Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 31
For the choir director; a psalm by David.
1 I have taken refuge in you, O Yahweh.
Never let me be put to shame.
Save me because of your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear toward me.
Rescue me quickly.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong Metsuda to save me.
3 Indeed, you are my rock and my Metsuda.
For the sake of your name, lead me and guide me.
4 You are my refuge,
so pull me out of the net that they have secretly laid for me.
5 Into your hands I entrust my spirit.
You have rescued me, O Yahweh, El of truth.
6 I hate those who cling to false gods, but I trust Yahweh.
7 I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy.
You have seen my misery.
You have known the troubles in my soul.
8 You have not handed me over to the enemy.
You have set my feet in a place where I can move freely.
9 Have pity on me, O Yahweh, because I am in distress.
My eyes, my soul, and my body waste away from grief.
10 My life is exhausted from sorrow,
my years from groaning.
My strength staggers under the weight of my guilt,
and my bones waste away.
11 I have become a disgrace because of all my opponents.
I have become someone dreaded by my friends,
even by my neighbors.
Those who see me on the street run away from me.
12 I have faded from memory as if I were dead
and have become like a piece of broken pottery.
13 I have heard the whispering of many people—
terror on every side—
while they made plans together against me.
They were plotting to take my life.
14 I trust you, O Yahweh.
I said, “You are my Elohim.”
15 My future is in your hands.
Rescue me from my enemies, from those who persecute me.
16 Smile on me.
Save me with your mercy.
17 O Yahweh, I have called on you, so do not let me be put to shame.
Let wicked people be put to shame.
Let them be silent in the grave.
18 Let their lying lips be speechless,
since they speak against righteous people with arrogance and contempt.
19 Your kindness is so great!
You reserve it for those who fear you.
Adam’s descendants watch
as you show it to those who take refuge in you.
20 You hide them in the secret place of your presence
from those who scheme against them.
You keep them in a shelter,
safe from quarrelsome tongues.
21 Thank Yahweh!
He has shown me the miracle of his mercy
in a city under attack.
22 When I was panic-stricken, I said,
“I have been cut off from your sight.”
But you heard my pleas for mercy when I cried out to you for help.
23 Love Yahweh, all you godly ones!
Yahweh protects faithful people,
but he pays back in full those who act arrogantly.
24 Be strong, all who wait with hope for Yahweh,
and let your heart be courageous.
Psalm 35
By David.
1 O Yahweh, attack those who attack me.
Fight against those who fight against me.
2 Use your shields, both small and large.
Arise to help me.
3 Hold your spear to block the way of those who pursue me.
Say to my soul, “I am your savior.”
4 Let those who seek my life be put to shame and disgraced.
Let those who plan my downfall be turned back in confusion.
5 Let them be like husks blown by the wind
as the Messenger of Yahweh chases them.
6 Let their path be dark and slippery
as the Messenger of Yahweh pursues them.
7 For no reason they hid their net in a pit.
For no reason they dug the pit to trap me.
8 Let destruction surprise them.
Let the net that they hid catch them.
Let them fall into their own pit and be destroyed.
9 My soul will find joy in Yahweh
and be joyful about his salvation.
10 All my bones will say, “O Yahweh, who can compare with you?
You rescue the weak person from the one who is too strong for him
and weak and needy people from the one who robs them.”
11 Malicious people bring charges against me.
They ask me things I know nothing about.
12 I am devastated
because they pay me back with evil instead of good.
13 But when they were sick, I wore sackcloth.
I humbled myself with fasting.
When my prayer returned unanswered,
14 I walked around as if I were mourning for my friend or my brother.
I was bent over as if I were mourning for my mother.
15 Yet, when I stumbled,
they rejoiced and gathered together.
They gathered together against me.
Unknown attackers tore me apart without stopping.
16 With crude and abusive mockers,
they grit their teeth at me.
17 O Adonay, how long will you look on?
Rescue me from their attacks.
Rescue my precious life from the lions.
18 I will give you thanks in a large gathering.
I will praise you in a crowd of worshipers.
19 Do not let my treacherous enemies gloat over me.
Do not let those who hate me for no reason wink at me.
20 They do not talk about peace.
Instead, they scheme against the peaceful people in the land.
21 They open their big mouths and say about me,
“Aha! Aha! Our own eyes have seen it.”
22 You have seen it, O Yahweh.
Do not remain silent.
O Adonay, do not be so far away from me.
23 Wake up, and rise to my defense.
Plead my case, O my Elohim and my Adonay.
24 Judge me by your righteousness, O Yahweh my Elohim.
Do not let them gloat over me
25 or think, “Aha, just what we wanted!”
Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up.”
26 Let those who gloat over my downfall
be thoroughly put to shame and confused.
Let those who promote themselves at my expense
be clothed with shame and disgrace.
27 Let those who are happy when I am declared innocent
joyfully sing and rejoice.
Let them continually say, “Yahweh is great.
He is happy when his servant has peace.”
28 Then my tongue will tell about your righteousness,
about your praise all day long.
10 Again Yahweh spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask Yahweh your Elohim for a sign. It can be anything you want.”
12 But Ahaz answered, “I won’t ask; I wouldn’t think of testing Yahweh.”
13 “Listen now, descendants of David,” Isaiah said. “Isn’t it enough that you try the patience of mortals? Must you also try the patience of my Elohim? 14 So Adonay himself will give you this sign: A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and she will name him Immanuel [God Is With Us]. 15 He will eat cheese and honey until he knows how to reject evil and choose good. 16 Indeed, before the boy knows how to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings who terrify you will be deserted.
17 “Yahweh will bring on you, your people, and your ancestor’s family a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah. He will bring the king of Assyria. 18 On that day Yahweh will whistle for the flies that are at the distant branches of the Nile River in Egypt and for the bees that are in Assyria. 19 All of them will come and settle in the deep valleys, in the cracks in the cliffs, on all the thornbushes, and at all the water holes.
20 “On that day Adonay will hire the king of Assyria from beyond the Euphrates River to be a razor to shave the hair on your head, the hair on your legs, and even your beard. 21 On that day a person will keep alive a young cow and two sheep. 22 That person will eat cheese, because they will produce so much milk. Everyone who is left in the land will eat cheese and honey. 23 On that day, in every place where there were 1,000 vines (worth 1,000 pieces of silver), there will be briars and thorns. 24 People will come there with bows and arrows to hunt because the whole land will be filled with briars and thorns. 25 And you will no longer be able to go to all the hills which used to be cultivated because they will be filled with briars and thorns. It will be a place for turning oxen loose and letting sheep run.”
Paul Encourages the Thessalonians
13 We always have to thank God for you, brothers and sisters. You are loved by the Lord and we thank God that in the beginning he chose you to be saved through a life of spiritual devotion and faith in the truth. 14 With this in mind he called you by the Good News which we told you so that you would obtain the glory of our Lord Yeshua Christ.
15 Then, brothers and sisters, firmly hold on to the traditions we taught you either when we spoke to you or in our letter.
16 God our Father loved us and by his kindness[a] gave us everlasting encouragement and good hope. Together with our Lord Yeshua Christ, 17 may he encourage and strengthen you to do and say everything that is good.
Paul’s Final Instructions for the Thessalonians
3 Finally, brothers and sisters, pray that we spread the Lord’s word rapidly and that it will be honored the way it was among you. 2 Also pray that we may be rescued from worthless and evil people, since not everyone shares our faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful and will strengthen you and protect you against the evil one.
4 The Lord gives us confidence that you are doing and will continue to do what we ordered you to do. 5 May the Lord direct your lives as you show God’s love and Christ’s endurance.
14 When it was time to eat the Passover meal, Yeshua and the apostles were at the table. 15 Yeshua said to them, “I’ve had a deep desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 I can guarantee that I won’t eat it again until it finds its fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” 17 Then he took a cup and spoke a prayer of thanksgiving. He said, “Take this, and share it. 18 I can guarantee that from now on I won’t drink this wine until the kingdom of God comes.”
The Lord’s Supper(A)
19 Then Yeshua took bread and spoke a prayer of thanksgiving. He broke the bread, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given up for you. Do this to remember me.”
20 When supper was over, he did the same with the cup. He said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new promise[a] made with my blood.”
Jesus Knows Who Will Betray Him(B)
21 “The hand of the one who will betray me is with me on the table. 22 The Son of Man is going to die the way it has been planned for him. But how horrible it will be for that person who betrays him.”
23 So they began to discuss with each other who could do such a thing.
An Argument about Greatness
24 Then a quarrel broke out among the disciples. They argued about who should be considered the greatest.
25 Yeshua said to them, “The kings of nations have power over their people, and those in authority call themselves friends of the people. 26 But you’re not going to be that way! Rather, the greatest among you must be like the youngest, and your leader must be like a servant. 27 Who’s the greatest, the person who sits at the table or the servant? Isn’t it really the person who sits at the table? But I’m among you as a servant.
28 “You have stood by me in the troubles that have tested me. 29 So as my Father has given me a kingdom, I’m giving it to you. 30 You will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. You will also sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.