Book of Common Prayer
For the director of music. A psalm of David to the tune of “Lilies.”
69 God, save me.
My troubles are like a flood.
I’m up to my neck in them.
2 I’m sinking in deep mud.
I have no firm place to stand.
I am out in deep water.
The waves roll over me.
3 I’m worn out from calling for help.
My throat is very dry.
My eyes grow tired
looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without any reason
are more than the hairs on my head.
Many people who don’t have any reason to be my enemies
are trying to destroy me.
They force me to give back
what I didn’t steal.
5 God, you know how foolish I’ve been.
My guilt is not hidden from you.
6 Lord, you are the Lord who rules over all.
May those who put their hope in you not be dishonored because of me.
You are the God of Israel.
May those who worship you not be put to shame because of me.
7 Because of you, people laugh at me.
My face is covered with shame.
8 I’m an outsider to my own family.
I’m a stranger to my own mother’s children.
9 My great love for your house destroys me.
Those who make fun of you make fun of me also.
10 When I weep and go without eating,
they laugh at me.
11 When I put on rough clothing to show how sad I am,
people make jokes about me.
12 Those who gather in public places make fun of me.
Those who get drunk make up songs about me.
13 But Lord, I pray to you.
May this be the time you help me.
God, answer me because you love me so much.
Save me, as you always do.
14 Save me from the trouble I’m in.
It’s like slippery mud, so don’t let me sink in it.
Save me from those who hate me.
Save me from the deep water I’m in.
15 Don’t let the floods cover me.
Don’t let the deep water swallow me up.
Don’t let the grave close its mouth over me.
16 Lord, answer me because your love is so good.
Turn to me because you are so kind.
17 Don’t turn your face away from me.
Answer me quickly. I’m in trouble.
18 Come near and save me.
Set me free from my enemies.
19 You know how they make fun of me.
They dishonor me and put me to shame.
You know all about my enemies.
20 They have broken my heart by saying evil things about me.
It has left me helpless.
I looked for pity, but I didn’t find any.
I looked for someone to comfort me, but I didn’t find anyone.
21 They put bitter spices in my food.
They gave me vinegar when I was thirsty.
22 Let their feast be a trap and a snare.
Let my enemies get what’s coming to them.
23 Let their eyes grow weak so they can’t see.
Let their backs be bent forever.
24 Pour out your anger on them.
Let them feel what it is like.
25 May their homes be deserted.
May no one live in their tents.
26 They attack those you have wounded.
They talk about the pain of those you have hurt.
27 Charge them with one crime after another.
Don’t save them.
28 May their names be erased from the book of life.
Don’t include them in the list of those who do right.
29 I’m in pain. I’m in deep trouble.
God, save me and keep me safe.
30 I will praise God’s name by singing to him.
I will bring him glory by giving him thanks.
31 That will please the Lord more than offering him an ox.
It will please him more than offering him a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 Poor people will see it and be glad.
The hearts of those who worship God will be strengthened.
33 The Lord hears those who are in need.
He doesn’t forget his people in prison.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him.
Let the oceans and everything that moves in them praise him.
35 God will save Zion.
He will build the cities of Judah again.
Then people will live in them and own the land.
36 The children of those who serve God will receive it.
Those who love him will live there.
Book III
Psalms 73–89
A psalm of Asaph.
73 God is truly good to Israel.
He is good to those who have pure hearts.
2 But my feet had almost slipped.
I had almost tripped and fallen.
3 I saw that proud and sinful people were doing well.
And I began to long for what they had.
4 They don’t have any troubles.
Their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They don’t have the problems most people have.
They don’t suffer as other people do.
6 Their pride is like a necklace.
They put on meanness as if it were their clothes.
7 Many sins come out of their hard and stubborn hearts.
There is no limit to the evil things they can think up.
8 They laugh at others and speak words of hatred.
They are proud. They warn others about the harm they can do to them.
9 They brag as if they owned heaven itself.
They talk as if they controlled the earth.
10 So people listen to them.
They lap up their words like water.
11 They say, “How would God know what we’re doing?
Does the Most High God know anything?”
12 Here is what sinful people are like.
They don’t have a care in the world.
They keep getting richer and richer.
13 It seems as if I have kept my heart pure for no reason.
It didn’t do me any good to wash my hands
to show that I wasn’t guilty of doing anything wrong.
14 Day after day I’ve been in pain.
God has punished me in a new way every morning.
15 What if I had talked like that?
Then I wouldn’t have been faithful to God’s children.
16 I tried to understand it all.
But it was more than I could handle.
17 It troubled me until I entered God’s temple.
Then I understood what will finally happen to bad people.
18 God, I’m sure you will make them slip and fall.
You will throw them down and destroy them.
19 It will happen very suddenly.
A terrible death will take them away completely.
20 A dream goes away when a person wakes up.
Lord, it will be like that when you rise up.
It will be as if those people were only a dream.
21 At one time my heart was sad
and my spirit was bitter.
22 I didn’t have any sense. I didn’t know anything.
I acted like a wild animal toward you.
23 But I am always with you.
You hold me by my right hand.
24 You give me wise advice to guide me.
And when I die, you will take me away
into the glory of heaven.
25 I don’t have anyone in heaven but you.
I don’t want anything on earth besides you.
26 My body and my heart may grow weak.
God, you give strength to my heart.
You are everything I will ever need.
27 Those who don’t want anything to do with you will die.
You destroy all those who aren’t faithful to you.
28 But I am close to you. And that’s good.
Lord and King, I have made you my place of safety.
I will talk about everything you have done.
2 Ahaziah had fallen through the window of his upstairs room in Samaria. He had hurt himself. So he sent messengers to ask the god named Baal-Zebub for advice. Baal-Zebub was the god of the city of Ekron. Ahaziah said to the messengers, “Go and ask Baal-Zebub whether I will get well again.”
3 But the angel of the Lord spoke to Elijah, who was from Tishbe. The angel said, “Go up to see the messengers of Ahaziah, the king of Samaria. Tell them, ‘You are on your way to ask Baal-Zebub for advice. He is the god of Ekron. Are you going there to pray to that god? Do you think there is no God in Israel?’ 4 The Lord says to Ahaziah, ‘You will never leave the bed you are lying on. You can be sure that you will die!’ ” So Elijah went to see the messengers.
5 They returned to the king. He asked them, “Why have you come back?”
6 “A man met us on our way there,” they replied. “He said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you. Tell him, “The Lord says, ‘You are sending messengers to ask Baal-Zebub for advice. He is the god of Ekron. Are you going there to pray to that god? Do you think there is no God in Israel? You will never leave the bed you are lying on. You can be sure that you will die!’ ” ’ ”
7 The king asked the messengers, “What kind of man came to see you? Who told you these things?”
8 They replied, “He was wearing clothes made out of hair. He had a leather belt around his waist.”
The king said, “That was Elijah from Tishbe.”
9 Then Ahaziah sent a captain to Elijah. The captain had his group of 50 fighting men with him. Elijah was sitting on top of a hill. The captain went up to him. He said to Elijah, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down!’ ”
10 Elijah answered the captain, “If I’m really a man of God, may fire come down from heaven! May it burn up you and your 50 men!” Then fire came down from heaven. It burned up the captain and his men.
11 After that happened, the king sent another captain to Elijah. The captain had his 50 men with him. He said to Elijah, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down at once!’ ”
12 Elijah replied, “If I’m really a man of God, may fire come down from heaven! May it burn up you and your 50 men!” Then the fire of God came down from heaven. It burned up the captain and his 50 men.
13 So the king sent a third captain with his 50 men. The captain went up to Elijah. He fell on his knees in front of him. “Man of God,” he begged, “please have respect for my life! Please have respect for the lives of these 50 men! 14 Fire has come down from heaven. It has burned up the first two captains and all their men. But please have respect for my life!”
15 The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down along with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went down to the king with the captain.
16 Elijah told the king, “The Lord says, ‘You have sent messengers to ask Baal-Zebub for advice. He is the god of Ekron. Did you go there to pray to that god for advice? Do you think there is no God in Israel? You will never leave the bed you are lying on. You can be sure that you will die!’ ” 17 So King Ahaziah died. It happened just as the Lord had said it would. He had spoken that message through Elijah.
Ahaziah didn’t have any sons. So Joram, his younger brother, became the next king after him. It was the second year of Jehoram, the king of Judah. Jehoram was the son of Jehoshaphat.
16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple? Don’t you know that God’s Spirit lives among you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. God’s temple is holy. And you all together are that temple.
18 Don’t fool yourselves. Suppose some of you think you are wise by the standards of the world. Then you should become “fools” so that you can become wise. 19 The wisdom of this world is foolish in God’s eyes. It is written, “God catches wise people in their own evil plans.” (Job 5:13) 20 It is also written, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of wise people don’t amount to anything.” (Psalm 94:11) 21 So no more bragging about human leaders! All things are yours. 22 That means Paul or Apollos or Peter or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All are yours. 23 You are joined to Christ and belong to him. And Christ is joined to God.
11 “Blessed are you when people make fun of you and hurt you because of me. You are also blessed when they tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. 12 Be joyful and glad. Your reward in heaven is great. In the same way, people hurt the prophets who lived long ago.
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But suppose the salt loses its saltiness. How can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything. It will be thrown out. People will walk all over it.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill can’t be hidden. 15 Also, people do not light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand. Then it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine so others can see it. Then they will see the good things you do. And they will bring glory to your Father who is in heaven.
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