Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 72[a]
For[b] Solomon.
72 O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions.[c]
Grant the king’s son[d] the ability to make fair decisions.[e]
2 Then he will judge[f] your people fairly,
and your oppressed ones[g] equitably.
3 The mountains will bring news of peace to the people,
and the hills will announce justice.[h]
4 He will defend[i] the oppressed among the people;
he will deliver[j] the children[k] of the poor
and crush the oppressor.
5 People will fear[l] you[m] as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky,
for generation after generation.[n]
6 He[o] will descend like rain on the mown grass,[p]
like showers that drench[q] the earth.[r]
7 During his days the godly will flourish;[s]
peace will prevail as long as the moon remains in the sky.[t]
8 May he rule[u] from sea to sea,[v]
and from the Euphrates River[w] to the ends of the earth.
9 Before him the coastlands[x] will bow down,
and his enemies will lick the dust.[y]
10 The kings of Tarshish[z] and the coastlands will offer gifts;
the kings of Sheba[aa] and Seba[ab] will bring tribute.
11 All kings will bow down to him;
all nations will serve him.
12 For he will rescue the needy[ac] when they cry out for help,
and the oppressed[ad] who have no defender.
13 He will take pity[ae] on the poor and needy;
the lives of the needy he will save.
14 From harm and violence he will defend them;[af]
he will value their lives.[ag]
15 May he live![ah] May they offer him gold from Sheba.[ai]
May they continually pray for him.
May they pronounce blessings on him all day long.[aj]
16 May there be[ak] an abundance[al] of grain in the earth;
on the tops[am] of the mountains may it[an] sway.[ao]
May its[ap] fruit trees[aq] flourish[ar] like the forests of Lebanon.[as]
May its crops[at] be as abundant[au] as the grass of the earth.[av]
17 May his fame endure.[aw]
May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky.[ax]
May they use his name when they formulate their blessings.[ay]
May all nations consider him to be favored by God.[az]
18 The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise.[ba]
He alone accomplishes amazing things.[bb]
19 His glorious name deserves praise[bc] forevermore.
May his majestic splendor[bd] fill the whole earth.
We agree! We agree![be]
20 This collection of the prayers of David son of Jesse ends here.[bf]
י (Yod)
73 Your hands made me and formed me.[a]
Give me understanding so that I might learn[b] your commands.
74 Your loyal followers will be glad when they see me,[c]
for I find hope in your word.
75 I know, Lord, that your regulations[d] are just.
You disciplined me because of your faithful devotion to me.[e]
76 May your loyal love console me,
as you promised your servant.[f]
77 May I experience your compassion,[g] so I might live.
For I find delight in your law.
78 May the arrogant be humiliated, for they have slandered me.[h]
But I meditate on your precepts.
79 May your loyal followers[i] turn to me,
those who know your rules.
80 May I be fully committed to your statutes,[j]
so that I might not be ashamed.
כ (Kaf)
81 I desperately long for[k] your deliverance.
I find hope in your word.
82 My eyes grow tired as I wait for your promise to be fulfilled.[l]
I say,[m] “When will you comfort me?”
83 For[n] I am like a wineskin[o] dried up in smoke.[p]
I do not forget your statutes.
84 How long must your servant endure this?[q]
When will you judge those who pursue me?
85 The arrogant dig pits to trap me,[r]
which violates your law.[s]
86 All your commands are reliable.
I am pursued without reason.[t] Help me!
87 They have almost destroyed me here on the earth,
but I do not reject your precepts.
88 Revive me with[u] your loyal love,
that I might keep[v] the rules you have revealed.[w]
ל (Lamed)
89 O Lord, your instructions endure;
they stand secure in heaven.[x]
90 You demonstrate your faithfulness to all generations.[y]
You established the earth and it stood firm.
91 Today they stand firm by your decrees,
for all things are your servants.
92 If I had not found encouragement in your law,[z]
I would have died in my sorrow.[aa]
93 I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have revived me.
94 I belong to you. Deliver me!
For I seek your precepts.
95 The wicked prepare to kill me,[ab]
yet I concentrate on your rules.
96 I realize that everything has its limits,
but your commands are beyond full comprehension.[ac]
6 When Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, you have no doubt seen what wayward Israel has done.[a] You have seen how she went up to every high hill and under every green tree to give herself like a prostitute to other gods.[b] 7 Yet even after she had done all that, I thought that she might come back to me.[c] But she did not. Her sister, unfaithful Judah, saw what she did.[d] 8 She also saw[e] that, because of wayward Israel’s adulterous worship of other gods,[f] I sent her away and gave her divorce papers. But still her unfaithful sister Judah was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute to other gods.[g] 9 Because she took her prostitution so lightly, she defiled the land[h] through her adulterous worship of gods made of wood and stone.[i] 10 In spite of all this,[j] Israel’s sister, unfaithful Judah, has not turned back to me with any sincerity; she has only pretended to do so,”[k] says the Lord. 11 Then the Lord said to me, “Under the circumstances, wayward Israel could even be considered less guilty than unfaithful Judah.[l]
The Lord Calls on Israel and Judah to Repent
12 “Go and shout this message to my people in the countries in the north.[m] Tell them:
‘Come back to me, wayward Israel,’ says the Lord.
‘I will not continue to look on you with displeasure.[n]
For I am merciful,’ says the Lord.
‘I will not be angry with you forever.
13 However, you must confess that you have done wrong[o]
and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God.
You must confess[p] that you have given yourself to[q] foreign gods under every green tree
and have not obeyed my commands,’ says the Lord.
14 “Come back to me, my wayward sons,” says the Lord, “for I am your true master.[r] If you do,[s] I will take one of you from each town and two of you from each family group, and I will bring you back to Zion. 15 I will give you leaders[t] who will be faithful to me.[u] They will lead you with knowledge and insight. 16 In those days, your population will greatly increase[v] in the land. At that time,” says the Lord, “people will no longer talk about having the ark[w] that contains the Lord’s covenant with us.[x] They will not call it to mind, remember it, or miss it. No, that will not be done anymore![y] 17 At that time the city of Jerusalem will be called the Lord’s throne. All nations will gather there in Jerusalem to honor the Lord’s name.[z] They will no longer follow the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts.[aa] 18 At that time[ab] the nation of Judah and the nation of Israel will be reunited.[ac] Together they will come back from a land in the north to the land that I gave to your ancestors as a permanent possession.
28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God,[a] God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done.[b] 29 They are filled[c] with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with[d] envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 senseless, covenant-breakers,[e] heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they fully know[f] God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die,[g] they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.[h]
The Condemnation of the Moralist
2 [i] Therefore[j] you are without excuse,[k] whoever you are,[l] when you judge someone else.[m] For on whatever grounds[n] you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth[o] against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think,[p] whoever you are, when you judge[q] those who practice such things and yet do them yourself,[r] that you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know[s] that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? 5 But because of your stubbornness[t] and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed![u] 6 He[v] will reward[w] each one according to his works:[x] 7 eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality, 8 but[y] wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition[z] and do not obey the truth but follow[aa] unrighteousness. 9 There will be[ab] affliction and distress on everyone[ac] who does evil, on the Jew first and also the Greek,[ad] 10 but[ae] glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, for the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.
Healing a Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda
5 After this[a] there was a Jewish feast,[b] and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is[c] in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate[d] a pool called Bethzatha[e] in Aramaic,[f] which has five covered walkways.[g] 3 A great number of sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed people were lying in these walkways.[h] 5 Now a man was there who had been disabled for thirty-eight years.[i] 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and when he realized[j] that the man[k] had been disabled a long time already, he said to him, “Do you want to become well?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir,[l] I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get into the water,[m] someone else[n] goes down there[o] before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Stand up! Pick up your mat[p] and walk.” 9 Immediately the man was healed,[q] and he picked up his mat[r] and started walking. (Now that day was a Sabbath.)[s]
10 So the Jewish leaders[t] said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and you are not permitted to carry your mat.”[u] 11 But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat[v] and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your mat[w] and walk’?”[x] 13 But the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped out, since there was a crowd in that place.
14 After this Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “Look, you have become well. Don’t sin any more,[y] lest anything worse happen to you.” 15 The man went away and informed the Jewish leaders[z] that Jesus was the one who had made him well.
Responding to Jewish Leaders
16 Now because Jesus was doing these things[aa] on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders[ab] began persecuting[ac] him. 17 So he[ad] told[ae] them, “My Father is working until now, and I too am working.”[af] 18 For this reason the Jewish leaders[ag] were trying even harder to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was also calling God his own Father, thus making himself equal with God.
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