Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 140[a]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
140 O Lord, rescue me from wicked men.[b]
Protect me from violent men,[c]
2 who plan ways to harm me.[d]
All day long they stir up conflict.[e]
3 Their tongues wound like a serpent;[f]
a viper’s[g] venom is behind[h] their lips. (Selah)
4 O Lord, shelter me from the power[i] of the wicked.
Protect me from violent men,
who plan to knock me over.[j]
5 Proud men hide a snare for me;
evil men[k] spread a net by the path.
They set traps for me. (Selah)
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
O Lord, pay attention to my plea for mercy.
7 O Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer,[l]
you shield[m] my head in the day of battle.
8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way.[n]
Do not allow their[o] plan to succeed when they attack.[p] (Selah)
9 As for the heads of those who surround me—
may the harm done by[q] their lips overwhelm them.
10 May he rain down[r] fiery coals upon them.
May he throw them into the fire.
From bottomless pits they will not escape.[s]
11 A slanderer[t] will not endure on[u] the earth;
calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down.[v]
12 I know[w] that the Lord defends the cause of the oppressed
and vindicates the poor.[x]
13 Certainly the godly will give thanks to your name;
the morally upright will live in your presence.
Psalm 142[a]
A well-written song[b] by David, when he was in the cave;[c] a prayer.
142 To the Lord I cry out;[d]
to the Lord I plead for mercy.[e]
2 I pour out my lament before him;
I tell him about[f] my troubles.
3 Even when my strength leaves me,[g]
you watch my footsteps.[h]
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see.
No one cares about me.[i]
I have nowhere to run;[j]
no one is concerned about my life.[k]
5 I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my security[l] in the land of the living.”
6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble.[m]
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
7 Free me[n] from prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.
Because of me the godly will assemble,[o]
for you will vindicate me.[p]
Psalm 141[a]
A psalm of David.
141 O Lord, I cry out to you. Come quickly to me.
Pay attention to me when I cry out to you.
2 May you accept my prayer like incense,
my uplifted hands like the evening offering.[b]
3 O Lord, place a guard on my mouth.
Protect the opening[c] of my lips.[d]
4 Do not let me have evil desires,[e]
or participate in sinful activities
with men who behave wickedly.[f]
I will not eat their delicacies.[g]
5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me.
May my head not refuse[h] choice oil.[i]
Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds.[j]
6 They will be thrown over the side of a cliff by their judges.[k]
They[l] will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil,[m]
so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
8 Surely I am looking to you,[n] O Sovereign Lord.
In you I take shelter.
Do not expose me to danger.[o]
9 Protect me from the snare they have laid for me,
and the traps the evildoers have set.[p]
10 Let the wicked fall[q] into their[r] own nets,
while I escape.[s]
Psalm 143[a]
A psalm of David.
143 O Lord, hear my prayer.
Pay attention to my plea for help.
Because of your faithfulness and justice, answer me.
2 Do not sit in judgment on[b] your servant,
for no one alive is innocent before you.[c]
3 Certainly[d] my enemies[e] chase me.
They smash me into the ground.[f]
They force me to live[g] in dark regions,[h]
like those who have been dead for ages.
4 My strength leaves me;[i]
I am absolutely shocked.[j]
5 I recall the old days.[k]
I meditate on all you have done;
I reflect on your accomplishments.[l]
6 I spread my hands out to you in prayer;[m]
my soul thirsts for you in a parched[n] land.[o] (Selah)
7 Answer me quickly, Lord.
My strength is fading.[p]
Do not reject me,[q]
or I will join[r] those descending into the grave.[s]
8 May I hear about your loyal love in the morning,[t]
for I trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,[u]
because I long for you.[v]
9 Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord.
I run to you for protection.[w]
10 Teach me to do what pleases you,[x]
for you are my God.
May your kind presence[y]
lead me[z] into a level land.[aa]
11 O Lord, for the sake of your reputation,[ab] revive me.[ac]
Because of your justice, rescue me from trouble.[ad]
12 As a demonstration of your loyal love,[ae] destroy my enemies.
Annihilate[af] all who threaten my life,[ag]
for I am your servant.
9 Listen to this, you leaders of the family[a] of Jacob,
you rulers of the nation[b] of Israel!
You[c] hate justice
and pervert all that is right.
10 You[d] build Zion through bloody crimes,[e]
Jerusalem through unjust violence.
11 Her[f] leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases,[g]
her priests proclaim rulings for profit,
and her prophets read omens for pay.
Yet they claim to trust[h] the Lord and say,
“The Lord is among us.[i]
Disaster will not overtake[j] us!”
12 Therefore, because of you,[k] Zion will be plowed up like[l] a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
and the Temple Mount[m] will become a hill overgrown with brush![n]
Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem
4 And in future days[o] the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all;[p]
it will be more prominent than other hills.[q]
People will stream to it.
2 Many nations will come, saying,
“Come on! Let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain,
to the temple of Jacob’s God,
so he can teach us his ways
and we can live by his laws.”[r]
For instruction will proceed from Zion,
the Lord’s message from Jerusalem.
3 He will arbitrate[s] between many peoples
and settle disputes between many[t] distant nations.[u]
They will beat their swords into plowshares,[v]
and their spears into pruning hooks.[w]
Nations will not use weapons[x] against other nations,
and they will no longer train for war.
4 Each will sit under his own grapevine
or under his own fig tree without any fear.[y]
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has decreed it.[z]
5 Though all the nations follow their respective gods,[aa]
we will follow[ab] the Lord our God forever.
Paul Speaks Repeatedly to Felix
24 Some days later, when Felix[a] arrived with his wife Drusilla,[b] who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak[c] about faith in Christ Jesus.[d] 25 While Paul[e] was discussing[f] righteousness, self-control,[g] and the coming judgment, Felix[h] became[i] frightened and said, “Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity,[j] I will send for you.” 26 At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would give him money,[k] and for this reason he sent for Paul[l] as often as possible[m] and talked[n] with him. 27 After two years[o] had passed, Porcius Festus[p] succeeded Felix,[q] and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.[r]
Paul Appeals to Caesar
25 Now[s] three days after Festus[t] arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.[u] 2 So the chief priests and the most prominent men[v] of the Jews brought formal charges[w] against Paul to him. 3 Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul,[x] they urged Festus[y] to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush[z] to kill him along the way. 4 Then Festus[aa] replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea,[ab] and he himself intended to go there[ac] shortly. 5 “So,” he said, “let your leaders[ad] go down there[ae] with me, and if this man has done anything wrong,[af] they may bring charges[ag] against him.”
6 After Festus[ah] had stayed[ai] not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea,[aj] and the next day he sat[ak] on the judgment seat[al] and ordered Paul to be brought. 7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him,[am] bringing many serious[an] charges that they were not able to prove.[ao] 8 Paul said in his defense,[ap] “I have committed no offense[aq] against the Jewish law[ar] or against the temple or against Caesar.”[as] 9 But Festus,[at] wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried[au] before me there on these charges?”[av] 10 Paul replied,[aw] “I am standing before Caesar’s[ax] judgment seat,[ay] where I should be tried.[az] I have done nothing wrong[ba] to the Jews, as you also know very well.[bb] 11 If then I am in the wrong[bc] and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying,[bd] but if not one of their charges against me is true,[be] no one can hand me over to them.[bf] I appeal to Caesar!”[bg] 12 Then, after conferring with his council,[bh] Festus[bi] replied, “You have appealed to Caesar;[bj] to Caesar[bk] you will go!”[bl]
Jesus’ Ministry and the Help of Women
8 Some time[a] afterward[b] he went on through towns[c] and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news[d] of the kingdom of God.[e] The[f] twelve were with him, 2 and also some women[g] who had been healed of evil spirits and disabilities:[h] Mary[i] (called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna the wife of Cuza[j] (Herod’s[k] household manager),[l] Susanna, and many others who provided for them[m] out of their own resources.
The Parable of the Sower
4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus[n] from one town after another,[o] he spoke to them[p] in a parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow[q] his seed.[r] And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled on, and the wild birds[s] devoured it. 6 Other seed fell on rock,[t] and when it came up, it withered because it had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns,[u] and they grew up with it and choked[v] it. 8 But[w] other seed fell on good soil and grew,[x] and it produced a hundred times as much grain.”[y] As he said this,[z] he called out, “The one who has ears to hear had better listen!”[aa]
9 Then[ab] his disciples asked him what this parable meant.[ac] 10 He[ad] said, “You have been given[ae] the opportunity to know[af] the secrets[ag] of the kingdom of God,[ah] but for others they are in parables, so that although they see they may not see, and although they hear they may not understand.[ai]
11 “Now the parable means[aj] this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who have heard; then the devil[ak] comes and takes away the word[al] from their hearts, so that they may not believe[am] and be saved. 13 Those[an] on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while,[ao] but[ap] in a time of testing[aq] fall away.[ar] 14 As for the seed that[as] fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but[at] as they go on their way they are choked[au] by the worries and riches and pleasures of life,[av] and their fruit does not mature.[aw] 15 But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after hearing[ax] the word, cling to it[ay] with an honest and good[az] heart, and bear fruit with steadfast endurance.[ba]
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