Book of Common Prayer
Mem
97 Oh how (A)I love your law!
It is my (B)meditation all the day.
98 Your commandment makes me (C)wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for (D)your testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than (E)the aged,[a]
for I (F)keep your precepts.
101 I (G)hold back my feet from every evil way,
in order to keep your word.
102 I do not turn aside from your rules,
for you have taught me.
103 How (H)sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore (I)I hate every false way.
Nun
105 (J)Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
106 I have (K)sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to keep your (L)righteous rules.
107 I am severely (M)afflicted;
(N)give me life, O Lord, according to your word!
108 Accept (O)my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord,
and (P)teach me your rules.
109 I hold my life (Q)in my hand continually,
but I do not (R)forget your law.
110 The wicked have laid (S)a snare for me,
but (T)I do not stray from your precepts.
111 Your testimonies are (U)my heritage forever,
for they are (V)the joy of my heart.
112 I (W)incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, (X)to the end.[b]
Samekh
113 I hate (Y)the double-minded,
but I love (Z)your law.
114 You are my (AA)hiding place and my (AB)shield;
I (AC)hope in your word.
115 (AD)Depart from me, you evildoers,
that I may (AE)keep the commandments of my God.
116 Uphold me (AF)according to your promise, that I may live,
and let me not be (AG)put to shame in my (AH)hope!
117 (AI)Hold me up, that I may be safe
and have regard for your statutes continually!
118 You (AJ)spurn all who (AK)go astray from your statutes,
for their cunning is in vain.
119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like (AL)dross,
therefore (AM)I love your testimonies.
120 My flesh (AN)trembles for fear of you,
and I am afraid of your judgments.
Oh, That My People Would Listen to Me
To the choirmaster: according to (A)The Gittith.[a] Of (B)Asaph.
81 (C)Sing aloud to God our strength;
(D)shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
2 Raise a song; sound (E)the tambourine,
(F)the sweet lyre with (G)the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at (H)the new moon,
at the full moon, on our feast day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
a rule[b] of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it (I)a decree in (J)Joseph
when he (K)went out over[c] the land of Egypt.
(L)I hear a language (M)I had not known:
6 “I (N)relieved your[d] shoulder of (O)the burden;
your hands were freed from the basket.
7 In distress you (P)called, and I delivered you;
I (Q)answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I (R)tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
8 (S)Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no (T)strange god among you;
you shall not bow down to a (U)foreign god.
10 (V)I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
(W)Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel (X)would not submit to me.
12 So I (Y)gave them over to their (Z)stubborn hearts,
to follow their own (AA)counsels.
13 (AB)Oh, that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would (AC)walk in my ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies
and (AD)turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would (AE)cringe toward him,
and their fate would last forever.
16 But he would feed you[e] with (AF)the finest of the wheat,
and with (AG)honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Rescue the Weak and Needy
A Psalm of (AH)Asaph.
82 (AI)God (AJ)has taken his place in the divine council;
in the midst of (AK)the gods he (AL)holds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly
and (AM)show partiality to (AN)the wicked? Selah
3 (AO)Give justice to (AP)the weak and the fatherless;
(AQ)maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
4 (AR)Rescue the weak and the needy;
(AS)deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5 (AT)They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
(AU)they walk about in darkness;
(AV)all the foundations of the earth are (AW)shaken.
The Axe Head Recovered
6 Now (A)the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See, the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us. 2 Let us go to the Jordan and each of us get there a log, and let us make a place for us to dwell there.” And he answered, “Go.” 3 Then one of them said, “Be pleased to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” 4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.” 6 Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, (B)he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. 7 And he said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.
Horses and Chariots of Fire
8 Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.” 9 But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.” 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice.
11 And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” 12 And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” 13 And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in (C)Dothan.” 14 So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, (D)for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please (E)open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of (F)horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” (G)So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. 19 And Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria.
20 As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, (H)open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the Lord opened their eyes and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21 As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, (I)“My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?” 22 He answered, “You shall not strike them down. Would you strike down those whom you have taken captive (J)with your sword and with your bow? (K)Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” 23 So he prepared for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the Syrians did not come again (L)on raids into the land of Israel.
9 I wrote to you in my letter (A)not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 (B)not at all meaning (C)the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, (D)since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone (E)who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging (F)outsiders? (G)Is it not those inside the church[a] whom you are to judge? 13 God judges[b] those outside. (H)“Purge the evil person from among you.”
Lawsuits Against Believers
6 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous (I)instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that (J)the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, (K)why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 (L)I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. (M)Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even (N)your own brothers![c]
Retaliation
38 (A)“You have heard that it was said, (B)‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, (C)Do not resist the one who is evil. But (D)if anyone (E)slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And (F)if anyone would sue you and take your tunic,[a] let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone (G)forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 (H)Give to the one who begs from you, and (I)do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Love Your Enemies
43 (J)“You have heard that it was said, (K)‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, (L)Love your enemies and (M)pray for those who persecute you, 45 (N)so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and (O)sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 (P)For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers,[b] what more are you doing than others? Do not even (Q)the Gentiles do the same? 48 (R)You therefore must be (S)perfect, (T)as your heavenly Father is perfect.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.