Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 140
Prayer for Rescue
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 Rescue me, Lord, from evil men.
Keep me safe from violent men(A)
2 who plan evil in their hearts.
They stir up wars all day long.(B)
3 They make their tongues
as sharp as a snake’s bite;
viper’s venom is under their lips.(C)Selah
4 Protect me, Lord,
from the power of the wicked.(D)
Keep me safe from violent men
who plan to make me stumble.[a](E)
5 The proud hide a trap with ropes for me;
they spread a net along the path
and set snares for me.(F)Selah
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Listen, Lord, to my cry for help.(G)
7 Lord, my Lord, my strong Savior,
you shield my head on the day of battle.(H)
8 Lord, do not grant the desires of the wicked;
do not let them achieve their goals.
Otherwise, they will become proud.(I)Selah
Psalm 142
A Cry of Distress
A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave.(A) A prayer.
1 I cry aloud to the Lord;(B)
I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy.(C)
2 I pour out my complaint before him;
I reveal my trouble to him.(D)
3 Although my spirit is weak within me,
you know my way.(E)
Along this path I travel
they have hidden a trap for me.(F)
4 Look to the right and see:[a]
no one stands up for me;
there is no refuge for me;
no one cares about me.(G)
5 I cry to you, Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my portion in the land of the living.”(H)
6 Listen to my cry,
for I am very weak.(I)
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.(J)
7 Free me from prison
so that I can praise your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because you deal generously with me.(K)
Psalm 141
Protection from Sin and Sinners
A psalm of David.
1 Lord, I call on you; hurry to help me.
Listen to my voice when I call on you.(A)
2 May my prayer be set before you as incense,(B)
the raising of my hands as the evening offering.(C)
3 Lord, set up a guard for my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips.(D)
4 Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing
or perform wicked acts with evildoers.
Do not let me feast on their delicacies.(E)
5 Let the righteous one strike me—
it is an act of faithful love;
let him rebuke me—
it is oil for my head;
let me[a] not refuse it.(F)
Even now my prayer is against
the evil acts of the wicked.[b](G)
6 When their rulers[c] will be thrown off
the sides of a cliff,
the people[d] will listen to my words,
for they are pleasing.(H)
Psalm 143
A Cry for Help
A psalm of David.
1 Lord, hear my prayer.
In your faithfulness listen to my plea,
and in your righteousness answer me.(A)
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment,(B)
for no one alive is righteous in your sight.(C)
3 For the enemy has pursued me,
crushing me to the ground,
making me live in darkness
like those long dead.(D)
4 My spirit is weak within me;
my heart is overcome with dismay.(E)
5 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all you have done;
I reflect on the work of your hands.(F)
6 I spread out my hands to you;
I am like parched land before you.(G)Selah
7 Answer me quickly, Lord;
my spirit fails.(H)
Don’t hide your face from me,
or I will be like those
going down to the Pit.(I)
8 Let me experience
your faithful love in the morning,
for I trust in you.(J)
Reveal to me the way I should go
because I appeal to you.(K)
9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord;
I come to you for protection.[a](L)
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.(M)
May your gracious Spirit
lead me on level ground.(N)
Zion’s Destruction
9 Listen to this, leaders of the house of Jacob,(A)
you rulers of the house of Israel,
who abhor justice(B)
and pervert everything that is right,
10 who build Zion with bloodshed(C)
and Jerusalem with injustice.
11 Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe,(D)
her priests teach for payment,(E)
and her prophets practice divination for silver.
Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,
“Isn’t the Lord(F) among us?
No disaster will overtake us.”
12 Therefore, because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become ruins,(G)
and the temple’s mountain(H)
will be a high thicket.(I)
The Lord’s Rule from Restored Zion
4 In the last days(J)
the mountain of the Lord’s house(K)
will be established
at the top of the mountains
and will be raised above the hills.
Peoples will stream to it,(L)
2 and many nations will come and say,(M)
“Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord,(N)
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us about his ways(O)
so we may walk in his paths.”
For instruction will go out of Zion(P)
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He will settle disputes among many peoples(Q)
and provide arbitration for strong nations
that are far away.
They will beat their swords into plows
and their spears into pruning knives.
Nation will not take up the sword against nation,
and they will never again train for war.
4 But each person will sit under his grapevine(R)
and under his fig tree
with no one to frighten him.(S)
For the mouth of the Lord(T) of Armies
has spoken.
5 Though all the peoples walk
in the name of their own gods,(U)
we will walk(V) in the name of the Lord our God
forever and ever.(W)
24 Several days later, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and listened to him on the subject of faith in Christ Jesus. 25 Now as he spoke about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come,(A) Felix became afraid and replied, “Leave for now, but when I have an opportunity I’ll call for you.” 26 At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would offer him money.[a] So he sent for him quite often and conversed with him.
27 After two years had passed, Porcius Festus(B) succeeded Felix, and because Felix wanted to do the Jews a favor,(C) he left Paul in prison.(D)
Appeal to Caesar
25 Three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.(E) 2 The chief priests and the leaders of the Jews presented their case against Paul to him; and they appealed,(F) 3 asking for a favor against Paul, that Festus summon him to Jerusalem. They were, in fact, preparing an ambush along the road to kill him. 4 Festus, however, answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to go there shortly.(G) 5 “Therefore,” he said, “let those of you who have authority go down with me and accuse him, if he has done anything wrong.”
6 When he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea. The next day, seated at the tribunal, he commanded Paul to be brought in.(H) 7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him and brought many serious charges that they were not able to prove.(I) 8 Then Paul made his defense: “Neither against the Jewish law,(J) nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I sinned in any way.”
9 But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor,(K) replied to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be tried before me there on these charges?”
10 Paul replied, “I am standing at Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as even you yourself know very well. 11 If then I did anything wrong and am deserving of death, I am not trying to escape death; but if there is nothing to what these men accuse me of, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar!” (L)
12 Then after Festus conferred with his council, he replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go.”
Many Women Support Christ’s Work
8 Afterward he was traveling from one town and village to another,(A) preaching and telling the good news of the kingdom of God.(B) The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses:(C) Mary, called Magdalene (seven demons had come out(D) of her); 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward; Susanna; and many others who were supporting them from their possessions.
The Parable of the Sower
4 As a large crowd was gathering, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, he said in a parable,(E) 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it. 6 Other seed fell on the rock; when it grew up, it withered away, since it lacked moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 Still other seed fell on good ground; when it grew up, it produced fruit: a hundred times what was sown.”(F) As he said this, he called out, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”(G)
Why Jesus Used Parables
9 Then his disciples asked him, “What does this parable mean?” (H) 10 So he said, “The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given for you(I) to know, but to the rest it is in parables, so that
The Parable of the Sower Explained
11 “This is the meaning of the parable:(K) The seed is the word of God.(L) 12 The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy. Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing.(M) 14 As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life,(N) and produce no mature fruit. 15 But the seed in the good ground—these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring,(O) produce fruit.
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