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