Book of Common Prayer
The Lord Is My Rock and My Fortress
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, (A)the servant of the Lord, (B)who addressed the words of this (C)song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:
18 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my (D)rock and my (E)fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my (F)rock, in (G)whom I take refuge,
my (H)shield, and (I)the horn of my salvation, my (J)stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is (K)worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
4 (L)The cords of death encompassed me;
(M)the torrents of destruction assailed me;[a]
5 (N)the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 (O)In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his (P)temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
7 Then the earth (Q)reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,[b]
and devouring (R)fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He (S)bowed the heavens and (T)came down;
(U)thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on (V)the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his (W)canopy around him,
thick clouds (X)dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
(Y)hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
13 The Lord also (Z)thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his (AA)voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his (AB)arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and (AC)routed them.
15 Then (AD)the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your (AE)rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of (AF)the breath of your nostrils.
16 He (AG)sent from on high, he took me;
he (AH)drew me out of (AI)many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were (AJ)too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into (AK)a broad place;
he rescued me, because he (AL)delighted in me.
20 The Lord dealt with me (AM)according to my righteousness;
according to (AN)the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21 For I have (AO)kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For (AP)all his rules[c] were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was (AQ)blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24 So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 With (AR)the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26 with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with (AS)the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27 For you save (AT)a humble people,
but (AU)the haughty eyes you bring down.
28 For it is you who light my (AV)lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
29 For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can (AW)leap over (AX)a wall.
30 This God—his way is (AY)perfect;[d]
the word of the Lord (AZ)proves true;
he is (BA)a shield for all those who (BB)take refuge in him.
31 For (BC)who is God, but the Lord?
And who is (BD)a rock, except our God?—
32 the God who (BE)equipped me with strength
and made my way (BF)blameless.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a (BG)deer
and set me secure on (BH)the heights.
34 He (BI)trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand (BJ)supported me,
and your (BK)gentleness made me great.
36 You (BL)gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40 You made my enemies (BM)turn their backs to me,[e]
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 (BN)They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine as (BO)dust before the wind;
I cast them out like (BP)the mire of the streets.
43 You delivered me from (BQ)strife with the people;
you made me (BR)the head of the nations;
(BS)people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
(BT)foreigners (BU)came cringing to me.
45 (BV)Foreigners lost heart
and (BW)came trembling out of their fortresses.
Bildad Speaks: Job Should Repent
8 Then (A)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “How long will you say these things,
and the words of your mouth be a (B)great wind?
3 (C)Does God pervert justice?
Or does the Almighty pervert the right?
4 If your (D)children have sinned against him,
he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.
5 If you will seek God
and (E)plead with the Almighty for mercy,
6 if you are pure and upright,
surely then he will (F)rouse himself for you
and (G)restore your rightful habitation.
7 And though your beginning was small,
(H)your latter days will be very great.
17 Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what (A)the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, (B)the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood at the gate 18 and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. 19 And while Peter was pondering (C)the vision, (D)the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 Rise and go down and (E)accompany them without hesitation,[a] for I have sent them.” 21 And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” 22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and (F)God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by (G)a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and (H)to hear what you have to say.” 23 So he invited them in to be his guests.
The next day he rose and went away with them, and (I)some of (J)the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and (K)fell down at his feet and (L)worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, (M)“Stand up; I too am a man.” 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. 28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew (N)to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but (O)God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”
30 And Cornelius said, (P)“Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at (Q)the ninth hour,[b] and behold, (R)a man stood before me in bright clothing 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, (S)your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up (A)into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore (B)marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning,[a] when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, (C)“My teaching is not mine, but his (D)who sent me. 17 (E)If anyone's will is to do God's[b] will, (F)he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I (G)am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority (H)seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 (I)Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. (J)Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, (K)“You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did (L)one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 (M)Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but (N)from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, (O)are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well? 24 (P)Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
Can This Be the Christ?
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom (Q)they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, (R)speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that (S)the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But (T)we know (U)where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, (V)no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, (W)as he taught in the temple, (X)“You know me, and you know where I come from. But (Y)I have not come of my own accord. (Z)He who sent me is true, (AA)and him you do not know. 29 (AB)I know him, for I come (AC)from him, and (AD)he sent me.” 30 (AE)So they were seeking to arrest him, but (AF)no one laid a hand on him, (AG)because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet (AH)many of the people believed in him. They said, (AI)“When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”
Officers Sent to Arrest Jesus
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd (AJ)muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent (AK)officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, (AL)“I will be with you a little longer, and then (AM)I am going to him who sent me. 34 (AN)You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? (AO)Does he intend to go to (AP)the Dispersion among (AQ)the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, (AR)‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.