Book of Common Prayer
Book One
The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked
1 Blessed is the man[a]
who (A)walks not in (B)the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in (C)the way of sinners,
nor (D)sits in (E)the seat of (F)scoffers;
2 but his (G)delight is in the law[b] of the Lord,
and on his (H)law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like (I)a tree
planted by (J)streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its (K)leaf does not wither.
(L)In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like (M)chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked (N)will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in (O)the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord (P)knows (Q)the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
The Reign of the Lord's Anointed
2 (R)Why do (S)the nations rage[c]
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his (T)Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us (U)burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
4 He who (V)sits in the heavens (W)laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his (X)wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have (Y)set my King
on (Z)Zion, my (AA)holy hill.”
7 I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, (AB)“You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and (AC)the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall (AD)break[d] them with (AE)a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like (AF)a potter's vessel.”
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 (AG)Serve the Lord with (AH)fear,
and (AI)rejoice with (AJ)trembling.
12 (AK)Kiss (AL)the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his (AM)wrath is quickly kindled.
(AN)Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Save Me, O My God
A Psalm of David, (AO)when he fled from Absalom his son.
3 O Lord, (AP)how many are my foes!
Many are (AQ)rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
(AR)“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah[e]
3 But you, O Lord, are (AS)a shield (AT)about me,
my glory, and (AU)the lifter of my head.
4 I (AV)cried aloud to the Lord,
and he (AW)answered me from his (AX)holy hill. Selah
5 I (AY)lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I (AZ)will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have (BA)set themselves against me all around.
7 (BB)Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you (BC)strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you (BD)break the teeth of the wicked.
8 (BE)Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people! Selah
Answer Me When I Call
To the (BF)choirmaster: with (BG)stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
4 Answer me when I call, O God of my (BH)righteousness!
You have (BI)given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
2 O men,[f] how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after (BJ)lies? Selah
3 But know that the Lord has (BK)set apart (BL)the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
4 (BM)Be angry,[g] and do not sin;
(BN)ponder in your own hearts (BO)on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer (BP)right sacrifices,
and put your (BQ)trust in the Lord.
In You Do I Take Refuge
A (A)Shiggaion[a] of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.
7 O Lord my God, in you do I (B)take refuge;
(C)save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
2 lest like (D)a lion they tear my soul apart,
rending it in pieces, with (E)none to deliver.
3 O Lord my God, (F)if I have done this,
if there is (G)wrong in my hands,
4 if I have repaid (H)my friend[b] with evil
or (I)plundered my enemy without cause,
5 let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,
and let him (J)trample my life to the ground
and lay my glory in the dust. Selah
6 (K)Arise, O Lord, in your anger;
(L)lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
(M)awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.
7 Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you;
over it return on high.
8 The Lord (N)judges the peoples;
(O)judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness
and according to the integrity that is in me.
9 Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
and may you establish the righteous—
you who (P)test (Q)the minds and hearts,[c]
O righteous God!
10 My shield is (R)with God,
who saves (S)the upright in heart.
11 God is (T)a righteous judge,
and a God who feels (U)indignation every day.
12 If a man[d] does not repent, God[e] will (V)whet his sword;
he has (W)bent and (X)readied his bow;
13 he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,
making his (Y)arrows (Z)fiery shafts.
14 Behold, the wicked man (AA)conceives evil
and is (AB)pregnant with mischief
and gives birth to lies.
15 He makes (AC)a pit, digging it out,
and falls into the hole that he has made.
16 His (AD)mischief returns upon his own head,
and on his own skull his violence descends.
17 I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness,
and I will (AE)sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.
21 Then Moses (A)stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by (B)a strong east wind all night and (C)made the sea dry land, and the waters were (D)divided. 22 And (E)the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being (F)a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging[a] their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the (G)Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, (H)“Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 (I)So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea (J)returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord (K)threw[b] the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The (L)waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, (M)not one of them remained. 29 But the (N)people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
30 Thus the Lord (O)saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 (P)Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they (Q)believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
Greeting
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who are elect exiles of (A)the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to (B)the foreknowledge of God the Father, (C)in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and (D)for sprinkling with his blood:
May (E)grace and (F)peace be multiplied to you.
Born Again to a Living Hope
3 (G)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! (H)According to his great mercy, (I)he has caused us to be born again to a living hope (J)through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to (K)an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and (L)unfading, (M)kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded (N)through faith for a salvation (O)ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by (P)various trials, 7 so that (Q)the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes (R)though it is tested by (S)fire—may be found to result in (T)praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 (U)Though you have not seen him, you love him. (V)Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining (W)the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, (X)the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring (Y)what person or time[a] (Z)the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating (AA)when he predicted (AB)the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 (AC)It was revealed to them that (AD)they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you (AE)by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, (AF)things into which angels long to look.
I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life
14 (A)“Let not your hearts be troubled. (B)Believe in God;[a] believe also in me. 2 In (C)my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that (D)I go to prepare a place for you?[b] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you (E)to myself, that (F)where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”[c] 5 (G)Thomas said to him, “Lord, (H)we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am (I)the way, and (J)the truth, and (K)the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 (L)If you had known me, you would have (M)known my Father also.[d] From now on you do know him and (N)have seen him.”
8 (O)Philip said to him, “Lord, (P)show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? (Q)Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that (R)I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you (S)I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that (T)I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else (U)believe on account of the works themselves.
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, (V)whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I (W)am going to the Father. 13 (X)Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that (Y)the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 (Z)If you ask me[e] anything in my name, I will do it.
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 (AA)“If you love me, you will (AB)keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another (AC)Helper,[f] to be with you forever, 17 even (AD)the Spirit of truth, (AE)whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and (AF)will be[g] in you.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.