Book of Common Prayer
Deliver Me, O Lord, from Evil Men
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
140 (A)Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
preserve me from (B)violent men,
2 who plan evil things in their heart
and (C)stir up wars continually.
3 They make (D)their tongue sharp as (E)a serpent's,
and (F)under their lips is the (G)venom of asps. Selah
4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
preserve me from (H)violent men,
who have planned to trip up my feet.
5 The arrogant have (I)hidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread (J)a net;[a]
beside the way they have set (K)snares for me. Selah
6 (L)I say to the Lord, You are my God;
give ear to (M)the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!
7 O Lord, my Lord, (N)the strength of my salvation,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 (O)Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their[b] evil plot, or (P)they will be exalted! Selah
You Are My Refuge
A Maskil[a] of David, when he was in (A)the cave. A Prayer.
142 With my voice I (B)cry out to the Lord;
with my voice I (C)plead for mercy to the Lord.
2 I (D)pour out my complaint before him;
I tell my trouble before him.
3 When my spirit (E)faints within me,
you know my way!
In the path where I walk
they have (F)hidden a trap for me.
4 (G)Look to the (H)right and see:
(I)there is none who takes notice of me;
(J)no refuge remains to me;
no one cares for my soul.
5 I cry to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my (K)refuge,
my (L)portion in (M)the land of the living.”
6 (N)Attend to my cry,
for (O)I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
(P)for they are too strong for me!
7 (Q)Bring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will (R)deal bountifully with me.
Give Ear to My Voice
A Psalm of David.
141 O Lord, I call upon you; (A)hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
2 Let (B)my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and (C)the lifting up of my hands as (D)the evening sacrifice!
3 (E)Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
(F)keep watch over the door of my lips!
4 (G)Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who (H)work iniquity,
and (I)let me not eat of their delicacies!
5 (J)Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.
Yet (K)my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
6 When their judges are (L)thrown over the cliff,[a]
then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
so shall our bones (M)be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.[b]
My Soul Thirsts for You
A Psalm of David.
143 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
(A)give ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your (B)faithfulness answer me, in your (C)righteousness!
2 (D)Enter not into judgment with your servant,
for no one living is righteous (E)before you.
3 For the enemy has pursued my soul;
(F)he has crushed my life to the ground;
(G)he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit (H)faints within me;
my heart within me is appalled.
5 (I)I remember the days of old;
(J)I meditate on all that you have done;
I ponder the work of your hands.
6 (K)I stretch out my hands to you;
(L)my soul thirsts for you like (M)a parched land. Selah
7 (N)Answer me quickly, O Lord!
(O)My spirit fails!
(P)Hide not your face from me,
(Q)lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
8 (R)Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I (S)trust.
(T)Make me know the way I should go,
(U)for to you I lift up my soul.
Satan Attacks Job's Health
2 Again (A)there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 3 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still (B)holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him (C)without reason.” 4 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But (D)stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will (E)curse you to your face.” 6 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome (F)sores from (G)the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took (H)a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in (I)the ashes.
9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still (J)hold fast your integrity? (K)Curse God and die.” 10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the (L)foolish women would speak. (M)Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”[a] (N)In all this Job did not (O)sin with his lips.
Job's Three Friends
11 Now when Job's three (P)friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz (Q)the Temanite, Bildad (R)the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to (S)show him sympathy and comfort him. 12 And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they (T)tore their robes and sprinkled (U)dust on their heads toward heaven. 13 And they sat with him on the ground (V)seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.
The Conversion of Saul
9 But Saul, (A)still (B)breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to (C)the high priest 2 and asked him for letters (D)to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to (E)the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 (F)Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting (G)me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, (H)whom you are persecuting. 6 But (I)rise and enter the city, and you will be told (J)what you are to do.” 7 (K)The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, (L)hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, (M)he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
27 (A)Do not work for the food that perishes, but for (B)the food that endures to eternal life, which (C)the Son of Man will give to you. For on (D)him God the Father has (E)set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing (F)the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, (G)that you believe in him whom (H)he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, (I)“Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 (J)Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, (K)‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is (L)he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, (M)“Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 Jesus said to them, (N)“I am the bread of life; (O)whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 (P)All that (Q)the Father gives me will come to me, and (R)whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For (S)I have come down from heaven, not to do (T)my own will but (U)the will of him (V)who sent me. 39 And (W)this is the will of him who sent me, (X)that I should lose nothing of (Y)all that he has given me, but (Z)raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who (AA)looks on the Son and (AB)believes in him (AC)should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.