Book of Common Prayer
Book One
The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked
1 Blessed is the man[a]
who (A)walks not in (B)the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in (C)the way of sinners,
nor (D)sits in (E)the seat of (F)scoffers;
2 but his (G)delight is in the law[b] of the Lord,
and on his (H)law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like (I)a tree
planted by (J)streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its (K)leaf does not wither.
(L)In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like (M)chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked (N)will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in (O)the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord (P)knows (Q)the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
The Reign of the Lord's Anointed
2 (R)Why do (S)the nations rage[c]
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his (T)Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us (U)burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
4 He who (V)sits in the heavens (W)laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his (X)wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have (Y)set my King
on (Z)Zion, my (AA)holy hill.”
7 I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, (AB)“You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and (AC)the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall (AD)break[d] them with (AE)a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like (AF)a potter's vessel.”
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 (AG)Serve the Lord with (AH)fear,
and (AI)rejoice with (AJ)trembling.
12 (AK)Kiss (AL)the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his (AM)wrath is quickly kindled.
(AN)Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Save Me, O My God
A Psalm of David, (AO)when he fled from Absalom his son.
3 O Lord, (AP)how many are my foes!
Many are (AQ)rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
(AR)“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah[e]
3 But you, O Lord, are (AS)a shield (AT)about me,
my glory, and (AU)the lifter of my head.
4 I (AV)cried aloud to the Lord,
and he (AW)answered me from his (AX)holy hill. Selah
5 I (AY)lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I (AZ)will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have (BA)set themselves against me all around.
7 (BB)Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you (BC)strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you (BD)break the teeth of the wicked.
8 (BE)Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people! Selah
Answer Me When I Call
To the (BF)choirmaster: with (BG)stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
4 Answer me when I call, O God of my (BH)righteousness!
You have (BI)given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
2 O men,[f] how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after (BJ)lies? Selah
3 But know that the Lord has (BK)set apart (BL)the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
4 (BM)Be angry,[g] and do not sin;
(BN)ponder in your own hearts (BO)on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer (BP)right sacrifices,
and put your (BQ)trust in the Lord.
In You Do I Take Refuge
A (A)Shiggaion[a] of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.
7 O Lord my God, in you do I (B)take refuge;
(C)save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
2 lest like (D)a lion they tear my soul apart,
rending it in pieces, with (E)none to deliver.
3 O Lord my God, (F)if I have done this,
if there is (G)wrong in my hands,
4 if I have repaid (H)my friend[b] with evil
or (I)plundered my enemy without cause,
5 let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,
and let him (J)trample my life to the ground
and lay my glory in the dust. Selah
6 (K)Arise, O Lord, in your anger;
(L)lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
(M)awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.
7 Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you;
over it return on high.
8 The Lord (N)judges the peoples;
(O)judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness
and according to the integrity that is in me.
9 Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
and may you establish the righteous—
you who (P)test (Q)the minds and hearts,[c]
O righteous God!
10 My shield is (R)with God,
who saves (S)the upright in heart.
11 God is (T)a righteous judge,
and a God who feels (U)indignation every day.
12 If a man[d] does not repent, God[e] will (V)whet his sword;
he has (W)bent and (X)readied his bow;
13 he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,
making his (Y)arrows (Z)fiery shafts.
14 Behold, the wicked man (AA)conceives evil
and is (AB)pregnant with mischief
and gives birth to lies.
15 He makes (AC)a pit, digging it out,
and falls into the hole that he has made.
16 His (AD)mischief returns upon his own head,
and on his own skull his violence descends.
17 I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness,
and I will (AE)sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.
Reuben and Gad Settle in Gilead
32 Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And they saw the land of (A)Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock. 2 So the people of Gad and the people of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the congregation, 3 (B)“Ataroth, (C)Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, (D)Nebo, and Beon, 4 the land (E)that the Lord struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5 And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan.”
6 But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here?
16 Then they came near to him and said, (A)“We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, 17 but (B)we will take up arms, ready to go before the people of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 (C)We will not return to our homes until each of the people of Israel has gained his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, (D)because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the east.” 20 So (E)Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the Lord for the war, 21 and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord, until he has (F)driven out his enemies from before him 22 and the land is subdued before the Lord; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the Lord and to Israel, and (G)this land shall be your possession before the Lord. 23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and (H)be sure your sin will find you out. 24 (I)Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised.” 25 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben said to Moses, “Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 (J)Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle shall remain there in the cities of Gilead, 27 (K)but your servants will pass over, every man who is (L)armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord orders.”
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For (A)we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but (B)the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And (C)he who searches hearts knows what is (D)the mind of the Spirit, because[a] the Spirit (E)intercedes for the saints (F)according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together (G)for good,[b] for (H)those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he (I)foreknew he also (J)predestined (K)to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be (L)the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also (M)justified, and those whom he justified he also (N)glorified.
Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees
23 Then Jesus (A)said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 (B)“The scribes and the Pharisees (C)sit on Moses' seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, (D)but not the works they do. (E)For they preach, but do not practice. 4 (F)They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,[a] and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 (G)They do all their deeds (H)to be seen by others. For they make (I)their phylacteries broad and (J)their fringes long, 6 and they (K)love the place of honor at feasts and (L)the best seats in the synagogues 7 and (M)greetings in (N)the marketplaces and being called (O)rabbi[b] by others. 8 (P)But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are (Q)all brothers.[c] 9 (R)And call no man your father on earth, for (S)you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, (T)the Christ. 11 (U)The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 (V)Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.