Book of Common Prayer
Do Not Forsake Me, O Lord
A Psalm of David, (A)for the memorial offering.
38 O Lord, (B)rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath!
2 For your (C)arrows have sunk into me,
and your hand (D)has come down on me.
3 There is (E)no soundness in my flesh
because of your indignation;
there is no health in my (F)bones
because of my sin.
4 For my (G)iniquities have gone over my head;
like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds stink and fester
because of my foolishness,
6 I am (H)utterly bowed down and (I)prostrate;
all the day I (J)go about mourning.
7 For my sides are filled with burning,
and there is (K)no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am feeble and crushed;
I (L)groan because of the tumult of my heart.
9 O Lord, all my longing is before you;
my (M)sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart throbs; my strength fails me,
and (N)the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
11 My (O)friends and companions (P)stand aloof from my (Q)plague,
and my nearest kin (R)stand far off.
12 Those who seek my life (S)lay their snares;
those who seek my hurt (T)speak of ruin
and meditate (U)treachery all day long.
13 But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear,
like (V)a mute man who does not open his mouth.
14 I have become like a man who does not hear,
and in whose mouth are no (W)rebukes.
15 But for (X)you, O Lord, do I wait;
it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
16 For I said, “Only (Y)let them not rejoice over me,
who (Z)boast against me when my (AA)foot slips!”
Daleth
25 (A)My soul clings to the dust;
(B)give me life (C)according to your word!
26 When (D)I told of my ways, you answered me;
(E)teach me your statutes!
27 (F)Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will (G)meditate on your wondrous works.
28 (H)My soul melts away for sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word!
29 Put false ways far from me
and graciously (I)teach me your law!
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I (J)set your rules before me.
31 I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;
(K)let me not be put to shame!
32 I will run in the way of your commandments
when you (L)enlarge my heart![a]
He
33 (M)Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;
and I will keep it (N)to the end.[b]
34 (O)Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.
35 (P)Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I (Q)delight in it.
36 (R)Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to (S)selfish gain!
37 (T)Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and (U)give me life in your ways.
38 (V)Confirm to your servant your promise,
(W)that you may be feared.
39 Turn away the (X)reproach that I dread,
for your rules are good.
40 Behold, I (Y)long for your precepts;
(Z)in your righteousness give me life!
Waw
41 Let your (AA)steadfast love come to me, O Lord,
your salvation (AB)according to your promise;
42 then (AC)shall I have an answer for him (AD)who taunts me,
for I trust in your word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
for my (AE)hope is in your rules.
44 I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever,
45 and I shall walk (AF)in a wide place,
for I have (AG)sought your precepts.
46 I will also speak of your testimonies (AH)before kings
and shall not be put to shame,
47 for I (AI)find my delight in your commandments,
which I love.
48 I will (AJ)lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,
and I will (AK)meditate on your statutes.
24 Thus says the Lord, (A)your Redeemer,
(B)who formed you from the womb:
(C)“I am the Lord, who made all things,
(D)who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself,
25 who frustrates the signs of liars
and makes fools of diviners,
(E)who turns wise men back
and makes their knowledge foolish,
26 (F)who confirms the word of his servant
and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’
(G)and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built,
and I will raise up their ruins’;
27 (H)who says to the deep, ‘Be dry;
I will dry up your rivers’;
28 who says of (I)Cyrus, ‘He is (J)my shepherd,
and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;
saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’
(K)and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”
Cyrus, God's Instrument
45 Thus says the Lord to (L)his anointed, to Cyrus,
(M)whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and (N)to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
that gates may not be closed:
2 “I will go before you
and (O)level the exalted places,[a]
(P)I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
3 (Q)I will give you the treasures of darkness
and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, (R)who call you by your name.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
(S)I call you by your name,
(T)I name you, though you do not know me.
5 (U)I am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
(V)I equip you, though you do not know me,
6 (W)that people may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness;
I make well-being and (X)create calamity;
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
Walk in Love
5 (A)Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And (B)walk in love, (C)as Christ loved us and (D)gave himself up for us, a (E)fragrant (F)offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But (G)sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness (H)must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be (I)no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, (J)which are out of place, but instead (K)let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that (L)everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous ((M)that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 (N)Let no one (O)deceive you with empty words, for because of these things (P)the wrath of God comes upon (Q)the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore (R)do not become partners with them; 8 for (S)at one time you were (T)darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. (U)Walk as children of light 9 (for (V)the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and (W)try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 (X)Take no part in the (Y)unfruitful (Z)works of darkness, but instead (AA)expose them. 12 For (AB)it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when (AC)anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
The Parable of the Sower
4 Again (A)he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, (B)so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And (C)he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Behold, (D)a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And (E)when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, (F)it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among (G)thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and (H)a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, (I)“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The Purpose of the Parables
10 And (J)when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, (K)“To you has been given (L)the secret of the kingdom of God, but for (M)those outside everything is in parables, 12 (N)so that
“‘they (O)may indeed see but not perceive,
and may indeed hear but not understand,
lest they (P)should turn and be forgiven.’”
13 (Q)And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 (R)The sower sows (S)the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it (T)with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but (U)endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately (V)they fall away.[a] 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but (W)the cares of (X)the world and (Y)the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and (Z)bear fruit, (AA)thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.