Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 30[a]
Thanksgiving for Deliverance
1 A psalm. A song for the dedication of the Temple.[b] Of David.
I
2 I praise you, Lord, for you raised me up
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
3 O Lord, my God,
I cried out to you for help and you healed[c] me.
4 Lord, you brought my soul up from Sheol;
you let me live, from going down to the pit.[d](A)
II
5 Sing praise to the Lord, you faithful;
give thanks to his holy memory.
6 For his anger lasts but a moment;
his favor a lifetime.
At dusk weeping comes for the night;
but at dawn there is rejoicing.
III
7 Complacent,[e] I once said,
“I shall never be shaken.”
8 Lord, you showed me favor,
established for me mountains of virtue.
But when you hid your face
I was struck with terror.(B)
9 To you, Lord, I cried out;
with the Lord I pleaded for mercy:
10 [f]“What gain is there from my lifeblood,
from my going down to the grave?
Does dust give you thanks
or declare your faithfulness?
11 Hear, O Lord, have mercy on me;
Lord, be my helper.”
IV
12 You changed my mourning into dancing;
you took off my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness.(C)
13 So that my glory may praise you
and not be silent.
O Lord, my God,
forever will I give you thanks.
Psalm 32[a]
Remission of Sin
1 (A)Of David. A maskil.
I
Blessed is the one whose fault is removed,
whose sin is forgiven.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no deceit.
II
3 Because I kept silent,[b] my bones wasted away;
I groaned all day long.(B)
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength withered as in dry summer heat.
Selah
5 Then I declared my sin to you;
my guilt I did not hide.(C)
I said, “I confess my transgression to the Lord,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
Selah
6 Therefore every loyal person should pray to you
in time of distress.
Though flood waters[c] threaten,
they will never reach him.(D)
7 You are my shelter; you guard me from distress;
with joyful shouts of deliverance you surround me.
Selah
III
8 I will instruct you and show you the way you should walk,
give you counsel with my eye upon you.
9 Do not be like a horse or mule, without understanding;
with bit and bridle their temper is curbed,
else they will not come to you.
IV
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked one,
but mercy surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
exult, all you upright of heart.(E)
Second Book—Psalms 42–72
Psalm 42[a]
Longing for God’s Presence in the Temple
1 For the leader. A maskil of the Korahites.[b]
I
2 As the deer longs for streams of water,(A)
so my soul longs for you, O God.
3 My soul thirsts for God, the living God.
When can I enter and see the face of God?[c](B)
4 My tears have been my bread day and night,(C)
as they ask me every day, “Where is your God?”(D)
5 Those times I recall
as I pour out my soul,(E)
When I would cross over to the shrine of the Mighty One,[d]
to the house of God,
Amid loud cries of thanksgiving,
with the multitude keeping festival.(F)
6 Why are you downcast, my soul;
why do you groan within me?
Wait for God, for I shall again praise him,
my savior and my God.
II
7 My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I remember you
From the land of the Jordan[e] and Hermon,
from Mount Mizar,(G)
8 [f]Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your torrents,
and all your waves and breakers
sweep over me.(H)
9 By day may the Lord send his mercy,
and by night may his righteousness be with me!
I will pray[g] to the God of my life,
10 I will say to God, my rock:
“Why do you forget me?(I)
Why must I go about mourning
with the enemy oppressing me?”
11 It shatters my bones, when my adversaries reproach me,
when they say to me every day: “Where is your God?”
12 Why are you downcast, my soul,
why do you groan within me?
Wait for God, for I shall again praise him,
my savior and my God.
Psalm 43
1 Grant me justice, O God;
defend me from a faithless people;
from the deceitful and unjust rescue me.(J)
2 You, O God, are my strength.
Why then do you spurn me?
Why must I go about mourning,
with the enemy oppressing me?
3 (K)Send your light and your fidelity,[h]
that they may be my guide;(L)
Let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place of your dwelling,
4 That I may come to the altar of God,
to God, my joy, my delight.
Then I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.
5 Why are you downcast, my soul?
Why do you groan within me?
Wait for God, for I shall again praise him,
my savior and my God.
7 [a]Again, in the time of Artaxerxes, Tabeel and the rest of his fellow officials, in concert with Mithredath, wrote to Artaxerxes, king of Persia. The document was written in Aramaic and was accompanied by a translation.
11 This is a copy of the letter that they sent to him:
“To King Artaxerxes, your servants, the men of West-of-Euphrates, as follows: 12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have arrived at Jerusalem and are now rebuilding this rebellious and evil city. They are completing its walls, and the foundations have already been laid. 13 Now let it be known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls completed, they will no longer pay taxes, tributes, or tolls; eventually the throne will be harmed. 14 Now, since we eat the salt of the palace[a] and it is not fitting for us to look on while the king is being dishonored, we have sent this message to inform the king, 15 so that inquiry may be made in the historical records of your fathers. In the historical records you will discover and verify that this is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces; its people have been acting seditiously there since ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed. 16 We therefore inform the king, that if this city is rebuilt and its walls completed again, you will thereupon not have a portion in the province West-of-Euphrates.”
17 The king sent this answer: “To Rehum, the governor, Shimshai, the scribe, and their fellow officials living in Samaria and elsewhere in the province West-of-Euphrates, greetings: 18 The communication which you sent us has been read in translation in my presence. 19 When at my command inquiry was made, it was verified that from ancient times this city has risen up against kings and that rebellion and sedition have been fostered there. 20 Powerful kings once ruled in Jerusalem who controlled all West-of-Euphrates, and taxes, tributes, and tolls were paid to them. 21 Give orders, therefore, to stop these men. This city may not be rebuilt until a further decree has been issued by me. 22 Take care that you do not neglect this matter. Why should evil increase to harm the throne?”
23 (A)As soon as a copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter had been read before Rehum, the governor, Shimshai, the scribe, and their fellow officials, they immediately went to the Jews in Jerusalem and stopped their work by force of arms. 24 As a result, work on the house of God in Jerusalem ceased. This interruption lasted until the second year of the reign of Darius,[b] king of Persia.
Address and Greeting. 1 [a]Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved and our co-worker,(A) 2 to Apphia our sister,[b] to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church at your house.(B) 3 Grace to you and peace[c] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.(C)
Thanksgiving. 4 [d](D)I give thanks to my God always, remembering you in my prayers, 5 as I hear of the love and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus and for all the holy ones,[e] 6 so that your partnership in the faith may become effective in recognizing every good there is in us[f] that leads to Christ.(E)
Plea for Onesimus. 7 For I have experienced much joy and encouragement[g] from your love, because the hearts of the holy ones have been refreshed by you, brother.(F) 8 Therefore, although I have the full right[h] in Christ to order you to do what is proper, 9 I rather urge you out of love, being as I am, Paul, an old man,[i] and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus.(G) 10 I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment,(H) 11 who was once useless to you but is now useful[j] to [both] you and me. 12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13 I should have liked to retain him for myself, so that he might serve[k] me on your behalf in my imprisonment for the gospel,(I) 14 but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.(J) 15 Perhaps this is why he was away from[l] you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man[m] and in the Lord.(K) 17 So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me. 18 [n]And if he has done you any injustice or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, write this in my own hand: I will pay. May I not tell you that you owe me your very self.(L) 20 Yes, brother, may I profit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.
21 With trust in your compliance I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 At the same time prepare a guest room for me, for I hope to be granted to you through your prayers.(M)
Final Greetings. 23 Epaphras,[o] my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,(N) 24 as well as Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my co-workers. 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.(O)
A Tree and Its Fruits. 33 (A)“Either declare[a] the tree good and its fruit is good, or declare the tree rotten and its fruit is rotten, for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 [b](B)You brood of vipers, how can you say good things when you are evil? For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good person brings forth good out of a store of goodness, but an evil person brings forth evil out of a store of evil. 36 [c](C)I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. 37 By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Demand for a Sign.[d] 38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher,[e] we wish to see a sign from you.”(D) 39 He said to them in reply, “An evil and unfaithful[f] generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,[g] so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41 [h]At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. 42 At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.(E)
The Return of the Unclean Spirit.[i]
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.