Book of Common Prayer
Save Me, O God
To the choirmaster: according to (A)Lilies. Of David.
69 Save me, O God!
For (B)the waters have come up to my neck.[a]
2 I sink in deep (C)mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood (D)sweeps over me.
3 (E)I am weary with my crying out;
(F)my throat is parched.
(G)My eyes grow dim
with (H)waiting for my God.
4 (I)More in number than the hairs of my head
are (J)those who hate me (K)without cause;
mighty are those who would destroy me,
(L)those who attack me with lies.
What I did not steal
must I now restore?
5 O God, you know my folly;
the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.
6 Let not those who hope in you (M)be put to shame through me,
O Lord God of hosts;
let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,
O God of Israel.
7 For it is (N)for your sake that I have borne reproach,
that dishonor has covered my face.
8 I have become (O)a stranger to my brothers,
an alien to my mother's sons.
9 For (P)zeal for your house has consumed me,
and (Q)the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and humbled[b] my soul with fasting,
it became my reproach.
11 When I made (R)sackcloth my clothing,
I became (S)a byword to them.
12 I am the talk of those who (T)sit in the gate,
and the drunkards make (U)songs about me.
13 But as for me, my (V)prayer is to you, O Lord.
At (W)an acceptable time, O God,
in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
14 Deliver me
from sinking in (X)the mire;
(Y)let me be delivered from my enemies
and from (Z)the deep waters.
15 Let not the flood sweep over me,
or the deep swallow me up,
or (AA)the pit close (AB)its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, O Lord, for your (AC)steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant (AD)mercy, (AE)turn to me.
17 (AF)Hide not your face from your servant,
(AG)for I am in distress; (AH)make haste to answer me.
18 Draw near to my soul, redeem me;
ransom me because of my enemies!
19 You know my (AI)reproach,
and my shame and my dishonor;
my foes are all known to you.
20 (AJ)Reproaches have broken my heart,
so that I am in (AK)despair.
I (AL)looked for (AM)pity, but there was none,
and for (AN)comforters, but I found none.
21 They gave me (AO)poison for food,
and for my thirst they gave me (AP)sour wine to drink.
22 (AQ)Let their own (AR)table before them become a snare;
(AS)and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.[c]
23 (AT)Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see,
(AU)and make their loins tremble continually.
24 Pour out your indignation upon them,
and let your burning anger overtake them.
25 (AV)May their camp be a desolation;
let no one dwell in their tents.
26 For they (AW)persecute him whom (AX)you have struck down,
and they recount the pain of (AY)those you have wounded.
27 (AZ)Add to them punishment upon punishment;
may they have no acquittal from you.[d]
28 Let them be (BA)blotted out of the book of the living;
let them not be (BB)enrolled among the righteous.
29 But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your salvation, O God, (BC)set me on high!
30 I will (BD)praise the name of God with a song;
I will (BE)magnify him with (BF)thanksgiving.
31 This will (BG)please the Lord more than an ox
or a bull (BH)with horns and hoofs.
32 When (BI)the humble see it they will be glad;
you who seek God, (BJ)let your hearts revive.
33 For the Lord hears the needy
and (BK)does not despise his own people who are prisoners.
Book Three
God Is My Strength and Portion Forever
A Psalm of (A)Asaph.
73 Truly God is good to (B)Israel,
to those who are (C)pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 (D)For I was (E)envious of the arrogant
when I saw the (F)prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not (G)stricken like the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore pride is (H)their necklace;
violence covers them as (I)a garment.
7 Their (J)eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and (K)speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find (L)no fault in them.[a]
11 And they say, (M)“How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they (N)increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I (O)kept my heart clean
and (P)washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I have been (Q)stricken
and (R)rebuked (S)every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed (T)the generation of your children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me (U)a wearisome task,
17 until I went into (V)the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their (W)end.
18 Truly you set them in (X)slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed (Y)in a moment,
swept away utterly by (Z)terrors!
20 Like (AA)a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when (AB)you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was (AC)brutish and ignorant;
I was like (AD)a beast toward you.
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you (AE)hold my right hand.
24 You (AF)guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will (AG)receive me to glory.
25 (AH)Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 (AI)My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is (AJ)the strength[b] of my heart and my (AK)portion (AL)forever.
9 (A)Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. (B)Walk in the ways of your heart and (C)the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things (D)God will bring you into judgment.
10 Remove vexation from your heart, and (E)put away pain[a] from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
Remember Your Creator in Your Youth
12 Remember also your Creator in (F)the days of your youth, before (G)the evil days come and the years draw near of which (H)you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; 2 before (I)the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and (J)those who look through the windows are dimmed, 4 and (K)the doors on the street are shut—when (L)the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all (M)the daughters of song are brought low— 5 they are afraid also of what is high, and (N)terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along,[b] and desire fails, because man is going to his (O)eternal (P)home, and the (Q)mourners go about the streets— 6 before the silver cord is snapped, or (R)the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is (S)shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, 7 and (T)the dust returns to the earth as it was, and (U)the spirit returns to God (V)who gave it. 8 (W)Vanity[c] of vanities, says (X)the Preacher; all is vanity.
Fear God and Keep His Commandments
9 Besides being wise, (Y)the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging (Z)many proverbs with great care. 10 (AA)The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
11 (AB)The words of the wise are like goads, and like (AC)nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are (AD)given by (AE)one Shepherd. 12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making (AF)many books there is no end, and (AG)much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. (AH)Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.[d] 14 For (AI)God will bring every deed into judgment, with[e] every secret thing, whether good or evil.
25 If we live by the Spirit, (A)let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 (B)Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Bear One Another's Burdens
6 Brothers,[a] (C)if anyone is caught in any transgression, (D)you who are spiritual should restore him in (E)a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 (F)Bear one another's burdens, and (G)so fulfill (H)the law of Christ. 3 For (I)if anyone thinks he is something, (J)when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one (K)test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For (L)each will have to bear his own load.
6 (M)Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 (N)Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for (O)whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For (P)the one who sows to his own flesh (Q)will from the flesh reap corruption, but (R)the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And (S)let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, (T)if we do not give up. 10 So then, (U)as we have opportunity, let us (V)do good to everyone, and especially to those who are (W)of the household of faith.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
21 (A)From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that (B)he must go to Jerusalem and (C)suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on (D)the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord![a] This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, (E)“Get behind me, Satan! You are (F)a hindrance[b] to me. For you (G)are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him (H)deny himself and (I)take up his cross and follow me. 25 For (J)whoever would save his life[c] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For (K)what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or (L)what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 (M)For the Son of Man is going to come with (N)his angels in the glory of his Father, and (O)then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not (P)taste death (Q)until they see the Son of Man (R)coming in his kingdom.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.