Book of Common Prayer
97 Oh, how I love your teachings!
They are in my thoughts all day long.
98 Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
because your commandments are always with me.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
because your written instructions are in my thoughts.
100 I have more wisdom than those with many years of experience,
because I have obeyed your guiding principles.
101 I have kept my feet from walking on any evil path
in order to obey your word.
102 I have not neglected your regulations,
because you have taught me.
103 How sweet the taste of your promise is!
It tastes sweeter than honey.
104 From your guiding principles I gain understanding.
That is why I hate every path that leads to lying.
105 Your word is a lamp for my feet
and a light for my path.
106 I took an oath, and I will keep it.
I took an oath to follow your regulations,
which are based on your righteousness.
107 I have suffered so much.
Give me a new life, O Yahweh, as you promised.
108 Please accept the praise I gladly give you, O Yahweh,
and teach me your regulations.
109 I always take my life into my own hands,
but I never forget your teachings.
110 Wicked people have set a trap for me,
but I have never wandered away from your guiding principles.
111 Your written instructions are mine forever.
They are the joy of my heart.
112 I have decided to obey your laws.
They offer a reward that never ends.
113 I hate two-faced people,
but I love your teachings.
114 You are my hiding place and my shield.
My hope is based on your word.
115 Get away from me, you evildoers,
so that I can obey the commandments of my Elohim.
116 Help me Elohim, as you promised, so that I may live.
Do not turn my hope into disappointment.
117 Hold me, and I will be safe,
and I will always respect your laws.
118 You reject all who wander away from your laws,
because their lies mislead them.[a]
119 You get rid of all wicked people on earth as if they were rubbish.
That is why I love your written instructions.
120 My body shudders in fear of you,
and I am afraid of your regulations.
Psalm 81
For the choir director; on the gittith;[a] by Asaph.
1 Sing joyfully to Elohim, our strength.
Shout happily to the Elohim of Jacob.
2 Begin a psalm, and strike a tambourine.
Play lyres and harps with their pleasant music.
3 Blow the ram’s horn on the day of the new moon,
on the day of the full moon,
on our festival days.
4 This is a law for Israel,
a legal decision from the Elohim of Jacob.
5 These are the instructions Elohim set in place for Joseph
when Joseph rose to power over Egypt.
I heard a message I did not understand:
6 “I removed the burden from his shoulder.
His hands were freed from the basket.
7 When you were in trouble, you called out to me, and I rescued you.
I was hidden in thunder, but I answered you.
I tested your loyalty at the oasis of Meribah. Selah
8 Listen, my people, and I will warn you.
Israel, if you would only listen to me!
9 Never keep any strange god among you.
Never worship a foreign god.
10 I am Yahweh your Elohim, the one who brought you out of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 “But my people did not listen to me.
Israel wanted nothing to do with me.
12 So I let them go their own stubborn ways
and follow their own advice.
13 If only my people would listen to me!
If only Israel would follow me!
14 I would quickly defeat their enemies.
I would turn my power against their foes.
15 Those who hate Yahweh would cringe in front of him,
and their time for punishment would last forever.
16 But I would feed Israel with the finest wheat
and satisfy them with honey from a rock.”
Psalm 82
A psalm by Asaph.
1 Elohim takes his place in his own assembly.
He pronounces judgment among the gods:
2 “How long are you going to judge unfairly?
How long are you going to side with wicked people?” Selah
3 Defend weak people and orphans.
Protect the rights of the oppressed and the poor.
4 Rescue weak and needy people.
Help them escape the power of wicked people.
5 Wicked people do not know or understand anything.
As they walk around in the dark,
all the foundations of the earth shake.
6 I said, “You are gods.
You are all sons of Elyon.
7 You will certainly die like humans
and fall like any prince.”
8 Arise, O Elohim!
Judge the earth, because all the nations belong to you.
The Lord Invites the People to Return to Him
12 “But even now,” declares Yahweh,
“return to me with all your heart—
with fasting, crying, and mourning.”
13 Tear your hearts, not your clothes.
Return to Yahweh your Elohim.
He is merciful and compassionate,
patient, and always ready to forgive
and to change his plans about disaster.
14 Who knows?
He may reconsider and change his plan
and leave a blessing for you.
Then you could give grain offerings and wine offerings
to Yahweh your Elohim.
15 Blow the ram’s horn in Zion.
Schedule a time to fast.
Call for an assembly.
16 Gather the people.
Prepare them for a holy meeting.
Assemble the leaders.
Gather the children, even the nursing infants.
Grooms leave their rooms.
Brides leave their chambers.
17 The priests who serve Yahweh cry
between the altar and the entrance to the temple.
They say,
“Spare your people, O Yahweh.
Don’t let the people who belong to you become a disgrace.
Don’t let the nations ridicule them.
Why should people ask, ‘Where is their Elohim?’”
The Lord Will Give Earthly Blessings to His People
18 Then Yahweh became concerned about his land,
and he had pity on his people.
19 Yahweh said to his people,
“I am going to send grain, new wine, and olive oil to you.
You will be satisfied with them.
I will no longer make you a disgrace among the nations.
The Great Banquet of God
11 I saw heaven standing open. There was a white horse, and its rider is named Faithful and True. With integrity he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are flames of fire. On his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him, but only he knows what it is. 13 He wears clothes dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.
14 The armies of heaven, wearing pure, white linen, follow him on white horses. 15 A sharp sword comes out of his mouth to defeat the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter and tread the winepress of the fierce anger of God Almighty. 16 On his clothes and his thigh he has a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
17 I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come! Gather for the great banquet of God. 18 Eat the flesh of kings, generals, warriors, horses and their riders, and all free people and slaves, both important or insignificant people.”
19 I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 The beast and the false prophet who had done miracles for the beast were captured. By these miracles the false prophet had deceived those who had the brand of the beast and worshiped its statue. Both of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rider on the horse killed the rest with the sword that came out of his mouth. All the birds gorged themselves on the flesh of those who had been killed.
The Lost Sheep(A)
15 All the tax collectors and sinners came to listen to Yeshua. 2 But the Pharisees and the experts in Moses’ Teachings complained, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Yeshua spoke to them using this illustration: 4 “Suppose a man has 100 sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the 99 sheep grazing in the pasture and look for the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 When he finds it, he’s happy. He puts that sheep on his shoulders and 6 goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says to them, ‘Let’s celebrate! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ 7 I can guarantee that there will be more happiness in heaven over one person who turns to God and changes the way he thinks and acts than over 99 people who already have turned to God and have his approval.”
The Lost Coin
8 “Suppose a woman has ten coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house, and look for the coin carefully until she finds it? 9 When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Let’s celebrate! I’ve found the coin that I lost.’ 10 So I can guarantee that God’s angels are happy about one person who turns to God and changes the way he thinks and acts.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.