Book of Common Prayer
A prayer of a suffering person who has become weak. They pour out their problems to the Lord.
102 Lord, hear my prayer.
Listen to my cry for help.
2 Don’t turn your face away from me
when I’m in trouble.
Pay attention to me.
When I call out for help, answer me quickly.
3 My days are disappearing like smoke.
My body burns like glowing coals.
4 My strength has dried up like grass.
I even forget to eat my food.
5 I groan out loud because of my suffering.
I’m nothing but skin and bones.
6 I’m like a desert owl.
I’m like an owl among destroyed buildings.
7 I can’t sleep. I’ve become
like a bird alone on a roof.
8 All day long my enemies laugh at me.
Those who make fun of me use my name as a curse.
9 I eat ashes as my food.
My tears fall into what I’m drinking.
10 You were very angry with me.
So you picked me up and threw me away.
11 The days of my life are like an evening shadow.
I dry up like grass.
12 But Lord, you are seated on your throne forever.
Your fame will continue for all time to come.
13 You will rise up and show deep concern for Zion.
The time has come for you to help Zion.
14 The stones of your destroyed city are priceless to us.
Even its dust brings deep concern to us.
15 The nations will worship the Lord.
All the kings on earth will respect his glorious power.
16 The Lord will build Zion again.
He will appear in his glory.
17 He will answer the prayer of those who don’t have anything.
He won’t say no to their cry for help.
18 Let this be written down for those born after us.
Then people who are not yet born can praise the Lord.
19 Here is what should be written.
“The Lord looked down from his temple in heaven.
From heaven he viewed the earth.
20 He heard the groans of the prisoners.
He set free those who were sentenced to death.”
21 So people will talk about him in Zion.
They will praise him in Jerusalem.
22 Nations and kingdoms
will gather there to worship the Lord.
23 When I was still young, he took away my strength.
He wasn’t going to let me live much longer.
24 So I said, “My God, don’t let me die in the middle of my life.
You will live for all time to come.
25 In the beginning you made the earth secure.
You placed it on its foundations.
Your hands created the heavens.
26 They will pass away. But you will remain.
They will all wear out like a piece of clothing.
You will make them like clothes
that are taken off and thrown away.
27 But you remain the same.
Your years will never end.
28 Our children will live with you.
Their sons and daughters will be safe in your care.”
Book V
Psalms 107–150
107 Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good.
His faithful love continues forever.
2 Let those who have been set free by the Lord tell their story.
He set them free from the power of the enemy.
3 He brought them back from other lands.
He brought them back from east and west, from north and south.
4 Some of them wandered in deserts that were dry and empty.
They couldn’t find a city where they could make their homes.
5 They were hungry and thirsty.
Their lives were slipping away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord because of their problems.
And he saved them from their troubles.
7 He led them straight
to a city where they could make their homes.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love.
Let them give thanks for the wonderful things he does for people.
9 He gives those who are thirsty all the water they want.
He gives those who are hungry all the good food they can eat.
10 Others lived in the deepest darkness.
They suffered as prisoners in iron chains.
11 That’s because they hadn’t obeyed the commands of God.
They had refused to follow the plans of the Most High God.
12 So he made them do work that was hard and bitter.
They tripped and fell, and there was no one to help them.
13 Then they cried out to the Lord because of their problems.
And he saved them from their troubles.
14 He brought them out of the deepest darkness.
He broke their chains off.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love.
Let them give thanks for the wonderful things he does for people.
16 He breaks down gates that are made of bronze.
He cuts through bars that are made of iron.
17 Others were foolish. They suffered because of their sins.
They suffered because they wouldn’t obey the Lord.
18 They refused to eat anything.
They came close to passing through the gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to the Lord because of their problems.
And he saved them from their troubles.
20 He gave his command and healed them.
He saved them from the grave.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love.
Let them give thanks for the wonderful things he does for people.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings.
Let them talk about what he has done as they sing with joy.
23 Some people sailed out on the ocean in ships.
They traded goods on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the Lord.
They saw the wonderful deeds he did on the ocean.
25 He spoke and stirred up a storm.
It lifted the waves high.
26 They rose up to the heavens. Then they went down deep into the ocean.
In that kind of danger the people’s boldness melted away.
27 They were unsteady like people who have become drunk.
They didn’t know what to do.
28 Then they cried out to the Lord because of their problems.
And he brought them out of their troubles.
29 He made the storm as quiet as a whisper.
The waves of the ocean calmed down.
30 The people were glad when the ocean became calm.
Then he guided them to the harbor they were looking for.
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love.
Let them give thanks for the wonderful things he does for people.
32 Let them honor him among his people who gather for worship.
Let them praise him in the meeting of the elders.
Isaiah Prophesies That Jerusalem Will Be Saved
19 When King Hezekiah heard what the field commander had said, he tore his clothes. He put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. Then he went into the Lord’s temple. 2 Hezekiah sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, to Isaiah the prophet. Isaiah was the son of Amoz. Hezekiah also sent to Isaiah the leading priests and Shebna the secretary. All of them were wearing the same rough clothing. 3 They told Isaiah, “Hezekiah says, ‘Today we’re in great trouble. The Lord is warning us. He’s bringing shame on us. Sometimes babies come to the moment when they should be born. But their mothers aren’t strong enough to allow them to be born. Today we are like those mothers. We aren’t strong enough to save ourselves. 4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear everything the field commander has said. His master, the king of Assyria, has sent him to make fun of the living God. Maybe the Lord your God will punish him for what he has heard him say. So pray for the remaining people who are still alive here.’ ”
5 King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah. 6 Then Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘The Lord says, “Do not be afraid of what you have heard. The officers of the king of Assyria have spoken evil things against me. 7 Listen! I will send him news from his own country. It will make him want to return home. There I will have him killed by a sword.” ’ ”
8 The field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish. So the commander pulled his troops back from Jerusalem. He went to join the king. He found out that the king was fighting against Libnah.
9 During that time Sennacherib received a report. He was told that Tirhakah was marching out to fight against him. Tirhakah was the king of Cush. Sennacherib sent messengers again to Hezekiah with a letter. Sennacherib said, 10 “Tell Hezekiah, the king of Judah, ‘Don’t let the god you depend on trick you. He says, “Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” But don’t believe him. 11 I’m sure you have heard about what the kings of Assyria have done to all the other countries. They have destroyed them completely. So do you think you will be saved? 12 The kings who ruled before me destroyed many nations. Did the gods of those nations save them? Did the gods of Gozan, Harran or Rezeph save them? What about the gods of the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath? Where is the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?’ ”
Hezekiah’s Prayer
14 When Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, he read it. Then he went up to the Lord’s temple. There he spread the letter out in front of the Lord. 15 Hezekiah prayed to the Lord. He said, “Lord, you are the God of Israel. You sit on your throne between the cherubim. You alone are God over all the kingdoms on earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Listen, Lord. Hear us. Open your eyes, Lord. Look at the trouble we’re in. Listen to what Sennacherib is saying. You are the living God. And he dares to make fun of you!
17 “Lord, it’s true that the kings of Assyria have completely destroyed many nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown the statues of the gods of those nations into the fire. And they have destroyed them. That’s because they weren’t really gods at all. They were nothing but statues made out of wood and stone. They were made by human hands. 19 Lord our God, save us from the power of Sennacherib. Then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone are the Lord. You alone are God.”
Isaiah Prophesies That Sennacherib Will Fall From Power
20 Isaiah sent a message to Hezekiah. Isaiah was the son of Amoz. Isaiah said, “The Lord is the God of Israel. The Lord says, ‘I have heard your prayer about Sennacherib, the king of Assyria.’
16 But when I preach the good news, I can’t brag. I have to preach it. How terrible it will be for me if I do not preach the good news! 17 If I preach because I want to, I get a reward. If I preach because I have to, I’m only doing my duty. 18 Then what reward do I get? Here is what it is. I am able to preach the good news free of charge. And I can do this without using all my rights as a person who preaches the good news.
Paul Uses His Freedom to Share the Good News
19 I am free and don’t belong to anyone. But I have made myself a slave to everyone. I do it to win as many as I can to Christ. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew. That was to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one who was under the law. I did this even though I myself am not under the law. That was to win those under the law. 21 To those who don’t have the law I became like one who doesn’t have the law. I did this even though I am not free from God’s law. I am under Christ’s law. Now I can win those who don’t have the law. 22 To those who are weak I became weak. That was to win the weak. I have become all things to all people. I have done this so that in all possible ways I might save some. 23 I do all this because of the good news. And I want to share in its blessings.
Training to Win the Prize
24 In a race all the runners run. But only one gets the prize. You know that, don’t you? So run in a way that will get you the prize. 25 All who take part in the games train hard. They do it to get a crown that will not last. But we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 So I do not run like someone who doesn’t run toward the finish line. I do not fight like a boxer who hits nothing but air. 27 No, I train my body and bring it under control. Then after I have preached to others, I myself will not break the rules. If I did break them, I would fail to win the prize.
Jesus Heals a Man Who Had a Skin Disease
8 Jesus came down from the mountainside. Large crowds followed him. 2 A man who had a skin disease came and got down on his knees in front of Jesus. He said, “Lord, if you are willing to make me ‘clean,’ you can do it.”
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing to do it,” he said. “Be ‘clean’!” Right away the man was healed of his skin disease. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone. Go and show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift Moses commanded. It will be a witness to everyone.”
A Roman Commander Has Faith
5 When Jesus entered Capernaum, a Roman commander came to him. He asked Jesus for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home and can’t move. He is suffering terribly.”
7 Jesus said, “Shall I come and heal him?”
8 The commander replied, “Lord, I am not good enough to have you come into my house. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 I myself am a man under authority. And I have soldiers who obey my orders. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those following him, “What I’m about to tell you is true. In Israel I have not found anyone whose faith is so strong. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west. They will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of heaven. They will sit with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 12 But those who think they belong in the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness. There they will weep and grind their teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the Roman commander, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
Jesus Heals Many People
14 When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law. She was lying in bed. She had a fever. 15 Jesus touched her hand, and the fever left her. She got up and began to serve him.
16 When evening came, many people controlled by demons were brought to Jesus. He drove out the spirits with a word. He healed all who were sick. 17 This happened so that what Isaiah the prophet had said would come true. He had said,
“He suffered the things we should have suffered.
He took on himself the sicknesses that should have been ours.” (Isaiah 53:4)
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