Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 38[a]
A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention.[b]
38 O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger.
Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury.[c]
2 For your arrows pierce[d] me,
and your hand presses me down.[e]
3 My whole body is sick because of your judgment;[f]
I am deprived of health because of my sin.[g]
4 For my sins overwhelm me;[h]
like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear.
5 My wounds[i] are infected and starting to smell,[j]
because of my foolish sins.[k]
6 I am dazed[l] and completely humiliated;[m]
all day long I walk around mourning.
7 For I am overcome with shame,[n]
and my whole body is sick.[o]
8 I am numb with pain and severely battered;[p]
I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel.[q]
9 O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire;[r]
my groaning is not hidden from you.
10 My heart beats quickly;
my strength leaves me.
I can hardly see.[s]
11 Because of my condition,[t] even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance;[u]
my neighbors stand far away.[v]
12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me;[w]
those who want to harm me speak destructive words.
All day long they say deceitful things.
13 But I am like a deaf man—I hear nothing;
I am like a mute who cannot speak.[x]
14 I am like a man who cannot hear
and is incapable of arguing his defense.[y]
15 Yet[z] I wait for you, O Lord!
You will respond, O Lord, my God!
16 I have prayed for deliverance, because otherwise they will gloat over me;[aa]
when my foot slips they will arrogantly taunt me.[ab]
17 For I am about to stumble,
and I am in constant pain.[ac]
18 Yes,[ad] I confess my wrongdoing,
and I am concerned about my sins.
19 But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous;[ae]
those who hate me without cause outnumber me.[af]
20 They repay me evil for the good I have done;
though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me.[ag]
21 Do not abandon me, O Lord.
My God, do not remain far away from me.
22 Hurry and help me,[ah] O Lord, my deliverer.
ד (Dalet)
25 I collapse in the dirt.[a]
Revive me with your word.[b]
26 I told you about my ways[c] and you answered me.
Teach me your statutes.
27 Help me to understand what your precepts mean.[d]
Then I can meditate[e] on your marvelous teachings.[f]
28 I collapse[g] from grief.
Sustain me by your word.[h]
29 Remove me from the path of deceit.[i]
Graciously give me[j] your law.
30 I choose the path of faithfulness;
I am committed to[k] your regulations.
31 I hold fast[l] to your rules.
O Lord, do not let me be ashamed.
32 I run along the path of your commands,
for you enable me to do so.[m]
ה (He)
33 Teach me, O Lord, the lifestyle prescribed by your statutes,[n]
so that I might observe it continually.[o]
34 Give me understanding so that I might observe your law,
and keep it with all my heart.[p]
35 Guide me[q] in the path of your commands,
for I delight to walk in it.[r]
36 Give me a desire for your rules,[s]
rather than for wealth gained unjustly.[t]
37 Turn my eyes away from what is worthless.[u]
Revive me with your word.[v]
38 Confirm to your servant your promise,[w]
which you made to the one who honors you.[x]
39 Take away the insults that I dread.[y]
Indeed,[z] your regulations are good.
40 Look, I long for your precepts.
Revive me with your deliverance.[aa]
ו (Vav)
41 May I experience your loyal love,[ab] O Lord,
and your deliverance,[ac] as you promised.[ad]
42 Then I will have a reply for the one who insults me,[ae]
for I trust in your word.
43 Do not completely deprive me of a truthful testimony,[af]
for I await your justice.
44 Then I will keep[ag] your law continually
now and for all time.[ah]
45 I will be secure,[ai]
for I seek your precepts.
46 I will speak[aj] about your regulations before kings
and not be ashamed.
47 I will find delight in your commands,
which I love.
48 I will lift my hands to[ak] your commands,
which I love,
and I will meditate on your statutes.
The Lord Empowers Cyrus
24 This is what the Lord, your Protector,[a] says,
the one who formed you in the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made everything,
who alone stretched out the sky,
who fashioned the earth all by myself,[b]
25 who frustrates the omens of the empty talkers[c]
and humiliates[d] the omen readers,
who overturns the counsel of the wise men[e]
and makes their advice[f] seem foolish,
26 who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants[g]
and brings to pass the announcements[h] of his messengers,
who says about Jerusalem, ‘She will be inhabited,’
and about the towns of Judah, ‘They will be rebuilt,
her ruins I will raise up,’
27 who says to the deep sea, ‘Be dry!
I will dry up your sea currents,’
28 who commissions[i] Cyrus, the one I appointed as shepherd[j]
to carry out all my wishes[k]
and to decree concerning Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’
and concerning the temple, ‘It will be reconstructed.’[l]
45 “This is what the Lord says to his chosen one,[m]
to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold[n]
in order to subdue nations before him,
and disarm kings,[o]
to open doors before him,
so gates remain unclosed:
2 ‘I will go before you
and level mountains.[p]
Bronze doors I will shatter
and iron bars[q] I will hack through.
3 I will give you hidden treasures,[r]
riches stashed away in secret places,
so you may recognize that I am the Lord,
the one who calls you by name, the God of Israel.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
Israel, my chosen one,
I call you by name
and give you a title of respect, even though you do not submit[s] to me.
5 I am the Lord, I have no peer,[t]
there is no God but me.
I arm you for battle,[u] even though you do not recognize[v] me.
6 I do this[w] so people[x] will recognize from east to west
that there is no God but me;
I am the Lord, I have no peer.
7 I am[y] the one who forms light
and creates darkness;[z]
the one who brings about peace
and creates calamity.[aa]
I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things.
Live in Love
5 Therefore, be[a] imitators of God as dearly loved children 2 and live[b] in love, just as Christ also loved us[c] and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering[d] to God. 3 But[e] among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind,[f] or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints.[g] 4 Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting—all of which are out of character—but rather thanksgiving. 5 For you can be confident of this one thing:[h] that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Live in the Light
6 Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience.[i] 7 Therefore do not be sharers with them,[j] 8 for you were at one time darkness, but now you are[k] light in the Lord. Live[l] like children of light— 9 for the fruit of the light[m] consists in[n] all goodness, righteousness, and truth— 10 trying to learn[o] what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather[p] expose them.[q] 12 For the things they do[r] in secret are shameful even to mention. 13 But all things being exposed by the light are made visible. 14 For everything made visible is light, and for this reason it says:[s]
The Parable of the Sower
4 Again he began to teach by the lake. Such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat[a] on the lake and sat there while[b] the whole crowd was on the shore by the lake. 2 He taught them many things in parables,[c] and in his teaching said to them: 3 “Listen! A sower went out to sow.[d] 4 And as he sowed, some seed[e] fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground[f] where it did not have much soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep.[g] 6 When the sun came up it was scorched, and because it did not have sufficient root,[h] it withered. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns,[i] and they grew up and choked it,[j] and it did not produce grain. 8 But[k] other seed fell on good soil and produced grain, sprouting and growing; some yielded thirty times as much, some sixty, and some a hundred times.” 9 And he said, “Whoever has ears to hear had better listen!”[l]
The Purpose of Parables
10 When he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 He said to them, “The secret[m] of the kingdom of God[n] has been given[o] to you. But to those outside, everything is in parables,
12 so that although they look they may look but not see,
and although they hear they may hear but not understand,
so they may not repent and be forgiven.”[p]
13 He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? Then[q] how will you understand any parable? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: Whenever they hear, immediately Satan[r] comes and snatches the word[s] that was sown in them. 16 These are the ones sown on rocky ground: As soon as they hear the word, they receive it with joy. 17 But[t] they have no root in themselves and do not endure.[u] Then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 Others are the ones sown among thorns: They are those who hear the word, 19 but[v] worldly cares, the seductiveness of wealth,[w] and the desire for other things come in and choke the word,[x] and it produces nothing. 20 But[y] these are the ones sown on good soil: They hear the word and receive it and bear fruit, one thirty times as much, one sixty, and one a hundred.”
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