Book of Common Prayer
Zayin
49 Remember (A)your word to your servant,
in which you have made me (B)hope.
50 This is (C)my comfort in my affliction,
that your promise (D)gives me life.
51 (E)The insolent utterly deride me,
but I do not (F)turn away from your law.
52 When I think of your rules from of old,
I take comfort, O Lord.
53 (G)Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,
who forsake your law.
54 Your statutes have been my songs
in the house of my (H)sojourning.
55 I (I)remember your name in the night, O Lord,
and keep your law.
56 This blessing has fallen to me,
that (J)I have kept your precepts.
Heth
57 (K)The Lord is my portion;
I promise to keep your words.
58 I (L)entreat your favor with all my heart;
be gracious to me (M)according to your promise.
59 When I (N)think on my ways,
I turn my feet to your testimonies;
60 I hasten and do not delay
to keep your commandments.
61 Though (O)the cords of the wicked ensnare me,
I do not (P)forget your law.
62 At (Q)midnight I rise to praise you,
because of your (R)righteous rules.
63 (S)I am a companion of all who fear you,
of those who keep your precepts.
64 (T)The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;
(U)teach me your statutes!
Teth
65 You have dealt well with your servant,
O Lord, (V)according to your word.
66 Teach me (W)good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
67 (X)Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.
68 (Y)You are good and do good;
(Z)teach me your statutes.
69 (AA)The insolent (AB)smear me with lies,
but with my whole heart I (AC)keep your precepts;
70 their heart is unfeeling (AD)like fat,
but I (AE)delight in your law.
71 It is (AF)good for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.
72 (AG)The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of (A)the Sons of Korah.
49 (B)Hear this, all peoples!
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 (C)both low and high,
rich and poor together!
3 My mouth shall speak (D)wisdom;
the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to (E)a proverb;
I will solve my (F)riddle to the music of the lyre.
5 (G)Why should I fear in (H)times of trouble,
when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
6 those who (I)trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly no man (J)can ransom another,
or (K)give to God (L)the price of his life,
8 for (M)the ransom of their life is costly
and can never suffice,
9 that he should live on forever
and (N)never see the pit.
10 For he sees (O)that even the wise die;
(P)the fool and the stupid alike must perish
and (Q)leave their wealth to others.
11 Their (R)graves are their homes forever,[a]
their dwelling places (S)to all generations,
though they (T)called lands by their own names.
12 Man in his pomp (U)will not remain;
(V)he is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the path of those who have (W)foolish confidence;
yet after them people approve of their boasts.[b] Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
death shall be their shepherd,
and the upright (X)shall rule over them in the morning.
(Y)Their form shall be consumed (Z)in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
15 But God will (AA)ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will (AB)receive me. Selah
16 Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,
when the glory of his house increases.
17 (AC)For when he dies he will (AD)carry nothing away;
his glory will not go down after him.
18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself (AE)blessed
—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
19 his soul will (AF)go to the generation of his fathers,
who will never again (AG)see light.
20 (AH)Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
There Is None Who Does Good
To the choirmaster: according to (A)Mahalath. A Maskil[a] of David.
53 (B)The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
there is none who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,[b]
who seek after God.
3 They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
4 Have those who work evil no knowledge,
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call upon God?
5 There they are, in great terror,
(C)where there is no terror!
For God (D)scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;
you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.
6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
The Command to Leave Sinai
33 The Lord said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you (A)and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To (B)your offspring I will give it.’ 2 I will send an (C)angel before you, (D)and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 3 (E)Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; (F)but I will not go up among you, (G)lest I consume you on the way, for you are a (H)stiff-necked people.”
4 When the people heard this disastrous word, they (I)mourned, and (J)no one put on his ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘You are a (K)stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would (L)consume you. So now (M)take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.’” 6 Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.
The Tent of Meeting
7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and (N)he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who (O)sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. 8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and (P)each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. 9 When Moses entered the tent, the (Q)pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord[a] would speak with Moses. 10 And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. 11 Thus (R)the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his (S)assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.
Moses' Intercession
12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, (T)you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, (U)‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please (V)show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is (W)your people.” 14 And he said, (X)“My presence will go with you, and (Y)I will give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, (Z)“If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? (AA)Is it not in your going with us, (AB)so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, (AC)for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Please (AD)show me your glory.” 19 And he said, (AE)“I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And (AF)I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for (AG)man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a (AH)cleft of the rock, and I will (AI)cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall (AJ)not be seen.”
Paul's Ministry to the Thessalonians
2 For you yourselves know, brothers,[a] that our (A)coming to you (B)was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated (C)at Philippi, as you know, (D)we had boldness in our God (E)to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much (F)conflict. 3 For (G)our appeal does not spring from (H)error or (I)impurity or (J)any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God (K)to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not (L)to please man, but to please God (M)who tests our hearts. 5 (N)For we never came with words of flattery,[b] as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—(O)God is witness. 6 (P)Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, (Q)though we could have made (R)demands as (S)apostles of Christ. 7 But we were (T)gentle[c] among you, (U)like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God (V)but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
9 For you remember, brothers, (W)our labor and toil: we (X)worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and (Y)God also, (Z)how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11 For you know how, (AA)like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and (AB)charged (AC)you to walk in a manner worthy of God, (AD)who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
Christ Came to Fulfill the Law
17 (A)“Do not think that I have come to abolish (B)the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but (C)to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, (D)until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 (E)Therefore whoever relaxes (F)one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least (G)in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great (H)in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds (I)that of the scribes and Pharisees, you (J)will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.