Book of Common Prayer
You Will Not Abandon My Soul
A (A)Miktam[a] of David.
16 Preserve me, O God, for in you I (B)take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
(C)I have no good apart from you.”
4 The sorrows of those who run after[c] another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or (E)take their names on my lips.
5 The Lord is (F)my chosen portion and my (G)cup;
you hold my (H)lot.
6 (I)The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7 I bless the Lord who (J)gives me counsel;
in (K)the night also my (L)heart instructs me.[d]
8 (M)I have (N)set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my (O)right hand, I shall not be (P)shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my (Q)whole being[e] rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to (R)Sheol,
(S)or let your (T)holy one see (U)corruption.[f]
11 You make known to me (V)the path of life;
in your presence there is (W)fullness of joy;
at your right hand are (X)pleasures forevermore.
In the Shadow of Your Wings
A (Y)Prayer of David.
17 Hear a just cause, O Lord; (Z)attend to my cry!
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
2 From your presence (AA)let my vindication come!
Let your eyes behold the right!
3 You have (AB)tried my heart, you have (AC)visited me by (AD)night,
you have (AE)tested me, and you will find nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
4 With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
5 My steps have (AF)held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
6 I (AG)call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
(AH)incline your ear to me; hear my words.
7 (AI)Wondrously show[g] your steadfast love,
O Savior of those who seek refuge
from (AJ)their adversaries at your right hand.
8 Keep me as (AK)the apple of your eye;
hide me in (AL)the shadow of your wings,
9 from the wicked who do me violence,
my deadly enemies who (AM)surround me.
10 (AN)They close their hearts to pity;
with their mouths they (AO)speak arrogantly.
11 They have now surrounded our (AP)steps;
they set their eyes to (AQ)cast us to the ground.
12 He is like a lion eager to tear,
as a young lion (AR)lurking in ambush.
13 Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him!
Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
14 from men by your hand, O Lord,
from (AS)men of the world whose (AT)portion is in this life.[h]
You fill their womb with treasure;[i]
they are satisfied with (AU)children,
and they leave their abundance to their infants.
Why Have You Forsaken Me?
To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.
22 (A)My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so (B)far from saving me, from the words of my (C)groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by (D)day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.
3 Yet you are (E)holy,
(F)enthroned on (G)the praises[a] of Israel.
4 In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 To you they (H)cried and were rescued;
in you they (I)trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am (J)a worm and not a man,
(K)scorned by mankind and (L)despised by the people.
7 All who see me (M)mock me;
they make mouths at me; they (N)wag their heads;
8 (O)“He trusts in the Lord; let him (P)deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he (Q)delights in him!”
9 Yet you are he who (R)took me from the womb;
you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.
10 On you was I cast from my birth,
and from (S)my mother's womb you have been my God.
11 Be not (T)far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is (U)none to help.
12 Many bulls encompass me;
(V)strong bulls of (W)Bashan surround me;
13 they (X)open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.
14 I am (Y)poured out like water,
and all my bones are (Z)out of joint;
my (AA)heart is like (AB)wax;
it is melted within my breast;
15 my strength is (AC)dried up like a potsherd,
and my (AD)tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 For (AE)dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers (AF)encircles me;
they have (AG)pierced my hands and feet[b]—
17 I can count all my bones—
they (AH)stare and gloat over me;
18 (AI)they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
19 But you, O Lord, (AJ)do not be far off!
O you my help, (AK)come quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of (AL)the dog!
21 Save me from (AM)the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued[c] me from the horns of (AN)the wild oxen!
22 (AO)I will tell of your name to my (AP)brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23 You who (AQ)fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, (AR)glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of (AS)the afflicted,
and he has not (AT)hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he (AU)cried to him.
25 From you comes my praise in the great (AV)congregation;
my (AW)vows I will (AX)perform before those who fear him.
26 (AY)The afflicted[d] shall (AZ)eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts (BA)live forever!
27 All (BB)the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all (BC)the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
28 For (BD)kingship belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.
29 All (BE)the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall (BF)bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not (BG)keep himself alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming (BH)generation;
31 they shall (BI)come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet (BJ)unborn,
that he has done it.
Job Replies: There Is No Arbiter
9 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Truly I know that it is so:
But how can a man be (A)in the right before God?
3 If one wished to (B)contend with him,
one could not answer him once in a thousand times.
4 He is (C)wise in heart and mighty in strength
—who has (D)hardened himself against him, and succeeded?—
5 he who removes mountains, and they know it not,
when he overturns them in his anger,
6 who (E)shakes the earth out of its place,
and (F)its pillars tremble;
7 who commands the sun, and it does not rise;
who seals up the stars;
8 who alone (G)stretched out the heavens
and trampled the waves of the sea;
9 who (H)made (I)the Bear and (J)Orion,
the Pleiades (K)and the chambers of the south;
10 who does (L)great things beyond searching out,
and marvelous things beyond number.
11 Behold, he passes by me, and I (M)see him not;
he moves on, but I do not perceive him.
12 Behold, he snatches away; (N)who can turn him back?
(O)Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him,
that we should (A)come to trial together.
33 (B)There is no[a] arbiter between us,
who might lay his hand on us both.
34 (C)Let him take his (D)rod away from me,
and let (E)not dread of him terrify me.
35 Then I would speak without fear of him,
for I am not so in myself.
Gentiles Hear the Good News
34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that (A)God (B)shows no partiality, 35 but (C)in every nation anyone who fears him and (D)does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for (E)the word that he sent to Israel, (F)preaching good news of (G)peace through Jesus Christ ((H)he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, (I)beginning (J)from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how (K)God anointed Jesus of Nazareth (L)with the Holy Spirit and with (M)power. He went about doing good and healing all (N)who were oppressed by the devil, (O)for God was with him. 39 And (P)we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. (Q)They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but (R)God raised him on (S)the third day and made him to (T)appear, 41 (U)not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as (V)witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And (W)he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify (X)that he is the one appointed by God to be judge (Y)of the living and the dead. 43 (Z)To him (AA)all the prophets bear witness that (AB)everyone who believes in him receives (AC)forgiveness of sins (AD)through his name.”
The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles
44 While Peter was still saying these things, (AE)the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among (AF)the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because (AG)the gift of the Holy Spirit (AH)was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them (AI)speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 (AJ)“Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit (AK)just as we have?” 48 And he (AL)commanded them (AM)to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.
Rivers of Living Water
37 (A)On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, (B)“If anyone thirsts, let him (C)come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, (D)as[a] the Scripture has said, (E)‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of (F)living water.’” 39 Now (G)this he said about the Spirit, (H)whom those who believed in him were to receive, (I)for as yet the Spirit had not been (J)given, (K)because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Division Among the People
40 When they heard these words, (L)some of the people said, “This really is (M)the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is (N)the Christ.” But some said, (O)“Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes (P)from the offspring of David, and comes (Q)from Bethlehem, the village (R)where David was?” 43 So there was (S)a division among the people over him. 44 (T)Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
45 (U)The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, (V)“No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, (W)“Have you also been deceived? 48 (X)Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50 (Y)Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 (Z)“Does our law judge a man without first (AA)giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52 They replied, (AB)“Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that (AC)no prophet arises from Galilee.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.