Book of Common Prayer
Restore Us, O God
To the choirmaster: according to (A)Lilies. A Testimony. Of (B)Asaph, a Psalm.
80 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead (C)Joseph like (D)a flock.
You who are (E)enthroned upon the cherubim, (F)shine forth.
2 Before (G)Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,
(H)stir up your might
and (I)come to save us!
4 O (L)Lord God of hosts,
(M)how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?
5 You have fed them with (N)the bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 (O)You make us an object of contention for our (P)neighbors,
and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 (Q)Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved!
8 You brought (R)a vine out of Egypt;
you (S)drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You (T)cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 It sent out its branches to (U)the sea
and its shoots to (V)the River.[b]
12 Why then have you (W)broken down its walls,
so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 (X)The boar from the forest ravages it,
and all that move in the field feed on it.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts!
(Y)Look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
15 the stock that your right hand planted,
and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.
16 They have (Z)burned it with fire; they have (AA)cut it down;
may they perish at (AB)the rebuke of your face!
17 But (AC)let your hand be on the man of your right hand,
the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!
18 Then we shall not turn back from you;
(AD)give us life, and we will call upon your name!
19 (AE)Restore us, O Lord God of hosts!
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord
To the choirmaster: according to (A)Jeduthun. A Psalm of (B)Asaph.
77 I (C)cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.
2 (D)In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in (E)the night my (F)hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul (G)refuses to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, I (H)moan;
when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah
4 You hold my eyelids open;
I am so (I)troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider (J)the days of old,
the years long ago.
6 I said,[a] “Let me remember my (K)song in the night;
let me (L)meditate in my heart.”
Then my spirit made a diligent search:
7 “Will the Lord (M)spurn forever,
and never again (N)be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
Are his (O)promises at an end for all time?
9 (P)Has God forgotten to be gracious?
(Q)Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will (S)remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your (T)work,
and meditate on your (U)mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is (V)holy.
(W)What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who (X)works wonders;
you have (Y)made known your might among the peoples.
15 You (Z)with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16 When (AA)the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
indeed, the deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
the skies (AB)gave forth thunder;
your (AC)arrows flashed on every side.
18 (AD)The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
(AE)your lightnings lighted up the world;
the earth (AF)trembled and shook.
19 Your (AG)way was through the sea,
your path through the great waters;
yet your footprints (AH)were unseen.[c]
20 You (AI)led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
How Long, O Lord?
A Psalm of (A)Asaph.
79 O God, (B)the nations have come into your (C)inheritance;
they have defiled your (D)holy temple;
they have (E)laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They have given (F)the bodies of your servants
to the birds of the heavens for food,
the flesh of your (G)faithful to (H)the beasts of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there was (I)no one to bury them.
4 We have become (J)a taunt to our neighbors,
(K)mocked and derided by those around us.
5 (L)How long, O Lord? Will you be angry (M)forever?
Will your (N)jealousy (O)burn like fire?
6 (P)Pour out your anger on the nations
that (Q)do not know you,
and on the kingdoms
that (R)do not call upon your name!
7 For they have devoured Jacob
and laid waste his habitation.
8 (S)Do not remember against us (T)our former iniquities;[a]
let your compassion come speedily to meet us,
for we are (U)brought very low.
9 (V)Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and (W)atone for our sins,
for your (X)name's sake!
10 (Y)Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Let (Z)the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants
be known among the nations before our eyes!
11 Let (AA)the groans of the prisoners come before you;
according to your great power, preserve those (AB)doomed to die!
12 Return (AC)sevenfold into the (AD)lap of our neighbors
the (AE)taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!
13 But we your people, the (AF)sheep of your pasture,
will (AG)give thanks to you forever;
from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
The Birth of Samuel
1 There was a certain man of (A)Ramathaim-zophim of (B)the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, (C)an Ephrathite. 2 He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
3 Now this man used to go up (D)year by year from his city (E)to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts (F)at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. 4 On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, (G)he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.[a] 6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. 7 So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. 8 And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? (H)Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
9 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of (I)the temple of the Lord. 10 She was (J)deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. 11 And she (K)vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed (L)look on the affliction of your servant and (M)remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, (N)and no razor shall touch his head.”
12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” 15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but (O)I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not regard your servant as (P)a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” 17 Then Eli answered, (Q)“Go in peace, and the God of Israel (R)grant your petition that you have made to him.” 18 And she said, (S)“Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman (T)went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at (U)Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord (V)remembered her. 20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”[b]
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
1 In the first book, O (A)Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began (B)to do and teach, 2 until the day when (C)he was taken up, after he (D)had given commands (E)through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 (F)He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
4 And while staying[a] with them (G)he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for (H)John baptized with water, (I)but you will be baptized (J)with[b] the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
The Ascension
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, (K)will you at this time (L)restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, (M)“It is not for you to know (N)times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive (O)power (P)when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and (Q)you will be (R)my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and (S)Samaria, and (T)to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, (U)he was lifted up, and (V)a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, (W)two (X)men stood by them in (Y)white robes, 11 and said, (Z)“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, (AA)will (AB)come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas
12 Then (AC)they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to (AD)the upper room, where they were staying, (AE)Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon (AF)the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these (AG)with one accord (AH)were devoting themselves to prayer, together with (AI)the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and (AJ)his brothers.[c]
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
9 (A)And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted (B)a vineyard and (C)let it out to tenants and (D)went into another country for a long while. 10 When the time came, he sent a servant[a] to the tenants, so that (E)they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. (F)But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 (G)And (H)he sent another servant. But they also beat and (I)treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 (J)And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my (K)beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, (L)‘This is the heir. (M)Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 And they (N)threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 (O)He will (P)come and destroy those tenants and (Q)give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” 17 But he (R)looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
18 (T)Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls (U)on anyone, it will crush him.”
Paying Taxes to Caesar
19 (V)The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.