Book of Common Prayer
ז Zayin
49 Remember your word(A) to your servant,
for you have given me hope.(B)
50 My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life.(C)
51 The arrogant mock me(D) unmercifully,
but I do not turn(E) from your law.
52 I remember,(F) Lord, your ancient laws,
and I find comfort in them.
53 Indignation grips me(G) because of the wicked,
who have forsaken your law.(H)
54 Your decrees are the theme of my song(I)
wherever I lodge.
55 In the night, Lord, I remember(J) your name,
that I may keep your law.(K)
56 This has been my practice:
I obey your precepts.(L)
ח Heth
57 You are my portion,(M) Lord;
I have promised to obey your words.(N)
58 I have sought(O) your face with all my heart;
be gracious to me(P) according to your promise.(Q)
59 I have considered my ways(R)
and have turned my steps to your statutes.
60 I will hasten and not delay
to obey your commands.(S)
61 Though the wicked bind me with ropes,
I will not forget(T) your law.
62 At midnight(U) I rise to give you thanks
for your righteous laws.(V)
63 I am a friend to all who fear you,(W)
to all who follow your precepts.(X)
64 The earth is filled with your love,(Y) Lord;
teach me your decrees.(Z)
ט Teth
65 Do good(AA) to your servant
according to your word,(AB) Lord.
66 Teach me knowledge(AC) and good judgment,
for I trust your commands.
67 Before I was afflicted(AD) I went astray,(AE)
but now I obey your word.(AF)
68 You are good,(AG) and what you do is good;
teach me your decrees.(AH)
69 Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,(AI)
I keep your precepts with all my heart.
70 Their hearts are callous(AJ) and unfeeling,
but I delight in your law.
71 It was good for me to be afflicted(AK)
so that I might learn your decrees.
72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me
than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.(AL)
Psalm 49[a]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 Hear(A) this, all you peoples;(B)
listen, all who live in this world,(C)
2 both low and high,(D)
rich and poor alike:
3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom;(E)
the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.(F)
4 I will turn my ear to a proverb;(G)
with the harp(H) I will expound my riddle:(I)
5 Why should I fear(J) when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me—
6 those who trust in their wealth(K)
and boast(L) of their great riches?(M)
7 No one can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for them—
8 the ransom(N) for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough—(O)
9 so that they should live on(P) forever
and not see decay.(Q)
10 For all can see that the wise die,(R)
that the foolish and the senseless(S) also perish,
leaving their wealth(T) to others.(U)
11 Their tombs(V) will remain their houses[b] forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,(W)
though they had[c] named(X) lands after themselves.
13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,(AA)
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.[d]
14 They are like sheep and are destined(AB) to die;(AC)
death will be their shepherd
(but the upright will prevail(AD) over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
far from their princely mansions.
15 But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;(AE)
he will surely take me to himself.(AF)
16 Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
when the splendor of their houses increases;
17 for they will take nothing(AG) with them when they die,
their splendor will not descend with them.(AH)
18 Though while they live they count themselves blessed—(AI)
and people praise you when you prosper—
19 they will join those who have gone before them,(AJ)
who will never again see the light(AK) of life.
Psalm 53[a](A)
For the director of music. According to mahalath.[b] A maskil[c] of David.
1 The fool(B) says in his heart,
“There is no God.”(C)
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven(D)
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,(E)
any who seek God.(F)
3 Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.(G)
4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on God.
5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
where there was nothing to dread.(H)
God scattered the bones(I) of those who attacked you;(J)
you put them to shame,(K) for God despised them.(L)
6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
The Servant of the Lord
49 Listen(A) to me, you islands;(B)
hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born(C) the Lord called(D) me;
from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.(E)
2 He made my mouth(F) like a sharpened sword,(G)
in the shadow of his hand(H) he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow(I)
and concealed me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant,(J)
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.(K)”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;(L)
I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,(M)
and my reward(N) is with my God.”(O)
5 And now the Lord says—
he who formed me in the womb(P) to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel(Q) to himself,
for I am[a] honored(R) in the eyes of the Lord
and my God has been my strength(S)—
6 he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant(T)
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.(U)
I will also make you a light(V) for the Gentiles,(W)
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”(X)
7 This is what the Lord says—
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel(Y)—
to him who was despised(Z) and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
“Kings(AA) will see you and stand up,
princes will see and bow down,(AB)
because of the Lord, who is faithful,(AC)
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen(AD) you.”
Restoration of Israel
8 This is what the Lord says:
“In the time of my favor(AE) I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you;(AF)
I will keep(AG) you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people,(AH)
to restore the land(AI)
and to reassign its desolate inheritances,(AJ)
9 to say to the captives,(AK) ‘Come out,’
and to those in darkness,(AL) ‘Be free!’
“They will feed beside the roads
and find pasture on every barren hill.(AM)
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst,(AN)
nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them.(AO)
He who has compassion(AP) on them will guide(AQ) them
and lead them beside springs(AR) of water.
11 I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways(AS) will be raised up.(AT)
12 See, they will come from afar(AU)—
some from the north, some from the west,(AV)
some from the region of Aswan.[b]”
Paul Opposes Cephas
11 When Cephas(A) came to Antioch,(B) I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James,(C) he used to eat with the Gentiles.(D) But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.(E) 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas(F) was led astray.
14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel,(G) I said to Cephas(H) in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew.(I) How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?(J)
15 “We who are Jews by birth(K) and not sinful Gentiles(L) 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law,(M) but by faith in Jesus Christ.(N) So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in[a] Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.(O)
17 “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners,(P) doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!(Q) 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.
19 “For through the law I died to the law(R) so that I might live for God.(S) 20 I have been crucified with Christ(T) and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.(U) The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,(V) who loved me(W) and gave himself for me.(X) 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law,(Y) Christ died for nothing!”[b]
13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil(A) and healed them.
John the Baptist Beheaded(B)(C)
14 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying,[a] “John the Baptist(D) has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
15 Others said, “He is Elijah.”(E)
And still others claimed, “He is a prophet,(F) like one of the prophets of long ago.”(G)
16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”
17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison.(H) He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”(I) 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.(J) When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled[b]; yet he liked to listen to him.
21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet(K) for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.(L) 22 When the daughter of[c] Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.
The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”(M)
24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?”
“The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.
25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
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