Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 34
The Lord Delivers the Righteous
Concerning David, when he pretended to be insane in the presence of Abimelech,[a](A) who drove him out, and he departed.
1 I[b] will praise the Lord at all times;
His praise will always be on my lips.(B)
2 I will boast in the Lord;(C)
the humble will hear and be glad.(D)
3 Proclaim Yahweh’s greatness with me;(E)
let us exalt His name together.(F)
4 I sought the Lord, and He answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.(G)
5 Those who look to Him are[c] radiant with joy;(H)
their faces will never be ashamed.(I)
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him from all his troubles.(J)
7 The Angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear Him, and rescues them.(K)
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.(L)
How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!(M)
9 You who are His holy ones, fear Yahweh,
for those who fear Him lack nothing.(N)
10 Young lions[d] lack food and go hungry,(O)
but those who seek the Lord
will not lack any good thing.(P)
11 Come, children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.(Q)
12 Who is the man who delights in life,
loving a long life to enjoy what is good?(R)
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from deceitful speech.(S)
14 Turn away from evil and do what is good;(T)
seek peace and pursue it.(U)
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and His ears are open to their cry for help.(V)
16 The face of the Lord is set
against those who do what is evil,(W)
to erase[e] all memory of them from the earth.(X)
17 The righteous[f] cry out, and the Lord hears,
and delivers them from all their troubles.(Y)
18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
He saves those crushed in spirit.(Z)
19 Many adversities come to the one who is righteous,
but the Lord delivers him from them all.(AA)
20 He protects all his bones;
not one of them is broken.(AB)
21 Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be punished.(AC)
22 The Lord redeems the life of His servants,
and all who take refuge in Him will not be punished.(AD)
14 “However, take note! The days are coming”—the Lord’s declaration—“when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt,’(A) 15 but rather, ‘As the Lord lives who brought the Israelites from the land of the north(B) and from all the other lands where He had banished them.’ For I will return them to their land that I gave to their ancestors.(C)
Punishment of Exile
16 “I am about to send for many fishermen”(D)—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and they will fish for them. Then I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and out of the clefts of the rocks, 17 for My gaze takes in all their ways.(E) They are not concealed from Me, and their guilt is not hidden from My sight. 18 I will first repay them double for their guilt(F) and sin because they have polluted My land. They have filled My inheritance with the lifelessness of their detestable and abhorrent idols.”
19 Lord, my strength and my stronghold,
my refuge in a time of distress,(G)
the nations will come to You
from the ends of the earth, and they will say,
“Our fathers inherited only lies,
worthless idols(H) of no benefit at all.”
20 Can one make gods for himself?
But they are not gods.(I)
21 “Therefore, I am about to inform them,
and this time I will make them know
My power and My might;
then they will know that My name is Yahweh.”(J)
Ministry in Galilee
14 After(A) John was arrested,(B) Jesus went to Galilee,(C) preaching(D) the good news[a][b](E) of God:[c](F) 15 “The time(G) is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God(H) has come(I) near.(J) Repent(K) and believe(L) in the good news!”
The First Disciples
16 As(M) He was passing along by the Sea of Galilee,(N) He saw Simon(O) and Andrew,(P) Simon’s brother. They were casting a net into the sea,(Q) since they were fishermen.
17 “Follow Me,”(R) Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for[d](S) people!”(T) 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed(U) Him.(V) 19 Going on a little farther, He saw James(W) the son of Zebedee(X) and his brother John.(Y) They were in their boat mending their nets. 20 Immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him.(Z)
Psalm 33
Praise to the Creator
1 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones;
praise from the upright is beautiful.(A)
2 Praise the Lord with the lyre;
make music to Him with a ten-stringed harp.(B)
3 Sing a new song to Him;(C)
play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout.(D)
4 For the word of the Lord is right,
and all His work is trustworthy.(E)
5 He loves righteousness and justice;(F)
the earth is full of the Lord’s unfailing love.(G)
6 The heavens were made by the word of the Lord,(H)
and all the stars, by the breath of His mouth.(I)
7 He gathers the waters of the sea into a heap;[a]
He puts the depths into storehouses.(J)
8 Let the whole earth tremble before the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.(K)
9 For He spoke, and it came into being;
He commanded, and it came into existence.(L)
10 The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations;
He thwarts the plans of the peoples.(M)
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the plans of His heart from generation to generation.(N)
12 Happy is the nation whose God is Yahweh—
the people He has chosen to be His own possession!(O)
13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
He observes everyone.(P)
14 He gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth
from His dwelling place.(Q)
15 He alone shapes their hearts;
He considers all their works.(R)
16 A king is not saved by a large army;
a warrior will not be delivered by great strength.(S)
17 The horse is a false hope for safety;
it provides no escape by its great power.(T)
Persecutions Predicted
16 “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves.(A) 17 Because people will hand you over to sanhedrins[a] and flog you in their synagogues,(B) beware of them. 18 You will even be brought before governors and kings because of Me, to bear witness to them and to the nations.(C) 19 But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you should speak.(D) For you will be given what to say at that hour, 20 because you are not speaking, but the Spirit(E) of your Father is speaking through you.(F)
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will even rise up against their parents and have them put to death.(G) 22 You will be hated by everyone because of My name.(H) But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.[b](I) 23 When they persecute you in one town, escape to another.(J) For I assure you: You will not have covered the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 A disciple[c] is not above his teacher, or a slave above his master.(K) 25 It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master. If they called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more the members of his household!(L)
Fear God
26 “Therefore,(M) don’t be afraid of them, since there is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered and nothing hidden that won’t be made known.(N) 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. What you hear in a whisper,[d] proclaim on the housetops.(O) 28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul;(P) rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.(Q) 29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny?[e] Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s(R) consent.[f] 30 But even the hairs of your head have all been counted.(S) 31 So don’t be afraid therefore; you are worth more than many sparrows.(T)
Acknowledging Christ
32 “Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven.(U)
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