Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 38[a]
A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention.[b]
38 O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger.
Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury.[c]
2 For your arrows pierce[d] me,
and your hand presses me down.[e]
3 My whole body is sick because of your judgment;[f]
I am deprived of health because of my sin.[g]
4 For my sins overwhelm me;[h]
like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear.
5 My wounds[i] are infected and starting to smell,[j]
because of my foolish sins.[k]
6 I am dazed[l] and completely humiliated;[m]
all day long I walk around mourning.
7 For I am overcome with shame,[n]
and my whole body is sick.[o]
8 I am numb with pain and severely battered;[p]
I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel.[q]
9 O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire;[r]
my groaning is not hidden from you.
10 My heart beats quickly;
my strength leaves me.
I can hardly see.[s]
11 Because of my condition,[t] even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance;[u]
my neighbors stand far away.[v]
12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me;[w]
those who want to harm me speak destructive words.
All day long they say deceitful things.
13 But I am like a deaf man—I hear nothing;
I am like a mute who cannot speak.[x]
14 I am like a man who cannot hear
and is incapable of arguing his defense.[y]
15 Yet[z] I wait for you, O Lord!
You will respond, O Lord, my God!
16 I have prayed for deliverance, because otherwise they will gloat over me;[aa]
when my foot slips they will arrogantly taunt me.[ab]
17 For I am about to stumble,
and I am in constant pain.[ac]
18 Yes,[ad] I confess my wrongdoing,
and I am concerned about my sins.
19 But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous;[ae]
those who hate me without cause outnumber me.[af]
20 They repay me evil for the good I have done;
though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me.[ag]
21 Do not abandon me, O Lord.
My God, do not remain far away from me.
22 Hurry and help me,[ah] O Lord, my deliverer.
ד (Dalet)
25 I collapse in the dirt.[a]
Revive me with your word.[b]
26 I told you about my ways[c] and you answered me.
Teach me your statutes.
27 Help me to understand what your precepts mean.[d]
Then I can meditate[e] on your marvelous teachings.[f]
28 I collapse[g] from grief.
Sustain me by your word.[h]
29 Remove me from the path of deceit.[i]
Graciously give me[j] your law.
30 I choose the path of faithfulness;
I am committed to[k] your regulations.
31 I hold fast[l] to your rules.
O Lord, do not let me be ashamed.
32 I run along the path of your commands,
for you enable me to do so.[m]
ה (He)
33 Teach me, O Lord, the lifestyle prescribed by your statutes,[n]
so that I might observe it continually.[o]
34 Give me understanding so that I might observe your law,
and keep it with all my heart.[p]
35 Guide me[q] in the path of your commands,
for I delight to walk in it.[r]
36 Give me a desire for your rules,[s]
rather than for wealth gained unjustly.[t]
37 Turn my eyes away from what is worthless.[u]
Revive me with your word.[v]
38 Confirm to your servant your promise,[w]
which you made to the one who honors you.[x]
39 Take away the insults that I dread.[y]
Indeed,[z] your regulations are good.
40 Look, I long for your precepts.
Revive me with your deliverance.[aa]
ו (Vav)
41 May I experience your loyal love,[ab] O Lord,
and your deliverance,[ac] as you promised.[ad]
42 Then I will have a reply for the one who insults me,[ae]
for I trust in your word.
43 Do not completely deprive me of a truthful testimony,[af]
for I await your justice.
44 Then I will keep[ag] your law continually
now and for all time.[ah]
45 I will be secure,[ai]
for I seek your precepts.
46 I will speak[aj] about your regulations before kings
and not be ashamed.
47 I will find delight in your commands,
which I love.
48 I will lift my hands to[ak] your commands,
which I love,
and I will meditate on your statutes.
Job’s Reply to Zophar[a]
12 Then Job answered:
The Brevity of Life
14 “Man, born of woman,[a]
lives but a few days,[b] and they are full of trouble.[c]
2 He grows up[d] like a flower and then withers away;[e]
he flees like a shadow, and does not remain.[f]
3 Do you fix your eye[g] on such a one?[h]
And do you bring me[i] before you for judgment?
4 Who can make[j] a clean thing come from an unclean?[k]
No one!
5 Since man’s days[l] are determined,[m]
the number of his months is under your control;[n]
you have set his limit[o] and he cannot pass it.
6 Look away from him and let him desist,[p]
until he fulfills[q] his time like a hired man.
The Inevitability of Death
7 “But there is hope for[r] a tree:[s]
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its new shoots will not fail.
8 Although its roots may grow old[t] in the ground
and its stump begins to die[u] in the soil,[v]
9 at the scent[w] of water it will flourish[x]
and put forth[y] shoots like a new plant.
10 But man[z] dies and is powerless;[aa]
he expires—and where is he?[ab]
11 As[ac] water disappears from the sea,[ad]
or a river drains away and dries up,
12 so man lies down and does not rise;
until the heavens are no more,[ae]
they[af] will not awake
nor arise from their sleep.
The Possibility of Another Life
13 “O that[ag] you would hide me in Sheol,[ah]
and conceal me till your anger has passed![ai]
O that you would set me a time[aj]
and then remember me![ak]
14 If a man dies, will he live again?[al]
All the days of my hard service[am] I will wait[an]
until my release comes.[ao]
15 You will call[ap] and I[aq]—I will answer you;
you will long for[ar] the creature you have made.[as]
The Present Condition[at]
16 “Surely now you count my steps;[au]
then you would not mark[av] my sin.[aw]
17 My offenses would be sealed up[ax] in a bag;[ay]
you would cover over[az] my sin.
18 But as[ba] a mountain falls away and crumbles,[bb]
and as a rock will be removed from its place,
19 as water wears away stones,
and torrents[bc] wash away the soil,[bd]
so you destroy man’s hope.[be]
20 You overpower him once for all,[bf]
and he departs;
you change[bg] his appearance
and send him away.
21 If[bh] his sons are honored,[bi]
he does not know it;[bj]
if they are brought low,
he does not see[bk] it.
22 His flesh only has pain for him,[bl]
and he mourns for himself.”[bm]
18 At daybreak[a] there was great consternation[b] among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19 When Herod[c] had searched[d] for him and did not find him, he questioned[e] the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution.[f] Then[g] Herod[h] went down from Judea to Caesarea[i] and stayed there.
20 Now Herod[j] was having an angry quarrel[k] with the people of Tyre[l] and Sidon.[m] So they joined together[n] and presented themselves before him. And after convincing[o] Blastus, the king’s personal assistant,[p] to help them,[q] they asked for peace,[r] because their country’s food supply was provided by the king’s country. 21 On a day determined in advance, Herod[s] put on his royal robes,[t] sat down on the judgment seat,[u] and made a speech[v] to them. 22 But the crowd[w] began to shout,[x] “The voice of a god,[y] and not of a man!” 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord[z] struck[aa] Herod[ab] down because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.[ac] 24 But the word of God[ad] kept on increasing[ae] and multiplying.
25 So Barnabas and Saul returned to[af] Jerusalem[ag] when they had completed[ah] their mission,[ai] bringing along with them John Mark.[aj]
47 The one who belongs to[a] God listens and responds[b] to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond,[c] because you don’t belong to God.”[d]
48 The Judeans[e] replied,[f] “Aren’t we correct in saying[g] that you are a Samaritan and are possessed by a demon?”[h] 49 Jesus answered, “I am not possessed by a demon,[i] but I honor my Father—and yet[j] you dishonor me. 50 I am not trying to get[k] praise for myself.[l] There is one who demands[m] it, and he also judges.[n] 51 I tell you the solemn truth,[o] if anyone obeys[p] my teaching,[q] he will never see death.”[r]
52 Then[s] the Judeans[t] responded,[u] “Now we know you’re possessed by a demon![v] Both Abraham and the prophets died, and yet[w] you say, ‘If anyone obeys[x] my teaching,[y] he will never experience[z] death.’[aa] 53 You aren’t greater than our father Abraham who died, are you?[ab] And the prophets died too! Who do you claim to be?” 54 Jesus replied,[ac] “If I glorify myself, my glory is worthless.[ad] The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you people[ae] say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 Yet[af] you do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him,[ag] I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey[ah] his teaching.[ai] 56 Your father Abraham was overjoyed[aj] to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.”[ak]
57 Then the Judeans[al] replied,[am] “You are not yet fifty years old![an] Have[ao] you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth,[ap] before Abraham came into existence,[aq] I am!”[ar] 59 Then they picked up[as] stones to throw at him,[at] but Jesus was hidden from them[au] and went out from the temple area.[av]
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