Book of Common Prayer
A psalm of David. A prayer.
38 Lord, don’t correct me when you are angry.
Don’t punish me when you are burning with anger.
2 You have wounded me with your arrows.
You have struck me with your hand.
3 Because of your anger, my whole body is sick.
Because of my sin, I’m not healthy.
4 My guilt has become too much for me.
It is a load too heavy to carry.
5 My wounds are ugly. They stink.
I’ve been foolish. I have sinned.
6 I am bent over. I’ve been brought very low.
All day long I go around weeping.
7 My back is filled with burning pain.
My whole body is sick.
8 I am weak and feel as if I’ve been broken in pieces.
I groan because of the great pain in my heart.
9 Lord, everything I really want is clearly known to you.
You always hear me when I sigh.
10 My heart pounds, and my strength is gone.
My eyes can hardly see.
11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds.
My neighbors stay far away from me.
12 Those who are trying to kill me set their traps.
Those who want to harm me talk about destroying me.
All day long they make their plans and tell their lies.
13 Like a deaf person, I can’t hear.
Like someone who can’t speak, I can’t say a word.
14 I’m like someone who doesn’t hear.
I’m like someone whose mouth can’t make any reply.
15 Lord, I wait for you to help me.
Lord my God, I know you will answer.
16 I said, “Don’t let my enemies have the joy of seeing me fall.
Don’t let them brag when my feet slip.”
17 I am about to fall.
My pain never leaves me.
18 I admit that I have done wrong.
I am troubled by my sin.
19 Though I have done nothing to cause it, many people have become my enemies.
They hate me without any reason.
20 They pay me back with evil, even though I was good to them.
They bring charges against me, though I try only to do what is good.
21 Lord, don’t desert me.
My God, don’t be far away from me.
22 Lord my Savior,
come quickly to help me.
ד Daleth
25 I lie in the dust. I’m about to die.
Keep me alive as you have promised.
26 I told you how I’ve lived, and you gave me your answer.
Teach me your orders.
27 Help me understand how your rules direct me to live.
Then I may think deeply about the wonderful things you have done.
28 My sadness has worn me out.
Give me strength as you have promised.
29 Keep me from cheating and telling lies.
Be kind to me and teach me your law.
30 I have chosen to be faithful to you.
I put my trust in your laws.
31 Lord, I’m careful to obey your covenant laws.
Don’t let me be put to shame.
32 I am quick to follow your commands,
because you have added to my understanding.
ה He
33 Lord, teach me how your orders direct me to live.
Then I will live that way to the very end.
34 Help me understand your law so that I may follow it.
I will obey it with all my heart.
35 Teach me to live as you command,
because that makes me very happy.
36 Make me want to follow your covenant laws
instead of wanting to gain things only for myself.
37 Turn my eyes away from things that are worthless.
Keep me alive as you have promised.
38 Keep your promise to me.
Then other people will have respect for you.
39 Please don’t let me be put to shame.
Your laws are good.
40 I really want to follow your rules.
Keep me alive, because you do what is right.
ו Waw
41 Lord, show me your faithful love.
Save me as you have promised.
42 Then I can answer anyone who makes fun of me,
because I trust in your word.
43 Help me always to tell the truth about how faithful you are.
I have put my hope in your laws.
44 I will always obey your law,
for ever and ever.
45 I will lead a full and happy life,
because I’ve tried to obey your rules.
46 I will talk about your covenant laws to kings.
I will not be put to shame.
47 I take delight in obeying your commands
because I love them.
48 I reach out for your commands that I love.
I do this so that I may think deeply about your orders.
24 Pharaoh’s daughter moved from the City of David up to the palace Solomon had built for her. After that, he filled in the low places near the palace.
25 Three times a year Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and friendship offerings. He sacrificed them on the altar he had built to honor the Lord. Along with the offerings, he burned incense to the Lord. So he carried out his duties for the temple.
26 King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber. It’s near Elath in Edom. It’s on the shore of the Red Sea. 27 Hiram sent his men to serve on the ships together with Solomon’s men. Hiram’s sailors knew the sea. 28 All of them sailed to Ophir. They brought back 16 tons of gold. They gave it to King Solomon.
The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon
10 The queen of Sheba heard about how famous Solomon was. She also heard about how he served and worshiped the Lord. So she came to test Solomon with hard questions. 2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large group of attendants. Her camels were carrying spices, huge amounts of gold, and valuable jewels. She came to Solomon and asked him about everything she wanted to know. 3 Solomon answered all her questions. There wasn’t anything too hard for the king to explain to her. 4 So the queen of Sheba saw how very wise Solomon was. She saw the palace he had built. 5 She saw the food on his table. She saw his officials sitting there. She saw the robes of the servants who waited on everyone. She saw his wine tasters. And she saw the burnt offerings Solomon sacrificed at the Lord’s temple. She could hardly believe everything she had seen.
6 She said to the king, “Back in my own country I heard a report about you. I heard about how much you had accomplished. I also heard about how wise you are. Everything I heard is true. 7 But I didn’t believe those things. So I came to see for myself. And now I believe it! You are twice as wise and wealthy as people say you are. The report I heard doesn’t even begin to tell the whole story about you. 8 How happy your people must be! How happy your officials must be! They always get to serve you and hear the wise things you say. 9 May the Lord your God be praised. He takes great delight in you. He placed you on the throne of Israel. The Lord will love Israel for all time to come. That’s why he has made you king. He knows that you will do what is fair and right.”
10 She gave the king four and a half tons of gold. She also gave him huge amounts of spices and valuable jewels. No one would ever bring to King Solomon as many spices as the queen of Sheba gave him.
11 Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir. From there they also brought huge amounts of almugwood and valuable jewels. 12 The king used the almugwood to make supports for the Lord’s temple and the royal palace. He also used it to make harps and lyres for those who played the music. That much almugwood has never been brought into Judah or seen there since that day.
13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted and asked for. That was in addition to what he had given her out of his royal riches. Then she left. She returned to her own country with her attendants.
Control What You Say
3 My brothers and sisters, most of you shouldn’t become teachers. That’s because you know that those of us who teach will be held more accountable. 2 All of us get tripped up in many ways. Suppose someone is never wrong in what they say. Then they are perfect. They are able to keep their whole body under control.
3 We put a small piece of metal in the mouth of a horse to make it obey us. We can control the whole animal with it. 4 And how about ships? They are very big. They are driven along by strong winds. But they are steered by a very small rudder. It makes them go where the captain wants to go. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small part of a person’s body. But it talks big. Think about how a small spark can set a big forest on fire. 6 The tongue is also a fire. The tongue is the most evil part of the body. It makes the whole body impure. It sets a person’s whole way of life on fire. And the tongue itself is set on fire by hell.
7 People have tamed all kinds of wild animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures. And they still tame them. 8 But no one can tame the tongue. It is an evil thing that never rests. It is full of deadly poison.
9 With our tongues we praise our Lord and Father. With our tongues we curse people. We do it even though people have been created to be like God. 10 Praise and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, it shouldn’t be this way. 11 Can fresh water and salt water flow out of the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree produce olives? Can a grapevine produce figs? Of course not. And a saltwater spring can’t produce fresh water either.
Jesus Is Brought to Pilate
15 It was very early in the morning. The chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law, and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they tied Jesus up and led him away. Then they handed him over to Pilate.
2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.
3 The chief priests brought many charges against him. 4 So Pilate asked him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they charge you with.”
5 But Jesus still did not reply. Pilate was amazed.
6 It was the usual practice at the Passover Feast to let one prisoner go free. The people could choose the one they wanted. 7 A man named Barabbas was in prison. He was there with some other people who had fought against the country’s rulers. They had committed murder while they were fighting against the rulers. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9 “Do you want me to let the king of the Jews go free?” asked Pilate. 10 He knew that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him because they wanted to get their own way. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd. So the crowd asked Pilate to let Barabbas go free instead.
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.