Book of Common Prayer
In God I Trust
To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A (A)Miktam[a] of David, when the (B)Philistines seized him in Gath.
56 (C)Be gracious to me, O God, for man (D)tramples on me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many attack me proudly.
3 When I am afraid,
I (E)put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; (F)I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?
5 All day long they injure my cause;[b]
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They (G)stir up strife, they (H)lurk;
they (I)watch my steps,
as they have waited for my life.
7 For their crime will they escape?
(J)In wrath (K)cast down the peoples, O God!
8 You have kept count of my tossings;[c]
(L)put my tears in your bottle.
(M)Are they not in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
(N)in the day when I call.
This I know, that[d] (O)God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; (P)I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 I must perform my (Q)vows to you, O God;
I will (R)render thank offerings to you.
13 (S)For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
(T)that I may walk before God
(U)in the light of life.
Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth
To the choirmaster: according to (V)Do Not Destroy. A (W)Miktam[e] of David, when he fled from Saul, in (X)the cave.
57 (Y)Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul (Z)takes refuge;
in (AA)the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
(AB)till the storms of destruction pass by.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God who (AC)fulfills his purpose for me.
3 (AD)He will send from heaven and save me;
he will put to shame (AE)him who tramples on me. Selah
(AF)God will send out (AG)his steadfast love and his faithfulness!
4 My soul is in the midst of (AH)lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose (AI)teeth are spears and arrows,
whose (AJ)tongues are sharp swords.
5 (AK)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
6 They set (AL)a net for my steps;
my soul was (AM)bowed down.
They (AN)dug a pit in my way,
but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 (AO)My heart is (AP)steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
8 (AQ)Awake, (AR)my glory![f]
Awake, (AS)O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your (AT)steadfast love is great to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
11 (AU)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
God Who Judges the Earth
To the choirmaster: according to (AV)Do Not Destroy. A (AW)Miktam[g] of David.
58 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?[h]
Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands (AX)deal out violence on earth.
3 The wicked are (AY)estranged from the womb;
they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
4 (AZ)They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5 so that it (BA)does not hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.
6 O God, (BB)break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7 Let them (BC)vanish like water that runs away;
when he (BD)aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
8 Let them be like the snail (BE)that dissolves into slime,
like (BF)the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of (BG)thorns,
whether green or ablaze, may he (BH)sweep them away![i]
Hide Me from the Wicked
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
64 Hear my voice, O God, in my (A)complaint;
preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
2 Hide me from (B)the secret plots of the wicked,
from the throng of evildoers,
3 who (C)whet their tongues like swords,
who (D)aim bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting from (E)ambush at the blameless,
shooting at him suddenly and (F)without fear.
5 They (G)hold fast to their evil purpose;
they talk of (H)laying snares secretly,
thinking, (I)“Who can see them?”
6 They search out injustice,
saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”
For (J)the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.
7 (K)But God shoots his arrow at them;
they are wounded suddenly.
8 They are brought to ruin, with their own (L)tongues turned against them;
all who (M)see them will (N)wag their heads.
9 Then all mankind (O)fears;
they (P)tell what God has brought about
and ponder what he has done.
10 Let (Q)the righteous one rejoice in the Lord
and (R)take refuge in him!
Let all (S)the upright in heart exult!
O God of Our Salvation
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.
65 Praise (T)is due to you,[a] O God, in Zion,
and to you shall (U)vows be performed.
2 O you who (V)hear prayer,
to you (W)shall all flesh come.
3 When (X)iniquities prevail against me,
you (Y)atone for our transgressions.
4 (Z)Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to (AA)dwell in your courts!
We shall be (AB)satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!
5 By (AC)awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all (AD)the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas;
6 the one who by his strength established the mountains,
being (AE)girded with might;
7 who (AF)stills the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
(AG)the tumult of the peoples,
8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and (AH)water it;[b]
you greatly enrich it;
(AI)the river of God is full of water;
(AJ)you provide their grain,
for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with (AK)showers,
and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks (AL)overflow with abundance.
12 (AM)The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills (AN)gird themselves with joy,
13 (AO)the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they (AP)shout and sing together for joy.
The Lamb and the 144,000
14 Then I looked, and behold, on (A)Mount Zion (B)stood the Lamb, and with him (C)144,000 who (D)had his name and his Father's name written (E)on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven (F)like the roar of many waters and (G)like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of (H)harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing (I)a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. (J)No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for (K)they are virgins. It is these (L)who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as (M)firstfruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and (N)in their mouth no lie was found, for they are (O)blameless.
The Messages of the Three Angels
6 Then I saw another angel (P)flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to (Q)those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 And he said with a loud voice, (R)“Fear God and (S)give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and (T)worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the (U)springs of water.”
8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, (V)“Fallen, fallen is (W)Babylon the great, (X)she who made all nations drink (Y)the wine of the passion[a] of her sexual immorality.”
9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone (Z)worships the beast and its image and receives (AA)a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink (AB)the wine of God's wrath, (AC)poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and (AD)he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And (AE)the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and (AF)they have no rest, day or night, these (AG)worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
12 (AH)Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who (AI)keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.[b]
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: (AJ)Blessed are the dead (AK)who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, (AL)“that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”
Not Peace, but Division
49 (A)“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50 (B)I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how (C)great is my distress until it is accomplished! 51 (D)Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? (E)No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, (F)father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Interpreting the Time
54 He also said to the crowds, (G)“When you see (H)a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And (I)when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be (J)scorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! (K)You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
Settle with Your Accuser
57 “And why (L)do you not judge (M)for yourselves what is right? 58 (N)As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. 59 I tell you, (O)you will never get out until you have paid the very last (P)penny.”[a]
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.