Book of Common Prayer
In God I Trust
To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A (A)Miktam[a] of David, when the (B)Philistines seized him in Gath.
56 (C)Be gracious to me, O God, for man (D)tramples on me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many attack me proudly.
3 When I am afraid,
I (E)put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; (F)I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?
5 All day long they injure my cause;[b]
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They (G)stir up strife, they (H)lurk;
they (I)watch my steps,
as they have waited for my life.
7 For their crime will they escape?
(J)In wrath (K)cast down the peoples, O God!
8 You have kept count of my tossings;[c]
(L)put my tears in your bottle.
(M)Are they not in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
(N)in the day when I call.
This I know, that[d] (O)God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; (P)I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 I must perform my (Q)vows to you, O God;
I will (R)render thank offerings to you.
13 (S)For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
(T)that I may walk before God
(U)in the light of life.
Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth
To the choirmaster: according to (V)Do Not Destroy. A (W)Miktam[e] of David, when he fled from Saul, in (X)the cave.
57 (Y)Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul (Z)takes refuge;
in (AA)the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
(AB)till the storms of destruction pass by.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God who (AC)fulfills his purpose for me.
3 (AD)He will send from heaven and save me;
he will put to shame (AE)him who tramples on me. Selah
(AF)God will send out (AG)his steadfast love and his faithfulness!
4 My soul is in the midst of (AH)lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose (AI)teeth are spears and arrows,
whose (AJ)tongues are sharp swords.
5 (AK)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
6 They set (AL)a net for my steps;
my soul was (AM)bowed down.
They (AN)dug a pit in my way,
but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 (AO)My heart is (AP)steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
8 (AQ)Awake, (AR)my glory![f]
Awake, (AS)O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your (AT)steadfast love is great to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
11 (AU)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
God Who Judges the Earth
To the choirmaster: according to (AV)Do Not Destroy. A (AW)Miktam[g] of David.
58 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?[h]
Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands (AX)deal out violence on earth.
3 The wicked are (AY)estranged from the womb;
they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
4 (AZ)They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5 so that it (BA)does not hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.
6 O God, (BB)break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7 Let them (BC)vanish like water that runs away;
when he (BD)aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
8 Let them be like the snail (BE)that dissolves into slime,
like (BF)the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of (BG)thorns,
whether green or ablaze, may he (BH)sweep them away![i]
Hide Me from the Wicked
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
64 Hear my voice, O God, in my (A)complaint;
preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
2 Hide me from (B)the secret plots of the wicked,
from the throng of evildoers,
3 who (C)whet their tongues like swords,
who (D)aim bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting from (E)ambush at the blameless,
shooting at him suddenly and (F)without fear.
5 They (G)hold fast to their evil purpose;
they talk of (H)laying snares secretly,
thinking, (I)“Who can see them?”
6 They search out injustice,
saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”
For (J)the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.
7 (K)But God shoots his arrow at them;
they are wounded suddenly.
8 They are brought to ruin, with their own (L)tongues turned against them;
all who (M)see them will (N)wag their heads.
9 Then all mankind (O)fears;
they (P)tell what God has brought about
and ponder what he has done.
10 Let (Q)the righteous one rejoice in the Lord
and (R)take refuge in him!
Let all (S)the upright in heart exult!
O God of Our Salvation
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.
65 Praise (T)is due to you,[a] O God, in Zion,
and to you shall (U)vows be performed.
2 O you who (V)hear prayer,
to you (W)shall all flesh come.
3 When (X)iniquities prevail against me,
you (Y)atone for our transgressions.
4 (Z)Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to (AA)dwell in your courts!
We shall be (AB)satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!
5 By (AC)awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all (AD)the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas;
6 the one who by his strength established the mountains,
being (AE)girded with might;
7 who (AF)stills the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
(AG)the tumult of the peoples,
8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and (AH)water it;[b]
you greatly enrich it;
(AI)the river of God is full of water;
(AJ)you provide their grain,
for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with (AK)showers,
and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks (AL)overflow with abundance.
12 (AM)The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills (AN)gird themselves with joy,
13 (AO)the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they (AP)shout and sing together for joy.
Rules for Christian Households
18 (A)Wives, submit to your husbands, as (B)is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and (C)do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents (D)in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22 Bondservants, obey (E)in everything those who are your earthly masters,[a] not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 (F)Whatever you do, work heartily, (G)as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord (H)you will receive the inheritance as your reward. (I)You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.
4 Masters, treat your bondservants[b] justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
Further Instructions
2 (J)Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it (K)with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may (L)open to us a door for the word, (M)to declare the mystery of Christ, (N)on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
5 (O)Walk in wisdom toward (P)outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always (Q)be gracious, (R)seasoned with salt, (S)so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Final Greetings
7 Tychicus will tell you (T)all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant[c] in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 and with him (U)Onesimus, our faithful and (V)beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.
10 (W)Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark (X)the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—(Y)if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called (Z)Justus. (AA)These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and (AB)they have been a comfort to me. 12 (AC)Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always (AD)struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand (AE)mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 (AF)Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does (AG)Demas. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers[d] at Laodicea, and to Nympha and (AH)the church in her house. 16 And when (AI)this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 And say to (AJ)Archippus, “See that you fulfill (AK)the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
18 I, Paul, (AL)write this greeting with my own hand. (AM)Remember (AN)my chains. (AO)Grace be with you.
A Sinful Woman Forgiven
36 (A)One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. 37 (B)And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and (C)wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If (D)this man were (E)a prophet, he (F)would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred (G)denarii, and the other fifty. 42 (H)When they could not pay, he (I)cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; (J)you gave me no water for my feet, but (K)she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 (L)You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to (M)kiss my feet. 46 (N)You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, (O)which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, (P)“Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among[a] themselves, (Q)“Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, (R)“Your faith has saved you; (S)go in peace.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.