Book of Common Prayer
Book 1 (Psalms 1-41)
Psalm 1[a]
1 How blessed[b] is the one[c] who does not follow[d] the advice[e] of the wicked,[f]
or stand in the pathway[g] with sinners,
or sit in the assembly[h] of scoffers.[i]
2 Instead[j] he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands;[k]
he meditates on[l] his commands[m] day and night.
3 He is like[n] a tree planted by flowing streams;[o]
it[p] yields[q] its fruit at the proper time,[r]
and its leaves never fall off.[s]
He succeeds in everything he attempts.[t]
4 Not so with the wicked!
Instead[u] they are like wind-driven chaff.[v]
5 For this reason[w] the wicked cannot withstand[x] judgment,[y]
nor can sinners join the assembly of the godly.[z]
6 Certainly[aa] the Lord guards the way of the godly,[ab]
but the way of the wicked ends in destruction.[ac]
Psalm 2[ad]
2 Why[ae] do the nations rebel?[af]
Why[ag] are the countries[ah] devising[ai] plots that will fail?[aj]
2 The kings of the earth[ak] form a united front;[al]
the rulers collaborate[am]
against the Lord and his anointed king.[an]
3 They say,[ao] “Let’s tear off the shackles they’ve put on us.[ap]
Let’s free ourselves from[aq] their ropes.”
4 The one enthroned[ar] in heaven laughs in disgust;[as]
the Lord taunts[at] them.
5 Then he angrily speaks to them
and terrifies them in his rage,[au] saying,[av]
6 “I myself[aw] have installed[ax] my king
on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 The king says,[ay] “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me:[az]
‘You are my son.[ba] This very day I have become your father.
8 Ask me,
and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,[bb]
the ends of the earth as your personal property.
9 You will break them[bc] with an iron scepter;[bd]
you will smash them like a potter’s jar.’”[be]
10 So now, you kings, do what is wise;[bf]
you rulers of the earth, submit to correction.[bg]
11 Serve[bh] the Lord in fear.
Repent in terror.[bi]
12 Give sincere homage.[bj]
Otherwise he[bk] will be angry,[bl]
and you will die because of your behavior,[bm]
when his anger quickly ignites.[bn]
How blessed[bo] are all who take shelter in him![bp]
Psalm 3[bq]
A psalm of David, written when he fled from his son Absalom.[br]
3 Lord, how[bs] numerous are my enemies!
Many attack me.[bt]
2 Many say about me,
“God will not deliver him.”[bu] (Selah)[bv]
3 But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me;[bw]
you are my glory[bx] and the one who restores me.[by]
4 To the Lord I cried out,[bz]
and he answered me from his holy hill.[ca] (Selah)
5 I rested and slept;
I awoke,[cb] for the Lord protects[cc] me.
6 I am not afraid[cd] of the multitude of people[ce]
who attack me from all directions.[cf]
7 Rise up,[cg] Lord!
Deliver me, my God!
Yes,[ch] you will strike[ci] all my enemies on the jaw;
you will break the teeth[cj] of the wicked.[ck]
8 The Lord delivers;[cl]
you show favor to your people.[cm] (Selah)
Psalm 4[cn]
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of David.
4 When I call out, answer me,
O God who vindicates me.[co]
Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place.[cp]
Have mercy on me[cq] and respond to[cr] my prayer.
2 You men,[cs] how long will you try to turn my honor into shame?[ct]
How long[cu] will you love what is worthless[cv]
and search for what is deceptive?[cw] (Selah)
3 Realize that[cx] the Lord shows the godly special favor;[cy]
the Lord responds[cz] when I cry out to him.
4 Tremble with fear and do not sin.[da]
Meditate as you lie in bed, and repent of your ways.[db] (Selah)
5 Offer the prescribed sacrifices[dc]
and trust in the Lord.[dd]
6 Many say, “Who can show us anything good?”
Smile upon us, Lord![de]
7 You make me happier[df]
than those who have abundant grain and wine.[dg]
8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully,[dh]
for you, Lord, make me safe and secure.[di]
Psalm 7[a]
A musical composition[b] by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning[c] a Benjaminite named Cush.[d]
7 O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter.[e]
Deliver me from all who chase me. Rescue me!
2 Otherwise they will rip[f] me[g] to shreds like a lion;
they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me.[h]
3 O Lord my God, if I have done what they say,[i]
or am guilty of unjust actions,[j]
4 or have wronged my ally,[k]
or helped his lawless enemy,[l]
5 may an enemy relentlessly chase[m] me[n] and catch me;[o]
may he trample me to death[p]
and leave me lying dishonored in the dust.[q] (Selah)
6 Stand up angrily,[r] Lord.
Rise up with raging fury against my enemies.[s]
Wake up for my sake, and execute the judgment you have decreed for them.[t]
7 The countries are assembled all around you;[u]
take once more your rightful place over them.[v]
8 The Lord judges the nations.[w]
Vindicate me, Lord, because I am innocent,[x]
because I am blameless,[y] O Exalted One.[z]
9 May the evil deeds of the wicked[aa] come to an end.[ab]
But make the innocent[ac] secure,[ad]
O righteous God,
you who examine[ae] inner thoughts and motives.[af]
10 The Exalted God is my shield,[ag]
the one who delivers the morally upright.[ah]
11 God is a just judge;
he is angry throughout the day.[ai]
12 If a person[aj] does not repent, God will wield his sword.[ak]
He has prepared to shoot his bow.[al]
13 He has prepared deadly weapons to use against him;[am]
he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows.[an]
14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness,
who conceives destructive plans,
and gives birth to harmful lies—
15 he digs a pit[ao]
and then falls into the hole he has made.[ap]
16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans[aq]—
and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head.[ar]
17 I will thank the Lord for[as] his justice;
I will sing praises to the Lord Most High![at]
To which of the holy ones[c] will you turn?[d]
2 For[e] wrath kills the foolish person,[f]
and anger[g] slays the silly one.
3 I myself[h] have seen the fool[i] taking root,
but suddenly I cursed his place of residence.[j]
4 His children are far[k] from safety,
and they are crushed[l] at the place where judgment is rendered,[m]
nor is there anyone to deliver them.[n]
5 The hungry[o] eat up his harvest,[p]
and take it even from behind the thorns,[q]
and the thirsty[r] pant for[s] their wealth.[t]
6 For evil does not come up from the dust,[u]
nor does trouble spring up from the ground,
7 but people[v] are born[w] to trouble,
as surely as the sparks[x] fly[y] upward.[z]
Blessings for the One Who Seeks God[aa]
8 “But[ab] as for me,[ac] I would seek[ad] God,[ae]
and to God[af] I would set forth my case.[ag]
9 He does[ah] great and unsearchable[ai] things,
marvelous things without[aj] number;[ak]
10 he gives[al] rain on the earth,[am]
and sends[an] water on the fields;[ao]
11 he sets[ap] the lowly[aq] on high,
that those who mourn[ar] are raised[as] to safety.
so do not despise the discipline[d] of the Almighty.[e]
18 For[f] he[g] wounds,[h] but he also bandages;
he strikes, but his hands also heal.
19 He will deliver you[i] from six calamities;
yes, in seven[j] no evil will touch you.
20 In time of famine[k] he will redeem you from death,
and in time of war from the power of the sword.[l]
21 You will be protected[m] from malicious gossip,[n]
and will not be afraid of the destruction[o] when it comes.
19 and after taking some food, his strength returned.
For several days[a] he was with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,[b] saying, “This man is the Son of God.”[c] 21 All[d] who heard him were amazed and were saying, “Is this not[e] the man who in Jerusalem was ravaging[f] those who call on this name, and who had come here to bring them as prisoners[g] to the chief priests?” 22 But Saul became more and more capable,[h] and was causing consternation[i] among the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving[j] that Jesus[k] is the Christ.[l]
Saul’s Escape from Damascus
23 Now after some days had passed, the Jews plotted[m] together to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plot against him.[n] They were also watching[o] the city gates[p] day and night so that they could kill him. 25 But his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening[q] in the wall by lowering him in a basket.[r]
Saul Returns to Jerusalem
26 When he arrived in Jerusalem, he attempted to associate[s] with the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe[t] that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took[u] Saul,[v] brought[w] him to the apostles, and related to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, that[x] the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly[y] in the name of Jesus. 28 So he was staying with them, associating openly with them[z] in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He was speaking and debating[aa] with the Greek-speaking Jews,[ab] but they were trying to kill him. 30 When the brothers found out about this, they brought him down to Caesarea[ac] and sent him away to Tarsus.
31 Then[ad] the church throughout Judea, Galilee,[ae] and Samaria experienced[af] peace and thus was strengthened.[ag] Living[ah] in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, the church[ai] increased in numbers.
52 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus[a] began to argue with one another,[b] “How can this man[c] give us his flesh to eat?” 53 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth,[d] unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,[e] you have no life[f] in yourselves. 54 The one who eats[g] my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.[h] 55 For my flesh is true[i] food, and my blood is true[j] drink. 56 The one who eats[k] my flesh and drinks my blood resides in me, and I in him.[l] 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who consumes[m] me will live because of me. 58 This[n] is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread your ancestors[o] ate, but then later died.[p] The one who eats[q] this bread will live forever.”
Many Followers Depart
59 Jesus[r] said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue[s] in Capernaum.[t]
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