Book of Common Prayer
I Will Bless the Lord
Of David.
26 (A)Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have (B)walked in my integrity,
and I have (C)trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 (D)Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and (E)my mind.[a]
3 For your (F)steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I (G)walk in your (H)faithfulness.
4 I do not (I)sit with men of (J)falsehood,
nor do I consort with hypocrites.
5 I (K)hate the assembly of evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I (L)wash my hands in innocence
and go around your altar, O Lord,
7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
and telling all your (M)wondrous deeds.
The Lord Is My Strength and My Shield
Of David.
28 To you, O Lord, I call;
(A)my rock, be not deaf to me,
lest, if you (B)be silent to me,
I become like those who (C)go down to the pit.
2 (D)Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,
when I cry to you for help,
when I (E)lift up my hands
(F)toward your most holy sanctuary.[a]
3 Do not (G)drag me off with the wicked,
with the workers of evil,
(H)who speak peace with their neighbors
while evil is in their hearts.
4 (I)Give to them according to their work
and according to the evil of their deeds;
give to them according to the work of their hands;
(J)render them their due reward.
5 Because they (K)do not regard the works of the Lord
or the work of his hands,
he will tear them down and build them up no more.
How Precious Is Your Steadfast Love
To the choirmaster. Of David, the (A)servant of the Lord.
36 Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in his heart;[a]
(B)there is no fear of God
before his eyes.
2 (C)For he flatters himself in his own eyes
that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3 The words of his mouth are (D)trouble and deceit;
(E)he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
4 He (F)plots (G)trouble while on his bed;
he sets himself in (H)a way that is not good;
(I)he does not reject evil.
5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 (J)Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
(K)your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you (L)save, O Lord.
7 (M)How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge (N)in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on (O)the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from (P)the river of (Q)your delights.
9 For with you is (R)the fountain of life;
(S)in your light do we see light.
What Is the Measure of My Days?
To the choirmaster: to (A)Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will (B)guard my ways,
that I (C)may not sin with my tongue;
I will (D)guard my mouth with a muzzle,
so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was (E)mute and silent;
I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse.
3 My (F)heart became hot within me.
As I mused, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “O Lord, (G)make me know my end
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!
5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
and (H)my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely (I)all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah
6 Surely a man (J)goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing[a] they are in turmoil;
man (K)heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!
7 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
(L)My hope is in you.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.
(M)Do not make me the scorn of the fool!
9 (N)I am mute; I do not open my mouth,
(O)for it is you who have done it.
10 (P)Remove your stroke from me;
I am spent by the hostility of your hand.
11 When you discipline a man
with (Q)rebukes for sin,
you (R)consume like a (S)moth what is dear to him;
(T)surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah
The Words of Agur
30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.[a]
The man declares, I am weary, O God;
I am weary, O God, and worn out.[b]
2 Surely I am too (A)stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of (B)the Holy One.
4 Who has (C)ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has (D)gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has (E)wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all (F)the ends of the earth?
(G)What is his name, and what is his son's name?
Surely you know!
24 (A)Four things on earth are small,
but they are exceedingly wise:
25 (B)the ants are a people not strong,
yet they provide their food in the summer;
26 (C)the rock badgers are a people not mighty,
yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
27 the locusts have no (D)king,
yet all of them march in (E)rank;
28 the lizard you can take in your hands,
yet it is in kings' palaces.
29 (F)Three things are stately in their tread;
(G)four are stately in their stride:
30 the lion, which is mightiest among beasts
and (H)does not turn back before any;
31 the (I)strutting rooster,[a] the he-goat,
and a king whose army is with him.[b]
32 If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil,
(J)put your hand on your mouth.
33 For pressing milk produces curds,
pressing the nose produces blood,
and pressing anger produces strife.
Righteousness Through Faith in Christ
3 Finally, my brothers,[a] (A)rejoice in the Lord. (B)To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
2 Look out for (C)the dogs, look out for (D)the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For (E)we are the circumcision, (F)who worship (G)by the Spirit of God[b] and (H)glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 (I)though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 (J)circumcised on the eighth day, (K)of the people of Israel, (L)of the tribe of Benjamin, (M)a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, (N)a Pharisee; 6 (O)as to zeal, (P)a persecutor of the church; (Q)as to righteousness under the law,[c] blameless. 7 But (R)whatever gain I had, (S)I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of (T)the surpassing worth of (U)knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I (V)have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having (W)a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but (X)that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 (Y)that I may know him and (Z)the power of his resurrection, and (AA)may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may (AB)attain the resurrection from the dead.
Jesus Before Pilate
28 (A)Then they led Jesus (B)from the house of Caiaphas to (C)the governor's headquarters.[a] It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, (D)so that they would not be defiled, (E)but could eat the Passover. 29 (F)So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” 31 Pilate said to them, (G)“Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” 32 (H)This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken (I)to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
My Kingdom Is Not of This World
33 (J)So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, (K)“Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, (L)“My kingdom (M)is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, (N)my servants would have been fighting, that (O)I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, (P)“You say that I am a king. (Q)For this purpose I was born and for this purpose (R)I have come into the world—(S)to bear witness to the truth. (T)Everyone who is (U)of the truth (V)listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
After he had said this, (W)he went back outside to the Jews and told them, (X)“I find no guilt in him.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.