Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 26
Of David.
1 Vindicate me,(A) Lord,
for I have led a blameless life;(B)
I have trusted(C) in the Lord
and have not faltered.(D)
2 Test me,(E) Lord, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;(F)
3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love(G)
and have lived(H) in reliance on your faithfulness.(I)
4 I do not sit(J) with the deceitful,
nor do I associate with hypocrites.(K)
5 I abhor(L) the assembly of evildoers
and refuse to sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence,(M)
and go about your altar, Lord,
7 proclaiming aloud your praise(N)
and telling of all your wonderful deeds.(O)
8 Lord, I love(P) the house where you live,
the place where your glory dwells.(Q)
9 Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
my life with those who are bloodthirsty,(R)
10 in whose hands are wicked schemes,(S)
whose right hands are full of bribes.(T)
11 I lead a blameless life;
deliver me(U) and be merciful to me.
Psalm 28
Of David.
1 To you, Lord, I call;
you are my Rock,
do not turn a deaf ear(A) to me.
For if you remain silent,(B)
I will be like those who go down to the pit.(C)
2 Hear my cry for mercy(D)
as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands(E)
toward your Most Holy Place.(F)
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
but harbor malice in their hearts.(G)
4 Repay them for their deeds
and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done(H)
and bring back on them what they deserve.(I)
5 Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord
and what his hands have done,(J)
he will tear them down
and never build them up again.
Psalm 36[a]
For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord.
1 I have a message from God in my heart
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:[b](A)
There is no fear(B) of God
before their eyes.(C)
2 In their own eyes they flatter themselves
too much to detect or hate their sin.(D)
3 The words of their mouths(E) are wicked and deceitful;(F)
they fail to act wisely(G) or do good.(H)
4 Even on their beds they plot evil;(I)
they commit themselves to a sinful course(J)
and do not reject what is wrong.(K)
5 Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness(L) to the skies.(M)
6 Your righteousness(N) is like the highest mountains,(O)
your justice like the great deep.(P)
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.(Q)
7 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!(R)
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.(S)
8 They feast on the abundance of your house;(T)
you give them drink from your river(U) of delights.(V)
9 For with you is the fountain of life;(W)
in your light(X) we see light.
Psalm 39[a]
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 I said, “I will watch my ways(A)
and keep my tongue from sin;(B)
I will put a muzzle on my mouth(C)
while in the presence of the wicked.”
2 So I remained utterly silent,(D)
not even saying anything good.
But my anguish(E) increased;
3 my heart grew hot(F) within me.
While I meditated,(G) the fire(H) burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Show me, Lord, my life’s end
and the number of my days;(I)
let me know how fleeting(J) my life is.(K)
5 You have made my days(L) a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,(M)
even those who seem secure.[b]
6 “Surely everyone goes around(N) like a mere phantom;(O)
in vain they rush about,(P) heaping up wealth(Q)
without knowing whose it will finally be.(R)
7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.(S)
8 Save me(T) from all my transgressions;(U)
do not make me the scorn(V) of fools.
9 I was silent;(W) I would not open my mouth,(X)
for you are the one who has done this.(Y)
10 Remove your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow(Z) of your hand.(AA)
11 When you rebuke(AB) and discipline(AC) anyone for their sin,
you consume(AD) their wealth like a moth(AE)—
surely everyone is but a breath.(AF)
Idolatry Forbidden
15 You saw no form(A) of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb(B) out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully,(C) 16 so that you do not become corrupt(D) and make for yourselves an idol,(E) an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, 17 or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air,(F) 18 or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. 19 And when you look up to the sky and see the sun,(G) the moon and the stars(H)—all the heavenly array(I)—do not be enticed(J) into bowing down to them and worshiping(K) things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. 20 But as for you, the Lord took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace,(L) out of Egypt,(M) to be the people of his inheritance,(N) as you now are.
21 The Lord was angry with me(O) because of you, and he solemnly swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance. 22 I will die in this land;(P) I will not cross the Jordan; but you are about to cross over and take possession of that good land.(Q) 23 Be careful not to forget the covenant(R) of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol(S) in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. 24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire,(T) a jealous God.(U)
Paul’s Change of Plans
12 Now this is our boast: Our conscience(A) testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity[a](B) and godly sincerity.(C) We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom(D) but on God’s grace. 13 For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, 14 as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.(E)
15 Because I was confident of this, I wanted to visit you(F) first so that you might benefit twice.(G) 16 I wanted to visit you on my way(H) to Macedonia(I) and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way(J) to Judea.(K) 17 Was I fickle when I intended to do this? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner(L) so that in the same breath I say both “Yes, yes” and “No, no”?
18 But as surely as God is faithful,(M) our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 19 For the Son of God,(N) Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas[b](O) and Timothy(P)—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always(Q) been “Yes.” 20 For no matter how many promises(R) God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen”(S) is spoken by us to the glory of God.(T) 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm(U) in Christ. He anointed(V) us, 22 set his seal(W) of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.(X)
The Parable of the Lost Sheep(A)
15 Now the tax collectors(B) and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”(C)
3 Then Jesus told them this parable:(D) 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?(E) 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’(F) 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.(G)
The Parable of the Lost Coin
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’(H) 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”(I)
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