Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 38
Prayer of a Suffering Sinner
A psalm of David to bring remembrance.(A)
1 Lord, do not punish me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.(B)
2 For your arrows have sunk into me,
and your hand has pressed down on me.(C)
3 There is no soundness in my body
because of your indignation;
there is no health[a] in my bones
because of my sin.(D)
4 For my iniquities have flooded over my head;
they are a burden too heavy for me to bear.(E)
5 My wounds are foul and festering
because of my foolishness.(F)
6 I am bent over and brought very low;
all day long I go around in mourning.(G)
7 For my insides are full of burning pain,
and there is no soundness in my body.(H)
8 I am faint and severely crushed;
I groan because of the anguish of my heart.(I)
9 Lord, my every desire is in front of you;
my sighing is not hidden from you.(J)
10 My heart races, my strength leaves me,
and even the light of my eyes has faded.[b](K)
11 My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction,
and my relatives stand at a distance.(L)
12 Those who intend to kill me set traps,
and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me;
they plot treachery all day long.(M)
13 I am like a deaf person; I do not hear.
I am like a speechless person
who does not open his mouth.(N)
14 I am like a man who does not hear
and has no arguments in his mouth.(O)
15 For I put my hope in you, Lord;
you will answer me, my Lord, my God.(P)
16 For I said, “Don’t let them rejoice over me—
those who are arrogant toward me when I stumble.”(Q)
17 For I am about to fall,
and my pain is constantly with me.(R)
18 So I confess my iniquity;
I am anxious because of my sin.(S)
19 But my enemies are vigorous and powerful;[c]
many hate me for no reason.(T)
20 Those who repay evil for good
attack me for pursuing good.(U)
ד Daleth
25 My life is down in the dust;(A)
give me life(B) through your word.
26 I told you about my life,
and you answered me;
teach me your statutes.(C)
27 Help me understand
the meaning of your precepts
so that I can meditate on your wonders.(D)
28 I am weary[a] from grief;
strengthen me through your word.(E)
29 Keep me from the way of deceit
and graciously give me your instruction.
30 I have chosen the way of truth;
I have set your ordinances before me.(F)
31 I cling to your decrees;
Lord, do not put me to shame.(G)
32 I pursue the way of your commands,
for you broaden my understanding.[b](H)
ה He
33 Teach me, Lord, the meaning[c] of your statutes,
and I will always keep them.[d](I)
34 Help me understand your instruction,(J)
and I will obey it
and follow it with all my heart.(K)
35 Help me stay on the path of your commands,(L)
for I take pleasure in it.(M)
36 Turn my heart to your decrees(N)
and not to dishonest profit.(O)
37 Turn my eyes
from looking at what is worthless;(P)
give me life in your ways.[e](Q)
38 Confirm what you said to your servant,(R)
for it produces reverence for you.
39 Turn away the disgrace I dread;(S)
indeed, your judgments are good.
40 How I long for your precepts!(T)
Give me life through your righteousness.
ו Waw
41 Let your faithful love come to me, Lord,(U)
your salvation, as you promised.(V)
42 Then I can answer the one who taunts me,(W)
for I trust in your word.
43 Never take the word of truth from my mouth,
for I hope in your judgments.(X)
44 I will always obey your instruction,
forever and ever.(Y)
45 I will walk freely in an open place(Z)
because I study your precepts.(AA)
46 I will speak of your decrees before kings
and not be ashamed.(AB)
47 I delight in your commands,
which I love.(AC)
48 I will lift up my hands(AD) to your commands,
which I love,
and will meditate on your statutes.(AE)
Crossing the Jordan
3 Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia Grove[a] with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing. 2 After three days the officers went through the camp(A) 3 and commanded the people, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests,(B) you are to break camp and follow it. 4 But keep a distance of about a thousand yards[b] between yourselves and the ark. Don’t go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven’t traveled this way before.”
5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves,(C) because the Lord will do wonders(D) among you tomorrow.” 6 Then he said to the priests, “Carry the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.
7 The Lord spoke to Joshua: “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel,(E) so they will know that I will be with you just as I was with Moses.(F) 8 Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the water,[c] stand in the Jordan.”
9 Then Joshua told the Israelites, “Come closer and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10 He said, “You will know that the living God is among you(G) and that he will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hethites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites(H) 11 when the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth(I) goes ahead of you into the Jordan. 12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe.(J) 13 When the feet[d] of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, come to rest in the Jordan’s water, its water will be cut off. The water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.”(K)
25 I don’t want you to be ignorant(A) of this mystery,(B) brothers and sisters, so that you will not be conceited:(C) A partial hardening has come upon Israel(D) until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.(E) 26 And in this way all[a] Israel will be saved, as it is written,
The Deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this will be my covenant with them[b](F)
when I take away their sins.[c](G)
28 Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your advantage,(H) but regarding election, they are loved because of the patriarchs,(I) 29 since God’s gracious gifts and calling(J) are irrevocable.[d](K) 30 As you once disobeyed God but now have received mercy through their disobedience, 31 so they too have now disobeyed, resulting in mercy to you, so that they also may now[e] receive mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned all in disobedience(L) so that he may have mercy on all.
A Hymn of Praise
33 Oh, the depth of the riches(M)
and the wisdom and the knowledge of God!(N)
How unsearchable his judgments(O)
and untraceable his ways!
34 For who has known the mind of the Lord?(P)
Or who has been his counselor?
35 And who has ever given to God,
that he should be repaid?[f](Q)
36 For from him and through him
and to him are all things.(R)
To him be the glory forever. Amen.
The Sheep and the Goats
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels[a](A) with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.(B) 32 All the nations[b](C) will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.(D) 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom(E) prepared for you from the foundation of the world.(F)
35 “‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’(G)
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’
40 “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’(H)
41 “Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!(I) 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger and you didn’t take me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of me.’
44 “Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help you?’
45 “Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’(J)
46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”(K)
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