Book of Common Prayer
Protestation of Integrity and Prayer for Protection.
A Psalm of David.
26 [a](A)Vindicate me, Lord, for I have (B)walked in my integrity,
And I have (C)trusted in the Lord [b](D)without wavering.
2 (E)Examine me, Lord, and put me to the test;
(F)Refine my [c]mind and my heart.
3 For Your [d](G)goodness is before my eyes,
And I have (H)walked in Your truth.
4 I do not (I)sit with [e]deceitful people,
Nor will I go with [f](J)pretenders.
5 I (K)hate the assembly of evildoers,
And I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I will (L)wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go around (M)Your altar, Lord,
7 That I may proclaim with the voice of (N)thanksgiving
And declare all Your [g]wonders.
8 Lord, I (O)love the dwelling of Your house,
And the place [h]where Your (P)glory remains.
9 (Q)Do not [i]take my soul away along with sinners,
Nor my life with (R)men of bloodshed,
10 In whose hands is a (S)wicked scheme,
And whose right hand is full of (T)bribes.
11 But as for me, I will (U)walk in my integrity;
(V)Redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 (W)My foot stands on (X)level ground;
In the (Y)congregations I will bless the Lord.
A Prayer for Help, and Praise for Its Answer.
A Psalm of David.
28 To You, Lord, I call;
My (A)rock, do not be deaf to me,
For if You (B)are silent to me,
I will become like those who (C)go down to the pit.
2 Hear the (D)sound of my pleadings when I cry to You for help,
When I (E)raise my hands (F)toward [a]Your holy (G)sanctuary.
3 (H)Do not drag me away with the wicked
And with those who practice injustice,
Who (I)speak peace with their neighbors,
While evil is in their hearts.
4 Give back to them (J)according to their work and according to the evil of their practices;
Give back to them according to the work of their hands;
Repay them what is due them.
5 Because they (K)do not regard the works of the Lord
Nor the deeds of His hands,
He will tear them down and not build them up.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
Because He (L)has heard the sound of my pleading.
7 The Lord is my (M)strength and my (N)shield;
My heart (O)trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore (P)my heart triumphs,
And with (Q)my song I shall thank Him.
8 The Lord is [b]their (R)strength,
And He is a refuge of (S)salvation to His anointed.
9 (T)Save Your people and bless (U)Your inheritance;
Be their (V)shepherd also, and (W)carry them forever.
Wickedness of Humanity and Goodness of God.
For the music director. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.
36 [a]Wrongdoing speaks to the ungodly within [b]his heart;
There is (A)no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For it (B)flatters him in his own eyes
Concerning the discovery of his wrongful deed and the hatred of it.
3 The (C)words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has (D)ceased to [c]be wise and to do good.
4 He (E)plans wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself on a (F)path that is not good;
He (G)does not reject evil.
5 Your (H)mercy, Lord, [d]extends to the heavens,
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
6 Your (I)righteousness is like the [e]mountains of God;
Your (J)judgments are like the great deep.
Lord, You [f](K)protect mankind and animals.
7 How (L)precious is Your mercy, God!
And the sons of mankind (M)take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8 They (N)drink their fill of the [g]abundance of Your house;
And You allow them to drink from the (O)river of Your delights.
9 For the (P)fountain of life is with You;
In Your light we see light.
The Futility of Life.
For the music director, for [a]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will (A)keep watch over my ways
So that I (B)do not sin with my tongue;
I will keep watch over (C)my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was (D)mute [b]and silent,
I [c]refused to say even something good,
And my pain was stirred up.
3 My (E)heart was hot within me,
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, let me know (F)my end,
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how (G)transient I am.
5 Behold, You have made (H)my days like [d]hand widths,
And my (I)lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Certainly all mankind standing is [e]a mere (J)breath. Selah
6 Certainly every person (K)walks around as [f]a fleeting shadow;
They certainly make an (L)uproar for nothing;
He (M)amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.
7 “And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My (N)hope is in You.
8 (O)Save me from all my wrongdoings;
Do not make me an object of (P)reproach for the foolish.
9 I have become (Q)mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is (R)You who have done it.
10 (S)Remove Your plague from me;
Because of (T)the opposition of Your hand I am [g]perishing.
11 With (U)rebukes You punish a person for wrongdoing;
You (V)consume like a moth what is precious to him;
Certainly (W)all mankind is mere breath! Selah
16 (A)Better is a little with [a]the fear of the Lord
Than great treasure, and turmoil with [b]the treasure.
17 (B)Better is a portion of [c]vegetables where there is love,
Than a (C)fattened ox served with hatred.
18 A (D)hot-tempered person stirs up strife,
But the (E)slow to anger (F)calms a dispute.
19 The way of the [d]lazy one is like a hedge of thorns,
But the path of the upright is a highway.
20 A (G)wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man (H)despises his mother.
21 Foolishness is joy to one who lacks [e]sense,
But a person of understanding (I)walks straight.
22 Without consultation, plans are frustrated,
But with many counselors they [f]succeed.
23 A (J)person has joy in an [g]apt answer,
And how delightful is a timely (K)word!
24 The (L)path of life leads upward for the wise,
So that he may keep away from [h]Sheol below.
25 The Lord will (M)tear down the house of the proud,
But He will (N)set the boundary of the (O)widow.
26 Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord,
But pleasant words are pure.
27 He who (P)profits illicitly troubles his own house,
But he who (Q)hates bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous (R)ponders how to answer,
But the (S)mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
29 The Lord is (T)far from the wicked,
But He (U)hears the prayer of the righteous.
30 [i]Bright eyes gladden the heart;
Good news [j]refreshes the bones.
31 One whose ear listens to a life-giving rebuke
Will stay among the wise.
32 One who (V)neglects discipline (W)rejects himself,
But one who (X)listens to a rebuke acquires [k]understanding.
33 [l]The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom,
And before honor comes humility.
18 This (A)command I entrust to you, Timothy, (B)my [a]son, in accordance with the (C)prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you (D)fight the good fight, 19 keeping (E)faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to [b](F)their faith. 20 [c]Among these are (G)Hymenaeus and (H)Alexander, whom I have (I)handed over to Satan, so that they will be (J)taught not to blaspheme.
A Call to Prayer
2 First of all, then, I urge that (K)requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people, 2 (L)for kings and all who are in [d]authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and [e]dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of (M)God our Savior, 4 (N)who wants all people to be (O)saved and to (P)come to the [f]knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is (Q)one God, and (R)one mediator also between God and mankind, the (S)Man Christ Jesus, 6 who (T)gave Himself as a ransom for all, the (U)testimony [g]given at [h](V)the proper time. 7 (W)For this I was appointed as a [i]preacher and (X)an apostle ((Y)I am telling the truth, I am not lying), as a teacher of (Z)the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Instructions for Believers
8 Therefore (AA)I want the men (AB)in every place to pray, (AC)lifting up (AD)holy hands, without anger and dispute.
Words Reveal Character
33 “Either [a]assume the tree to be good as well as its fruit good, or [b]assume the tree to be bad as well as its fruit bad; for (A)the tree is known by its fruit. 34 (B)You [c]offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, express any good things? (C)For the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart. 35 (D)The good person brings out of his good treasure good things; and the evil person brings out of his evil treasure evil things. 36 But I tell you that for every [d]careless word that people [e]speak, they will give an account of it on the (E)day of judgment. 37 For [f]by your words you will be justified, and [g]by your words you will be condemned.”
The Desire for Signs
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, (F)we want to see a [h]sign from You.” 39 But He answered and said to them, “(G)An evil and adulterous generation craves a [i]sign; and so no [j]sign will be given to it except the [k]sign of Jonah the prophet; 40 for just as (H)Jonah was in the stomach of the sea monster for three days and three nights, so will (I)the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for (J)three days and three nights. 41 (K)The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because (L)they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something (M)greater than Jonah is here. 42 (N)The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something (O)greater than Solomon is here.
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