Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 26[a]
By David.
26 Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have integrity,[b]
and I trust in the Lord without wavering.
2 Examine me, O Lord, and test me.
Evaluate my inner thoughts and motives.[c]
3 For I am ever aware of your faithfulness,[d]
and your loyalty continually motivates me.[e]
4 I do not associate[f] with deceitful men,
or consort[g] with those who are dishonest.[h]
5 I hate the mob[i] of evil men,
and do not associate[j] with the wicked.
6 I maintain a pure lifestyle,[k]
so I can appear before your altar,[l] O Lord,
7 to give you thanks,[m]
and to tell about all your amazing deeds.[n]
8 O Lord, I love the temple where you live,[o]
the place where your splendor is revealed.[p]
9 Do not sweep me away[q] with sinners,
or execute me along with violent people,[r]
10 who are always ready to do wrong[s]
or offer a bribe.[t]
11 But I have integrity.[u]
Rescue me[v] and have mercy on me!
12 I am safe,[w]
and among the worshipers I will praise the Lord.
Psalm 28[a]
By David.
28 To you, O Lord, I cry out!
My Protector,[b] do not ignore me.[c]
If you do not respond to me,[d]
I will join[e] those who are descending into the grave.[f]
2 Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help,
when I lift my hands[g] toward your holy temple.[h]
3 Do not drag me away with evil men,
with those who behave wickedly,[i]
who talk so friendly to their neighbors,[j]
while they plan to harm them.[k]
4 Pay them back for their evil deeds.
Pay them back for what they do.
Punish them.[l]
5 For they do not understand the Lord’s actions,
or the way he carries out justice.[m]
The Lord[n] will permanently demolish them.[o]
6 The Lord deserves praise,[p]
for he has heard my plea for mercy.[q]
7 The Lord strengthens and protects me;[r]
I trust in him with all my heart.[s]
I am rescued[t] and my heart is full of joy;[u]
I will sing to him in gratitude.[v]
8 The Lord strengthens his people;[w]
he protects and delivers his chosen king.[x]
9 Deliver your people.
Empower[y] the nation that belongs to you.[z]
Care for them like a shepherd and carry them in your arms[aa] at all times![ab]
Psalm 36[a]
For the music director, an oracle, written by the Lord’s servant David.[b]
36 An evil man is rebellious to the core.[c]
He does not fear God,[d]
2 for he is too proud
to recognize and give up his sin.[e]
3 The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful;
he does not care about doing what is wise and right.[f]
4 While he lies in bed he plans ways to sin.
He is committed to a sinful lifestyle;[g]
he does not reject what is evil.[h]
5 O Lord, your loyal love reaches to the sky,[i]
your faithfulness to the clouds.[j]
6 Your justice is like the highest mountains,[k]
your fairness like the deepest sea;
you, Lord, preserve[l] mankind and the animal kingdom.[m]
7 How precious[n] is your loyal love, O God!
The human race finds shelter under your wings.[o]
8 They are filled with food from your house,
and you allow them to drink from the river of your delicacies.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.[p]
10 Extend[q] your loyal love to your faithful followers,[r]
and vindicate[s] the morally upright.[t]
11 Do not let arrogant men overtake me,
or let evil men make me homeless.[u]
12 I can see the evildoers! They have fallen.[v]
They have been knocked down and are unable to get up.[w]
Psalm 39[a]
For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
39 I decided,[b] “I will watch what I say
and make sure I do not sin with my tongue.[c]
I will put a muzzle over my mouth
while in the presence of an evil person.”[d]
2 I was stone silent;[e]
I held back the urge to speak.[f]
My frustration grew;[g]
3 my anxiety intensified.[h]
As I thought about it, I became impatient.[i]
Finally I spoke these words:[j]
4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality
and the brevity of life.[k]
Let me realize how quickly my life will pass.[l]
5 Look, you make my days short-lived,[m]
and my life span is nothing from your perspective.[n]
Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor.[o] (Selah)
6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts.[p]
Surely they accumulate worthless wealth
without knowing who will eventually haul it away.”[q]
7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?
You are my only hope![r]
8 Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion.
Do not make me the object of fools’ insults.
9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth
because of what you have done.[s]
10 Please stop wounding me.[t]
You have almost beaten me to death.[u]
11 You severely discipline people for their sins;[v]
like a moth you slowly devour their strength.[w]
Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)
12 Hear my prayer, O Lord.
Listen to my cry for help.
Do not ignore my sobbing.[x]
For I am a resident foreigner with you,
a temporary settler,[y] just as all my ancestors were.
13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy
before I pass away.[z]
Job’s Reply to Zophar[a]
12 Then Job answered:
3 But I wish to speak[a] to the Almighty,[b]
and I desire to argue[c] my case[d] with God.
4 But you, however, are inventors of lies;[e]
all of you are worthless physicians![f]
5 If only you would keep completely silent![g]
For you, that would be wisdom.[h]
6 “Listen now to my argument,[i]
and be attentive to my lips’ contentions.[j]
7 Will you speak wickedly[k] on God’s behalf?[l]
Will you speak deceitfully for him?
8 Will you show him partiality?[m]
Will you argue the case[n] for God?
9 Would it turn out well if he would examine[o] you?
Or as one deceives[p] a man would you deceive him?
10 He would certainly rebuke[q] you
if you secretly[r] showed partiality.
11 Would not his splendor[s] terrify[t] you
and the fear he inspires[u] fall on you?
12 Your maxims[v] are proverbs of ashes;[w]
your defenses[x] are defenses of clay.[y]
13 “Refrain from talking[z] with me so that[aa] I may speak;
then let come to me[ab] what may.[ac]
14 Why[ad] do I put myself in peril,[ae]
and take my life in my hands?
15 Even if he slays me, I will hope in him;[af]
I will surely[ag] defend[ah] my ways to his face.
16 Moreover, this will become my deliverance,
for no godless person would come before him.[ai]
17 Listen carefully[aj] to my words;
let your ears be attentive to my explanation.[ak]
21 Remove[a] your hand[b] far from me
and stop making me afraid with your terror.[c]
22 Then call,[d] and I will answer,
or I will speak, and you respond to me.
23 How many are my[e] iniquities and sins?
Show me my transgression and my sin.[f]
24 Why do you hide your face[g]
and regard me as your enemy?
25 Do you wish to torment[h] a windblown[i] leaf
and chase after dry chaff?[j]
26 For you write down[k] bitter things against me
and cause me to inherit the sins of my youth.[l]
27 And you put my feet in the stocks[m]
and you watch all my movements;[n]
you put marks[o] on the soles of my feet.
James is Killed and Peter Imprisoned
12 About that time King Herod[a] laid hands on[b] some from the church to harm them.[c] 2 He had James, the brother of John, executed with a sword.[d] 3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews,[e] he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.)[f] 4 When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads[g] of soldiers to guard him. Herod[h] planned[i] to bring him out for public trial[j] after the Passover. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly[k] praying to God for him.[l] 6 On that very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial,[m] Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while[n] guards in front of the door were keeping watch[o] over the prison. 7 Suddenly[p] an angel of the Lord[q] appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck[r] Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off Peter’s[s] wrists.[t] 8 The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt[u] and put on your sandals.” Peter[v] did so. Then the angel[w] said to him, “Put on your cloak[x] and follow me.” 9 Peter[y] went out[z] and followed him;[aa] he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real,[ab] but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 After they had passed the first and second guards,[ac] they came to the iron[ad] gate leading into the city. It[ae] opened for them by itself,[af] and they went outside and walked down one narrow street,[ag] when at once the angel left him. 11 When[ah] Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued[ai] me from the hand[aj] of Herod[ak] and from everything the Jewish people[al] were expecting to happen.”
12 When Peter[am] realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark,[an] where many people had gathered together and were praying. 13 When he knocked at the door of the outer gate, a slave girl named Rhoda answered.[ao] 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told[ap] them[aq] that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 But they said to her, “You’ve lost your mind!”[ar] But she kept insisting that it was Peter,[as] and they kept saying,[at] “It is his angel!”[au] 16 Now Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door[av] and saw him, they were greatly astonished.[aw] 17 He motioned to them[ax] with his hand to be quiet and then related[ay] how the Lord had brought[az] him out of the prison. He said, “Tell James and the brothers these things,” and then he left and went to another place.[ba]
33 “We are descendants[a] of Abraham,” they replied,[b] “and have never been anyone’s slaves! How can you say,[c] ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth,[d] everyone who practices[e] sin is a slave[f] of sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the family[g] forever, but the son remains forever.[h] 36 So if the son[i] sets you free, you will be really free. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants.[j] But you want[k] to kill me, because my teaching[l] makes no progress among you.[m] 38 I am telling you the things I have seen while with the[n] Father;[o] as for you,[p] practice the things you have heard from the[q] Father!”
39 They answered him,[r] “Abraham is our father!”[s] Jesus replied,[t] “If you are[u] Abraham’s children, you would be doing[v] the deeds of Abraham. 40 But now you are trying[w] to kill me, a man who has told you[x] the truth I heard from God. Abraham did not do this![y] 41 You people[z] are doing the deeds of your father.”
Then[aa] they said to Jesus,[ab] “We were not born as a result of immorality![ac] We have only one Father, God himself.” 42 Jesus replied,[ad] “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here.[ae] I[af] have not come on my own initiative,[ag] but he[ah] sent me. 43 Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept[ai] my teaching.[aj] 44 You people[ak] are from[al] your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires.[am] He[an] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth,[ao] because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies,[ap] he speaks according to his own nature,[aq] because he is a liar and the father of lies.[ar] 45 But because I am telling you[as] the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Who among you can prove me guilty[at] of any sin?[au] If I am telling you[av] the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 The one who belongs to[aw] God listens and responds[ax] to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond,[ay] because you don’t belong to God.”[az]
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