Book of Common Prayer
Prayer for Protection against the Wicked.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
140 (A)Rescue me, Lord, from evil people;
Protect me from (B)violent men
2 Who (C)devise evil things in their hearts;
They (D)continually stir up wars.
3 They (E)sharpen their tongues like a snake;
(F)The venom of a viper is under their lips. Selah
4 (G)Keep me, Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
(H)Protect me from violent men
Who [a]intend to [b](I)trip up my feet.
5 The proud have (J)hidden a trap for me, and snares;
They have spread a (K)net at the [c]wayside;
They have set (L)snares for me. Selah
6 I (M)said to the Lord, “You are my God;
(N)Listen, Lord, to the (O)sound of my pleadings.
7 [d]God the Lord, (P)the strength of my salvation,
You have (Q)covered my head on the day of [e]battle.
8 Do not grant, Lord, the (R)desires of the wicked;
Do not bring about (S)his evil planning, so that they are not exalted. Selah
9 “As for the head of those who surround me,
May the (T)harm of their lips cover them.
10 May (U)burning coals fall upon them;
May they be (V)cast into the fire,
Into bottomless pits from which they (W)cannot rise.
11 May a [f]slanderer not endure on the earth;
(X)May evil hunt a violent person [g]violently.”
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
[a]Maskil of David, when he was [b]in the cave. A Prayer.
142 I (A)cry out with my voice to the Lord;
With my voice I (B)implore the Lord for compassion.
2 I (C)pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare my (D)trouble before Him.
3 When (E)my spirit felt weak within me,
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have (F)hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see;
For there is (G)no one who regards me favorably;
[c]There is no (H)escape for me;
(I)No one cares for my soul.
5 I cried out to You, Lord;
I said, “You are (J)my refuge,
My (K)portion in the (L)land of the living.
6 (M)Give Your attention to my cry,
For I have been (N)brought very low;
Rescue me from my persecutors,
For they are too (O)strong for me.
7 (P)Bring my soul out of prison,
So that I may give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will surround me,
For You will (Q)look after me.”
An Evening Prayer for Sanctification and Protection.
A Psalm of David.
141 Lord, I call upon You; (A)hurry to me!
(B)Listen to my voice when I call to You!
2 May my prayer be [a]counted as (C)incense before You;
The (D)raising of my hands as the (E)evening offering.
3 Set a (F)guard, Lord, [b]over my mouth;
Keep watch over the (G)door of my lips.
4 (H)Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice deeds [c]of wickedness
With people who (I)do wrong;
And (J)may I not taste their delicacies.
5 May the (K)righteous strike me with mercy and discipline me;
It is (L)oil for the head;
My head shall not refuse it,
For my prayer (M)is still against their evil deeds.
6 Their judges are (N)thrown down by the sides of the rock,
And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one (O)plows and breaks open the earth,
Our (P)bones have been scattered at the (Q)mouth of [d]Sheol.
Prayer for Help and Guidance.
A Psalm of David.
143 Hear my prayer, Lord,
(A)Listen to my pleadings!
Answer me in Your (B)faithfulness, in Your (C)righteousness!
2 And (D)do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For (E)no person living is righteous in Your sight.
3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life (F)to the ground;
He (G)has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead.
4 Therefore (H)my spirit [a]feels weak within me;
My heart is [b](I)appalled within me.
5 I (J)remember the days of old;
I (K)meditate on all Your accomplishments;
I (L)reflect on the work of Your hands.
6 I (M)spread out my hands to You;
My (N)soul longs for You, like a weary land. Selah
7 (O)Answer me quickly, Lord, my (P)spirit fails;
(Q)Do not hide Your face from me,
Or I will be the same as (R)those who go down to the pit.
8 Let me hear Your (S)faithfulness (T)in the morning,
For I trust (U)in You;
Teach me the (V)way in which I should walk;
For to You I (W)lift up my soul.
9 (X)Save me, Lord, from my enemies;
[c]I take refuge in You.
10 (Y)Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Let (Z)Your good Spirit (AA)lead me on level [d]ground.
11 (AB)For the sake of Your name, Lord, (AC)revive me.
(AD)In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.
12 And in Your faithfulness, [e](AE)destroy my enemies,
And (AF)eliminate all those who attack my soul,
For (AG)I am Your servant.
24 Then (A)Mephibosheth the [a]grandson of Saul came down to meet the king; but (B)he had neither [b]tended to his feet, nor [c]trimmed his mustache, nor (C)washed his clothes since the day the king departed until the day he came home in peace. 25 And it was when he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, “(D)Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?” 26 So he said, “My lord the king, my servant betrayed me; for your servant said, ‘I will [d]saddle the donkey for myself so that I may ride on it and go with the king,’ (E)since your servant cannot walk. 27 Furthermore, (F)he has slandered your servant to my lord the king; but my lord the king is (G)like the angel of God, therefore do what is good in your sight. 28 For (H)all my father’s household was only people worthy of death to my lord the king; (I)yet you placed your servant among those who ate at your own table. So what right do I still have, that I should [e]complain anymore to the king?” 29 So the king said to him, “Why do you still speak of your affairs? I have [f]decided, ‘You and Ziba shall divide the land.’” 30 And Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him even take it all, since my lord the king has come safely to his own house.”
31 Now (J)Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim; and he went on to the Jordan with the king to [g]escort him over the Jordan. 32 Barzillai was very old: eighty years old; and he had (K)provided the king food while he stayed in Mahanaim, for he was a very great man. 33 So the king said to Barzillai, “You cross over with me, and I will provide you food in Jerusalem with me.” 34 But Barzillai said to the king, “(L)How long [h]do I still have to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? 35 I am [i]now (M)eighty years old. Can I distinguish between good and bad? Or can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Or can I still hear (N)the voice of men and women singing? (O)Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? 36 Your servant would merely cross over the Jordan with the king. So why should the king compensate me with this reward? 37 Please let your servant return, so that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. However, here is your servant (P)Chimham; let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him what is good in your sight.” 38 And the king answered, “Chimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him what is good in your sight; and whatever you [j]require of me, I will do for you.” 39 All the people crossed over the Jordan and the king crossed too. The king then (Q)kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his place.
40 Now the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him; and all the people of Judah and also (R)half the people of Israel [k]accompanied the king. 41 And behold, all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king, “(S)Why have our brothers, (T)the men of Judah, abducted you and brought the king and his household and all David’s men with him, over the Jordan?” 42 Then all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because (U)the king is a close relative to [l]us. Why then are you angry about this matter? Have we eaten at all [m]at the king’s expense, or has anything been taken for us?” 43 But the men of Israel answered the men of Judah and said, “[n](V)We have ten parts in the king, therefore [o]we also have more claim on David than you. Why then did you treat [p]us with contempt? Was it not [q]our [r]advice first to bring back [s]our king?” Yet the words of the men of Judah were harsher than the words of the men of Israel.
24 Now some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla his [a]wife, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about (A)faith in Christ Jesus. 25 But as he was discussing (B)righteousness, (C)self-control, and (D)the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and responded, “Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, I will summon you.” 26 At the same time he was also hoping that (E)money would be given to him by Paul; therefore he also used to send for him quite often and talk with him. 27 But after two years had passed, Felix [b]was succeeded by Porcius (F)Festus; and Felix, (G)wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul (H)imprisoned.
Paul before Festus
25 Festus, then, after arriving in (I)the province, went up to Jerusalem from (J)Caesarea three days later. 2 And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews (K)brought charges against Paul, and they were pleading with [c]Festus, 3 requesting a [d]concession against [e]Paul, that he might [f]have him brought to Jerusalem (at the same time, (L)setting an ambush to kill him on the way). 4 Festus then (M)answered that Paul (N)was being kept in custody in (O)Caesarea, and that he himself was about to leave shortly. 5 “Therefore,” he *said, “have the influential men among you [g]go there with me, and if there is anything wrong [h]about the man, have them bring charges against him.”
6 After Festus had spent no more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to (P)Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on (Q)the tribunal and ordered that Paul be brought. 7 After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing (R)many, and serious, charges against him (S)which they could not prove, 8 while Paul said in his own defense, “(T)I have not done anything wrong either against the Law of the Jews, or against the temple, or against Caesar.” 9 But Festus, (U)wanting to do the Jews a favor, replied to Paul and said, “(V)Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and [i]stand trial before me on these charges?” 10 But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s (W)tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. 11 If, therefore, I am in the wrong and have committed something deserving death, I am not trying to avoid execution; but if there is nothing to the accusations which these men are bringing against me, no one can hand me over to them. I (X)appeal to Caesar.” 12 Then when Festus had conferred with [j]his council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go.”
35 (A)And Jesus responded and began saying, as He (B)taught in the temple area, “How is it that the scribes say that the [a]Christ is the (C)son of David? 36 David himself said [b]in the Holy Spirit,
‘(D)The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Until I put Your enemies under Your feet.”’
37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” And (E)the large crowd [c]enjoyed listening to Him.
38 (F)And in His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like (G)personal greetings in the marketplaces, 39 and seats of honor in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets, 40 (H)who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”
The Widow’s Coins
41 (I)And Jesus sat down opposite (J)the treasury, and began watching how the [d]people were (K)putting [e]money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large amounts. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two [f]lepta coins, which amount to a [g]quadrans. 43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all [h]the contributors to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their [i]surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, [j]all she had (L)to live on.”
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