Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 101[a]
A psalm of David.
101 I will sing about loyalty and justice.
To you, O Lord, I will sing praises.
2 I will walk[b] in the way of integrity.
When will you come to me?
I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace.[c]
3 I will not even consider doing what is dishonest.[d]
I hate doing evil;[e]
I will have no part of it.[f]
4 I will have nothing to do with a perverse person;[g]
I will not permit[h] evil.
5 I will destroy anyone who slanders his neighbor in secret.
I will not tolerate anyone who has a haughty demeanor and an arrogant attitude.[i]
6 I will favor the honest people of the land,[j]
and allow them to live with me.[k]
Those who walk in the way of integrity will attend me.[l]
7 Deceitful people will not live in my palace.[m]
Liars will not be welcome in my presence.[n]
8 Each morning I will destroy all the wicked people in the land,
and remove all evildoers from the city of the Lord.
Psalm 109[a]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
109 O God whom I praise, do not ignore me.[b]
2 For they say cruel and deceptive things to me;
they lie to me.[c]
3 They surround me and say hateful things;[d]
they attack me for no reason.
4 They repay my love with accusations,[e]
but I continue to pray.[f]
5 They repay me evil for good,[g]
and hate for love.
6 [h] Appoint an evil man to testify against him.[i]
May an accuser stand[j] at his right side.
7 When he is judged, he will be found[k] guilty.[l]
Then his prayer will be regarded as sinful.
8 May his days be few.[m]
May another take his job.[n]
9 May his children[o] be fatherless,
and his wife a widow.
10 May his children[p] roam around begging,
asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home.[q]
11 May the creditor seize[r] all he owns.
May strangers loot his property.[s]
12 May no one show him kindness.[t]
May no one have compassion[u] on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants[v] be cut off.[w]
May the memory of them be wiped out by the time the next generation arrives.[x]
14 May his ancestors’[y] sins be remembered by the Lord.
May his mother’s sin not be forgotten.[z]
15 May the Lord be constantly aware of them,[aa]
and cut off the memory of his children[ab] from the earth.
16 For he never bothered to show kindness;[ac]
he harassed the oppressed and needy,
and killed the disheartened.[ad]
17 He loved to curse[ae] others, so those curses have come upon him.[af]
He had no desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings.[ag]
18 He made cursing a way of life,[ah]
so curses poured into his stomach like water
and seeped into his bones like oil.[ai]
19 May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on,[aj]
or a belt[ak] one wears continually.
20 May the Lord repay my accusers in this way,[al]
those who say evil things about[am] me.[an]
21 O Sovereign Lord,
intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation.[ao]
Because your loyal love is good, deliver me.
22 For I am oppressed and needy,
and my heart beats violently within me.[ap]
23 I am fading away like a shadow at the end of the day;[aq]
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 I am so starved my knees shake;[ar]
I have turned into skin and bones.[as]
25 I am disdained by them.[at]
When they see me, they shake their heads.[au]
26 Help me, O Lord my God.
Because you are faithful to me, deliver me.[av]
27 Then they will realize[aw] this is your work,[ax]
and that you, Lord, have accomplished it.
28 They curse, but you will bless.[ay]
When they attack, they will be humiliated,[az]
but your servant will rejoice.
29 My accusers will be covered[ba] with shame,
and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe.
30 I will thank the Lord profusely.[bb]
In the middle of a crowd[bc] I will praise him,
ע (Ayin)
121 I do what is fair and right.[a]
Do not abandon me to my oppressors.
122 Guarantee the welfare of your servant.[b]
Do not let the arrogant oppress me.
123 My eyes grow tired as I wait for your deliverance,[c]
for your reliable promise to be fulfilled.[d]
124 Show your servant your loyal love.[e]
Teach me your statutes.
125 I am your servant. Give me insight,
so that I can understand[f] your rules.
126 It is time for the Lord to act—
they break your law.
127 For this reason[g] I love your commands
more than gold, even purest gold.
128 For this reason I carefully follow all your precepts.[h]
I hate all deceitful actions.[i]
פ (Pe)
129 Your rules are marvelous.
Therefore I observe them.
130 Your instructions are a doorway through which light shines.[j]
They give[k] insight to the untrained.[l]
131 I open my mouth and pant,
because I long[m] for your commands.
132 Turn toward me and extend mercy to me,
as you typically do to your loyal followers.[n]
133 Direct my steps by your word.[o]
Do not let any sin dominate me.
134 Deliver me[p] from oppressive men,
so that I can keep[q] your precepts.
135 Smile[r] on your servant.
Teach me your statutes!
136 Tears stream down from my eyes,[s]
because people[t] do not keep your law.
צ (Tsade)
137 You are just, O Lord,
and your judgments are fair.
138 The rules you impose are just,[u]
and absolutely reliable.
139 My zeal[v] consumes[w] me,
for my enemies forget your instructions.[x]
140 Your word is absolutely pure,
and your servant loves it.
141 I am insignificant and despised,
yet I do not forget your precepts.
142 Your justice endures,[y]
and your law is reliable.[z]
143 Distress and hardship confront[aa] me,
yet I find delight in your commands.
144 Your rules remain just.[ab]
Give me insight so that I can live.[ac]
25 Laban overtook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too.[a] 26 “What have you done?” Laban demanded of Jacob. “You’ve deceived me[b] and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war![c] 27 Why did you run away secretly[d] and deceive me?[e] Why didn’t you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, tambourines, and harps?[f] 28 You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren[g] goodbye. You have acted foolishly! 29 I have the power[h] to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, ‘Be careful[i] that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’[j] 30 Now I understand that[k] you have gone away[l] because you longed desperately[m] for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?”[n]
31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!”[o] Jacob replied to Laban. “I thought[p] you might take your daughters away from me by force.[q] 32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death![r] In the presence of our relatives[s] identify whatever is yours and take it.”[t] (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.)[u]
33 So Laban entered Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s tent, and the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find the idols.[v] Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s.[w] 34 (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle[x] and sat on them.)[y] Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them.[z] 35 Rachel[aa] said to her father, “Don’t be angry,[ab] my lord. I cannot stand up[ac] in your presence because I am having my period.”[ad] So he searched thoroughly,[ae] but did not find the idols.
36 Jacob became angry[af] and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban.[ag] “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit?[ah] 37 When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged to you?[ai] Set it here before my relatives and yours,[aj] and let them settle the dispute between the two of us![ak]
38 “I have been with you for the past twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 39 Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the loss myself.[al] You always made me pay for every missing animal,[am] whether it was taken by day or at night. 40 I was consumed by scorching heat[an] during the day and by piercing cold[ao] at night, and I went without sleep.[ap] 41 This was my lot[aq] for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave[ar] for you—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks—but you changed my wages ten times! 42 If the God of my father—the God of Abraham, the one whom Isaac fears[as]—had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked,[at] and he rebuked you last night.”
43 Laban replied[au] to Jacob, “These women[av] are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren,[aw] and these flocks are my flocks. All that you see belongs to me. But how can I harm these daughters of mine today[ax] or the children to whom they have given birth? 44 So now, come, let’s make a formal agreement,[ay] you and I, and it will be[az] proof that we have made peace.”[ba]
45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar. 46 Then he[bb] said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they brought stones and put them in a pile.[bc] They ate there by the pile of stones. 47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha,[bd] but Jacob called it Galeed.[be]
48 Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement[bf] today.” That is why it was called Galeed. 49 It was also called Mizpah[bg] because he said, “May the Lord watch[bh] between us[bi] when we are out of sight of one another.[bj] 50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize[bk] that God is witness to your actions.”[bl]
Words of Reassurance
12 I am writing to you,[a] little children, that[b] your sins have been forgiven because of his[c] name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, that[d] you have known him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, that[e] you have conquered the evil one.[f] 14 I have written to you, children, that[g] you have known the Father.[h] I have written to you, fathers, that[i] you have known him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young people, that[j] you are strong, and the word of God resides in you, and you have conquered the evil one.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, 16 because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions)[k] is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away with all its desires, but the person who does the will of God remains[l] forever.
Jesus as the Good Shepherd
10 “I tell you the solemn truth,[a] the one who does not enter the sheepfold[b] by the door,[c] but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The doorkeeper[d] opens the door[e] for him,[f] and the sheep hear his voice. He[g] calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.[h] 4 When he has brought all his own sheep[i] out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize[j] his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger,[k] but will run away from him, because they do not recognize[l] the stranger’s voice.”[m] 6 Jesus told them this parable,[n] but they[o] did not understand[p] what he was saying to them.
7 So Jesus said again, “I tell you the solemn truth,[q] I am the door for the sheep.[r] 8 All who came before me were[s] thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.[t] 9 I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved, and will come in and go out,[u] and find pasture.[v] 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill[w] and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.[x]
11 “I am the good[y] shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life[z] for the sheep. 12 The hired hand,[aa] who is not a shepherd and does not own sheep, sees the wolf coming and abandons[ab] the sheep and runs away.[ac] So the wolf attacks[ad] the sheep and scatters them. 13 Because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep,[ae] he runs away.[af]
14 “I am the good shepherd. I[ag] know my own[ah] and my own know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life[ai] for[aj] the sheep. 16 I have[ak] other sheep that do not come from[al] this sheepfold.[am] I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice,[an] so that[ao] there will be one flock and[ap] one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me[aq]—because I lay down my life,[ar] so that I may take it back again. 18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down[as] of my own free will.[at] I have the authority[au] to lay it down, and I have the authority[av] to take it back again. This commandment[aw] I received from my Father.”
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