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
16 (A)Better is a little with the fear of the Lord
than great treasure and trouble with it.
17 (B)Better is a dinner of herbs where love is
than (C)a fattened ox and hatred with it.
18 (D)A hot-tempered man (E)stirs up strife,
but he who is (F)slow to anger quiets contention.
19 The way of (G)a sluggard is like a hedge of (H)thorns,
but the path of the upright is (I)a level highway.
20 (J)A wise son makes a glad father,
but a foolish man despises his mother.
21 (K)Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense,
but a man of understanding (L)walks straight ahead.
22 (M)Without counsel plans fail,
but with many advisers they succeed.
23 To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,
and (N)a word in season, how good it is!
24 The path of life leads upward (O)for the prudent,
that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.
25 The Lord tears down the house of (P)the proud
but (Q)maintains (R)the widow's boundaries.
26 (S)The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
but (T)gracious words are pure.
27 Whoever is (U)greedy for unjust gain (V)troubles his own household,
but he who hates (W)bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous (X)ponders how to answer,
but (Y)the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
29 The Lord is (Z)far from the wicked,
but he (AA)hears the prayer of the righteous.
30 (AB)The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
and (AC)good news refreshes[a] the bones.
31 (AD)The ear that listens to (AE)life-giving reproof
will dwell among the wise.
32 Whoever (AF)ignores instruction (AG)despises himself,
but he who listens to reproof (AH)gains intelligence.
33 (AI)The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and (AJ)humility comes before honor.
18 This charge (A)I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with (B)the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may (C)wage the good warfare, 19 (D)holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have (E)made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are (F)Hymenaeus and (G)Alexander, whom I (H)have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to (I)blaspheme.
Pray for All People
2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 (J)for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and (K)dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and (L)it is pleasing in the sight of (M)God our Savior, 4 who desires (N)all people to be saved and (O)to come to (P)the knowledge of the truth. 5 For (Q)there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man[a] Christ Jesus, 6 (R)who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is (S)the testimony given (T)at the proper time. 7 (U)For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle ((V)I am telling the truth, I am not lying), (W)a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
8 I desire then that (X)in every place the men should pray, (Y)lifting (Z)holy hands without anger or quarreling;
A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit
33 (A)“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, (B)for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 (C)You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, (D)when you are evil? (E)For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 (F)The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, (G)on the day of judgment (H)people will give account for (I)every careless word they speak, 37 for (J)by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, (K)we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, (L)“An evil and (M)adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For (N)just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, (O)so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 (P)The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and (Q)condemn it, for (R)they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, (S)something greater than Jonah is here. 42 (T)The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, (U)something greater than Solomon is here.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.