Book of Common Prayer
BOOK ONE
Psalms 1–41
The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly
1 Blessed (A)is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the [a]ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
(B)Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But (C)his delight is in the law of the Lord,
(D)And in His law he [b]meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
(E)Planted by the [c]rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall (F)prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so,
But are (G)like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For (H)the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The Messiah’s Triumph and Kingdom(I)
2 Why (J)do the [d]nations [e]rage,
And the people plot a [f]vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the (K)rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His (L)Anointed,[g] saying,
3 “Let (M)us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens (N)shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
6 “Yet I have [h]set My King
[i]On My holy hill of Zion.”
7 “I will declare the [j]decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
(O)‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 (P)You shall [k]break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 [l]Kiss the Son, lest [m]He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When (Q)His wrath is kindled but a little.
(R)Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
The Lord Helps His Troubled People
A Psalm of David (S)when he fled from Absalom his son.
3 Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
2 Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.” Selah
3 But You, O Lord, are (T)a shield [n]for me,
My glory and (U)the One who lifts up my head.
4 I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And (V)He heard me from His (W)holy hill. Selah
5 (X)I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
6 (Y)I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Arise, O Lord;
Save me, O my God!
(Z)For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
8 (AA)Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah
The Safety of the Faithful
To the [o]Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
4 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
[p]Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, O you sons of men,
Will you turn my glory to shame?
How long will you love worthlessness
And seek falsehood? Selah
3 But know that (AB)the Lord has [q]set apart for Himself him who is godly;
The Lord will hear when I call to Him.
4 (AC)Be[r] angry, and do not sin.
(AD)Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah
5 Offer (AE)the sacrifices of righteousness,
And (AF)put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say,
“Who will show us any good?”
(AG)Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.
7 You have put (AH)gladness in my heart,
More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
8 (AI)I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
(AJ)For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Prayer and Praise for Deliverance from Enemies
A (A)Meditation[a] of David, which he sang to the Lord (B)concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.
7 O Lord my God, in You I put my trust;
(C)Save me from all those who persecute me;
And deliver me,
2 (D)Lest they tear me like a lion,
(E)Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
3 O Lord my God, (F)if I have done this:
If there is (G)iniquity in my hands,
4 If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,
Or (H)have plundered my enemy without cause,
5 Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;
Yes, let him trample my life to the earth,
And lay my honor in the dust. Selah
6 Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;
(I)Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies;
(J)Rise up [b]for me to the judgment You have commanded!
7 So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You;
For their sakes, therefore, return on high.
8 The Lord shall judge the peoples;
(K)Judge me, O Lord, (L)according to my righteousness,
And according to my integrity within me.
9 Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,
But establish the just;
(M)For the righteous God tests the hearts and [c]minds.
10 [d]My defense is of God,
Who saves the (N)upright in heart.
11 God is a just judge,
And God is angry with the wicked every day.
12 If he does not turn back,
He will (O)sharpen His sword;
He bends His bow and makes it ready.
13 He also prepares for Himself instruments of death;
He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.
14 (P)Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;
Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.
15 He made a pit and dug it out,
(Q)And has fallen into the ditch which he made.
16 (R)His trouble shall return upon his own head,
And his violent dealing shall come down on [e]his own crown.
17 I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Saul Spares King Agag
15 Samuel also said to Saul, (A)“The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, (B)how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and (C)attack[a] Amalek, and (D)utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”
7 (A)And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from (B)Havilah all the way to (C)Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 (D)He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and (E)utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people (F)spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
Saul Rejected as King
10 Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, 11 (G)“I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has (H)turned back from following Me, (I)and has not performed My commandments.” And it (J)grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night. 12 So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul went to (K)Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal.” 13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, (L)“Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”
15 And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; (M)for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Be quiet! And I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
And he said to him, “Speak on.”
17 So Samuel said, (N)“When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? 18 Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are [a]consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the [b]spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?”
20 And Saul said to Samuel, (O)“But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 (P)But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
22 So Samuel said:
(Q)“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, (R)to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of [c]witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
(S)He also has rejected you from being king.”
19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. (A)Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
Saul Preaches Christ
20 Immediately he preached [a]the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
21 Then all who heard were amazed, and said, (B)“Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”
22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, (C)and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.
Saul Escapes Death
23 Now after many days were past, (D)the Jews plotted to kill him. 24 (E)But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. 25 Then the disciples took him by night and (F)let him down through the wall in a large basket.
Saul at Jerusalem
26 And (G)when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 (H)But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, (I)and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. 28 So (J)he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. 29 And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the (K)Hellenists,[b] (L)but they attempted to kill him. 30 When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.
The Church Prospers
31 (M)Then the [c]churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were (N)edified.[d] And walking in the (O)fear of the Lord and in the (P)comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were (Q)multiplied.
Jesus Dies on the Cross(A)
44 (B)Now it [a]was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45 Then the sun was [b]darkened, and (C)the veil of the temple was torn in [c]two. 46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, (D)‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” (E)Having said this, He breathed His last.
47 (F)So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!”
48 And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned. 49 (G)But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Jesus Buried in Joseph’s Tomb(H)
50 (I)Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. 51 He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, (J)who[d] himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 (K)Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. 54 That day was (L)the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.
55 And the women (M)who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and (N)they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. 56 Then they returned and (O)prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath (P)according to the commandment.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.