Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 101
Of David. A psalm.
1 I will sing of your love(A) and justice;
to you, Lord, I will sing praise.
2 I will be careful to lead a blameless life(B)—
when will you come to me?
I will conduct the affairs(C) of my house
with a blameless heart.
3 I will not look with approval
on anything that is vile.(D)
I hate what faithless people do;(E)
I will have no part in it.
4 The perverse of heart(F) shall be far from me;
I will have nothing to do with what is evil.
5 Whoever slanders their neighbor(G) in secret,
I will put to silence;
whoever has haughty eyes(H) and a proud heart,
I will not tolerate.
6 My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
the one whose walk is blameless(I)
will minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit
will dwell in my house;
no one who speaks falsely
will stand in my presence.
Psalm 109
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 My God, whom I praise,(A)
do not remain silent,(B)
2 for people who are wicked and deceitful(C)
have opened their mouths against me;
they have spoken against me with lying tongues.(D)
3 With words of hatred(E) they surround me;
they attack me without cause.(F)
4 In return for my friendship they accuse me,
but I am a man of prayer.(G)
5 They repay me evil for good,(H)
and hatred for my friendship.
6 Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;
let an accuser(I) stand at his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty,(J)
and may his prayers condemn(K) him.
8 May his days be few;(L)
may another take his place(M) of leadership.
9 May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.(N)
10 May his children be wandering beggars;(O)
may they be driven[a] from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor(P) seize all he has;
may strangers plunder(Q) the fruits of his labor.(R)
12 May no one extend kindness to him
or take pity(S) on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off,(T)
their names blotted out(U) from the next generation.
14 May the iniquity of his fathers(V) be remembered before the Lord;
may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15 May their sins always remain before(W) the Lord,
that he may blot out their name(X) from the earth.
16 For he never thought of doing a kindness,
but hounded to death the poor
and the needy(Y) and the brokenhearted.(Z)
17 He loved to pronounce a curse—
may it come back on him.(AA)
He found no pleasure in blessing—
may it be far from him.
18 He wore cursing(AB) as his garment;
it entered into his body like water,(AC)
into his bones like oil.
19 May it be like a cloak wrapped(AD) about him,
like a belt tied forever around him.
20 May this be the Lord’s payment(AE) to my accusers,
to those who speak evil(AF) of me.
21 But you, Sovereign Lord,
help me for your name’s sake;(AG)
out of the goodness of your love,(AH) deliver me.(AI)
22 For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow;(AJ)
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees give(AK) way from fasting;(AL)
my body is thin and gaunt.(AM)
25 I am an object of scorn(AN) to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads.(AO)
26 Help me,(AP) Lord my God;
save me according to your unfailing love.
27 Let them know(AQ) that it is your hand,
that you, Lord, have done it.
28 While they curse,(AR) may you bless;
may those who attack me be put to shame,
but may your servant rejoice.(AS)
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace
and wrapped in shame(AT) as in a cloak.
30 With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;
in the great throng(AU) of worshipers I will praise him.
ע Ayin
121 I have done what is righteous and just;(A)
do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Ensure your servant’s well-being;(B)
do not let the arrogant oppress me.(C)
123 My eyes fail,(D) looking for your salvation,(E)
looking for your righteous promise.(F)
124 Deal with your servant according to your love(G)
and teach me your decrees.(H)
125 I am your servant;(I) give me discernment
that I may understand your statutes.(J)
126 It is time for you to act, Lord;
your law is being broken.(K)
127 Because I love your commands(L)
more than gold,(M) more than pure gold,(N)
128 and because I consider all your precepts right,(O)
I hate every wrong path.(P)
פ Pe
129 Your statutes are wonderful;(Q)
therefore I obey them.(R)
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;(S)
it gives understanding to the simple.(T)
131 I open my mouth and pant,(U)
longing for your commands.(V)
132 Turn to me(W) and have mercy(X) on me,
as you always do to those who love your name.(Y)
133 Direct my footsteps according to your word;(Z)
let no sin rule(AA) over me.
134 Redeem me from human oppression,(AB)
that I may obey your precepts.(AC)
135 Make your face shine(AD) on your servant
and teach me your decrees.(AE)
136 Streams of tears(AF) flow from my eyes,
for your law is not obeyed.(AG)
צ Tsadhe
137 You are righteous,(AH) Lord,
and your laws are right.(AI)
138 The statutes you have laid down are righteous;(AJ)
they are fully trustworthy.(AK)
139 My zeal wears me out,(AL)
for my enemies ignore your words.
140 Your promises(AM) have been thoroughly tested,(AN)
and your servant loves them.(AO)
141 Though I am lowly and despised,(AP)
I do not forget your precepts.(AQ)
142 Your righteousness is everlasting
and your law is true.(AR)
143 Trouble and distress have come upon me,
but your commands give me delight.(AS)
144 Your statutes are always righteous;
give me understanding(AT) that I may live.
The Promise of Israel’s Return
14 The word of the Lord came to me: 15 “Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, ‘They are far away from the Lord; this land was given to us as our possession.’(A)
16 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary(B) for them in the countries where they have gone.’
17 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’(C)
18 “They will return to it and remove all its vile images(D) and detestable idols.(E) 19 I will give them an undivided heart(F) and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone(G) and give them a heart of flesh.(H) 20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.(I) They will be my people,(J) and I will be their God.(K) 21 But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols,(L) I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.(M)”
22 Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory(N) of the God of Israel was above them.(O) 23 The glory(P) of the Lord went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain(Q) east of it. 24 The Spirit(R) lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia[a] in the vision(S) given by the Spirit of God.
Then the vision I had seen went up from me, 25 and I told the exiles everything the Lord had shown me.(T)
Melchizedek the Priest
7 This Melchizedek was king of Salem(A) and priest of God Most High.(B) He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him,(C) 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy,(D) without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God,(E) he remains a priest forever.
4 Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch(F) Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!(G) 5 Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people(H)—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham. 6 This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed(I) him who had the promises.(J) 7 And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living.(K) 9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.
Jesus Like Melchizedek
11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people(L) established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come,(M) one in the order of Melchizedek,(N) not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe,(O) and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar.(P) 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah,(Q) and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared:
17 The seventy-two(A) returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”(B)
18 He replied, “I saw Satan(C) fall like lightning from heaven.(D) 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes(E) and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”(F)
21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.(G) Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
22 “All things have been committed to me by my Father.(H) No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”(I)
23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”(J)
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