Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 101
A psalm by David.
1 I will sing about mercy and justice.
O Yahweh, I will make music to praise you.
2 I want to understand the path to integrity.
When will you come to me?
I will live in my own home with integrity.
3 I will not put anything wicked in front of my eyes.
I hate what unfaithful people do.
I want no part of it.
4 I will keep far away from devious minds.
I will have nothing to do with evil.
5 I will destroy anyone who secretly slanders his neighbor.
I will not tolerate anyone with a conceited look or arrogant heart.
6 My eyes will be watching the faithful people in the land
so that they may live with me.
The person who lives with integrity will serve me.
7 The one who does deceitful things will not stay in my home.
The one who tells lies will not remain in my presence.
8 Every morning I will destroy all the wicked people in the land
to rid Yahweh’s city of all troublemakers.
Psalm 109
For the choir director; a psalm by David.
1 O Elohim, whom I praise, do not turn a deaf ear to me.
2 Wicked and deceitful people have opened their mouths against me.
They speak against me with lying tongues.
3 They surround me with hateful words.
They fight against me for no reason.
4 In return for my love, they accuse me,
but I pray for them.[a]
5 They reward me with evil instead of good
and with hatred instead of love.
6 I said, “Appoint the evil one to oppose him.
Let Satan stand beside him.
7 When he stands trial,
let him be found guilty.
Let his prayer be considered sinful.
8 Let his days be few in number.
Let someone else take his position.
9 “Let his children become fatherless and his wife a widow.
10 Let his children wander around and beg.
Let them seek help far from their ruined homes.
11 Let a creditor take everything he owns.
Let strangers steal what he has worked for.
12 Let no one be kind to him anymore.
Let no one show any pity to his fatherless children.
13 Let his descendants be cut off
and their family name be wiped out by the next generation.
14 Let Yahweh remember the guilt of his ancestors
and not wipe out his mother’s sin.
15 Let their guilt and sin always remain on record
in front of Yahweh.
Let Yahweh remove every memory of him[b] from the earth,
16 because he did not remember to be kind.
“He drove oppressed, needy,
and brokenhearted people to their graves.
17 He loved to put curses on others,
so he, too, was cursed.
He did not like to bless others,
so he never received a blessing.
18 He wore cursing as though it were clothing,
so cursing entered his body like water
and his bones like oil.
19 Let cursing be his clothing,
a belt he always wears.”
20 This is how Yahweh rewards those who accuse me,
those who say evil things against me.
21 O Yahweh Adonay, deal with me out of the goodness of your name.
Rescue me because of your mercy.
22 I am oppressed and needy.
I can feel the pain in my heart.
23 I fade away like a lengthening shadow.
I have been shaken off like a grasshopper.
24 My knees give way because I have been fasting.
My body has become lean, without any fat.
25 I have become the victim of my enemies’ insults.
They look at me and shake their heads.
26 Help me, O Yahweh my Elohim.
Save me because of your mercy.
27 Then they will know that this is your doing,
that you, O Yahweh, are the one who saved me.
28 They may curse, but you will bless.
Let those who attack me be ashamed,
but let me rejoice.
29 Let those who accuse me wear disgrace as though it were clothing.
Let them be wrapped in their shame as though it were a robe.
30 With my mouth I will give many thanks to Yahweh.
I will praise him among many people,
121 I have done what is fair and right.
Do not leave me at the mercy of those who oppress me.
122 Guarantee my well-being.
Do not let arrogant people oppress me.
123 My eyes are strained from looking for you to save me
and from looking for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
124 Treat me with kindness,
and teach me your laws.
125 I am your servant.
Help me understand
so that I may come to know your written instructions.
126 It is time for you to act, O Yahweh.[a]
Even though people have abolished your teachings,
127 I love your commandments more than gold, more than pure gold.
128 I follow the straight paths of your guiding principles.
I hate every pathway that leads to lying.
129 Your written instructions are miraculous.
That is why I obey them.
130 Your word is a doorway that lets in light,
and it helps gullible people understand.
131 I open my mouth and pant
because I long for your commandments.
132 Turn toward me, and have pity on me
as you have pledged to do for those who love your name.
133 Make my steps secure through your promise,
and do not let any sin control me.
134 Save me from human oppression
so that I may obey your guiding principles.
135 Smile on me,
and teach me your laws.
136 Streams of tears flow from my eyes
because others do not follow your teachings.
137 You are righteous, O Yahweh,
and your regulations are fair.
138 You have issued your written instructions.
They are fair and completely dependable.
139 My devotion for your words consumes me,
because my enemies have forgotten your words.
140 Your promise has been thoroughly tested,
and I love it.
141 I am unimportant and despised,
yet I never forget your guiding principles.
142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
and your teachings are reliable.
143 Trouble and hardship have found me,
but your commandments still make me happy.
144 Your written instructions are always right.
Help me understand them so that I will live.
15 Look down and see from heaven, from your holy and beautiful dwelling.
Where is your determination and might?
Where is the longing of your heart and your compassion?
Don’t hold back.
16 You are our Ab.
Even though Abraham doesn’t know us
and Israel doesn’t pay attention to us,
O Yahweh, you are our Ab.
Your name is our Go’el From Everlasting.
17 O Yahweh, why do you let us wander from your ways
and become so stubborn that we are unable to fear you?
Return for the sake of your servants.
They are the tribes that belong to you.
18 Your holy people possessed the land for a little while.
Our enemies have trampled on your holy place.
19 We have become like those whom you never ruled,
like those who are not called by your name.
64 [a]If only you would split open the heavens and come down!
The mountains would quake at your presence.
2 Be like the fire that kindles brushwood and makes water boil.
Come down to make your name known to your enemies.
The nations will tremble in your presence.
3 When you did awe-inspiring things that we didn’t expect,
you came down and the mountains quaked in your presence.
4 No one has ever heard,
no one has paid attention,
and no one has seen any god except you.
You help those who wait for you.
5 You greeted the one who gladly does right and remembers your ways.
You showed your anger, because we’ve sinned.
We’ve continued to sin for a long time.
Can we still be saved?
6 We’ve all become unclean,[b]
and all our righteous acts are like permanently stained rags.
All of us shrivel like leaves,
and our sins carry us away like the wind.
7 No one calls on your name
or tries to hold on to you.
You have hidden your face from us.
You have let us be ruined by our sins.
8 But now, Yahweh, you are our Ab.
We are the clay, and you are our potter.
We are the work of your hands.
9 Don’t be too angry, Yahweh.
Don’t remember our sin forever.
Now look, we are all your people.
Guidelines for Leaders in the Church
3 This is a statement that can be trusted: If anyone sets his heart on being a bishop,[a] he desires something excellent. 2 A bishop must have a good reputation. He must have only one wife, be sober, use good judgment, be respectable, be hospitable, and be able to teach. 3 He must not drink excessively or be a violent person, but he must be gentle. He must not be quarrelsome or love money. 4 He must manage his own family well. His children should respectfully obey him. 5 (If a man doesn’t know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a new Christian, or he might become arrogant like the devil and be condemned. 7 People who are not Christians must speak well of him, or he might become the victim of disgraceful insults that the devil sets as traps for him.
8 Deacons[b] must also be of good character. They must not be two-faced or addicted to alcohol. They must not use shameful ways to make money. 9 They must have clear consciences about possessing the mystery of the Christian faith. 10 First, a person must be evaluated. Then, if he has a good reputation, he may become a deacon.
11 Their wives must also be of good character. They must not be gossips, but they must control their tempers and be trustworthy in every way.
12 A deacon must have only one wife. Deacons must manage their children and their families well. 13 Those deacons who serve well gain an excellent reputation and will have confidence as a result of their faith in Christ Yeshua.
14 I hope to visit you soon. However, I’m writing this to you 15 in case I’m delayed. I want you to know how people who are members of God’s family must live. God’s family is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
16 The mystery that gives us our reverence for God is acknowledged to be great:
He[c] appeared in his human nature,
was approved by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was announced throughout the nations,
was believed in the world,
and was taken to heaven in glory.
Jesus’ Authority Challenged(A)
27 Yeshua and his disciples returned to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple courtyard, the chief priests, the experts in Moses’ Teachings, and the leaders came to him. 28 They asked him, “What gives you the right to do these things? Who told you that you could do this?”
29 Yeshua said to them, “I’ll ask you a question. Answer me, and then I’ll tell you why I have the right to do these things. 30 Did John’s right to baptize come from heaven or from humans? Answer me!”
31 They discussed this among themselves. They said, “If we say, ‘from heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘from humans,’ then what will happen?” They were afraid of the people. All the people thought of John as a true prophet. 33 So they answered Yeshua, “We don’t know.”
Yeshua told them, “Then I won’t tell you why I have the right to do these things.”
A Story about a Vineyard(B)
12 Then, using this illustration, Yeshua spoke to them. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, made a vat for the winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to vineyard workers and went on a trip.
2 “At the right time he sent a servant to the workers to collect from them a share of the grapes from the vineyard. 3 The workers took the servant, beat him, and sent him back with nothing. 4 So the man sent another servant to them. They hit the servant on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 The man sent another, and they killed that servant. Then he sent many other servants. Some of these they beat, and others they killed.
6 “He had one more person to send. That person was his son, whom he loved. Finally, he sent his son to them. He thought, ‘They will respect my son.’
7 “But those workers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the workers and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you never read the Scripture passage:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
11 The Lord has done this,
and it is amazing for us to see’?”
12 They wanted to arrest him but were afraid of the crowd. They knew that he had directed this illustration at them. So they left him alone and went away.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.