Book of Common Prayer
ז (Zayin)
49 Remember your word to your servant,
for you have given me hope.
50 This[a] is what comforts me in my trouble,
for your promise revives me.[b]
51 Arrogant people do nothing but scoff at me.[c]
Yet I do not turn aside from your law.
52 I remember your ancient regulations,[d]
O Lord, and console myself.[e]
53 Rage takes hold of me because of the wicked,
those who reject your law.
54 Your statutes have been my songs[f]
in the house where I live.[g]
55 I remember your name during the night, O Lord,
and I will keep[h] your law.
56 This[i] has been my practice,
for I observe your precepts.
ח (Khet)
57 The Lord is my source of security.[j]
I have determined[k] to follow your instructions.[l]
58 I seek your favor[m] with all my heart.
Have mercy on me as you promised.[n]
59 I consider my actions[o]
and follow[p] your rules.
60 I keep your commands eagerly
and without delay.[q]
61 The ropes of the wicked tighten around[r] me,
but I do not forget your law.
62 In the middle of the night I arise[s] to thank you
for your just regulations.
63 I am a friend to all your loyal followers,[t]
and to those who keep your precepts.
64 O Lord, your loyal love fills the earth.
Teach me your statutes!
ט (Tet)
65 You are good[u] to your servant,
O Lord, just as you promised.[v]
66 Teach me proper discernment[w] and understanding.
For I consider your commands to be reliable.[x]
67 Before I was afflicted I used to stray off,[y]
but now I keep your instructions.[z]
68 You are good and you do good.
Teach me your statutes.
69 Arrogant people smear my reputation with lies,[aa]
but I observe your precepts with all my heart.
70 Their hearts are calloused,[ab]
but I find delight in your law.
71 It was good for me to suffer,
so that I might learn your statutes.
72 The law you have revealed is more important to me
than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.[ac]
Psalm 49[a]
For the music director, a psalm by the Korahites.
49 Listen to this, all you nations.
Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world.[b]
2 Pay attention, all you people,[c]
both rich and poor.
3 I will declare a wise saying;[d]
I will share my profound thoughts.[e]
4 I will learn a song that imparts wisdom;
I will then sing my insightful song to the accompaniment of a harp.[f]
5 Why should I be afraid in times of trouble,[g]
when the sinful deeds of deceptive men threaten to overwhelm me?[h]
6 They trust[i] in their wealth
and boast[j] in their great riches.
7 Certainly a man cannot rescue his brother;[k]
he cannot pay God an adequate ransom price[l]
8 (the ransom price for a human life[m] is too high,
and people go to their final destiny),[n]
9 so that he might continue to live[o] forever
and not experience death.[p]
10 Surely[q] one sees[r] that even wise people die;[s]
fools and spiritually insensitive people all pass away[t]
and leave their wealth to others.[u]
11 Their grave becomes their permanent residence,
their eternal dwelling place.[v]
They name their lands after themselves,[w]
12 but, despite their wealth, people do not last.[x]
They are like animals[y] that perish.[z]
13 This is the destiny of fools,[aa]
and of those who approve of their philosophy.[ab] (Selah)
14 They will travel to Sheol like sheep,[ac]
with death as their shepherd.[ad]
The godly will rule[ae] over them when the day of vindication dawns.[af]
Sheol will consume their bodies, and they will no longer live in impressive houses.[ag]
15 But[ah] God will rescue[ai] my life[aj] from the power[ak] of Sheol;
certainly[al] he will pull me to safety.[am] (Selah)
16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich[an]
and his wealth multiplies.[ao]
17 For he will take nothing with him when he dies;
his wealth will not follow him down into the grave.[ap]
18 He pronounces this blessing on himself while he is alive:
“May men praise you, for you have done well.”
19 But he will join his ancestors;[aq]
they will never again see the light of day.[ar]
20 Wealthy people do not understand;[as]
they are like animals[at] that perish.[au]
Psalm 53[a]
For the music director, according to the machalath style;[b] a well-written song[c] by David.
53 Fools say to themselves,[d] “There is no God.”[e]
They sin and commit evil deeds;[f]
none of them does what is right.[g]
2 God looks down from heaven[h] at the human race,[i]
to see if there is anyone who is wise[j] and seeks God.[k]
3 Everyone rejects God;[l]
they are all morally corrupt.[m]
None of them does what is right,[n]
not even one!
4 All those who behave wickedly[o] do not understand[p]—
those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,
and do not call out to God.
5 They are absolutely terrified,[q]
even by things that do not normally cause fear.[r]
For God annihilates[s] those who attack you.[t]
You are able to humiliate them because God has rejected them.[u]
6 I wish the deliverance[v] of Israel would come from Zion!
When God restores the well-being of his people,[w]
may Jacob rejoice,[x]
may Israel be happy![y]
33 The Lord said to Moses, “Go up[a] from here, you and the people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land I promised on oath[b] to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’[c] 2 I will send an angel[d] before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.[e] 3 Go up[f] to a land flowing with milk and honey. But[g] I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, and I might destroy you[h] on the way.”
4 When the people heard this troubling word[i] they mourned;[j] no one put on his ornaments. 5 For[k] the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I went up among you for a moment,[l] I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments[m] that I may know[n] what I should do to you.’”[o] 6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments by Mount Horeb.
The Presence of the Lord
7 [p] Moses took[q] the tent[r] and pitched it outside the camp, at a good distance[s] from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone[t] seeking[u] the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp.
8 And when Moses went out[v] to the tent, all the people would get up[w] and stand at the entrance to their tents[x] and watch[y] Moses until he entered the tent.[z] 9 And[aa] whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord[ab] would speak with Moses.[ac] 10 When all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people, each one at the entrance of his own tent, would rise and worship.[ad] 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face,[ae] the way a person speaks[af] to a friend. Then Moses[ag] would return to the camp, but his servant, Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the tent.[ah]
12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have been saying to me, ‘Bring this people up,’[ai] but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. But you said, ‘I know you by name,[aj] and also you have found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me[ak] your way, that I may know you,[al] that I may continue to find[am] favor in your sight. And see[an] that this nation is your people.”
14 And the Lord[ao] said, “My presence[ap] will go with you,[aq] and I will give you rest.”[ar]
15 And Moses[as] said to him, “If your presence does not go[at] with us,[au] do not take us up from here.[av] 16 For how will it be known then that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not by your going with us, so that we will be distinguished, I and your people, from all the people who are on the face of the earth?”[aw]
17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have requested, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know[ax] you by name.”
18 And Moses[ay] said, “Show me your glory.”[az]
19 And the Lord[ba] said, “I will make all my goodness[bb] pass before your face, and I will proclaim the Lord by name[bc] before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious; I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.”[bd] 20 But he added, “You cannot see my face, for no one can[be] see me and live.”[bf] 21 The Lord said, “Here[bg] is a place by me; you will station yourself[bh] on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and will cover[bi] you with my hand[bj] while I pass by.[bk] 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back,[bl] but my face must not be seen.”[bm]
Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica
2 For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters,[a] about our coming to you—it has not proven to be purposeless.[b] 2 But although we suffered earlier and were mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God[c] in spite of much opposition. 3 For the appeal we make[d] does not come[e] from error or impurity or with deceit, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we declare it, not to please people but God, who examines our hearts. 5 For we never appeared[f] with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is our witness— 6 nor to seek glory from people, either from you or from others, 7 [g] although we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we became[h] little children[i] among you. Like a nursing mother caring for her own children, 8 with such affection for you[j] we were happy[k] to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. 9 For you recall, brothers and sisters,[l] our toil and drudgery: By working night and day so as not to impose a burden on any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, as to how holy and righteous and blameless our conduct was toward you who believe. 11 As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his own children, 12 exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you live in a way worthy of God who calls you to his own kingdom and his glory.
Fulfillment of the Law and Prophets
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them.[a] 18 I[b] tell you the truth,[c] until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter[d] will pass from the law until everything takes place. 19 So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others[e] to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law[f] and the Pharisees,[g] you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!
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