Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 56[a]
For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam.[b] When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.
1 Be merciful to me,(A) my God,
for my enemies are in hot pursuit;(B)
all day long they press their attack.(C)
2 My adversaries pursue me all day long;(D)
in their pride many are attacking me.(E)
3 When I am afraid,(F) I put my trust in you.(G)
4 In God, whose word I praise—(H)
in God I trust and am not afraid.(I)
What can mere mortals do to me?(J)
5 All day long they twist my words;(K)
all their schemes are for my ruin.
6 They conspire,(L) they lurk,
they watch my steps,(M)
hoping to take my life.(N)
7 Because of their wickedness do not[c] let them escape;(O)
in your anger, God, bring the nations down.(P)
8 Record my misery;
list my tears on your scroll[d](Q)—
are they not in your record?(R)
9 Then my enemies will turn back(S)
when I call for help.(T)
By this I will know that God is for me.(U)
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise—
11 in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 I am under vows(V) to you, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered me from death(W)
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.(X)
Psalm 57[e](Y)
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[f] When he had fled from Saul into the cave.(Z)
1 Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.(AA)
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings(AB)
until the disaster has passed.(AC)
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who vindicates me.(AD)
3 He sends from heaven and saves me,(AE)
rebuking those who hotly pursue me—[g](AF)
God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.(AG)
4 I am in the midst of lions;(AH)
I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.(AI)
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.(AJ)
6 They spread a net for my feet(AK)—
I was bowed down(AL) in distress.
They dug a pit(AM) in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.(AN)
7 My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;(AO)
I will sing and make music.
8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!(AP)
I will awaken the dawn.
9 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.(AQ)
Psalm 58[h]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[i]
1 Do you rulers indeed speak justly?(AT)
Do you judge people with equity?
2 No, in your heart you devise injustice,(AU)
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.(AV)
3 Even from birth the wicked go astray;
from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake,(AW)
like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
5 that will not heed(AX) the tune of the charmer,(AY)
however skillful the enchanter may be.
6 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;(AZ)
Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!(BA)
7 Let them vanish like water that flows away;(BB)
when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.(BC)
8 May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,(BD)
like a stillborn child(BE) that never sees the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns(BF)—
whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.[j](BG)
10 The righteous will be glad(BH) when they are avenged,(BI)
when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.(BJ)
11 Then people will say,
“Surely the righteous still are rewarded;(BK)
surely there is a God who judges the earth.”(BL)
Psalm 64[a]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
2 Hide me from the conspiracy(C) of the wicked,(D)
from the plots of evildoers.
3 They sharpen their tongues like swords(E)
and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.(F)
4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent;(G)
they shoot suddenly, without fear.(H)
5 They encourage each other in evil plans,
they talk about hiding their snares;(I)
they say, “Who will see it[b]?”(J)
6 They plot injustice and say,
“We have devised a perfect plan!”
Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.
7 But God will shoot them with his arrows;
they will suddenly be struck down.
8 He will turn their own tongues against them(K)
and bring them to ruin;
all who see them will shake their heads(L) in scorn.(M)
9 All people will fear;(N)
they will proclaim the works of God
and ponder what he has done.(O)
10 The righteous will rejoice in the Lord(P)
and take refuge in him;(Q)
all the upright in heart will glory in him!(R)
Psalm 65[c]
For the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.
1 Praise awaits[d] you, our God, in Zion;(S)
to you our vows will be fulfilled.(T)
2 You who answer prayer,
to you all people will come.(U)
3 When we were overwhelmed by sins,(V)
you forgave[e] our transgressions.(W)
4 Blessed are those you choose(X)
and bring near(Y) to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,(Z)
of your holy temple.
5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,(AA)
God our Savior,(AB)
the hope of all the ends of the earth(AC)
and of the farthest seas,(AD)
6 who formed the mountains(AE) by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,(AF)
7 who stilled the roaring of the seas,(AG)
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.(AH)
8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy.(AI)
9 You care for the land and water it;(AJ)
you enrich it abundantly.(AK)
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,(AL)
for so you have ordained it.[f]
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers(AM) and bless its crops.
11 You crown the year with your bounty,(AN)
and your carts overflow with abundance.(AO)
12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;(AP)
the hills are clothed with gladness.(AQ)
13 The meadows are covered with flocks(AR)
and the valleys are mantled with grain;(AS)
they shout for joy and sing.(AT)
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake(A) the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery,(B) and performed those great signs(C) before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out(D) before us all the nations,(E) including the Amorites, who lived in the land.(F) We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.(G)”
19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God;(H) he is a jealous God.(I) He will not forgive(J) your rebellion(K) and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord(L) and serve foreign gods, he will turn(M) and bring disaster(N) on you and make an end of you,(O) after he has been good to you.”
21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”
22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses(P) against yourselves that you have chosen(Q) to serve the Lord.”
“Yes, we are witnesses,(R)” they replied.
23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods(S) that are among you and yield your hearts(T) to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”(U)
25 On that day Joshua made a covenant(V) for the people, and there at Shechem(W) he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.(X) 26 And Joshua recorded(Y) these things in the Book of the Law of God.(Z) Then he took a large stone(AA) and set it up there under the oak(AB) near the holy place of the Lord.
27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone(AC) will be a witness(AD) against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue(AE) to your God.”(AF)
28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.(AG)
Buried in the Promised Land(AH)
29 After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died(AI) at the age of a hundred and ten.(AJ) 30 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah[a](AK) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.(AL)
31 Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders(AM) who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.
32 And Joseph’s bones,(AN) which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt,(AO) were buried at Shechem in the tract of land(AP) that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver[b] from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants.
33 And Eleazar son of Aaron(AQ) died and was buried at Gibeah,(AR) which had been allotted to his son Phinehas(AS) in the hill country(AT) of Ephraim.
Personal Greetings
16 I commend(A) to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon[a][b] of the church in Cenchreae.(B) 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord(C) in a way worthy of his people(D) and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.
3 Greet Priscilla[c] and Aquila,(E) my co-workers(F) in Christ Jesus.(G) 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
5 Greet also the church that meets at their house.(H)
Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert(I) to Christ in the province of Asia.(J)
6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.
7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews(K) who have been in prison with me.(L) They are outstanding among[d] the apostles, and they were in Christ(M) before I was.
8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.
9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ,(N) and my dear friend Stachys.
10 Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.(O)
Greet those who belong to the household(P) of Aristobulus.
11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.(Q)
Greet those in the household(R) of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.
Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.
13 Greet Rufus,(S) chosen(T) in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.
14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.
15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people(U) who are with them.(V)
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss.(W)
All the churches of Christ send greetings.
24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar(A) was starting, he took water and washed his hands(B) in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,”(C) he said. “It is your responsibility!”(D)
25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”(E)
26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged,(F) and handed him over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus(G)
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium(H) and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,(I) 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.(J) 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.(K) 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.(L)
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