Book of Common Prayer
Prayer of an Afflicted Man for Mercy on Himself and on Zion.
A Prayer of the afflicted; when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint to God.
102 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And let my cry for help come to You!
2
Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress!
Incline Your ear to me;
In the day when I call, answer me quickly.
3
For my days have vanished in smoke,
And my bones have been scorched like a hearth.
4
My heart has been struck like grass and withered,
Indeed, [absorbed by my heartache] I forget to eat my food.
5
Because of the sound of my groaning [in suffering and trouble]
My bones cling to my flesh.
6
I am like a [mournful] [a]vulture of the wilderness;
I am like a [desolate] owl of the wasteland.
7
I am sleepless and lie awake [mourning],
I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.
8
My enemies taunt me all day long;
Those who ridicule me use my name as a curse.
9
For I have eaten ashes like bread,
And have mingled my drink with tears(A)
10
Because of Your indignation and Your wrath,
For You have lifted me up and thrown me away.
11
My days are like an evening shadow that lengthens and vanishes [with the sun];
And as for me, I wither away like grass.
12
But You, O Lord, are enthroned forever [ruling eternally as sovereign];
And [the fame and glory of] Your name [endures] to all generations.
13
You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
For it is time to be gracious and show favor to her;
Yes, the appointed time [the moment designated] has come.(B)
14
For Your servants find [melancholy] pleasure in the stones [of her ruins]
And feel pity for her dust.
15
So the nations will fear the name of the Lord,
And all the kings of the earth [will recognize] Your glory.(C)
16
For the Lord has built up Zion;
He has appeared in His glory and brilliance;
17
He has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
And has not despised their prayer.
18
Let this be recorded for the generation to come,
That a people yet to be created will praise the Lord.
19
For He looked down from His holy height [of His sanctuary],
From heaven the Lord gazed on the earth,
20
To hear the sighing of the prisoner,
To set free those who were doomed to death,
21
So that people may declare the name of the Lord in Zion
And His praise in Jerusalem,
22
When the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
23
He has exhausted my strength [humbling me with sorrow] in the way;
He has shortened my days.
24
I said, “O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days;
Your years are [eternal] throughout all generations.
25
“At the beginning You founded the earth;
The heavens are the work of Your hands.
26
“Even they will perish, but You endure;
Yes, all of them will wear out like a garment.
Like clothing You will change them and they shall be changed.
27
“But You remain the same,
And Your years will never end.(D)
28
“The children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You.”
Book Five
The Lord Rescues People from Many Troubles.
107 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His compassion and lovingkindness endure forever!
2
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,
3
And gathered them from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the [a]south.
4
They wandered in the wilderness in a [solitary] desert region;
And did not find a way to an inhabited city.
5
Hungry and thirsty,
They fainted.
6
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He rescued them from their distresses.
7
He led them by the straight way,
To an inhabited city [where they could establish their homes].
8
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!
9
For He satisfies the parched throat,
And fills the hungry appetite with what is good.
10
Some dwelt in darkness and in the deep (deathly) darkness,
Prisoners [bound] in misery and chains,(A)
11
Because they had rebelled against the precepts of God
And spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12
Therefore He humbled their heart with hard labor;
They stumbled and there was no one to help.
13
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them from their distresses.
14
He brought them out of darkness and the deep (deathly) darkness
And broke their bonds apart.(B)
15
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!
16
For He has shattered the gates of bronze
And cut the bars of iron apart.
17
Fools, because of their rebellious way,
And because of their sins, were afflicted.
18
They detested all kinds of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
19
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them from their distresses.
20
He sent His word and healed them,
And rescued them from their destruction.(C)
21
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!(D)
22
And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And speak of His deeds with shouts of joy!
23
Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters;
24
They have seen the works of the Lord,
And His wonders in the deep.
25
For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind,
Which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26
They went up toward the heavens [on the crest of the wave], they went down again to the depths [of the watery trough];
Their courage melted away in their misery.
27
They staggered and trembled like a drunken man,
And were at their wits’ end [all their wisdom was useless].
28
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
29
He hushed the storm to a gentle whisper,
So that the waves of the sea were still.(E)
30
Then they were glad because of the calm,
And He guided them to their desired haven (harbor).
31
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!
32
Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people,
And praise Him at the seat of the elders.
Death of Miriam
20 Then the Israelites, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month [in the fortieth year after leaving Egypt]. And the people lived in Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there.
2 Now there was no water for the congregation, and they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people contended with Moses, and said, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished [in the plague] before the Lord!(A) 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness to die here, we and our livestock? 5 Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or of figs or of vines or of pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.” 6 Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) and fell on their faces [before the Lord in prayer]. Then the glory and brilliance of the Lord appeared to them; 7 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
The Water of Meribah
8 “Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock [a]in front of them, so that it will pour out its water. In this way you shall bring water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their livestock drink [fresh water].”
9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; 10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his hand [in anger] and with his rod he struck the rock twice [instead of speaking to the rock as the Lord had commanded]. And the water poured out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank [fresh water]. 12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed (trusted) Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, you therefore [b]shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”(B) 13 These are the waters of Meribah (contention, strife), where the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He showed Himself holy among them.
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all people [no one being able to stop it or escape its power], because they all sinned. 13 Sin was [committed] in the world before the Law [was given], but sin is not charged [against anyone] when there is no law [against it]. 14 Yet death ruled [over mankind] from Adam to Moses [the Lawgiver], even over those who had not sinned [a]as Adam did. Adam is a type of Him (Christ) who was to come [but in reverse—Adam brought destruction, Christ brought salvation].(A)
15 But the free gift [of God] is not like the trespass [because the gift of grace overwhelms the fall of man]. For if many died by one man’s trespass [Adam’s sin], much more [abundantly] did God’s grace and the gift [that comes] by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to [benefit] the many. 16 Nor is the gift [of grace] like that which came through the one who sinned. For on the one hand the judgment [following the sin] resulted from one trespass and brought condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift resulted from many trespasses and brought justification [the release from sin’s penalty for those who believe]. 17 For if by the trespass of the one (Adam), death reigned through the one (Adam), much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in [eternal] life through the One, Jesus Christ.
18 So then as through one trespass [Adam’s sin] there resulted condemnation for all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to [b]all men. 19 For just as through one man’s disobedience [his failure to hear, his carelessness] the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of the one Man the many will be made righteous and acceptable to God and brought into right standing with Him. 20 But the Law came to increase and expand [the awareness of] the trespass [by defining and unmasking sin]. But where sin increased, [God’s remarkable, gracious gift of] grace [His unmerited favor] has surpassed it and increased all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, so also grace would reign through righteousness which brings eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sight for the Blind
29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.(A) 30 And two blind men were sitting by the road, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David (Messiah)!” 31 The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David (Messiah) have mercy on us!” 32 Jesus stopped and called them, and asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 33 They answered Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him [as His disciples].
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