Book of Common Prayer
I Will Bless the Lord
Of David.
26 (A)Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have (B)walked in my integrity,
and I have (C)trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 (D)Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and (E)my mind.[a]
3 For your (F)steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I (G)walk in your (H)faithfulness.
4 I do not (I)sit with men of (J)falsehood,
nor do I consort with hypocrites.
5 I (K)hate the assembly of evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I (L)wash my hands in innocence
and go around your altar, O Lord,
7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
and telling all your (M)wondrous deeds.
The Lord Is My Strength and My Shield
Of David.
28 To you, O Lord, I call;
(A)my rock, be not deaf to me,
lest, if you (B)be silent to me,
I become like those who (C)go down to the pit.
2 (D)Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,
when I cry to you for help,
when I (E)lift up my hands
(F)toward your most holy sanctuary.[a]
3 Do not (G)drag me off with the wicked,
with the workers of evil,
(H)who speak peace with their neighbors
while evil is in their hearts.
4 (I)Give to them according to their work
and according to the evil of their deeds;
give to them according to the work of their hands;
(J)render them their due reward.
5 Because they (K)do not regard the works of the Lord
or the work of his hands,
he will tear them down and build them up no more.
How Precious Is Your Steadfast Love
To the choirmaster. Of David, the (A)servant of the Lord.
36 Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in his heart;[a]
(B)there is no fear of God
before his eyes.
2 (C)For he flatters himself in his own eyes
that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3 The words of his mouth are (D)trouble and deceit;
(E)he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
4 He (F)plots (G)trouble while on his bed;
he sets himself in (H)a way that is not good;
(I)he does not reject evil.
5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 (J)Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
(K)your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you (L)save, O Lord.
7 (M)How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge (N)in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on (O)the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from (P)the river of (Q)your delights.
9 For with you is (R)the fountain of life;
(S)in your light do we see light.
What Is the Measure of My Days?
To the choirmaster: to (A)Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will (B)guard my ways,
that I (C)may not sin with my tongue;
I will (D)guard my mouth with a muzzle,
so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was (E)mute and silent;
I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse.
3 My (F)heart became hot within me.
As I mused, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “O Lord, (G)make me know my end
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!
5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
and (H)my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely (I)all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah
6 Surely a man (J)goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing[a] they are in turmoil;
man (K)heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!
7 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
(L)My hope is in you.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.
(M)Do not make me the scorn of the fool!
9 (N)I am mute; I do not open my mouth,
(O)for it is you who have done it.
10 (P)Remove your stroke from me;
I am spent by the hostility of your hand.
11 When you discipline a man
with (Q)rebukes for sin,
you (R)consume like a (S)moth what is dear to him;
(T)surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah
13 Therefore my people go into exile
(A)for lack of knowledge;[a]
their (B)honored men go hungry,[b]
and their multitude is parched with thirst.
14 Therefore Sheol has (C)enlarged its appetite
and opened (D)its mouth beyond measure,
and the nobility of Jerusalem[c] and her multitude will go down,
her revelers and he who (E)exults in her.
15 (F)Man is humbled, and each one is brought low,
and the eyes of the haughty[d] are brought low.
16 (G)But the Lord of hosts is exalted[e] in justice,
and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.
17 Then shall the lambs graze (H)as in their pasture,
and (I)nomads shall eat among the ruins of the rich.
24 Therefore, (A)as the tongue of fire devours the stubble,
and as dry grass sinks down in the flame,
so (B)their root will be (C)as rottenness,
and their blossom go up like dust;
for they have (D)rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,
and have (E)despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 Therefore (F)the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,
and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them,
and (G)the mountains quaked;
and their corpses were (H)as refuse
in the midst of the streets.
(I)For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
Final Instructions and Benediction
12 We ask you, brothers, (A)to respect those who labor among you and (B)are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. (C)Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish (D)the idle,[a] (E)encourage the fainthearted, (F)help the weak, (G)be patient with them all. 15 See that (H)no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always (I)seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 (J)Rejoice always, 17 (K)pray without ceasing, 18 (L)give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 (M)Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise (N)prophecies, 21 but (O)test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may (P)the God of peace himself (Q)sanctify you completely, and may your (R)whole (S)spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at (T)the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 (U)He who calls you is faithful; (V)he will surely do it.
25 (W)Brothers, pray for us.
26 (X)Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
27 I put you under oath before the Lord to have (Y)this letter read to all the brothers.
28 (Z)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see (A)for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 (B)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 (C)Heaven and earth will pass away, but (D)my words will not pass away.
Watch Yourselves
34 “But watch yourselves (E)lest (F)your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and (G)cares of this life, and (H)that day come upon you suddenly (I)like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But (J)stay awake at all times, (K)praying that you may (L)have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and (M)to stand before the Son of Man.”
37 And (N)every day he was teaching in the temple, but (O)at night he went out and lodged on (P)the mount called Olivet. 38 And early in the morning (Q)all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.