Book of Common Prayer
Give the King Your Justice
Of (A)Solomon.
72 Give the king your (B)justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the royal son!
2 May he (C)judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice!
3 Let the mountains bear (D)prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness!
4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor!
5 May they fear you[a] while (E)the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, (F)throughout all generations!
6 May he be like (G)rain that falls on (H)the mown grass,
like (I)showers that water the earth!
7 In his days may (J)the righteous flourish,
and (K)peace abound, till the moon be no more!
8 May he have dominion from (L)sea to sea,
and from (M)the River[b] to the (N)ends of the earth!
9 May desert tribes (O)bow down before him,
and his enemies (P)lick the dust!
10 May the kings of (Q)Tarshish and of (R)the coastlands
render him (S)tribute;
may the kings of (T)Sheba and (U)Seba
bring gifts!
11 May all kings (V)fall down before him,
all nations serve him!
12 For he delivers (W)the needy when he calls,
the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
and (X)precious is their blood in his sight.
15 Long may he live;
may (Y)gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made (Z)for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all the day!
16 May there be abundance of grain in the land;
on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people (AA)blossom in the cities
like the (AB)grass of the field!
17 (AC)May his name endure forever,
his fame continue as long as the sun!
(AD)May people be blessed in him,
(AE)all nations call him blessed!
Yodh
73 (A)Your hands have made and fashioned me;
(B)give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.
74 Those who fear you shall see me and (C)rejoice,
because I have (D)hoped in your word.
75 I know, O Lord, that your rules are (E)righteous,
and that in (F)faithfulness you have afflicted me.
76 Let your steadfast love comfort me
according to your promise to your servant.
77 Let your (G)mercy come to me, that I may live;
for your law is my (H)delight.
78 Let (I)the insolent be put to (J)shame,
because they have (K)wronged me with falsehood;
as for me, I will (L)meditate on your precepts.
79 Let those who fear you (M)turn to me,
that they may know your testimonies.
80 May my heart be (N)blameless in your statutes,
(O)that I may not be put to shame!
Kaph
81 My soul (P)longs for your salvation;
I (Q)hope in your word.
82 My (R)eyes long for your promise;
I ask, (S)“When will you comfort me?”
83 For I have (T)become like a (U)wineskin in the smoke,
yet I have not forgotten your statutes.
84 (V)How long must your servant endure?[a]
(W)When will you judge those who persecute me?
85 (X)The insolent have (Y)dug pitfalls for me;
they do not live according to your law.
86 All your commandments are (Z)sure;
they persecute me (AA)with falsehood; (AB)help me!
87 They have almost made an end of me on earth,
but I have not forsaken your precepts.
88 In your steadfast love (AC)give me life,
that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.
Lamedh
89 Forever, O Lord, your (AD)word
is firmly fixed in the heavens.
90 Your (AE)faithfulness endures to all generations;
you have (AF)established the earth, and it (AG)stands fast.
91 By your (AH)appointment they stand this day,
for all things are your servants.
92 If your law had not been my (AI)delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have (AJ)given me life.
94 I am yours; save me,
(AK)for I have sought your precepts.
95 The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,
but I consider your testimonies.
96 I have seen a limit to all perfection,
but your commandment is exceedingly (AL)broad.
The Song of Moses
30 Then Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished, in the ears of all the assembly of Israel:
32 “Give ear, (A)O heavens, and I will speak,
and let (B)the earth hear the words of my mouth.
2 May (C)my teaching drop as the rain,
my speech distill as the dew,
like gentle rain upon the tender grass,
and (D)like showers upon the herb.
3 For I will proclaim the name of the Lord;
ascribe (E)greatness to our God!
4 (F)“The Rock, (G)his work is perfect,
for (H)all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and (I)without iniquity,
just and upright is he.
5 They have dealt corruptly with him;
they are no longer his children (J)because they are blemished;
they are (K)a crooked and twisted generation.
6 Do you thus repay the Lord,
you foolish and senseless people?
Is not he (L)your father, who (M)created you,
who (N)made you and established you?
7 (O)Remember the days of old;
consider the years of many generations;
(P)ask your father, and he will show you,
your elders, and they will tell you.
8 When the Most High (Q)gave to the nations their inheritance,
when he (R)divided mankind,
he fixed the borders[a] of the peoples
according to the number of the sons of God.[b]
9 But the Lord's portion is his people,
Jacob his allotted heritage.
10 “He found him (S)in a desert land,
and in the howling waste of the wilderness;
he (T)encircled him, he cared for him,
he (U)kept him as the apple of his eye.
11 (V)Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,
that flutters over its young,
spreading out its wings, catching them,
bearing them on its pinions,
12 (W)the Lord alone guided him,
(X)no foreign god was with him.
13 (Y)He made him ride on the high places of the land,
and he ate the produce of the field,
and he suckled him with (Z)honey out of the rock,
and (AA)oil out of (AB)the flinty rock.
14 Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock,
with fat[c] of lambs,
rams of Bashan and goats,
with the very finest[d] of the wheat—
and you drank foaming wine made from (AC)the blood of the grape.
21 To my shame, I must say, (A)we were too weak for that!
But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? (B)So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they (C)servants of Christ? (D)I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, (E)far more imprisonments, (F)with countless beatings, and (G)often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the (H)forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was (I)beaten with rods. (J)Once I was stoned. Three times I (K)was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, (L)danger from my own people, (M)danger from Gentiles, (N)danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 (O)in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, (P)in hunger and thirst, often without food,[a] in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for (Q)all the churches. 29 (R)Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
30 (S)If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 (T)The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, (U)he who is blessed forever, (V)knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas (W)was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 (X)but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.
The Parable of the Ten Minas
11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because (A)they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, (B)“A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling (C)ten of his servants,[a] he gave them ten minas,[b] and said to them, ‘Engage in business (D)until I come.’ 14 But (E)his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant![c] Because you have been (F)faithful in a very little, (G)you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ 20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in (H)a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are (I)a severe man. You take (J)what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, (K)‘I will condemn you with your own words, (L)you wicked servant! You knew that I was (M)a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26 ‘I tell you that (N)to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But (O)as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and (P)slaughter them before me.’”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.