Book of Common Prayer
Mem
97 How I (A)love Your Law!
It is my (B)meditation all the day.
98 Your (C)commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
For they are ever [a]mine.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my (D)meditation.
100 I understand (E)more than those who are old,
Because I have (F)complied with Your precepts.
101 I have (G)restrained my feet from every evil way,
So that I may keep Your word.
102 I have not (H)turned aside from Your judgments,
For You Yourself have taught me.
103 How (I)sweet are Your [b]words to my [c]taste!
Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 From Your precepts I (J)get understanding;
Therefore I (K)hate every false way.
Nun
105 Your word is a (L)lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
106 I have (M)sworn and I will confirm it,
That I will keep Your righteous judgments.
107 I am exceedingly (N)afflicted;
[d](O)Revive me, Lord, according to Your word.
108 Be pleased to accept the [e](P)voluntary offerings of my mouth, Lord,
And (Q)teach me Your judgments.
109 My [f](R)life is continually [g]in my hand,
Yet I do not (S)forget Your Law.
110 The wicked have (T)set a [h]trap for me,
Yet I have not (U)wandered from Your precepts.
111 I have (V)inherited Your testimonies forever,
For they are the (W)joy of my heart.
112 I have (X)inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, even (Y)to the end.
Samekh
113 I hate those who are (Z)double-minded,
But I love Your (AA)Law.
114 You are my (AB)hiding place and my (AC)shield;
I [i](AD)wait for Your word.
115 (AE)Leave me, you evildoers,
So that I may (AF)comply with the commandments of my God.
116 (AG)Sustain me according to Your [j]word, that I may live;
And (AH)do not let me be [k]ashamed of my hope.
117 Sustain me so that I may be (AI)safe,
That I may (AJ)have regard for Your statutes continually.
118 You have [l]rejected all those (AK)who stray from Your statutes,
For their deceitfulness is [m]useless.
119 You have [n]removed all the wicked of the earth like [o](AL)impurities;
Therefore I (AM)love Your testimonies.
120 My flesh [p](AN)trembles from the fear of You,
And I am (AO)afraid of Your judgments.
God’s Goodness and Israel’s Waywardness.
For the music director; [a]on the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.
81 (A)Sing for joy to God our (B)strength;
Shout (C)joyfully to the (D)God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song, strike (E)the tambourine,
The sweet sounding (F)lyre with the (G)harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the (H)new moon,
At the full moon, on our (I)feast day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
An ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He established it as a testimony in Joseph
When he [b](J)went throughout the land of Egypt.
I heard a (K)language I did not know:
6 “I [c](L)relieved his shoulder of the burden,
His hands were freed from the [d]basket.
7 You (M)called in trouble and I rescued you;
I (N)answered you in the hiding place of thunder;
I put you to the test at the (O)waters of Meribah. Selah
8 (P)Hear, My people, and I will admonish you;
Israel, if you (Q)would listen to Me!
9 There shall be no (R)strange god among you;
Nor shall you worship a foreign god.
10 (S)I, the Lord, am your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
(T)Open your mouth wide and I will (U)fill it.
11 “But My people (V)did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not [e]obey Me.
12 So I (W)gave [f]them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk by their own plans.
13 Oh that My people (X)would listen to Me,
That Israel would (Y)walk in My ways!
14 I would quickly (Z)subdue their enemies
And (AA)turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 (AB)Those who hate the Lord would (AC)pretend to obey Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
16 [g]But I would feed you with the [h](AD)finest of the wheat,
And with (AE)honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Unjust Judgments Rebuked.
A Psalm of Asaph.
82 God takes His (AF)position in [i]His assembly;
He (AG)judges in the midst of the (AH)gods.
2 How long will you (AI)judge unjustly
And (AJ)show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 (AK)Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
4 (AL)Rescue the weak and needy;
Save them from the hand of the wicked.
5 They (AM)do not know nor do they understand;
They (AN)walk around in darkness;
All the (AO)foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 [j]I (AP)said, “You are gods,
And all of you are (AQ)sons of the Most High.
7 Nevertheless (AR)you will die like men,
And fall like (AS)one of the princes.”
8 (AT)Arise, God, (AU)judge the earth!
For You (AV)possess all the nations.
The King Plans to Honor Mordecai
6 During that night [a]the king (A)could not sleep, so he gave an order to bring (B)the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. 2 And it was found written what (C)Mordecai had reported about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who were doorkeepers, that they had sought to [b]attack King Ahasuerus. 3 Then the king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” And the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” 4 So the king said, “Who is in the courtyard?” Now Haman had just (D)entered the outer courtyard of the king’s palace in order to speak to the king about (E)hanging Mordecai on the wooden gallows which he had prepared for him. 5 So the king’s servants said to him, “Behold, Haman is standing in the courtyard.” And the king said, “Have him come in.” 6 Haman then came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man (F)whom the king desires to honor?” And Haman said [c]to himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?” 7 Therefore Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king desires to honor, 8 have them bring a royal robe which the king has worn, and (G)the horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head (H)a royal turban has been placed; 9 then order them to hand the robe and the horse over to one of the king’s noble officials, and have them dress the man whom the king desires to honor, and lead him on horseback through the city square, (I)and proclaim before him, ‘So it shall be done for the man whom the king desires to honor.’”
Haman Must Honor Mordecai
10 Then the king said to Haman, “Quickly, take the robe and the horse just as you have said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate; do not fail to do anything of all that you have said.” 11 So Haman took the robe and the horse, and dressed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “So it shall be done for the man whom the king desires to honor.”
12 Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate, while Haman hurried home, mourning, (J)with his head covered. 13 And Haman informed (K)Zeresh his wife and all his friends of everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is [d]of Jewish origin, you will not prevail over him, but will certainly fall before him.”
14 While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and quickly (L)brought Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.
Paul in Ephesus
19 Now it happened that while (A)Apollos was in (B)Corinth, Paul passed through the (C)upper country and came to (D)Ephesus, and found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “(E)Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “On the contrary, (F)we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “(G)Into John’s baptism.” 4 Paul said, “(H)John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people (I)to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were (J)baptized [a]in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had (K)laid hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they began (L)speaking with tongues and (M)prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 And he entered (N)the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, having discussions and persuading them (O)about the kingdom of God. 9 But when (P)some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of [b](Q)the Way before the [c]people, he withdrew from them and took (R)the disciples away with him, and had discussions daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10 This took place for (S)two years, so that all who lived in [d](T)Asia heard (U)the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
The Temptation of Jesus
4 (A)Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, (B)returned from the Jordan and was led around [a]by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for (C)forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written: ‘(D)Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
5 (E)And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of [b](F)the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and [c]its glory, (G)for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I want. 7 Therefore if You [d]worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” 8 Jesus replied to him, “It is written: ‘(H)You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
9 (I)And he brought Him into Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10 for it is written:
‘(J)He will give His angels orders concerning You, to protect You,’
11 and,
‘(K)On their hands they will lift You up,
So that You do not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been stated, ‘(L)You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
13 And so when the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.
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