Book of Common Prayer
A Cry of Distress and Imprecation on Adversaries.
For the choir director; according to [a]Shoshannim. A Psalm of David.
69 Save me, O God,
For the (A)waters have [b]threatened my life.
2 I have sunk in deep (B)mire, and there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters, and a [c](C)flood overflows me.
3 I am (D)weary with my crying; my throat is parched;
My (E)eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 Those (F)who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;
Those who would [d]destroy me (G)are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies;
(H)What I did not steal, I then have to restore.
5 O God, it is You who knows (I)my folly,
And (J)my wrongs are not hidden from You.
6 May those who wait for You not (K)be ashamed through me, O Lord [e]God of hosts;
May those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,
7 Because (L)for Your sake I have borne reproach;
(M)Dishonor has covered my face.
8 I have become (N)estranged [f]from my brothers
And an alien to my mother’s sons.
9 For (O)zeal for Your house has consumed me,
And (P)the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
10 When I wept (Q)in my soul with fasting,
It became my reproach.
11 When I made (R)sackcloth my clothing,
I became (S)a byword to them.
12 Those who (T)sit in the gate talk about me,
And I am the [g](U)song of the drunkards.
13 But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, (V)at an acceptable time;
O God, in the (W)greatness of Your lovingkindness,
Answer me with [h]Your saving truth.
14 Deliver me from the (X)mire and do not let me sink;
May I be (Y)delivered from [i]my foes and from the [j](Z)deep waters.
15 May the [k](AA)flood of water not overflow me
Nor the deep swallow me up,
Nor the (AB)pit shut its mouth on me.
16 Answer me, O Lord, for (AC)Your lovingkindness is good;
(AD)According to the greatness of Your compassion, (AE)turn to me,
17 And (AF)do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am (AG)in distress; answer me quickly.
18 Oh draw near to my soul and (AH)redeem it;
(AI)Ransom me because of my enemies!
19 You know my (AJ)reproach and my shame and my dishonor;
All my adversaries are [l]before You.
20 Reproach has (AK)broken my heart and I am so sick.
And (AL)I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
And for (AM)comforters, but I found none.
21 They also gave me [m](AN)gall [n]for my food
And for my thirst they (AO)gave me vinegar to drink.
22 May (AP)their table before them become a snare;
And [o](AQ)when they are in peace, may it become a trap.
23 May their (AR)eyes grow dim so that they cannot see,
And make their (AS)loins shake continually.
24 (AT)Pour out Your indignation on them,
And may Your burning anger overtake them.
25 May their [p](AU)camp be desolate;
May none dwell in their tents.
26 For they have (AV)persecuted him whom (AW)You Yourself have smitten,
And they tell of the pain of those whom (AX)You have [q]wounded.
27 Add (AY)iniquity to their iniquity,
And (AZ)may they not come into (BA)Your righteousness.
28 May they be (BB)blotted out of the (BC)book of life
And may they not be [r](BD)recorded with the righteous.
29 But I am (BE)afflicted and in pain;
[s]May Your salvation, O God, (BF)set me securely on high.
30 I will (BG)praise the name of God with song
And (BH)magnify Him with (BI)thanksgiving.
31 And it will (BJ)please the Lord better than an ox
Or a young bull with horns and hoofs.
32 The (BK)humble [t]have seen it and are glad;
You who seek God, (BL)let your heart [u]revive.
33 For (BM)the Lord hears the needy
And (BN)does not despise His who are prisoners.
34 Let (BO)heaven and earth praise Him,
The seas and (BP)everything that moves in them.
35 For God will (BQ)save Zion and (BR)build the cities of Judah,
That they may dwell there and (BS)possess it.
36 The [v](BT)descendants of His servants will inherit it,
And those who love His name (BU)will dwell in it.
BOOK 3
The End of the Wicked Contrasted with That of the Righteous.
A Psalm of Asaph.
73 Surely God is (A)good to Israel,
To those who are (B)pure in heart!
2 But as for me, (C)my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps [a]had almost slipped.
3 For I was (D)envious of the [b]arrogant
As I saw the (E)prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no pains in their death,
And their [c]body is fat.
5 They are (F)not [d]in trouble as other [e]men,
Nor are they (G)plagued [f]like mankind.
6 Therefore pride is (H)their necklace;
The (I)garment of violence covers them.
7 Their eye [g]bulges from (J)fatness;
The imaginations of their heart [h]run riot.
8 They (K)mock and [i]wickedly speak of oppression;
They (L)speak from on high.
9 They have (M)set their mouth [j]against the heavens,
And their tongue [k]parades through the earth.
10 Therefore [l]his people return to this place,
And waters of (N)abundance are [m]drunk by them.
11 They say, “(O)How does God know?
And is there knowledge [n]with the Most High?”
12 Behold, (P)these are the wicked;
And always (Q)at ease, they have increased in wealth.
13 Surely (R)in vain I have [o]kept my heart pure
And (S)washed my hands in innocence;
14 For I have been stricken (T)all day long
And [p](U)chastened every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
Behold, I would have betrayed the (V)generation of Your children.
16 When I (W)pondered to understand this,
It was [q]troublesome in my sight
17 Until I came into the [r](X)sanctuary of God;
Then I perceived their (Y)end.
18 Surely You set them in (Z)slippery places;
You cast them down to [s](AA)destruction.
19 How they are [t](AB)destroyed in a moment!
They are utterly swept away by (AC)sudden terrors!
20 Like a (AD)dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when (AE)aroused, You will (AF)despise their [u]form.
21 When my (AG)heart was embittered
And I was (AH)pierced [v]within,
22 Then I was (AI)senseless and ignorant;
I was like [w]a (AJ)beast [x]before You.
23 Nevertheless (AK)I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 With Your counsel You will (AL)guide me,
And afterward (AM)receive me [y]to glory.
25 (AN)Whom have I in heaven but You?
And [z]besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My (AO)flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the [aa]strength of my heart and my (AP)portion forever.
27 For, behold, (AQ)those who are far from You will (AR)perish;
You have [ab]destroyed all those who [ac](AS)are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, (AT)the nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord [ad]God my (AU)refuge,
That I may (AV)tell of all Your works.
9 Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the [a]impulses of your heart and the [b](A)desires of your eyes. Yet know that (B)God will bring you to judgment for all these things. 10 So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away [c](C)pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.
Remember God in Your Youth
12 (D)Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the (E)evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”; 2 before the (F)sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; 3 in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men (G)stoop, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and (H)those who look through [d]windows grow dim; 4 and the doors on the street are shut as the (I)sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the (J)daughters of song will [e]sing softly. 5 Furthermore, [f]men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal (K)home while (L)mourners go about in the street. 6 Remember Him before the silver cord is [g]broken and the (M)golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; 7 then the (N)dust will return to the earth as it was, and the [h](O)spirit will return to (P)God who gave it. 8 “(Q)Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”
Purpose of the Preacher
9 In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged (R)many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find (S)delightful words and to write (T)words of truth correctly.
11 The (U)words of wise men are like (V)goads, and masters of these collections are like [i]well-driven (W)nails; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 But beyond this, my son, be warned: the [j]writing of (X)many books is endless, and excessive (Y)devotion to books is wearying to the body.
13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: (Z)fear God and (AA)keep His commandments, because this applies to (AB)every person. 14 For (AC)God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also [a]walk (A)by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become (B)boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
Bear One Another’s Burdens
6 (C)Brethren, even if [b]anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are (D)spiritual, (E)restore such a one (F)in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. 2 (G)Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill (H)the law of Christ. 3 For (I)if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But each one must (J)examine his own work, and then he will have reason for (K)boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. 5 For (L)each one will bear his own load.
6 (M)The one who is taught (N)the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. 7 (O)Do not be deceived, (P)God is not mocked; for (Q)whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 (R)For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap (S)corruption, but (T)the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 (U)Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we (V)do not grow weary. 10 So then, [c](W)while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the (X)household of (Y)the faith.
Jesus Foretells His Death
21 (A)From that time [a]Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and (B)suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. 22 Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “[b]God forbid it, Lord! This shall never [c]happen to You.” 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, (C)Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on [d]God’s interests, but man’s.”
Discipleship Is Costly
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and (D)take up his cross and follow Me. 25 For (E)whoever wishes to save his [e]life will lose it; but whoever loses his [f]life for My sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the (F)Son of Man (G)is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and (H)will then [g]repay every man according to his [h]deeds.
28 “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the (I)Son of Man (J)coming in His kingdom.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.