Book of Common Prayer
I Will Bless the Lord
Of David.
26 (A)Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have (B)walked in my integrity,
and I have (C)trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 (D)Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and (E)my mind.[a]
3 For your (F)steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I (G)walk in your (H)faithfulness.
4 I do not (I)sit with men of (J)falsehood,
nor do I consort with hypocrites.
5 I (K)hate the assembly of evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I (L)wash my hands in innocence
and go around your altar, O Lord,
7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
and telling all your (M)wondrous deeds.
The Lord Is My Strength and My Shield
Of David.
28 To you, O Lord, I call;
(A)my rock, be not deaf to me,
lest, if you (B)be silent to me,
I become like those who (C)go down to the pit.
2 (D)Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,
when I cry to you for help,
when I (E)lift up my hands
(F)toward your most holy sanctuary.[a]
3 Do not (G)drag me off with the wicked,
with the workers of evil,
(H)who speak peace with their neighbors
while evil is in their hearts.
4 (I)Give to them according to their work
and according to the evil of their deeds;
give to them according to the work of their hands;
(J)render them their due reward.
5 Because they (K)do not regard the works of the Lord
or the work of his hands,
he will tear them down and build them up no more.
How Precious Is Your Steadfast Love
To the choirmaster. Of David, the (A)servant of the Lord.
36 Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in his heart;[a]
(B)there is no fear of God
before his eyes.
2 (C)For he flatters himself in his own eyes
that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3 The words of his mouth are (D)trouble and deceit;
(E)he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
4 He (F)plots (G)trouble while on his bed;
he sets himself in (H)a way that is not good;
(I)he does not reject evil.
5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 (J)Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
(K)your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you (L)save, O Lord.
7 (M)How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge (N)in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on (O)the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from (P)the river of (Q)your delights.
9 For with you is (R)the fountain of life;
(S)in your light do we see light.
What Is the Measure of My Days?
To the choirmaster: to (A)Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will (B)guard my ways,
that I (C)may not sin with my tongue;
I will (D)guard my mouth with a muzzle,
so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was (E)mute and silent;
I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse.
3 My (F)heart became hot within me.
As I mused, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “O Lord, (G)make me know my end
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!
5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
and (H)my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely (I)all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah
6 Surely a man (J)goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing[a] they are in turmoil;
man (K)heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!
7 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
(L)My hope is in you.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.
(M)Do not make me the scorn of the fool!
9 (N)I am mute; I do not open my mouth,
(O)for it is you who have done it.
10 (P)Remove your stroke from me;
I am spent by the hostility of your hand.
11 When you discipline a man
with (Q)rebukes for sin,
you (R)consume like a (S)moth what is dear to him;
(T)surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah
Job Replies: The Lord Has Done This
12 Then Job answered and said:
3 (A)But I would speak to the Almighty,
and I desire to (B)argue my case with God.
4 As for you, (C)you whitewash with lies;
(D)worthless physicians are you all.
5 Oh that you would (E)keep silent,
and it would be your wisdom!
6 Hear now my argument
and listen to the pleadings of my lips.
7 Will you (F)speak falsely for God
and speak (G)deceitfully for him?
8 Will you show partiality toward him?
Will you (H)plead the case for God?
9 Will it be well with you when he (I)searches you out?
Or (J)can you deceive him, as one deceives a man?
10 He will surely rebuke you
if in secret you show partiality.
11 Will not his (K)majesty terrify you,
and the dread of him fall upon you?
12 Your maxims are proverbs of (L)ashes;
your defenses are defenses of clay.
13 “Let me have silence, and I will speak,
and let come on me what may.
14 Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
and (M)put my life in my hand?
15 (N)Though he slay me, I will (O)hope in him;[a]
yet I will (P)argue my ways to his face.
16 This will be my salvation,
that the godless shall not come before him.
17 (Q)Keep listening to my words,
and let my declaration be in your ears.
21 (A)withdraw your hand far from me,
and let not (B)dread of you terrify me.
22 (C)Then call, and I will answer;
or let me speak, and you reply to me.
23 How many are my iniquities and my sins?
(D)Make me know my transgression and my sin.
24 Why (E)do you hide your face
and (F)count me as your enemy?
25 Will you frighten (G)a driven leaf
and pursue dry (H)chaff?
26 For you (I)write bitter things against me
and make me inherit (J)the iniquities of my youth.
27 You put my feet in (K)the stocks
and (L)watch all my paths;
you set a limit for[a] the soles of my feet.
James Killed and Peter Imprisoned
12 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed (A)James the brother of John (B)with the sword, 3 and when he saw (C)that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during (D)the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And when he had seized him, he put him (E)in prison, delivering him over to four (F)squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest (G)prayer for him was made to God by the church.
Peter Is Rescued
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, (H)bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, (I)an angel of the Lord (J)stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. (K)He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And (L)the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and (M)put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but (N)thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. (O)It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter (P)came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that (Q)the Lord has sent his angel and (R)rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of (S)John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and (T)were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, (U)a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter's voice, (V)in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is (W)his angel!” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But (X)motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to (Y)James and to (Z)the brothers.”[a] Then he departed and went to another place.
33 They answered him, (A)“We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, (B)everyone who practices sin is a slave[a] to sin. 35 (C)The slave does not remain in the house forever; (D)the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet (E)you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 (F)I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard (G)from your father.”
You Are of Your Father the Devil
39 They answered him, (H)“Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, (I)“If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now (J)you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth (K)that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, (L)“We were not born of sexual immorality. We have (M)one Father—even God.” 42 Jesus said to them, (N)“If God were your Father, you would love me, for (O)I came from God and (P)I am here. (Q)I came not of my own accord, but (R)he sent me. 43 (S)Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot (T)bear to hear my word. 44 (U)You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. (V)He was a murderer from the beginning, and (W)does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. (X)When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 (Y)Whoever is of God hears the words of God. (Z)The reason why you do not hear them is that (AA)you are not of God.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.