Book of Common Prayer
God the Judge of the Righteous and the Wicked.
A Psalm of [a]Asaph
50 The mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken,
And summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting [from east to west].
2
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God has shone forth.
3
May our God come and not keep silent;
Fire devours before Him,
And around Him a mighty tempest rages.
4
He summons the heavens above,
And the earth, to judge His people:
5
“Gather My godly ones to Me,
Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
6
And the heavens declare His righteousness,
For God Himself is judge. Selah.
7
“Hear, O My people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you:
I am God, your God.
8
“I do not reprove you for your sacrifices;
Your burnt offerings are continually before Me.
9
“I will accept no young bull from your house
Nor male goat from your folds.
10
“For every beast of the forest is Mine,
And the cattle on a thousand hills.
11
“I know every bird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is [b]Mine.
12
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
For the world and all it contains are Mine.(A)
13
“Shall I eat the flesh of bulls
Or drink the blood of male goats?
14
“Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving
And pay your vows to the Most High;
15
Call on Me in the day of trouble;
I will rescue you, and you shall honor and glorify Me.”
16
But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to recite My statutes
Or to take My covenant on your lips?
17
“For you hate instruction and discipline
And cast My words behind you [discarding them].
18
“When you see a thief, you are pleased with him and condone his behavior,
And you associate with adulterers.
19
“You give your mouth to evil
And your tongue frames deceit.
20
“You sit and speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
21
“These things you have done and I kept silent;
You thought that I was just like you.
Now I will reprimand and denounce you and state the case in order before your eyes.
22
“Now consider this, you who forget God,
Or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be no one to rescue [you].
23
“He who offers a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving honors Me;
And to him who orders his way rightly [who follows the way that I show him],
I shall show the salvation of God.”
Prayer for Rescue from Enemies.
To the Chief Musician; set to [the tune of] “Do Not Destroy.” A Mikhtam of David, [a record of memorable thoughts] when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.
59 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
Set me securely on an inaccessibly high place away from those who rise up against me.
2
Deliver me from those who practice wrongdoing,
And save me from bloodthirsty men.
3
Look! They lie in wait for my life;
Fierce and powerful men [are uniting together to] launch an attack against me,
Not for my wrongdoing nor for any sin of mine, O Lord.
4
They run and set themselves against me though there is no guilt in me;
Stir Yourself to meet and help me, and see [what they are doing]!
5
You, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel,
Arise to punish all the nations;
Spare no one and do not be merciful to any who treacherously plot evil. Selah.
6
They return at evening, they howl and snarl like dogs,
And go [prowling] around the city.
7
Look how they belch out [insults] with their mouths;
Swords [of sarcasm, ridicule, slander, and lies] are in their lips,
For they say, “Who hears us?”
8
But You, O Lord, will laugh at them [in scorn];
You scoff at and deride all the nations.
9
O [God] my strength, I will watch for You;
For God is my stronghold [my refuge, my protector, my high tower].
10
My God in His [steadfast] lovingkindness will meet me;
God will let me look triumphantly on my enemies [who lie in wait for me].
11
Do not kill them, or my people will forget;
Scatter them and make them wander [endlessly] back and forth by Your power, and bring them down,
O Lord our shield!
12
For the sin of their mouths and the words of their lips,
Let them even be trapped in their pride,
And on account of the curses and lies which they tell.
13
Destroy them in wrath, destroy them so that they may be no more;
Let them know that God rules over Jacob (Israel)
To the ends of the earth. Selah.
14
They return at evening, they howl and snarl like dogs,
And go [prowling] around the city.
15
They wander around for food [to devour]
And growl all night if they are not satisfied.
16
But as for me, I will sing of Your mighty strength and power;
Yes, I will sing joyfully of Your lovingkindness in the morning;
For You have been my stronghold
And a refuge in the day of my distress.
17
To You, O [God] my strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my stronghold [my refuge, my protector, my high tower], the God who shows me [steadfast] lovingkindness.
Lament over Defeat in Battle, and Prayer for Help.
To the Chief Musician; set to [the tune of] “The Lily of the Testimony.” A Mikhtam of David [intended to record memorable thoughts and] to teach; when he struggled with the Arameans of Mesopotamia and the Arameans of Zobah, and when Joab returned and struck twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
60 O God, You have rejected us and cast us off. You have broken [down our defenses and scattered] us;
You have been angry; O restore us and turn again to us.
2
You have made the land quake, You have split it open;
Heal its rifts, for it shakes and totters.
3
You have made Your people experience hardship;
You have given us wine to drink that makes us stagger and fall.
4
You have set up a banner for those who fear You [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder—a banner to shield them from attack],
A banner that may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.
5
That Your beloved ones may be rescued,
Save with Your right hand and answer us.
6
God has spoken in His holiness [in His promises]:
“I will rejoice, I will divide [the land of] Shechem and measure out the Valley of Succoth [west to east].
7
“Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim is My helmet;
Judah is My scepter.
8
“Moab is My [a]washbowl;
Over Edom I shall throw My shoe [in triumph];
Over Philistia I raise the shout [of victory].”
9
Who will bring me into the besieged city [of Petra]?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10
Have You not rejected us, O God?
And will You not go out with our armies?
11
Give us help against the enemy,
For the help of man is worthless (ineffectual, without purpose).
12
Through God we will have victory,
For He will trample down our enemies.
The Majesty of the Lord.
93 The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty and splendor;
The Lord has clothed and encircled Himself with strength;
the world is firmly established, it cannot be moved.
2
Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.
3
The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
The floods have lifted up their voice;
The floods lift up their pounding waves.
4
More than the sounds of many waters,
More than the mighty breakers of the sea,
The Lord on high is mighty.
5
Your precepts are fully confirmed and completely reliable;
Holiness adorns Your house,
O Lord, forever.
A Call to Worship the Lord the Righteous Judge.
96 O sing to the Lord a new song;
Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
2
Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim good news of His salvation from day to day.
3
Declare His glory among the nations,
His marvelous works and wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
4
For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.(A)
5
For all the gods of the peoples are [worthless, lifeless] idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
6
Splendor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
7
[a]Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8
Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name;
Bring an offering and come into His courts.
9
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
Tremble [in submissive wonder] before Him, all the earth.
10
Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns;
Indeed, the world is firmly and securely established, it shall not be moved;
He will judge and rule the people with fairness.”(B)
11
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
Let the sea roar, and all the things it contains;
12
Let the field be exultant, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
13
Before the Lord, for He is coming,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
And the peoples in His faithfulness.(C)
Job’s Past Was Glorious
29 And Job again took up his discussion and said,
Job Asserts His Integrity
31 “I have made a covenant (agreement) with my eyes;
How then could I gaze [lustfully] at a virgin?
2
“For what is the portion I would have from God above,
And what heritage from the Almighty on high?
3
“Does not tragedy fall [justly] on the unjust
And disaster to those who work wickedness?
4
“Does not God see my ways
And count all my steps?
5
“If I have walked with falsehood,
Or if my foot has chased after deceit,
6
Oh, let Him weigh me with accurate scales,
And let God know my integrity.
7
“If my step has turned away from the way [of God],
Or if my heart has [covetously] followed my eyes,
Or if any spot [of guilt] has stained my hands,
8
Then let me plant and [let] another eat [from the results of my labor],
And let my crops be uprooted and ruined.
9
“If my heart has been enticed and I was made a fool by a woman,
Or if I have [covetously] lurked at my neighbor’s door [until his departure],
10
Let my wife grind [meal, like a bond slave] for another [man],
And let others [a]kneel down over her.
11
“For adultery is a heinous and lustful crime;
Moreover, it would be a sin punishable by the judges.(A)
12
“For it is a fire which consumes to Abaddon (destruction, ruin, final torment);
And [illicit passion] would burn and rage and uproot all my [life’s] increase [destroying everything].
13
“If I have despised and rejected the claim of my male or female servants
When they filed a complaint against me,
14
What then could I do when God arises [to judge me]?
When He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?(B)
15
“Did not He who made me in the womb make my servant,
And did not the same One fashion us both in the womb?(C)
16
“If I have withheld from the poor what they desired,
Or have caused the eyes of the widow to look in vain [for relief],
17
Or have eaten my morsel [of food] alone,
And did not share it with the orphan
18
(But from my youth the orphan grew up with me as with a father,
And from my mother’s womb I have been the widow’s guide),
19
If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
Or any poor person without covering,
20
If his loins have not thanked and blessed me [for clothing them],
And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21
If I have lifted my hand against the orphan,
Because I saw [that the judges would be] my help at the [council] gate,
22
Then let my shoulder fall away from its socket,
And my arm be broken off at the elbow.
23
“For tragedy from God is a terror to me,
And because of His majesty and exaltation I can do nothing [nor endure facing Him].(D)
The Council at Jerusalem
15 Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”(A) 2 Paul and Barnabas disagreed greatly and debated with them, so it was determined that Paul and Barnabas and some of the others from their group would go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders [and confer with them] concerning this issue. 3 So, after being supplied and sent on their way by the church, they went through both Phoenicia and Samaria telling in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the [a]believers. 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received warmly by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported to them all the things that God had accomplished through them. 5 But some from the sect of the Pharisees who had believed [in Jesus as the Messiah] stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise the Gentile converts and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”
6 The apostles and the elders came together to consider this matter. 7 After a long debate, Peter got up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the message of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows and understands the heart, testified to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; 9 and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith [in Jesus]. 10 Now then, why are you testing God by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to endure? 11 But we believe that we are saved through the [precious, undeserved] grace of the Lord Jesus [which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life], in just the same way as they are.”
17 So when Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb [a]four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away; 19 and many of the Jews had come to see Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning [the loss of] their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him, while Mary remained sitting in the house. 21 Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give to You.” 23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise [from the dead].” 24 Martha replied, “I know that he will rise [from the dead] in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “[b]I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, relies on) Me [as Savior] will live even if he dies; 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me [as Savior] will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed and continue to believe that You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of God, [c]He who was [destined and promised] to come into the world [and it is for You that the world has waited].”
28 After she had said this, she left and called her sister Mary, privately whispering [to her], “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.” 29 And when she heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him.
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