Book of Common Prayer
Qoph
145 With my (A)whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord!
I will (B)keep your statutes.
146 I call to you; save me,
that I may observe your testimonies.
147 I rise before (C)dawn and cry for help;
I (D)hope in your words.
148 My eyes are awake before (E)the watches of the night,
that I may meditate on your promise.
149 Hear my voice according to your steadfast love;
O Lord, (F)according to your justice (G)give me life.
150 They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose;
they are far from your law.
151 But (H)you are near, O Lord,
and all your commandments are (I)true.
152 Long have I known from your testimonies
that you have (J)founded them forever.
Resh
153 Look on my (K)affliction and deliver me,
for (L)I do not forget your law.
154 (M)Plead my cause and redeem me;
(N)give me life according to your promise!
155 (O)Salvation is far from the wicked,
(P)for they do not seek your statutes.
156 (Q)Great is your mercy, O Lord;
(R)give me life according to your rules.
157 (S)Many are my persecutors and my adversaries,
but I do not (T)swerve from your testimonies.
158 I look at (U)the faithless with (V)disgust,
because they do not keep your commands.
159 Consider how I (W)love your precepts!
(X)Give me life according to your steadfast love.
160 (Y)The sum of your word is (Z)truth,
and every one of your (AA)righteous rules endures forever.
Sin and Shin
161 (AB)Princes persecute me (AC)without cause,
but my heart (AD)stands in awe of your words.
162 I (AE)rejoice at your word
like one who (AF)finds great spoil.
163 I hate and abhor falsehood,
but I love (AG)your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise you
for your (AH)righteous rules.
165 Great (AI)peace have those who love your law;
(AJ)nothing can make them stumble.
166 I (AK)hope for your salvation, O Lord,
and I do your commandments.
167 My soul keeps your testimonies;
I (AL)love them exceedingly.
168 I keep your precepts and testimonies,
(AM)for all my ways are before you.
Taw
169 Let my (AN)cry come before you, O Lord;
(AO)give me understanding (AP)according to your word!
170 Let my plea come before you;
(AQ)deliver me according to your word.
171 My lips will (AR)pour forth praise,
for you (AS)teach me your statutes.
172 My tongue will sing of your word,
for (AT)all your commandments are right.
173 Let your hand be ready to help me,
for I have (AU)chosen your precepts.
174 I (AV)long for your salvation, O Lord,
and your law is my (AW)delight.
175 Let my soul live and praise you,
and let your rules help me.
176 I have (AX)gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,
for I do not (AY)forget your commandments.
Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord
A Song of (A)Ascents.
128 (B)Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who (C)walks in his ways!
2 You (D)shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
3 Your wife will be like (E)a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like (F)olive shoots
around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5 (G)The Lord bless you (H)from Zion!
May you see (I)the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
6 May you see your (J)children's children!
(K)Peace be upon Israel!
They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth
A Song of (L)Ascents.
129 “Greatly[a] have they (M)afflicted me (N)from my youth”—
(O)let Israel now say—
2 “Greatly have they (P)afflicted me (Q)from my youth,
(R)yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 (S)The plowers plowed (T)upon my back;
they made long their furrows.”
4 The Lord is righteous;
he has cut (U)the cords of the wicked.
5 May all who hate Zion
be (V)put to shame and turned backward!
6 Let them be like (W)the grass on the housetops,
which (X)withers before it grows up,
7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand
nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
8 nor do those who pass by say,
(Y)“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We (Z)bless you in the name of the Lord!”
My Soul Waits for the Lord
A Song of (AA)Ascents.
130 Out of (AB)the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
2 O Lord, hear my voice!
(AC)Let your ears be attentive
to (AD)the voice of my pleas for mercy!
3 If you, O Lord, should (AE)mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could (AF)stand?
4 But with you there is (AG)forgiveness,
(AH)that you may be feared.
David Hears of Absalom's Death
19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, (A)“Let me run and carry news to the king that (B)the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.” 20 And Joab said to him, “You are not to carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king's son is dead.” 21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran. 22 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, “Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?” 23 “Come what may,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of (C)the plain, and outran the Cushite.
Paul Sent to Felix the Governor
23 Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night.[a] 24 Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to (A)Felix (B)the governor.” 25 And he wrote a letter to this effect:
26 “Claudius Lysias, to (C)his Excellency the governor Felix, (D)greetings. 27 (E)This man was seized by the Jews and (F)was about to be killed by them (G)when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, (H)having learned that he was a Roman citizen. 28 And (I)desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. 29 I found that he was being accused (J)about questions of their law, but (K)charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. 30 (L)And when it was disclosed to me (M)that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, (N)ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.”
31 So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 And on the next day they returned to (O)the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. 33 When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. 34 On reading the letter, he asked what (P)province he was from. And when he learned (Q)that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing (R)when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's (S)praetorium.
Paying Taxes to Caesar
13 (A)And they sent to him some of (B)the Pharisees and some of (C)the Herodians, to (D)trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, (E)we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For (F)you are not swayed by appearances,[a] but truly teach (G)the way of God. Is it lawful to pay (H)taxes to (I)Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing (J)their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why (K)put me to the test? Bring me (L)a denarius[b] and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar's.” 17 Jesus said to them, (M)“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at him.
The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection
18 And (N)Sadducees came to him, (O)who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that (P)if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man[c] must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”
24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because (Q)you know neither the Scriptures nor (R)the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither (S)marry nor (T)are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, (U)have you not read in (V)the book of Moses, in (W)the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, (X)‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.