Book of Common Prayer
Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet
Aleph
119 [a] Blessed are those whose (A)way is blameless,
who (B)walk in the law of the Lord!
2 Blessed are those who (C)keep his (D)testimonies,
who (E)seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also (F)do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
4 You have commanded your (G)precepts
to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may (H)be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
6 (I)Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn (J)your righteous rules.[b]
8 I will keep your statutes;
(K)do not utterly forsake me!
Beth
9 How can (L)a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10 (M)With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not (N)wander from your commandments!
11 I have (O)stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord;
(P)teach me your statutes!
13 With my lips I (Q)declare
all the rules[c] of your mouth.
14 In the way of your testimonies I (R)delight
as much as in all (S)riches.
15 I will (T)meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your (U)ways.
16 I will (V)delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.
Gimel
17 (W)Deal bountifully with your servant,
(X)that I may live and keep your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.
19 I am (Y)a sojourner on the earth;
(Z)hide not your commandments from me!
20 My soul is consumed with (AA)longing
for your rules[d] at all times.
21 You rebuke (AB)the insolent, (AC)accursed ones,
who (AD)wander from your commandments.
22 Take away from me (AE)scorn and contempt,
(AF)for I have kept your testimonies.
23 Even though (AG)princes sit plotting against me,
your servant will (AH)meditate on your statutes.
24 Your testimonies are my (AI)delight;
they are my (AJ)counselors.
The Faithful Have Vanished
To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith.[a] A Psalm of David.
12 Save, O Lord, for (A)the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
2 Everyone (B)utters lies to his neighbor;
with (C)flattering lips and (D)a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all (E)flattering lips,
the tongue that makes (F)great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
our lips are with us; who is master over us?”
5 “Because (G)the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
(H)I will now arise,” says the Lord;
“I will place him in the (I)safety for which he longs.”
6 (J)The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
7 You, O Lord, will keep them;
you will guard us[b] from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.
How Long, O Lord?
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
13 (K)How long, O Lord? Will you (L)forget me forever?
How long will you (M)hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take (N)counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 (O)Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
(P)light up my eyes, lest (Q)I sleep the sleep of death,
4 (R)lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am (S)shaken.
5 But I have (T)trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall (U)rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
The Fool Says, There Is No God
To the choirmaster. Of David.
14 (V)The (W)fool says in his heart, (X)“There is no God.”
They are (Y)corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
(Z)there is none who does good.
2 The Lord (AA)looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,[c]
who (AB)seek after God.
3 They have all turned aside; together they have become (AC)corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
4 Have they no (AD)knowledge, all the evildoers
who (AE)eat up my people as they eat bread
and (AF)do not call upon the Lord?
5 There they are in great terror,
for God is with (AG)the generation of the righteous.
6 You would shame the plans of the poor,
but[d] the Lord is his (AH)refuge.
7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord (AI)restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
The Mountain of the Lord
2 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 (A)It shall come to pass in the latter days
that (B)the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and (C)all the nations shall flow to it,
3 and (D)many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For (E)out of Zion shall go forth the law,[a]
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
(F)and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
(G)nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
5 O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in (H)the light of the Lord.
The Day of the Lord
6 For you have rejected your people,
the house of Jacob,
because they are full of things (I)from the east
and (J)of fortune-tellers (K)like the Philistines,
and they (L)strike hands with the children of foreigners.
7 Their land is (M)filled with silver and gold,
and there is no end to their treasures;
their land is (N)filled with horses,
and there is no end to their chariots.
8 Their land is (O)filled with idols;
they bow down to (P)the work of their hands,
to what their own fingers have made.
9 So man (Q)is humbled,
and each one (R)is brought low—
do not forgive them!
10 (S)Enter into the rock
and hide in the dust
(T)from before the terror of the Lord,
and from the splendor of his majesty.
11 (U)The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,
and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
13 And (A)we also thank God constantly[a] for this, that when you received (B)the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it (C)not as the word of men[b] but as what it really is, the word of God, (D)which is at work in you believers. 14 For you, brothers, (E)became imitators of (F)the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For (G)you suffered the same things from your own countrymen (H)as they did from the Jews,[c] 15 (I)who killed both the Lord Jesus and (J)the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and (K)oppose all mankind 16 (L)by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always (M)to fill up the measure of their sins. But (N)wrath has come upon them at last![d]
Paul's Longing to See Them Again
17 But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, (O)in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire (P)to see you face to face, 18 because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan (Q)hindered us. 19 For what is our hope or (R)joy or crown of boasting (S)before our Lord Jesus at his (T)coming? Is it not you? 20 For you are our glory and joy.
Paying Taxes to Caesar
19 (A)The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. 20 (B)So they (C)watched him and sent spies, who (D)pretended to be sincere, that they might (E)catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of (F)the governor. 21 So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and (G)show no partiality,[a] but truly teach (H)the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to give (I)tribute to (J)Caesar, or not?” 23 But he perceived their (K)craftiness, and said to them, 24 “Show me (L)a denarius.[b] Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar's.” 25 He said to them, “Then (M)render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 26 And they were not able in the presence of the people (N)to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.