Book of Common Prayer
God Will Judge with Equity
To the choirmaster: according to (A)Do Not Destroy. (B)A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
75 We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks, for your name is (C)near.
We[a] recount your wondrous deeds.
2 “At (D)the set time that I appoint
I will judge (E)with equity.
3 When the earth (F)totters, and all its inhabitants,
it is I who keep steady its (G)pillars. Selah
4 I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
and to the wicked, (H)‘Do not lift up your horn;
5 do not lift up your horn on high,
or speak with haughty neck.’”
6 For not from the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes (I)lifting up,
7 but it is (J)God who executes judgment,
(K)putting down one and lifting up another.
8 (L)For in the hand of the Lord there is (M)a cup
with foaming wine, (N)well mixed,
and he pours out from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall (O)drain it down to the dregs.
9 But I will declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 (P)All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
(Q)but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.
Who Can Stand Before You?
To the choirmaster: with (R)stringed instruments. A Psalm of (S)Asaph. A Song.
76 In Judah God is (T)known;
his name is great in Israel.
2 His (U)abode has been established in (V)Salem,
his (W)dwelling place in Zion.
3 There he (X)broke the flashing arrows,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah
4 Glorious are you, more majestic
(Y)than the mountains full of (Z)prey.
5 (AA)The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;
(AB)they sank into sleep;
all the men of war
were unable to use their hands.
6 At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both (AC)rider and horse lay stunned.
7 (AD)But you, you are to be feared!
Who can (AE)stand before you
when once your anger is roused?
8 From the heavens you uttered judgment;
(AF)the earth feared and was still,
9 when God (AG)arose to establish judgment,
to save all the humble of the earth. Selah
10 Surely (AH)the wrath of man shall praise you;
the remnant[b] of wrath you will put on like a belt.
11 (AI)Make your vows to the Lord your God and perform them;
let all around him (AJ)bring gifts
to him who (AK)is to be feared,
12 who (AL)cuts off the spirit of princes,
who (AM)is to be feared by the kings of the earth.
The Lord Is My Shepherd
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my (A)shepherd; I shall not (B)want.
2 He makes me lie down in green (C)pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.[a]
3 He (D)restores my soul.
He (E)leads me in (F)paths of righteousness[b]
for his (G)name's sake.
The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation
Of David.
27 The Lord is my (A)light and my (B)salvation;
(C)whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold[a] of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me
to (D)eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
3 (E)Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet[b] I will be confident.
4 (F)One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may (G)dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon (H)the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire[c] in his temple.
5 For he will (I)hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will (J)lift me high upon a rock.
6 And now my (K)head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of (L)joy;
(M)I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 (N)Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 You have said, (O)“Seek[d] my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”[e]
9 (P)Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
(Q)O God of my salvation!
10 For (R)my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the Lord will (S)take me in.
Final Warnings
13 (A)This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established (B)by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 (C)I warned (D)those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that (E)if I come again I will not spare them— 3 since you seek proof that Christ (F)is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but (G)is powerful among you. 4 For (H)he was crucified in weakness, but (I)lives by the power of God. For (J)we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you (K)we will live with him by the power of God.
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. (L)Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that (M)Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when (N)we are weak and you are strong. Your (O)restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come (P)I may not have to be (Q)severe in my use of (R)the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.
Final Greetings
11 Finally, brothers,[a] rejoice. (S)Aim for restoration, comfort one another,[b] (T)agree with one another, (U)live in peace; and the God of love and (V)peace will be with you. 12 (W)Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 (X)All the saints greet you.
14 (Y)The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and (Z)the love of God and (AA)the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
20 (A)One day, (B)as Jesus[a] was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, (C)the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up 2 and said to him, “Tell us (D)by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” 3 He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, 4 was the baptism of John (E)from heaven or from man?” 5 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, (F)‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was (G)a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.