Book of Common Prayer
Lead Me to the Rock
To the choirmaster: with (A)stringed instruments. Of David.
61 Hear my cry, O God,
(B)listen to my prayer;
2 from the end of the earth I call to you
when my heart is (C)faint.
Lead me to (D)the rock
that is higher than I,
3 for you have been (E)my refuge,
a strong (F)tower against the enemy.
4 Let me (G)dwell in your tent forever!
Let me take refuge under (H)the shelter of your wings! Selah
5 For you, O God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6 (I)Prolong (J)the life of the king;
may his years endure to all generations!
7 May he be enthroned forever before God;
appoint (K)steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
8 So will I ever sing praises to your name,
as I (L)perform my vows day after day.
My Soul Waits for God Alone
To the choirmaster: according to (M)Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
62 For God alone (N)my soul (O)waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
2 (P)He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my (Q)fortress; (R)I shall not be greatly shaken.
3 How long will all of you attack a man
to batter him,
like (S)a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4 They only plan to thrust him down from his (T)high position.
They take pleasure in falsehood.
(U)They bless with their mouths,
but inwardly they curse. Selah
5 For God alone, O (V)my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
6 (W)He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God rests my (X)salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, (Y)my refuge is God.
8 (Z)Trust in him at all times, O people;
(AA)pour out your heart before him;
God is (AB)a refuge for us. Selah
God Shall Scatter His Enemies
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.
68 (A)God shall arise, his enemies shall be (B)scattered;
and those who hate him shall flee before him!
2 As (C)smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;
(D)as wax melts before fire,
so the wicked shall perish before God!
3 But (E)the righteous shall be glad;
they shall exult before God;
they shall be jubilant with joy!
4 Sing to God, (F)sing praises to his name;
(G)lift up a song to him who (H)rides through (I)the deserts;
his name is (J)the Lord;
exult before him!
5 (K)Father of the fatherless and (L)protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
6 God (M)settles the solitary in a home;
he (N)leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but (O)the rebellious dwell in (P)a parched land.
7 O God, when you (Q)went out before your people,
(R)when you marched through (S)the wilderness, Selah
8 (T)the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,
before God, the One of Sinai,
before God,[a] the God of Israel.
9 (U)Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;
you restored your inheritance as it languished;
10 your flock[b] found a dwelling in it;
in your goodness, O God, you (V)provided for the needy.
11 The Lord gives (W)the word;
(X)the women who announce the news are a great host:
12 (Y)“The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!”
The women at home (Z)divide the spoil—
13 though you men lie among (AA)the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
its pinions with shimmering gold.
14 When the Almighty scatters kings there,
let snow fall on (AB)Zalmon.
15 O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;
O many-peaked[c] mountain, mountain of Bashan!
16 Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,
at the mount that God (AC)desired for his abode,
yes, where the Lord will dwell forever?
17 (AD)The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,
thousands upon thousands;
the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.
18 (AE)You ascended on high,
(AF)leading a host of captives in your train
and (AG)receiving gifts among men,
even among (AH)the rebellious, (AI)that the Lord God may dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord,
who daily (AJ)bears us up;
God is our salvation. Selah
20 Our God is a God of salvation,
(AK)and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
21 (AL)But God will strike the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
22 The Lord said,
“I will bring them back (AM)from Bashan,
(AN)I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 that you may (AO)strike your feet in their blood,
that (AP)the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”
24 Your procession is[d] seen, O God,
the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
25 (AQ)the singers in front, (AR)the musicians last,
between them (AS)virgins playing tambourines:
26 (AT)“Bless God in the great congregation,
the Lord, O you[e] who are of (AU)Israel's fountain!”
27 There is (AV)Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
the princes of Judah in their throng,
the princes of (AW)Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.
28 (AX)Summon your power, O God,[f]
the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem
kings shall (AY)bear gifts to you.
30 Rebuke (AZ)the beasts that dwell among the reeds,
the herd of (BA)bulls with the calves of the peoples.
(BB)Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute;
scatter the peoples who delight in war.[g]
31 Nobles shall come from (BC)Egypt;
(BD)Cush shall hasten to (BE)stretch out her hands to God.
32 (BF)O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 to him (BG)who rides in (BH)the heavens, the ancient heavens;
behold, he (BI)sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34 (BJ)Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
and whose (BK)power is in (BL)the skies.
35 (BM)Awesome is God from his[h] (BN)sanctuary;
the God of Israel—he is the one who gives (BO)power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!
Israel's Disobedience
2 Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to (A)Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, (B)‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 (C)and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; (D)you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? 3 So now I say, (E)I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become (F)thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” 4 As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 And they called the name of that place Bochim.[a] And they sacrificed there to the Lord.
Israel's Unfaithfulness
11 (A)And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 (B)And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. (C)They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and (D)bowed down to them. (E)And they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They abandoned the Lord (F)and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. 14 (G)So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he (H)gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. (I)And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, (J)so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, (K)and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.
The Lord Raises Up Judges
16 (L)Then the Lord raised up judges, (M)who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for (N)they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. (O)They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, (P)the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. (Q)For the Lord was moved to pity by (R)their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. 19 But (S)whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. 20 (T)So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people (U)have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, 21 (V)I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, 22 in order (W)to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.” 23 So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
Final Instructions and Greetings
17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles (A)contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; (B)avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but (C)their own appetites,[a] and (D)by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19 For (E)your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you (F)to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. 20 (G)The God of peace (H)will soon crush Satan under your feet. (I)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
21 (J)Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.
22 I Tertius, (K)who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23 (L)Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.[b]
Doxology
25 (M)Now to him who is able to strengthen you (N)according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, (O)according to the revelation of the mystery (P)that was kept secret for (Q)long ages 26 but (R)has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, (S)to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to (T)the only wise God (U)be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
The Crucifixion
32 (A)(B)As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to (C)carry his cross. 33 (D)And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 (E)they offered him wine to drink, mixed with (F)gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, (G)they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and (H)kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, (I)the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two (J)robbers were crucified with him, (K)one on the right and one on the left. 39 And (L)those who passed by (M)derided him, (N)wagging their heads 40 and saying, (O)“You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! (P)If you are (Q)the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 (R)“He saved others; (S)he cannot save himself. (T)He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 (U)He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 (V)And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.