Book of Common Prayer
Qoph
145 With my (A)whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord!
I will (B)keep your statutes.
146 I call to you; save me,
that I may observe your testimonies.
147 I rise before (C)dawn and cry for help;
I (D)hope in your words.
148 My eyes are awake before (E)the watches of the night,
that I may meditate on your promise.
149 Hear my voice according to your steadfast love;
O Lord, (F)according to your justice (G)give me life.
150 They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose;
they are far from your law.
151 But (H)you are near, O Lord,
and all your commandments are (I)true.
152 Long have I known from your testimonies
that you have (J)founded them forever.
Resh
153 Look on my (K)affliction and deliver me,
for (L)I do not forget your law.
154 (M)Plead my cause and redeem me;
(N)give me life according to your promise!
155 (O)Salvation is far from the wicked,
(P)for they do not seek your statutes.
156 (Q)Great is your mercy, O Lord;
(R)give me life according to your rules.
157 (S)Many are my persecutors and my adversaries,
but I do not (T)swerve from your testimonies.
158 I look at (U)the faithless with (V)disgust,
because they do not keep your commands.
159 Consider how I (W)love your precepts!
(X)Give me life according to your steadfast love.
160 (Y)The sum of your word is (Z)truth,
and every one of your (AA)righteous rules endures forever.
Sin and Shin
161 (AB)Princes persecute me (AC)without cause,
but my heart (AD)stands in awe of your words.
162 I (AE)rejoice at your word
like one who (AF)finds great spoil.
163 I hate and abhor falsehood,
but I love (AG)your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise you
for your (AH)righteous rules.
165 Great (AI)peace have those who love your law;
(AJ)nothing can make them stumble.
166 I (AK)hope for your salvation, O Lord,
and I do your commandments.
167 My soul keeps your testimonies;
I (AL)love them exceedingly.
168 I keep your precepts and testimonies,
(AM)for all my ways are before you.
Taw
169 Let my (AN)cry come before you, O Lord;
(AO)give me understanding (AP)according to your word!
170 Let my plea come before you;
(AQ)deliver me according to your word.
171 My lips will (AR)pour forth praise,
for you (AS)teach me your statutes.
172 My tongue will sing of your word,
for (AT)all your commandments are right.
173 Let your hand be ready to help me,
for I have (AU)chosen your precepts.
174 I (AV)long for your salvation, O Lord,
and your law is my (AW)delight.
175 Let my soul live and praise you,
and let your rules help me.
176 I have (AX)gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,
for I do not (AY)forget your commandments.
Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord
A Song of (A)Ascents.
128 (B)Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who (C)walks in his ways!
2 You (D)shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
3 Your wife will be like (E)a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like (F)olive shoots
around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5 (G)The Lord bless you (H)from Zion!
May you see (I)the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
6 May you see your (J)children's children!
(K)Peace be upon Israel!
They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth
A Song of (L)Ascents.
129 “Greatly[a] have they (M)afflicted me (N)from my youth”—
(O)let Israel now say—
2 “Greatly have they (P)afflicted me (Q)from my youth,
(R)yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 (S)The plowers plowed (T)upon my back;
they made long their furrows.”
4 The Lord is righteous;
he has cut (U)the cords of the wicked.
5 May all who hate Zion
be (V)put to shame and turned backward!
6 Let them be like (W)the grass on the housetops,
which (X)withers before it grows up,
7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand
nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
8 nor do those who pass by say,
(Y)“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We (Z)bless you in the name of the Lord!”
My Soul Waits for the Lord
A Song of (AA)Ascents.
130 Out of (AB)the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
2 O Lord, hear my voice!
(AC)Let your ears be attentive
to (AD)the voice of my pleas for mercy!
3 If you, O Lord, should (AE)mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could (AF)stand?
4 But with you there is (AG)forgiveness,
(AH)that you may be feared.
Ruth Meets Boaz
2 Now Naomi had (A)a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was (B)Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and (C)glean among the ears of grain after him (D)in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. 4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, (E)“The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, (F)who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”[a]
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then (G)she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should (H)take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, (I)“All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 (J)The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” 13 Then she said, (K)“I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”
23 But (A)I call God to witness against me—it was (B)to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24 Not that we (C)lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm (D)in your faith.
2 For I made up my mind (E)not to make another painful visit to you. 2 For (F)if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, (G)for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For (H)I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
Forgive the Sinner
5 Now (I)if anyone has caused pain, (J)he has caused it not to me, but (K)in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, (L)this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so (M)you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might (N)test you and know (O)whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for (P)we are not ignorant of his designs.
Triumph in Christ
12 When (Q)I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though (R)a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit (S)was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.
14 But (T)thanks be to God, who in Christ always (U)leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads (V)the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among (W)those who are being saved and among (X)those who are perishing, 16 (Y)to one a fragrance from death to death, (Z)to the other a fragrance from life to life. (AA)Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
Anger
21 (A)“You have heard that it was said to those of old, (B)‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable (C)to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that (D)everyone who is angry with his brother[a] will be liable (E)to judgment; whoever insults[b] his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to (F)the hell[c] of fire. 23 (G)So if (H)you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 (I)Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, (J)you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.[d]
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.