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.
Eliphaz Speaks: The Innocent Prosper
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
5 “Call now; is there anyone who will answer you?
To which of (A)the holy ones will you turn?
2 Surely vexation kills the fool,
and jealousy slays the simple.
3 (B)I have seen the fool taking root,
but suddenly I cursed his dwelling.
4 His children are (C)far from safety;
they are crushed in (D)the gate,
and there is no one to deliver them.
5 The hungry eat his harvest,
and he takes it even out of thorns,[a]
and the thirsty pant[b] after his[c] wealth.
6 For affliction does not come from the dust,
nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
7 but man is (E)born to trouble
as the sparks fly upward.
17 “Behold, (A)blessed is the one whom God reproves;
therefore (B)despise not the discipline of the (C)Almighty.
18 For he wounds, but he (D)binds up;
he (E)shatters, but his hands heal.
19 He will (F)deliver you from six troubles;
in seven no (G)evil[a] shall touch you.
20 (H)In famine he will redeem you from death,
and in war from the power of the sword.
21 You shall be (I)hidden from the lash of the tongue,
and shall not fear destruction when it comes.
19 and (A)taking food, he was strengthened.
Saul Proclaims Jesus in Synagogues
For (B)some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, (C)“He is the Son of God.” 21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who (D)made havoc (E)in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul (F)increased all the more in strength, and (G)confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving (H)that Jesus was the Christ.
Saul Escapes from Damascus
23 (I)When many days had passed, the Jews[a] plotted to kill him, 24 but their (J)plot became known to Saul. (K)They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and (L)let him down through an opening in the wall,[b] lowering him in a basket.
Saul in Jerusalem
26 And (M)when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But (N)Barnabas took him and (O)brought him to the apostles and declared to them (P)how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and (Q)how at Damascus he had (R)preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went (S)in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 And he spoke and disputed against (T)the Hellenists.[c] But (U)they were seeking to kill him. 30 And when (V)the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off (W)to Tarsus.
31 So (X)the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And (Y)walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, (Z)it multiplied.
52 The Jews then (A)disputed among themselves, saying, (B)“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of (C)the Son of Man and drink his blood, you (D)have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood (E)has eternal life, and (F)I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood (G)abides in me, and I in him. 57 As (H)the living Father (I)sent me, and (J)I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 (K)This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread[a] the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus[b] said these things in the synagogue, as he taught (L)at Capernaum.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.