Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 82
A Plea for Righteous Judgment
A psalm of Asaph.(A)
1 God stands in the divine assembly;
he pronounces judgment among the gods:[a](B)
2 “How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked?(C)Selah
3 Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless;
uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.(D)
4 Rescue the poor and needy;
save them from the power of the wicked.”(E)
5 They do not know or understand;
they wander in darkness.(F)
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.(G)
6 I said, “You are gods;(H)
you are all sons of the Most High.(I)
7 However, you will die like humans
and fall like any other ruler.”(J)
8 Rise up, God, judge the earth,
for all the nations belong to you.(K)
Psalm 98
Praise the King
A psalm.
1 Sing a new song to the Lord,(A)
for he has performed wonders;
his right hand and holy arm
have won him victory.(B)
2 The Lord has made his victory known;
he has revealed his righteousness
in the sight of the nations.(C)
3 He has remembered his love
and faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth
have seen our God’s victory.(D)
3 “See, I am going to send my messenger,(A) and he will clear the way before me.(B) Then the Lord you seek(C) will suddenly come to his temple,(D) the Messenger of the covenant you delight in—see, he is coming,” says the Lord of Armies. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will be able to stand when he appears?(E) For he will be like a refiner’s fire(F) and like launderer’s bleach.[a](G) 3 He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.(H) Then they will present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. 4 And the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord as in days of old(I) and years gone by.
5 “I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the hired worker, the widow, and the fatherless; and against those who deny justice to the resident alien.(J) They do not fear me,”(K) says the Lord of Armies.
Jesus and John the Baptist
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went to the Judean countryside, where he spent time with them and baptized.
23 John(A) also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People were coming and being baptized, 24 since John had not yet been thrown into prison.(B)
25 Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples(C) and a Jew[a] about purification.(D) 26 So they came to John and told him, “Rabbi,(E) the one you testified about, and who was with you across the Jordan,(F) is baptizing—and everyone is going to him.”(G)
27 John responded, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah,(H) but I’ve been sent ahead of him.’(I) 29 He who has the bride(J) is the groom. But the groom’s friend, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly[b] at the groom’s voice. So this joy(K) of mine is complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Psalm 80
A Prayer for Restoration
For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.”(A) A testimony of Asaph.(B) A psalm.
1 Listen, Shepherd of Israel,
who leads Joseph like a flock;(C)
you who sit enthroned between the cherubim,(D)
shine(E) 2 on Ephraim,
Benjamin, and Manasseh.(F)
Rally your power and come to save us.(G)
3 Restore us, God;
make your face shine on us,(H)
so that we may be saved.(I)
4 Lord God of Armies,
how long will you be angry
with your people’s prayers?(J)
5 You fed them the bread of tears
and gave them a full measure[a]
of tears to drink.(K)
6 You put us at odds with our neighbors;
our enemies mock us.(L)
7 Restore us, God of Armies;
make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved.(M)
8 You dug up a vine from Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.(N)
9 You cleared a place for it;
it took root and filled the land.(O)
10 The mountains were covered by its shade,
and the mighty cedars[b] with its branches.(P)
11 It sent out sprouts toward the Sea[c]
and shoots toward the River.[d](Q)
12 Why have you broken down its walls
so that all who pass by pick its fruit?(R)
13 Boars from the forest tear at it
and creatures of the field feed on it.(S)
14 Return, God of Armies.(T)
Look down from heaven and see;
take care of this vine,
15 the root[e] your right hand planted,
the son[f] that you made strong for yourself.(U)
16 It was cut down and burned;
they[g] perish at the rebuke of your countenance.(V)
17 Let your hand be with the man at your right hand,
with the son of man
you have made strong for yourself.(W)
18 Then we will not turn away from you;
revive us, and we will call on your name.(X)
19 Restore us, Lord, God of Armies;(Y)
make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved.(Z)
2 Now when John heard in prison what the Christ was doing, he sent a message through his disciples(A) 3 and asked him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (B)
4 Jesus replied to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy[a] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news,(C) 6 and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.”(D)
7 As these men were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?(E) 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? See, those who wear soft clothes are in royal palaces. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.(F) 10 This is the one about whom it is written:
11 “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared,[c] but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been suffering violence,[d] and the violent have been seizing it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if you’re willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who is to come.(H) 15 Let anyone who has ears[e] listen.(I)
An Unresponsive Generation
16 “To what should I compare this generation? It’s like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to other children:
17 We played the flute for you,
but you didn’t dance;
we sang a lament,
but you didn’t mourn![f]
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’(J) 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard,(K) a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’(L) Yet wisdom is vindicated[g] by her deeds.”[h]
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