Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 102[a]
The prayer of an oppressed man, as he grows faint and pours out his lament before the Lord.
102 O Lord, hear my prayer.
Pay attention to my cry for help.[b]
2 Do not ignore me in my time of trouble.[c]
Listen to me.[d]
When I call out to you, quickly answer me.
3 For my days go up in smoke,[e]
and my bones are charred as in a fireplace.[f]
4 My heart is parched[g] and withered like grass,
for I am unable[h] to eat food.[i]
5 Because of the anxiety that makes me groan,
my bones protrude from my skin.[j]
6 I am like an owl[k] in the wilderness;
I am like a screech owl[l] among the ruins.[m]
7 I stay awake;[n]
I am like a solitary bird on a roof.
8 All day long my enemies taunt me;
those who mock me use my name in their curses.[o]
9 For I eat ashes as if they were bread,[p]
and mix my drink with my tears,[q]
10 because of your anger and raging fury.
Indeed,[r] you pick me up and throw me away.
11 My days are coming to an end,[s]
and I am withered like grass.
12 But you, O Lord, rule forever,[t]
and your reputation endures.[u]
13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion.[v]
For it is time to have mercy on her,
for the appointed time has come.
14 Indeed,[w] your servants take delight in her stones,
and feel compassion for[x] the dust of her ruins.[y]
15 The nations will respect the reputation of the Lord,[z]
and all the kings of the earth will respect[aa] his splendor,
16 when the Lord rebuilds Zion,
and reveals his splendor,
17 when he responds to the prayer of the destitute,[ab]
and does not reject[ac] their request.[ad]
18 The account of his intervention[ae] will be recorded for future generations;
people yet to be born[af] will praise the Lord.
19 For he will look down from his sanctuary above;[ag]
from heaven the Lord will look toward earth,[ah]
20 in order to hear the painful cries of the prisoners,
and to set free those condemned to die,[ai]
21 so they may proclaim the name of the Lord in Zion,
and praise him[aj] in Jerusalem,
22 when the nations gather together,
and the kingdoms pay tribute to the Lord.[ak]
23 He has taken away my strength in the middle of life;[al]
he has cut short my days.
24 I say, “O my God, please do not take me away in the middle of my life.[am]
You endure through all generations.[an]
25 In earlier times you established the earth;
the skies are your handiwork.
26 They will perish,
but you will endure.[ao]
They will wear out like a garment;
like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear.[ap]
27 But you remain;[aq]
your years do not come to an end.
28 The children of your servants will settle down here,
and their descendants[ar] will live securely in your presence.”[as]
Book 5 (Psalms 107-150)
Psalm 107[a]
107 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures.[b]
2 Let those delivered by the Lord speak out,[c]
those whom he delivered[d] from the power[e] of the enemy,
3 and gathered from foreign lands,[f]
from east and west,
from north and south.
4 They wandered through the wilderness, in a wasteland;[g]
they found no road to a city in which to live.
5 They were hungry and thirsty;
they fainted from exhaustion.[h]
6 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
7 He led them on a level road,[i]
that they might find a city in which to live.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people.[j]
9 For he has satisfied those who thirst,[k]
and those who hunger he has filled with food.[l]
10 They sat in utter darkness,[m]
bound in painful iron chains,[n]
11 because they had rebelled against God’s commands,[o]
and rejected the instructions of the Most High.[p]
12 So he used suffering to humble them;[q]
they stumbled and no one helped them up.
13 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
14 He brought them out of the utter darkness,[r]
and tore off their shackles.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people.[s]
16 For he shattered the bronze gates,
and hacked through the iron bars.[t]
17 They acted like fools in their rebellious ways,[u]
and suffered because of their sins.
18 They lost their appetite for all food,[v]
and they drew near the gates of death.
19 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
20 He sent them an assuring word[w] and healed them;
he rescued them from the pits where they were trapped.[x]
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people.[y]
22 Let them present thank offerings,
and loudly proclaim what he has done.[z]
23 [aa] Some traveled on[ab] the sea in ships,
and carried cargo over the vast waters.[ac]
24 They witnessed the acts of the Lord,
his amazing feats on the deep water.
25 He gave the order for a windstorm,[ad]
and it stirred up the waves of the sea.[ae]
26 They[af] reached up to the sky,
then dropped into the depths.
The sailors’ strength[ag] left them[ah] because the danger was so great.[ai]
27 They swayed[aj] and staggered like drunks,
and all their skill proved ineffective.[ak]
28 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
29 He calmed the storm,[al]
and the waves[am] grew silent.
30 The sailors[an] rejoiced because the waves[ao] grew quiet,
and he led them to the harbor[ap] they desired.
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people.[aq]
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people.
Let them praise him in the place where the leaders preside.[ar]
19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you come with us? Go back and stay with the new[a] king, for you are a foreigner and an exile from your own country.[b] 20 It seems as if you arrived just yesterday. Today should I make you wander around by going with us? I go where I must go. But as for you, go back and take your men[c] with you. May genuine loyal love[d] protect[e] you!”
21 But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king is, whether it means death or life, there I[f] will be as well!” 22 So David said to Ittai, “Come along then.”[g] So Ittai the Gittite went along,[h] accompanied by all his men and all the dependents[i] who were with him.
23 All the land was weeping loudly[j] as all these people were leaving.[k] As the king was crossing over the Kidron Valley, all the people were leaving[l] on the road that leads to the desert. 24 Zadok and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. When they positioned the ark of God, Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving[m] the city.
25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back to the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s sight he will bring me back and enable me to see both it and his dwelling place again. 26 However, if he should say, ‘I do not take pleasure in you,’ then he will deal with me in a way that he considers appropriate.”[n]
27 The king said to Zadok the priest, “Are you a seer?[o] Go back to the city in peace! Your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan may go with you and Abiathar.[p] 28 Look, I will be waiting at the fords of the desert until word from you[q] reaches me.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and remained there.
30 As David was going up the Mount of Olives, he was weeping as he went; his head was covered and his feet were bare. All the people who were with him also had their heads covered and were weeping as they went up. 31 Now David[r] had been told, “Ahithophel has sided with the conspirators who are with Absalom.” So David prayed,[s] “Make the advice of Ahithophel foolish, O Lord.”
32 When David reached the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite met him with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you leave[t] with me you will be a burden to me. 34 But you will be able to counter the advice of Ahithophel if you go back to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king! Previously I was your father’s servant, and now I will be your servant.’ 35 Zadok and Abiathar the priests will be there with you.[u] Everything you hear in the king’s palace[v] you must tell Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36 Furthermore, their two sons are there with them, Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan. You must send them to me with any information you hear.”[w]
37 So David’s friend Hushai arrived in the city, just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.
37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks,[a] he said[b] to the commanding officer,[c] “May I say[d] something to you?” The officer[e] replied,[f] “Do you know Greek?[g] 38 Then you’re not that Egyptian who started a rebellion[h] and led the 4,000 men of the ‘Assassins’[i] into the wilderness[j] some time ago?”[k] 39 Paul answered,[l] “I am a Jew[m] from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city.[n] Please[o] allow me to speak to the people.” 40 When the commanding officer[p] had given him permission,[q] Paul stood[r] on the steps and gestured[s] to the people with his hand. When they had become silent,[t] he addressed[u] them in Aramaic,[v]
Paul’s Defense
22 “Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense[w] that I now[x] make to you.” 2 (When they heard[y] that he was addressing[z] them in Aramaic,[aa] they became even[ab] quieter.)[ac] Then[ad] Paul said, 3 “I am a Jew,[ae] born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up[af] in this city, educated with strictness[ag] under[ah] Gamaliel[ai] according to the law of our ancestors,[aj] and was[ak] zealous[al] for God just as all of you are today. 4 I[am] persecuted this Way[an] even to the point of death,[ao] tying up[ap] both men and women and putting[aq] them in prison, 5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders[ar] can testify about me. From them[as] I also received[at] letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way[au] to make arrests there and bring[av] the prisoners[aw] to Jerusalem[ax] to be punished. 6 As[ay] I was en route and near Damascus,[az] about noon a very bright[ba] light from heaven[bb] suddenly flashed[bc] around me. 7 Then I[bd] fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand[be] the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 So I asked,[bf] ‘What should I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up[bg] and go to Damascus; there you will be told about everything[bh] that you have been designated[bi] to do.’ 11 Since I could not see because of[bj] the brilliance[bk] of that light, I came to Damascus led by the hand of[bl] those who were with me. 12 A man named Ananias,[bm] a devout man according to the law,[bn] well spoken of by all the Jews who live there,[bo] 13 came[bp] to me and stood beside me[bq] and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’[br] And at that very moment[bs] I looked up and saw him.[bt] 14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors[bu] has already chosen[bv] you to know his will, to see[bw] the Righteous One,[bx] and to hear a command[by] from his mouth, 15 because you will be his witness[bz] to all people[ca] of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now what are you waiting for?[cb] Get up,[cc] be baptized, and have your sins washed away,[cd] calling on his name.’[ce]
Healing Blind Bartimaeus
46 They came to Jericho. As Jesus[a] and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to shout,[b] “Jesus, Son of David,[c] have mercy[d] on me!” 48 Many scolded[e] him to get him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So[f] they called the blind man and said to him, “Have courage! Get up! He is calling you.” 50 He threw off his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus. 51 Then[g] Jesus said to him,[h] “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied, “Rabbi,[i] let me see again.”[j] 52 Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has healed you.” Immediately he regained[k] his sight and followed him on the road.
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