Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 16
A miktam[a] by David.
1 Protect me, O El, because I take refuge in you.
2 I said to Yahweh,
“You are my Adonay. Without you, I have nothing good.”
3 Those who lead holy lives on earth
are the noble ones who fill me with joy.[b]
4 Those who quickly chase after other gods multiply their sorrows.
I will not pour out their sacrificial offerings of blood
or use my lips to speak their names.
5 Yahweh is my inheritance and my cup.
You are the one who determines my destiny.
6 Your boundary lines mark out pleasant places for me.
Indeed, my inheritance is something beautiful.
7 I will praise Yahweh, who advises me.
My conscience warns me at night.
8 I always keep Yahweh in front of me.
When he is by my side, I cannot be moved.
9 That is why my heart is glad and my soul rejoices.
My body rests securely
10 because you do not abandon my soul to the grave
or allow your holy one to decay.
11 You make the path of life known to me.
Complete joy is in your presence.
Pleasures are by your side forever.
Psalm 17
A prayer by David.
1 Hear my plea for justice, O Yahweh.
Pay attention to my cry.
Open your ears to my prayer,
which comes from lips free from deceit.
2 Let the verdict of my innocence come directly from you.
Let your eyes observe what is fair.
3 You have probed my heart.
You have confronted me at night.
You have tested me like silver,
but you found nothing wrong.
I have determined that my mouth will not sin.
4 I have avoided cruelty because of your word.
In spite of what others have done,
5 my steps have remained firmly in your paths.
My feet have not slipped.
6 I have called on you because you answer me, O El.
Turn your ear toward me.
Hear what I have to say.
7 Reveal your miraculous deeds of mercy,
O Savior of those who find refuge by your side
from those who attack them.
8 Guard me as if I were the pupil in your eye.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
9 Hide me from wicked people who violently attack me,
from my deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They have shut out all feeling.[c]
Their mouths have spoken arrogantly.
11 They have tracked me down.
They have surrounded me.
They have focused their attention on throwing me to the ground.
12 Each one of them is like a lion eager to tear its prey apart
and like a young lion crouching in hiding places.
13 Arise, O Yahweh; confront them!
Bring them to their knees!
With your sword rescue my life from wicked people.
14 With your power rescue me from mortals, O Yahweh,
from mortals who enjoy their inheritance only in this life.
You fill their bellies with your treasure.
Their children are satisfied with it,
and they leave what remains to their children.
15 I will see your face when I am declared innocent.
When I wake up, I will be satisfied with seeing you.
Psalm 134
A song for going up to worship.
1 Praise Yahweh, all you servants of Yahweh,
all who stand in the house of Yahweh night after night.
2 Lift your hands toward the holy place, and praise Yahweh.
3 May Yahweh, the maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
Psalm 135
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the name of Yahweh.
Praise him, you servants of Yahweh
2 who are standing in the house of Yahweh,
in the courtyards of the house of our Elohim.
3 Praise Yah because Yahweh is good.
Make music to praise his name because his name is beautiful.
4 Yah chose Jacob to be his own
and chose Israel to be his own special treasure.
5 I know that Yahweh is great,
that our Adonay is greater than all the false gods.
6 Yahweh does whatever he wants in heaven or on earth,
on the seas or in all the depths of the oceans.
7 He is the one who makes the clouds rise from the ends of the earth,
who makes lightning for the thunderstorms,
and who brings wind out of his storerooms.
8 He is the one who killed every firstborn male in Egypt.
He killed humans and animals alike.
9 He sent miraculous signs and amazing things into the heart of Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his officials.
10 He is the one who defeated many nations and killed mighty kings:
11 King Sihon of the Amorites,
King Og of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms in Canaan.
12 He gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to his people Israel.
13 O Yahweh, your name endures forever.
O Yahweh, you will be remembered throughout every generation.
14 Yahweh will provide justice for his people
and have compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are made of silver and gold.
They were made by human hands.[a]
16 They have mouths, but they cannot speak.
They have eyes, but they cannot see.
17 They have ears, but they cannot hear.
They cannot breathe.
18 Those who make idols end up like them.
So does everyone who trusts them.
19 Descendants of Israel, praise Yahweh.
Descendants of Aaron, praise Yahweh.
20 Descendants of Levi, praise Yahweh.
You people who fear Yahweh, praise Yahweh.
21 Thank Yahweh in Zion.
Thank the one who lives in Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego Refuse to Worship an Idol
3 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. He set it up in a recessed area in the wall[a] in the province of Babylon. 2 King Nebuchadnezzar sent messengers to assemble the satraps, governors, mayors, military advisers, treasurers, judges, officers, and all the other provincial officials to dedicate the statue he had set up. 3 Then the satraps, governors, mayors, military advisers, treasurers, judges, officers, and all the other provincial officials assembled to dedicate the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. They stood in front of the statue.
4 The herald called out loudly, “People of every province, nation, and language! 5 When you hear the sound of rams’ horns, flutes, lyres, harps, and three-stringed harps playing at the same time with all other kinds of instruments, bow down and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever doesn’t bow down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” 7 As soon as they heard the sound of rams’ horns, flutes, lyres, harps, and three-stringed harps with all other kinds of instruments, all the people from every province, nation, and language bowed down and worshiped the gold statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 After that happened, some astrologers came forward and brought charges against the Jews. 9 They addressed King Nebuchadnezzar, “Your Majesty, may you live forever! 10 Your Majesty, you gave an order that everyone who hears the sound of rams’ horns, flutes, lyres, harps, and three-stringed harps playing at the same time with all other kinds of instruments should bow down and worship the gold statue. 11 Your order said that whoever doesn’t bow down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you appointed to govern the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men didn’t obey your order, Your Majesty. They don’t honor your gods or worship the statue that you set up.”
13 Then, in a fit of rage and anger, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Immediately, they were brought to the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar asked them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you don’t honor my gods or worship the gold statue that I set up? 15 When you hear the sound of the rams’ horns, flutes, lyres, harps, and three-stringed harps playing at the same time with all other kinds of instruments, will you bow down and worship the gold statue I made? If you don’t worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. What god can save you from my power then?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, “We don’t need to answer your last question. 17 If our Elah, whom we honor, can save us from a blazing furnace and from your power, he will, Your Majesty. 18 But if he doesn’t, you should know, Your Majesty, we’ll never honor your gods or worship the gold statue that you set up.”
3 Consider this: The Father has given us his love. He loves us so much that we are actually called God’s dear children. And that’s what we are. For this reason the world doesn’t recognize us, and it didn’t recognize him either. 2 Dear friends, now we are God’s children. What we will be isn’t completely clear yet. We do know that when Christ appears we will be like him because we will see him as he is. 3 So all people who have this confidence in Christ keep themselves pure, as Christ is pure.
4 Those who live sinful lives are disobeying God. Sin is disobedience. 5 You know that Christ appeared in order to take away our sins. He isn’t sinful. 6 Those who live in Christ don’t go on sinning. Those who go on sinning haven’t seen or known Christ.
7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you. Whoever does what God approves of has God’s approval as Christ has God’s approval. 8 The person who lives a sinful life belongs to the devil, because the devil has been committing sin since the beginning. The reason that the Son of God appeared was to destroy what the devil does. 9 Those who have been born from God don’t live sinful lives. What God has said lives in them, and they can’t live sinful lives. They have been born from God. 10 This is the way God’s children are distinguished from the devil’s children. Everyone who doesn’t do what is right or love other believers isn’t God’s child.
15 People’s hopes were rising as they all wondered whether John was the Messiah. 16 John replied to all of them, “I baptize you with water. But the one who is more powerful than I is coming. I am not worthy to untie his sandal straps. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing[a] shovel is in his hand to clean up his threshing floor.[b] He will gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn the husks in a fire that can never be put out.”
18 With many other encouraging words, he told the Good News to the people.
19 John spoke out against the ruler Herod because Herod had married his own sister-in-law, Herodias. He also spoke out against Herod for all the evil things he had done. 20 So Herod added one more evil to all the others; he locked John in prison.
The Baptism of Jesus(A)
21 When all the people were baptized, Yeshua, too, was baptized. While he was praying, heaven opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit came down to him in the form of a dove. A voice from heaven said, “You are my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with you.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.