Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 56
For the choir director; according to yonath elem rechokim;[a] a miktam by David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.
1 Have pity on me, O Elohim, because people are harassing me.
All day long warriors oppress me.
2 All day long my enemies spy on me.
They harass me.
There are so many fighting against me.
3 Even when I am afraid, I still trust you.
4 I praise the word of Elohim.
I trust Elohim.
I am not afraid.
What can mere flesh and blood do to me?
5 All day long my enemies twist my words.
Their every thought is an evil plan against me.
6 They attack, and then they hide.
They watch my every step as they wait to take my life.
7 With the wrong they do, can they escape?
O Elohim, angrily make the nations fall.
8 (You have kept a record of my wanderings.
Put my tears in your bottle.
They are already in your book.)
9 Then my enemies will retreat when I call to you.
This I know: Elohim is on my side.
10 I praise the word of Elohim.
I praise the word of Yahweh.
11 I trust Elohim.
I am not afraid.
What can mortals do to me?
12 I am bound by my vows to you, O Elohim.
I will keep my vows by offering songs of thanksgiving to you.
13 You have rescued me from death.
You have kept my feet from stumbling
so that I could walk in Elohim’s presence, in the light of life.
Psalm 57
For the choir director; al tashcheth;[b] a miktam by David when he fled from Saul into the cave.
1 Have pity on me, O Elohim. Have pity on me,
because my soul takes refuge in you.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until destructive storms pass by.
2 I call to Elohim Elyon,
to El who does everything for me.
3 He sends his help from heaven and saves me.
He disgraces the one who is harassing me. Selah
Elohim sends his mercy and his truth!
4 My soul is surrounded by lions.
I must lie down with man-eating lions.
Their teeth are spears and arrows.
Their tongues are sharp swords.
5 May you be honored above the heavens, O Elohim.
Let your glory extend over the whole earth.
6 My enemies spread out a net to catch me.
(My soul is bowed down.)[c]
They dug a pit to trap me,
but then they fell into it. Selah
7 My heart is confident, O Elohim.
My heart is confident.
I want to sing and make music.[d]
8 Wake up, my soul![e]
Wake up, harp and lyre!
I want to wake up at dawn.
9 I want to give thanks to you among the people, O Adonay.
I want to make music to praise you among the nations
10 because your mercy is as high as the heavens.
Your truth reaches the skies.
11 May you be honored above the heavens, O Elohim.
Let your glory extend over the whole earth.
Psalm 58
For the choir director; al tashcheth; a miktam by David.
1 Do you rulers really give fair verdicts?
Do you judge Adam’s descendants fairly?
2 No, you invent new crimes on earth,
and your hands spread violence.
3 Even inside the womb wicked people are strangers to God.
From their birth liars go astray.
4 They have poisonous venom like snakes.
They are like a deaf cobra that shuts its ears
5 so that it cannot hear the voice of a snake charmer
or of anyone trained to cast spells.
6 O Elohim, knock the teeth out of their mouths.
Break the young lions’ teeth, O Yahweh.
7 Let them disappear like water that drains away.
When they aim their bows, let their arrows miss the target.[f]
8 Let them become like a snail that leaves behind a slimy trail
or like a stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9 Let God sweep them away
faster than a cooking pot is heated by burning twigs.[g]
10 Righteous people will rejoice when they see God take revenge.
They will wash their feet in the blood of wicked people.
11 Then people will say,
“Righteous people certainly have a reward.
There is an Elohim who judges on earth.”
Psalm 64
For the choir director; a psalm by David.
1 Hear my voice, O Elohim, when I complain.
Protect my life from a terrifying enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of criminals,
from the mob of troublemakers.
3 They sharpen their tongues like swords.
They aim bitter words like arrows
4 to shoot at innocent people from their hiding places.
They shoot at them suddenly, without any fear.
5 They encourage one another in their evil plans.
They talk about setting traps and say,
“Who can see them?”
6 They search for the perfect crime and say,
“We have perfected a foolproof scheme!”
Human nature and the human heart are a mystery!
7 But Elohim will shoot them with an arrow.
Suddenly, they will be struck dead.
8 They will trip over their own tongues.
Everyone who sees them will shake his head.
9 Everyone will be afraid and conclude,
“This is an act of Elohim!”
They will learn from what he has done.
10 Righteous people will find joy in Yahweh and take refuge in him.
Everyone whose motives are decent will be able to brag.
Psalm 65
For the choir director; a psalm by David; a song.
1 You are praised with silence in Zion, O Elohim,
and vows made to you must be kept.
2 You are the one who hears prayers.
Everyone will come to you.
3 Various sins overwhelm me.
You are the one who forgives our rebellious acts.
4 Blessed is the person you choose
and invite to live with you in your courtyards.
We will be filled with good food from your house,
from your holy temple.
5 You answer us with awe-inspiring acts done in righteousness,
O Elohim, our savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the most distant sea,
6 the one who set the mountains in place with his strength,
the one who is clothed with power,
7 the one who calms the roar of the seas,
their crashing waves,
and the uproar of the nations.
8 Those who live at the ends of the earth are in awe of your miraculous signs.
The lands of the morning sunrise and evening sunset sing joyfully.
9 You take care of the earth, and you water it.
You make it much richer than it was.
(The river of Elohim is filled with water.)
You provide grain for them.
Indeed, you even prepare the ground.
10 You drench plowed fields with rain
and level their clumps of soil.
You soften them with showers
and bless what grows in them.
11 You crown the year with your goodness,
and richness overflows wherever you are.
12 The pastures in the desert overflow with richness.
The hills are surrounded with joy.
13 The pastures are covered with flocks.
The valleys are carpeted with grain.
All of them shout triumphantly. Indeed, they sing.
The New Song on Mount Zion
14 I looked, and the lamb was standing on Mount Zion. There were 144,000 people with him who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 Then I heard a sound from heaven like the noise of raging water and the noise of loud thunder. The sound I heard was like the music played by harpists. 3 They were singing a new song in front of the throne, the four living creatures, and the leaders. Only the 144,000 people who had been bought on earth could learn the song.
4 These 144,000 virgins are pure. They follow the lamb wherever he goes. They were bought from among humanity as the first ones offered to God and to the lamb. 5 They’ve never told a lie. They are blameless.
The Harvest of the Earth
6 I saw another angel flying overhead with the everlasting Good News to spread to those who live on earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 The angel said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the time has come for him to judge. Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs.”
8 Another angel, a second one, followed him, and said, “Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! She has made all the nations drink the wine of her passionate sexual sins.”
9 Another angel, a third one, followed them, and said in a loud voice, “Whoever worships the beast or its statue, whoever is branded on his forehead or his hand, 10 will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured unmixed into the cup of God’s anger. Then he will be tortured by fiery sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the lamb. 11 The smoke from their torture will go up forever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast or its statue, or for anyone branded with its name.” 12 In this situation God’s holy people, who obey his commands and keep their faith in Yeshua, need endurance.
13 I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: From now on those who die believing in the Lord are blessed.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit. “Let them rest from their hard work. What they have done goes with them.”
Jesus Will Cause Conflict
49 “I have come to throw fire on the earth. I wish that it had already started! 50 I have a baptism to go through, and I will suffer until it is over.
51 “Do you think I came to bring peace to earth? No! I can guarantee that I came to bring nothing but division. 52 From now on a family of five will be divided. Three will be divided against two and two against three. 53 A father will be against his son and a son against his father. A mother will be against her daughter and a daughter against her mother. A mother-in-law will be against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
Use Good Judgment
54 Yeshua said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud coming up in the west, you immediately say, ‘There’s going to be a rainstorm,’ and it happens. 55 When you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and that’s what happens. 56 You hypocrites! You can forecast the weather by judging the appearance of earth and sky. But for some reason you don’t know how to judge the time in which you’re living. 57 So why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 For instance, when an opponent brings you to court in front of a ruler, do your best to settle with him before you get there. Otherwise, he will drag you in front of a judge. The judge will hand you over to an officer who will throw you into prison. 59 I can guarantee that you won’t get out until you pay every penny of your fine.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.