Book of Common Prayer
Mem
97 Oh how I (A)love Your law!
It is my (B)meditation all the day.
98 Your (C)commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
For they are [a]mine forever.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my (D)meditation.
100 I perceive (E)more than the aged,
Because I have (F)observed Your precepts.
101 I have (G)restrained my feet from every evil way,
That I may keep Your word.
102 I have not (H)turned aside from Your judgments,
For You Yourself have taught me.
103 How (I)sweet is Your [b]word to my [c]taste!
Sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 From Your precepts I (J)get perception;
Therefore I (K)hate every false way.
Nun
105 Your word is a (L)lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
106 I have (M)sworn and I have confirmed,
To keep Your righteous judgments.
107 I am exceedingly (N)afflicted;
O Yahweh, [d](O)revive me according to Your word.
108 Oh be pleased with the (P)freewill offerings of my mouth, O Yahweh,
And (Q)teach me Your judgments.
109 My (R)soul is continually [e]in my hand,
Yet I do not (S)forget Your law.
110 The wicked have (T)laid a snare for me,
Yet I have not (U)wandered from Your precepts.
111 I have (V)inherited Your testimonies forever,
For they are the (W)joy of my heart.
112 I have (X)inclined my heart to do Your statutes
Forever, (Y)to the end.
Samekh
113 I hate those who are (Z)double-minded,
But I love Your (AA)law.
114 You are my (AB)hiding place and my (AC)shield;
I [f](AD)wait for Your word.
115 (AE)Depart from me, evildoers,
That I may (AF)observe the commandments of my God.
116 (AG)Sustain me according to Your [g]word, that I may live;
And (AH)do not put me to shame because of my hope.
117 Uphold me that I may be (AI)saved,
That I may (AJ)have regard for Your statutes continually.
118 You have [h]rejected all those (AK)who stray from Your statutes,
For their deceitfulness is a lie.
119 You [i]remove all the wicked of the earth like (AL)dross;
Therefore I (AM)love Your testimonies.
120 My flesh [j](AN)quakes for dread of You,
And I am (AO)afraid of Your judgments.
Oh That My People Would Listen to Me
For the choir director. According to the Gittith. Of Asaph.
81 (A)Sing for joy to God our (B)strength;
Make a loud (C)shout to the (D)God of Jacob.
2 Lift up a song of praise, strike (E)the tambourine,
The sweet sounding (F)lyre with the (G)harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the (H)new moon,
At the full moon, on our (I)feast day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
(J)A judgment of the God of Jacob.
5 He established it for a testimony in Joseph
When he (K)went forth over the land of Egypt.
I heard a (L)language that I did not know:
6 “I [a](M)relieved his shoulder of the burden,
His hands were freed from the [b]basket.
7 You (N)called in distress and I rescued you;
I (O)answered you in the hiding place of thunder;
I tested you at the (P)waters of Meribah. [c]Selah.
8 (Q)Hear, O My people, and I will testify against you;
O Israel, if you (R)would listen to Me!
9 Let there be no (S)strange god among you;
And you shall not worship a foreign god.
10 (T)I am Yahweh your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
(U)Open your mouth wide and I will (V)fill it.
11 “But My people (W)did not listen to My voice,
And Israel was not willing to obey Me.
12 So I (X)released [d]them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
That they would walk in their own devices.
13 Oh that My people (Y)would listen to Me,
That Israel would (Z)walk in My ways!
14 I would quickly (AA)subdue their enemies
And I would (AB)turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 (AC)Those who hate Yahweh would (AD)cower before Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
16 [e]But I would feed you with the [f](AE)finest of the wheat,
And with (AF)honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
God Stands in Judgment
A Psalm of Asaph.
82 God takes His (AG)stand in the congregation of [g]God;
He (AH)judges in the midst of [h](AI)gods.
2 How long will you (AJ)judge unrighteously
And (AK)show partiality to the wicked? [i]Selah.
3 (AL)Give justice to the poor and the orphan;
Justify the afflicted and destitute.
4 (AM)Protect the poor and needy;
Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.
5 They (AN)do not know and do not understand;
They (AO)walk about in darkness;
All the (AP)foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 [j]I (AQ)said, “You are gods,
And all of you are (AR)sons of the Most High.
7 Nevertheless (AS)you will die like men
And you will fall like any (AT)one of the princes.”
8 (AU)Arise, O God, (AV)judge the earth!
For it is You who (AW)will inherit all the nations.
73 So (A)the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel lived in their cities.
(B)Then the seventh month came, and the sons of Israel were in their cities.
Ezra Reads the Book of the Law
8 And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of (C)the Water Gate, and they said to (D)Ezra the scribe to bring (E)the book of the law of Moses which Yahweh had commanded to Israel. 2 Then (F)Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could understand when listening, on (G)the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it before the square which was in front of (H)the Water Gate from [a]early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the ears of the people were attentive to the book of the law.
5 And Ezra opened (A)the book in the sight of all the people for he was above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people (B)stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed Yahweh the great God. And all the people answered, “(C)Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands; then (D)they bowed low and worshiped Yahweh with their [a]faces to the ground. 7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, were providing understanding of the law to the people while the people stood in their place. 8 They read from the book, from the law of God, [b]explaining and [c]giving insight, and they provided understanding of the reading.
This Day Is Holy
9 Then Nehemiah, who was the [d](E)governor, and Ezra (F)the priest and scribe, and the Levites, who provided the people with understanding, said to all the people, “(G)This day is holy to Yahweh your God; (H)do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and (I)send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength.” 11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 Then all the people went away to eat, to drink, (J)to send portions, and to celebrate with great gladness, (K)because they understood the words which had been made known to them.
Feast of Booths Restored
13 Then on the second day the heads of fathers’ households of all the people, the priests and the Levites were gathered to Ezra the scribe that they might gain insight into the words of the law. 14 They found written in the law how Yahweh had commanded by the hand of Moses that the sons of Israel (L)should live in booths during the feast of the seventh month, 15 (M)and that they should make the report heard and make a proclamation of it pass throughout all their cities and (N)in Jerusalem, saying, “(O)Go out to the hills, and bring olive branches and [e]wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.” 16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each (P)on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at (Q)the Water Gate and in the square at (R)the Gate of Ephraim. 17 The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths. The sons of Israel (S)had indeed not done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And (T)there was exceedingly great gladness. 18 (U)And he read from the book of the law of God daily, from the first day to the last day. And they (V)celebrated the feast seven days, and on (W)the eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the legal judgment.
21 Then [a]a (A)strong angel (B)picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, (C)the great city, be thrown down with violence, and (D)will not be found any longer. 22 And (E)the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the (F)sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer; 23 and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the (G)voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your (H)merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived (I)by your sorcery. 24 And in her was found the (J)blood of prophets and of saints and of (K)all who have been slain on the earth.”
Jesus Heals the Crowds
29 (A)And departing from there, Jesus went along by (B)the Sea of Galilee, and having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there. 30 And [a]large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and (C)He healed them. 31 So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled [b]restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they (D)glorified the God of Israel.
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
32 (E)And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “(F)I feel compassion for the crowd, because they [c]have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 33 And the disciples *said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?” 34 And Jesus *said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And He directed the crowd to [d]sit down on the ground; 36 and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and (G)giving thanks, He broke them and kept giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large (H)baskets full. 38 And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
39 And sending away the crowds, Jesus got into (I)the boat and came to the region of (J)Magadan.
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