Book of Common Prayer
I Will Walk with Integrity
A Psalm of David.
101 I will sing of (A)steadfast love and justice;
to you, O Lord, I will make music.
2 I will (B)ponder the way (C)that is blameless.
Oh when will you (D)come to me?
I will (E)walk with (F)integrity of heart
within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes
anything (G)that is worthless.
I hate the work of those who (H)fall away;
it shall not cling to me.
4 (I)A perverse heart shall be far from me;
I will (J)know nothing of evil.
5 Whoever slanders his neighbor (K)secretly
I will (L)destroy.
Whoever has a (M)haughty look and an (N)arrogant heart
I will not endure.
6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
he who walks in (O)the way that is blameless
shall minister to me.
Help Me, O Lord My God
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
109 (A)Be not silent, O (B)God of my praise!
2 For wicked and (C)deceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
3 They encircle me with words of hate,
and attack me (D)without cause.
4 In return for my love they (E)accuse me,
but I (F)give myself to prayer.[a]
5 So they (G)reward me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.
6 (H)Appoint a wicked man (I)against him;
let an accuser stand (J)at his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;
let his (K)prayer be counted as sin!
8 May his (L)days be few;
may (M)another take his (N)office!
9 May his (O)children be fatherless
and his wife a widow!
10 May his children (P)wander about and beg,
(Q)seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
11 May (R)the creditor seize all that he has;
may (S)strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
12 Let there be none to (T)extend kindness to him,
nor any to (U)pity his fatherless children!
13 May his (V)posterity be cut off;
may his (W)name be blotted out in the second generation!
14 May (X)the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
and let not the sin of his mother be (Y)blotted out!
15 (Z)Let them be before the Lord continually,
that he may (AA)cut off the memory of them from the earth!
16 For he did not remember to show kindness,
but pursued (AB)the poor and needy
and (AC)the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
17 (AD)He loved to curse; let curses come[b] upon him!
He did not delight in blessing; may it be far[c] from him!
18 He (AE)clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
may it (AF)soak[d] into his body like water,
like oil into his bones!
19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,
like a belt that he puts on every day!
20 May this be the reward of my (AG)accusers from the Lord,
of those who speak evil against my life!
21 But you, O God my Lord,
deal on my behalf (AH)for your name's sake;
because your (AI)steadfast love is good, deliver me!
22 For I am (AJ)poor and needy,
and my heart is stricken within me.
23 I am gone like (AK)a shadow at evening;
I am (AL)shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak (AM)through fasting;
my (AN)body has become gaunt, with no fat.
25 I am (AO)an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they (AP)wag their heads.
26 (AQ)Help me, O Lord my God!
Save me according to your steadfast love!
27 Let them (AR)know that this is your hand;
you, O Lord, have done it!
28 (AS)Let them curse, but you will bless!
They arise and are put to shame, but (AT)your servant will be glad!
29 May my accusers be (AU)clothed with dishonor;
may they (AV)be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!
30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;
I will (AW)praise him in the midst of the throng.
Ayin
121 I have done what is just and right;
do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Give your servant (A)a pledge of good;
let not (B)the insolent oppress me.
123 My (C)eyes long for your salvation
and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
124 Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love,
and (D)teach me your statutes.
125 I am your (E)servant; (F)give me understanding,
that I may know your testimonies!
126 It is time for the Lord to act,
for your law has been broken.
127 Therefore I (G)love your commandments
above gold, above fine gold.
128 Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right;
I hate every (H)false way.
Pe
129 Your testimonies are (I)wonderful;
therefore my soul (J)keeps them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts (K)understanding to the simple.
131 I (L)open my mouth and (M)pant,
because I (N)long for your commandments.
132 (O)Turn to me and be gracious to me,
as is your way with those who love your name.
133 (P)Keep steady my steps according to your promise,
and let no iniquity (Q)get dominion over me.
134 (R)Redeem me from man's oppression,
that I may keep your precepts.
135 (S)Make your face shine upon your servant,
and (T)teach me your statutes.
136 My eyes (U)shed streams of tears,
because people (V)do not keep your law.
Tsadhe
137 (W)Righteous are you, O Lord,
and right are your rules.
138 You have appointed your testimonies in (X)righteousness
and in all (Y)faithfulness.
139 My (Z)zeal consumes me,
because my foes forget your words.
140 Your promise is well (AA)tried,
and your servant (AB)loves it.
141 I am small and despised,
yet I do not (AC)forget your precepts.
142 Your righteousness is righteous forever,
and your law is (AD)true.
143 Trouble and anguish have found me out,
but your commandments are my (AE)delight.
144 Your testimonies are righteous forever;
(AF)give me understanding that I may (AG)live.
Prayer for Mercy
15 (A)Look down from heaven and see,
(B)from your holy and beautiful[a] habitation.
Where are (C)your zeal and your might?
The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion
are held back from me.
16 For (D)you are our Father,
though Abraham does not know us,
and Israel does not acknowledge us;
you, O Lord, are our Father,
(E)our Redeemer from of old is your name.
17 O Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways
and (F)harden our heart, so that we fear you not?
(G)Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your heritage.
18 (H)Your holy people held possession for a little while;[b]
(I)our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.
19 (J)We have become like those over whom you have never ruled,
like those who are not called by your name.
64 (K)Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,
(L)that the mountains might quake at your presence—
2 [c] as when fire kindles brushwood
and the fire causes water to boil—
(M)to make your name known to your adversaries,
and that the nations might tremble at your presence!
3 (N)When you did awesome things that we did not look for,
you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
4 (O)From of old no one has heard
or perceived by the ear,
(P)no eye has seen a God besides you,
who acts for those who wait for him.
5 You meet him who joyfully works righteousness,
those who remember you in your ways.
Behold, you were angry, and we sinned;
in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?[d]
6 (Q)We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
(R)We all fade like a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
7 (S)There is no one who calls upon your name,
who rouses himself to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us,
and have made us melt in[e] the hand of our iniquities.
Qualifications for Overseers
3 The saying is (A)trustworthy: If anyone aspires to (B)the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore (C)an overseer[a] must be above reproach, (D)the husband of one wife,[b] (E)sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, (F)hospitable, (G)able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but (H)gentle, not quarrelsome, (I)not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity (J)keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for (K)God's church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may (L)become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by (M)outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into (N)a snare of the devil.
Qualifications for Deacons
8 (O)Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued,[c] (P)not addicted to much wine, (Q)not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must (R)hold the mystery of the faith with (S)a clear conscience. 10 And (T)let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 (U)Their wives likewise[d] must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, (V)faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be (W)the husband of one wife, (X)managing their children and their own households well. 13 For (Y)those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
The Mystery of Godliness
14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. 16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
27 (A)And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28 and they said to him, (B)“By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John (C)from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, (D)‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—(E)they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was (F)a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
The Parable of the Tenants
12 (G)And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted (H)a vineyard (I)and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and (J)leased it to tenants and (K)went into another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant[a] to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 (L)And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 (M)Again (N)he sent to them another servant, and (O)they struck him on the head and (P)treated him shamefully. 5 (Q)And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. 6 He had still one other, (R)a beloved son. (S)Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, (T)‘This is the heir. Come, (U)let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 And they took him and killed him and (V)threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? (W)He will (X)come and destroy the tenants and (Y)give the vineyard to others. 10 (Z)Have you not read (AA)this Scripture:
(AB)“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;[b]
11 this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 And (AC)they were seeking to arrest him (AD)but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they (AE)left him and went away.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.