Book of Common Prayer
Zayin
49 Remember (A)your word to your servant,
in which you have made me (B)hope.
50 This is (C)my comfort in my affliction,
that your promise (D)gives me life.
51 (E)The insolent utterly deride me,
but I do not (F)turn away from your law.
52 When I think of your rules from of old,
I take comfort, O Lord.
53 (G)Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,
who forsake your law.
54 Your statutes have been my songs
in the house of my (H)sojourning.
55 I (I)remember your name in the night, O Lord,
and keep your law.
56 This blessing has fallen to me,
that (J)I have kept your precepts.
Heth
57 (K)The Lord is my portion;
I promise to keep your words.
58 I (L)entreat your favor with all my heart;
be gracious to me (M)according to your promise.
59 When I (N)think on my ways,
I turn my feet to your testimonies;
60 I hasten and do not delay
to keep your commandments.
61 Though (O)the cords of the wicked ensnare me,
I do not (P)forget your law.
62 At (Q)midnight I rise to praise you,
because of your (R)righteous rules.
63 (S)I am a companion of all who fear you,
of those who keep your precepts.
64 (T)The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;
(U)teach me your statutes!
Teth
65 You have dealt well with your servant,
O Lord, (V)according to your word.
66 Teach me (W)good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
67 (X)Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.
68 (Y)You are good and do good;
(Z)teach me your statutes.
69 (AA)The insolent (AB)smear me with lies,
but with my whole heart I (AC)keep your precepts;
70 their heart is unfeeling (AD)like fat,
but I (AE)delight in your law.
71 It is (AF)good for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.
72 (AG)The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of (A)the Sons of Korah.
49 (B)Hear this, all peoples!
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 (C)both low and high,
rich and poor together!
3 My mouth shall speak (D)wisdom;
the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to (E)a proverb;
I will solve my (F)riddle to the music of the lyre.
5 (G)Why should I fear in (H)times of trouble,
when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
6 those who (I)trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly no man (J)can ransom another,
or (K)give to God (L)the price of his life,
8 for (M)the ransom of their life is costly
and can never suffice,
9 that he should live on forever
and (N)never see the pit.
10 For he sees (O)that even the wise die;
(P)the fool and the stupid alike must perish
and (Q)leave their wealth to others.
11 Their (R)graves are their homes forever,[a]
their dwelling places (S)to all generations,
though they (T)called lands by their own names.
12 Man in his pomp (U)will not remain;
(V)he is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the path of those who have (W)foolish confidence;
yet after them people approve of their boasts.[b] Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
death shall be their shepherd,
and the upright (X)shall rule over them in the morning.
(Y)Their form shall be consumed (Z)in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
15 But God will (AA)ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will (AB)receive me. Selah
16 Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,
when the glory of his house increases.
17 (AC)For when he dies he will (AD)carry nothing away;
his glory will not go down after him.
18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself (AE)blessed
—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
19 his soul will (AF)go to the generation of his fathers,
who will never again (AG)see light.
20 (AH)Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
There Is None Who Does Good
To the choirmaster: according to (A)Mahalath. A Maskil[a] of David.
53 (B)The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
there is none who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,[b]
who seek after God.
3 They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
4 Have those who work evil no knowledge,
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call upon God?
5 There they are, in great terror,
(C)where there is no terror!
For God (D)scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;
you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.
6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
The Servant of the Lord
49 Listen to me, (A)O coastlands,
and give attention, you peoples (B)from afar.
(C)The Lord called me from the womb,
from the body of my mother he named my name.
2 (D)He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
(E)in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow;
in his quiver he hid me away.
3 And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, (F)in whom I will be glorified.”[a]
4 (G)But I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my right is with the Lord,
and my recompense with my God.”
5 (H)And now the Lord says,
he (I)who formed me from the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him;
and that Israel might be gathered to him—
for (J)I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—
6 he says:
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
(K)I will make you (L)as a light for the nations,
that (M)my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
7 Thus says the Lord,
(N)the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
(O)to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation,
the servant of rulers:
(P)“Kings shall see and arise;
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves;
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
The Restoration of Israel
8 Thus says the Lord:
(Q)“In a (R)time of favor I have answered you;
in a day of salvation I have helped you;
I will keep you (S)and give you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
(T)to apportion the desolate heritages,
9 (U)saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’
(V)They shall feed along the ways;
on all bare heights shall be their pasture;
10 (W)they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,
for he who has pity on them (X)will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
11 (Y)And I will make all my mountains a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.
12 (Z)Behold, these shall come from afar,
and behold, (AA)these from the north and from the west,[b]
and these from the land of Syene.”[c]
Paul Opposes Peter
11 But (A)when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him (B)to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, (C)he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing (D)the circumcision party.[a] 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their (E)conduct was not in step with (F)the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas (G)before them all, “If you, though a Jew, (H)live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
Justified by Faith
15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not (I)Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that (J)a person is not justified[b] by works of the law (K)but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, (L)because by works of the law no one will be justified.
17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found (M)to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I (N)died to the law, so that I might (O)live to God. 20 I have been (P)crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives (Q)in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, (R)who loved me and (S)gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for (T)if righteousness[c] were through the law, (U)then Christ died for no purpose.
13 (A)And they cast out many demons and (B)anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
The Death of John the Baptist
14 (C)King Herod heard of it, for Jesus'[a] name had become known. Some[b] said, (D)“John the Baptist[c] has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 (E)But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is (F)a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17 (G)For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and (H)bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. 18 (I)For John had been saying to Herod, (J)“It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 for Herod (K)feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he (L)heard him gladly.
21 But an opportunity came when Herod (M)on his birthday (N)gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, (O)up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's[d] head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his (P)disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.