Book of Common Prayer
A Prayer for Protection
For the director of music. A song of David.
140 Lord, rescue me from evil people.
Save me from cruel men.
2 They make evil plans.
They always start fights.
3 They make their tongues sharp as a snake’s.
Their words are like snake poison. Selah
4 Lord, guard me from the power of wicked people.
Save me from cruel men
who plan to trip me up.
5 Proud men have hidden a trap for me.
They have spread out a net beside the road.
They have set traps for me. Selah
6 I said to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Lord, listen to my prayer for help.
7 Lord God, my mighty savior,
you protect me in battle.
8 Lord, do not give the wicked what they want.
Don’t let their plans succeed,
or they will become proud. Selah
9 Those around me have planned trouble.
Now let it come to them.
10 Let burning coals fall on them.
Throw them into the fire
or into pits from which they cannot escape.
11 Don’t let liars settle in the land.
Let evil quickly hunt down cruel men.
12 I know the Lord will get justice for the poor.
He will defend the needy in court.
13 Good people will praise his name.
Honest people will live in his presence.
A Prayer for Safety
A maskil of David when he was in the cave. A prayer.
142 I cry out to the Lord.
I pray to the Lord for mercy.
2 I pour out my problems to him.
I tell him my troubles.
3 When I am afraid,
you, Lord, know the way out.
In the path where I walk,
a trap is hidden for me.
4 Look around me and see.
No one cares about me.
I have no place of safety.
No one cares if I live.
5 Lord, I cry out to you.
I say, “You are my protection.
You are all I want in this life.”
6 Listen to my cry
because I am helpless.
Save me from those who are chasing me.
They are too strong for me.
7 Free me from my prison.
Then I will praise your name.
Then the good people will surround me
because you have taken care of me.
A Prayer Not to Sin
A song of David.
141 Lord, I call to you. Come quickly.
Listen to me when I call to you.
2 Let my prayer be like incense placed before you.
Let my praise be like the evening sacrifice.
3 Lord, help me control my tongue.
Help me be careful about what I say.
4 Don’t let me want to do evil
or join others in doing wrong.
Don’t let me eat
with those who do evil.
5 If a good man punished me, that would be kind.
If he corrected me,
that would be like having perfumed oil on my head.
I shouldn’t refuse it.
But I pray against those who do evil.
6 Let their leaders be thrown down the cliffs.
Then people will know that I have spoken the truth:
7 “The ground is plowed and broken up.
In the same way, our bones have been scattered at the grave.”
8 Lord God, I look to you for help.
I trust in you. Don’t let me die.
9 Protect me from the traps they set for me
and from the net evil people have spread.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own pits.
And let me pass by safely.
A Prayer Not to Be Killed
A song of David.
143 Lord, hear my prayer.
Listen to my cry for mercy.
Come to help me
because you are loyal and good.
2 Don’t judge me, your servant,
because no one alive is right before you.
3 My enemies are chasing me.
They have crushed me to the ground.
They have made me live in darkness
like those who are long dead.
4 I am afraid.
My courage is gone.
5 I remember what happened long ago.
I recall everything you have done.
I think about all you have made.
6 I lift my hands to you in prayer.
As a dry land needs rain, I thirst for you. Selah
7 Lord, answer me quickly.
I am getting weak.
Don’t turn away from me,
or I will be like those who are dead.
8 Tell me in the morning about your love.
I trust you.
Show me what I should do
because my prayers go up to you.
9 Lord, save me from my enemies.
I come to you for safety.
10 Teach me to do what you want,
because you are my God.
Let your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.
11 Lord, let me live
so people will praise you.
In your goodness
save me from my troubles.
12 In your love defeat my enemies.
Destroy all those who trouble me
because I am your servant.
Naomi’s Plan
3 Then Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, said to her, “My daughter, I must find a suitable home for you. That would be good for you. 2 Now Boaz is our close relative.[a] You worked with his women servants. Tonight he will be working at the threshing floor. 3 Go wash yourself and put on perfume. Change your clothes, and go down to the threshing floor. But don’t let him see you until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 Then he will lie down. Watch him so you will know the place where he lies down. Go there and lift the cover off his feet[b] and lie down. He will tell you what you should do.”
5 Then Ruth answered, “I will do everything you say.”
6 So Ruth went down to the threshing floor. She did all her mother-in-law told her to do. 7 After eating and drinking, Boaz was feeling good. He went to lie down beside the pile of grain. Then Ruth went to him quietly. She lifted the cover from his feet and lay down.
8 About midnight Boaz woke up suddenly and rolled over. He was startled! There was a woman lying near his feet! 9 Boaz asked, “Who are you?”
She said, “I am Ruth, your servant girl. Spread your cover over me because you are the one who is to take care of me.”
10 Then Boaz said, “The Lord bless you, my daughter. Your kindness to me is greater than the kindness you showed to Naomi in the beginning. You didn’t look for a young man to marry, either rich or poor. 11 Now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do everything you ask. All the people in our town know you are a very good woman. 12 And it is true, I am a relative who is to take care of you. But there is a man who is a closer relative to you than I. 13 But stay here tonight. In the morning we will see if he will take care of you. If he decides to take care of you, that is fine. If he refuses to take care of you, I myself will marry you. Then I will buy back Elimelech’s land for you. As surely as the Lord lives, I promise to do this. So lie here until morning.”
14 So Ruth lay near his feet until the morning. She rose while it was still too dark to be recognized. Boaz said to his servants, “Don’t tell anyone that the woman came here to the threshing floor.” 15 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Bring me your shawl. Now, hold it open.”
So Ruth held her shawl open, and Boaz poured six portions of barley into it. Boaz then put it on her back, and she went to the city.
16 Ruth went to the home of her mother-in-law. And Naomi asked, “How did you do, my daughter?”
So Ruth told Naomi everything that Boaz did for her. 17 She said, “Boaz gave me these six portions of barley. He said, ‘You must not go home without a gift for your mother-in-law.’”
18 Naomi answered, “Ruth, my daughter, wait until you hear what happens. Boaz will not rest until he has finished doing what he should do this day.”
Preaching the Good News
4 God, with his mercy, gave us this work to do. So we don’t give up. 2 But we have turned away from secret and shameful ways. We use no trickery, and we do not change the teaching of God. We teach the truth plainly. This is how we show everyone who we are. And this is how they can know in their hearts what kind of people we are before God. 3 The Good News that we preach may be hidden. But it is hidden only to those who are lost. 4 The devil who rules this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe. They cannot see the light of the Good News—the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is exactly like God. 5 We do not preach about ourselves. But we preach that Jesus Christ is Lord; and we preach that we are your servants for Jesus. 6 God once said, “Let the light shine out of the darkness!” And this is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts. He gave us light by letting us know the glory of God that is in the face of Christ.
Spiritual Treasure in Clay Jars
7 We have this treasure from God. But we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that this great power is from God, not from us. 8 We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up. 9 We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed. 10 We carry the death of Jesus in our own bodies, so that the life of Jesus can also be seen in our bodies. 11 We are alive, but for Jesus we are always in danger of death. This is so that the life of Jesus can be seen in our bodies that die. 12 So death is working in us, but life is working in you.
Don’t Fight Back
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’[a] 39 But I tell you, don’t stand up against an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, then turn and let him slap the other cheek too. 40 If someone wants to sue you in court and take your shirt, then let him have your coat too. 41 If a soldier forces you to go with him one mile, then go with him two miles. 42 If a person asks you for something, then give it to him. Don’t refuse to give to a person who wants to borrow from you.
Love All People
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[b] and hate your enemies.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you.[c] 45 If you do this, then you will be true sons of your Father in heaven. Your Father causes the sun to rise on good people and on bad people. Your Father sends rain to those who do good and to those who do wrong. 46 If you love only the people who love you, then you will get no reward. Even the tax collectors do that. 47 And if you are nice only to your friends, then you are no better than other people. Even people without God are nice to their friends. 48 So you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.