Book of Common Prayer
Book I
Psalms 1–41
Psalm 1
Two Responses to God’s Word
The Way of the Godly Leads to Blessing
1 How blessed is the man
who does not walk in the advice of the wicked,
who does not stand on the path with sinners,
and who does not sit in a meeting with mockers.
2 But his delight is in the teaching[a] of the Lord,
and on his teaching he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted beside streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season,
and its leaves do not wither.
Everything he does prospers.
The Way of the Ungodly Leads to Destruction
4 Not so the wicked!
No, they are like the chaff which the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
Conclusion
6 Yes, the Lord approves[b] of the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 2
The Nations Conspire, But God’s King Rules Securely
The Futile Rebellion of the Nations
1 Why do the nations rage?
Why do the peoples grumble in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take a stand,
and the rulers join together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.[c]
3 “Let us tear off their chains
and throw off their ropes from us.”
The Reaction of the Lord
4 The one who is seated in heaven laughs.
The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then he speaks to them in his anger,
and in his wrath he terrifies them.
6 “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy mountain.”
The Powerful Rule of God’s King
7 I will proclaim the decree of the Lord.
He said to me:
“You are my Son.
Today I have begotten you.[d]
8 Ask me,
and I will give you the nations as your inheritance
and the ends of the earth as your possession.
9 You will smash them with an iron rod.
You will break them to pieces like pottery.”
The Lesson to Be Learned
10 So now, you kings, do what is wise.
Accept discipline,[e] you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son,
or he will be angry,
and you will be destroyed in your way,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
How blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Psalm 3
How Many Are My Foes, But You Are My Shield
Heading
A psalm by David. When he fled from Absalom,[f] his son.
Many Enemies
1 O Lord, how my foes are multiplying!
Many are rising up against me!
2 Many are saying about my life, Interlude[g]
“There is no salvation for him in God.”
One Protector
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield for me.
You are my glory and the one who lifts up my head.
4 With a loud voice I cry out to the Lord, Interlude
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
Peaceful Rest
5 I lie down, and I sleep.
I awake, because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not be afraid of the thousands of people
who line up against me on all sides.
Certain Victory
7 Rise up, O Lord! Save me, my God!
Yes, you will strike all my enemies on the jaw.
The teeth of the wicked you will break.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord. Interlude
Your blessing rests on your people.
Psalm 4
My Righteous God, Give Me Relief
Heading
For the choir director. With stringed instruments. A psalm by David.
A Prayer to God
1 My righteous God, answer me when I call.
When I was under pressure, you gave me relief.
Be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
A Rebuke to Enemies
2 You people, how long will you turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love empty delusions? Interlude
How long will you pursue lies?
3 Know this: The Lord has set apart
his favored one[h] for himself.
The Lord will hear when I call to him.
Advice to Friends
4 You may be upset, but do not sin.
When you are on your beds,
speak to your heart, but remain silent. Interlude
5 Offer righteous sacrifices,
and trust in the Lord.
6 Many are saying, “Who can show us any good?”
Shine the light of your face on us, O Lord.
Closing Prayer
7 You have placed joy in my heart greater than the joy
when grain and new wine are plentiful.
8 In complete peace I will lie down, and I will sleep,
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 7
The Slandered Saint
Heading
A shiggaion[a] by David, which he sang to the Lord
because of the words of Cush, from the tribe of Benjamin.
David’s Innocence
1 O Lord my God, in you I take refuge.
Save me from all my pursuers and deliver me.
2 Otherwise, like a lion they will tear me apart.
They will drag me away with no one to rescue me.
3 O Lord my God, if I have done this,
if there is injustice in my hands,
4 if I have done evil to anyone who is at peace with me,
or if I have robbed my foe for no reason,
5 then let an enemy pursue my life and overtake me.
Let him trample my life to the ground
and make my glory dwell in the dust. Interlude
David’s Appeal for Justice
6 Stand up, O Lord, in your anger.
Rise up against the fury of my foes.
Awake for me. You have commanded justice.[b]
7 A crowd of peoples surrounds you.
Turn against them from on high.
8 Let the Lord judge the peoples.
Acquit me, O Lord, according to my righteousness,
according to my integrity which is in me.
9 The evil of the wicked will come to an end,
but you will establish the righteous.
You search minds and hearts,[c] O righteous God.
God’s Judgment Against the Wicked
10 My shield is God, who saves the upright in heart.
11 God, the judge, is righteous,
but he is a God who expresses his wrath every day.
12 If he[d] does not relent,
the Lord[e] will sharpen his sword.
He has bent his bow and will string it.
13 He prepares his deadly weapons.
He will make his arrows flames.
You Reap What You Sow
14 Yes, whoever conceives evil and is pregnant with trouble
will give birth to disappointment.[f]
15 He digs a pit and scoops it out,
and he will fall into the hole he has made.
16 The trouble he causes comes back on his own head.
His violence comes down on top of his own skull.
Closing Praise
17 I will thank the Lord because of his righteousness,
and I will make music to the name of the Lord Most High.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all night long the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned the sea into dry land. The waters were divided. 22 The Israelites went into the middle of the sea on dry ground. The waters were like a wall for them on their right and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all of Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his charioteers went after them into the middle of the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night, the Lord looked down on the Egyptian forces from the pillar of fire and cloud. Then he confused the Egyptian forces. 25 He jammed[a] their chariot wheels, and they had difficulty driving them. The Egyptians said, “We must flee from Israel, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!”
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, and the waters will come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their charioteers.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal place. While the Egyptians were fleeing from it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the middle of the sea. 28 The waters came back and covered the chariots and the charioteers, the entire army of Pharaoh that went into the sea after the Israelites. Not even one of them survived.
29 But the Israelites went through the middle of the sea on dry land, and the waters were like a wall for them on their right and on their left. 30 On that day the Lord saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the mighty hand which the Lord put into action against the Egyptians, and the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in Moses, his servant.
Greeting
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To the elect, temporary residents in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
A Living Hope
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 into an inheritance that is undying, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. 5 Through faith you are being protected by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed at the end of time.
6 Because of this you rejoice very much, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various kinds of trials 7 so that the proven character of your faith—which is more valuable than gold, which passes away even though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not see him now, yet by believing in him, you are filled with a joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 The prophets, who prophesied about the grace that has come to you, searched and studied carefully concerning this salvation, 11 trying to find out what person and what time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, when they wrote about these things. These are the things that have now been announced to you by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even the angels long to look carefully into these things.
No Greater Love—in Peace
14 “Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions.[a] If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you.[b] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that you may also be where I am. 4 You know where I am going, and you know the way.”
5 “Lord, we don’t know where you are going,” Thomas replied, “so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. 7 If you know me, you would also know my Father.[c] From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
8 “Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that is enough for us.”
9 “Have I been with you so long,” Jesus answered, “and you still do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I am telling you I am not speaking on my own, but the Father who remains in me is doing his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me. Or else believe[d] because of the works themselves.
12 “Amen, Amen, I tell you: The one who believes in me will do the works that I am doing. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me[e] for anything in my name, I will do it.
15 “If you love me, hold on to[f] my commands. 16 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. 17 He is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see him or know him. You know him because he stays with you and will be in you.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.