Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 140[a]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
140 O Lord, rescue me from wicked men.[b]
Protect me from violent men,[c]
2 who plan ways to harm me.[d]
All day long they stir up conflict.[e]
3 Their tongues wound like a serpent;[f]
a viper’s[g] venom is behind[h] their lips. (Selah)
4 O Lord, shelter me from the power[i] of the wicked.
Protect me from violent men,
who plan to knock me over.[j]
5 Proud men hide a snare for me;
evil men[k] spread a net by the path.
They set traps for me. (Selah)
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
O Lord, pay attention to my plea for mercy.
7 O Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer,[l]
you shield[m] my head in the day of battle.
8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way.[n]
Do not allow their[o] plan to succeed when they attack.[p] (Selah)
9 As for the heads of those who surround me—
may the harm done by[q] their lips overwhelm them.
10 May he rain down[r] fiery coals upon them.
May he throw them into the fire.
From bottomless pits they will not escape.[s]
11 A slanderer[t] will not endure on[u] the earth;
calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down.[v]
12 I know[w] that the Lord defends the cause of the oppressed
and vindicates the poor.[x]
13 Certainly the godly will give thanks to your name;
the morally upright will live in your presence.
Psalm 142[a]
A well-written song[b] by David, when he was in the cave;[c] a prayer.
142 To the Lord I cry out;[d]
to the Lord I plead for mercy.[e]
2 I pour out my lament before him;
I tell him about[f] my troubles.
3 Even when my strength leaves me,[g]
you watch my footsteps.[h]
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see.
No one cares about me.[i]
I have nowhere to run;[j]
no one is concerned about my life.[k]
5 I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my security[l] in the land of the living.”
6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble.[m]
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
7 Free me[n] from prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.
Because of me the godly will assemble,[o]
for you will vindicate me.[p]
Psalm 141[a]
A psalm of David.
141 O Lord, I cry out to you. Come quickly to me.
Pay attention to me when I cry out to you.
2 May you accept my prayer like incense,
my uplifted hands like the evening offering.[b]
3 O Lord, place a guard on my mouth.
Protect the opening[c] of my lips.[d]
4 Do not let me have evil desires,[e]
or participate in sinful activities
with men who behave wickedly.[f]
I will not eat their delicacies.[g]
5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me.
May my head not refuse[h] choice oil.[i]
Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds.[j]
6 They will be thrown over the side of a cliff by their judges.[k]
They[l] will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil,[m]
so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
8 Surely I am looking to you,[n] O Sovereign Lord.
In you I take shelter.
Do not expose me to danger.[o]
9 Protect me from the snare they have laid for me,
and the traps the evildoers have set.[p]
10 Let the wicked fall[q] into their[r] own nets,
while I escape.[s]
Psalm 143[a]
A psalm of David.
143 O Lord, hear my prayer.
Pay attention to my plea for help.
Because of your faithfulness and justice, answer me.
2 Do not sit in judgment on[b] your servant,
for no one alive is innocent before you.[c]
3 Certainly[d] my enemies[e] chase me.
They smash me into the ground.[f]
They force me to live[g] in dark regions,[h]
like those who have been dead for ages.
4 My strength leaves me;[i]
I am absolutely shocked.[j]
5 I recall the old days.[k]
I meditate on all you have done;
I reflect on your accomplishments.[l]
6 I spread my hands out to you in prayer;[m]
my soul thirsts for you in a parched[n] land.[o] (Selah)
7 Answer me quickly, Lord.
My strength is fading.[p]
Do not reject me,[q]
or I will join[r] those descending into the grave.[s]
8 May I hear about your loyal love in the morning,[t]
for I trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,[u]
because I long for you.[v]
9 Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord.
I run to you for protection.[w]
10 Teach me to do what pleases you,[x]
for you are my God.
May your kind presence[y]
lead me[z] into a level land.[aa]
11 O Lord, for the sake of your reputation,[ab] revive me.[ac]
Because of your justice, rescue me from trouble.[ad]
12 As a demonstration of your loyal love,[ae] destroy my enemies.
Annihilate[af] all who threaten my life,[ag]
for I am your servant.
Naomi Instructs Ruth
3 At that time,[a] Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, “My daughter, I must find a home for you so you will be secure.[b] 2 Now Boaz, with whose female servants you worked, is our close relative.[c] Look, tonight he is winnowing barley at the threshing floor.[d] 3 So bathe yourself,[e] rub on some perfumed oil,[f] and get dressed up.[g] Then go down[h] to the threshing floor. But don’t let the man know you’re there until he finishes his meal.[i] 4 When he gets ready to go to sleep,[j] take careful notice of the place where he lies down. Then go, uncover his legs,[k] and lie down[l] beside him.[m] He will tell[n] you what you should do.” 5 Ruth replied to Naomi,[o] “I will do everything you have told[p] me[q] to do.”[r]
Ruth Visits Boaz
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had instructed her to do.[s] 7 When Boaz had finished his meal and was feeling satisfied, he lay down to sleep at the far end of the grain heap.[t] Then Ruth[u] crept up quietly,[v] uncovered his legs,[w] and lay down beside him.[x] 8 In the middle of the night he was startled[y] and turned over.[z] Now[aa] he saw a woman[ab] lying beside him![ac] 9 He said, “Who are you?”[ad] She replied, “I am Ruth, your servant.[ae] Marry your servant,[af] for you are a guardian of the family interests.”[ag] 10 He said, “May you be rewarded[ah] by the Lord, my dear![ai] This act of devotion[aj] is greater than what you did before.[ak] For you have not sought to marry[al] one of the young men, whether rich or poor.[am] 11 Now, my dear, don’t worry![an] I intend to do for you everything you propose,[ao] for everyone in the village[ap] knows that you are a worthy woman.[aq] 12 Now yes, it is true that[ar] I am a guardian,[as] but there is another guardian who is a closer relative than I am. 13 Remain here tonight. Then in the morning, if he agrees to marry you,[at] fine,[au] let him do so.[av] But if he does not want to do so, I promise, as surely as the Lord lives, to marry you.[aw] Sleep here until morning.”[ax] 14 So she slept beside him[ay] until morning. She woke up while it was still dark.[az] Boaz thought,[ba] “No one must know that a woman visited the threshing floor.”[bb] 15 Then he said, “Hold out the shawl[bc] you are wearing[bd] and grip it tightly.” As she held it tightly, he measured out about sixty pounds[be] of barley into the shawl[bf] and put it on her shoulders. Then he[bg] went into town, 16 and she returned to her mother-in-law.
Ruth Returns to Naomi
When Ruth returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi[bh] asked,[bi] “How did things turn out for you,[bj] my daughter?” Ruth[bk] told her about all the man had done for her. 17 She said, “He gave me these sixty pounds of barley, for he said to me,[bl] ‘Do not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”[bm] 18 Then Naomi[bn] said, “Stay put,[bo] my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out. For the man will not rest until he has taken care of the matter today.”
Paul’s Perseverance in Ministry
4 Therefore, since we have this ministry, just as God has shown us mercy,[a] we do not become discouraged.[b] 2 But we have rejected[c] shameful hidden deeds,[d] not behaving[e] with deceptiveness[f] or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God. 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing, 4 among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe[g] so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel[h] of Christ,[i] who is the image of God. 5 For we do not proclaim[j] ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves[k] for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,”[l] is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge[m] of God in the face of Christ.[n]
An Eternal Weight of Glory
7 But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power[o] belongs to God and does not come from us. 8 We are experiencing trouble on every side,[p] but are not crushed; we are perplexed,[q] but not driven to despair; 9 we are persecuted, but not abandoned;[r] we are knocked down,[s] but not destroyed, 10 always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus,[t] so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible[u] in our body. 11 For we who are alive are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible[v] in our mortal body.[w] 12 As a result,[x] death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.[y]
Retaliation
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’[a] 39 But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer.[b] But whoever strikes you on the[c] right cheek, turn the other to him as well. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic,[d] let him have your coat also. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile,[e] go with him two. 42 Give to the one who asks you,[f] and do not reject[g] the one who wants to borrow from you.
Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’[h] and ‘hate your enemy.’[i] 44 But I say to you, love your enemy and[j] pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be like[k] your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors[l] do the same, don’t they? 47 And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do? Even the Gentiles do the same, don’t they? 48 So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.[m]
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