Book of Common Prayer
ק QOPH
145 I cry out with my whole heart;
Hear me, O Lord!
I will keep Your statutes.
146 I cry out to You;
Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.
147 (A)I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help;
I hope in Your word.
148 (B)My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.
149 Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
O Lord, revive me according to Your justice.
150 They draw near who follow after wickedness;
They are far from Your law.
151 You are (C)near, O Lord,
And all Your commandments are truth.
152 Concerning Your testimonies,
I have known of old that You have founded them (D)forever.
ר RESH
153 (E)Consider my affliction and deliver me,
For I do not forget Your law.
154 (F)Plead my cause and redeem me;
Revive me according to Your word.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked,
For they do not seek Your statutes.
156 [a]Great are Your tender mercies, O Lord;
Revive me according to Your judgments.
157 Many are my persecutors and my enemies,
Yet I do not (G)turn from Your testimonies.
158 I see the treacherous, and (H)am disgusted,
Because they do not keep Your word.
159 Consider how I love Your precepts;
Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.
160 The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
ש SHIN
161 (I)Princes persecute me without a cause,
But my heart stands in awe of Your word.
162 I rejoice at Your word
As one who finds great treasure.
163 I hate and abhor lying,
But I love Your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise You,
Because of Your righteous judgments.
165 (J)Great peace have those who love Your law,
And [b]nothing causes them to stumble.
166 (K)Lord, I hope for Your salvation,
And I do Your commandments.
167 My soul keeps Your testimonies,
And I love them exceedingly.
168 I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies,
(L)For all my ways are before You.
ת TAU
169 Let my cry come before You, O Lord;
(M)Give me understanding according to Your word.
170 Let my [c]supplication come before You;
Deliver me according to Your word.
171 (N)My lips shall utter praise,
For You teach me Your statutes.
172 My tongue shall speak of Your word,
For all Your commandments are righteousness.
173 Let Your hand become my help,
For (O)I have chosen Your precepts.
174 (P)I long for Your salvation, O Lord,
And (Q)Your law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise You;
And let Your judgments help me.
176 (R)I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
Seek Your servant,
For I do not forget Your commandments.
Blessings of Those Who Fear the Lord
A Song of Ascents.
128 Blessed (A)is every one who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.
2 (B)When you eat the [a]labor of your hands,
You shall be happy, and it shall be (C)well with you.
3 Your wife shall be (D)like a fruitful vine
In the very heart of your house,
Your (E)children (F)like olive plants
All around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the Lord.
5 (G)The Lord bless you out of Zion,
And may you see the good of Jerusalem
All the days of your life.
6 Yes, may you (H)see your children’s children.
(I)Peace be upon Israel!
Song of Victory over Zion’s Enemies
A Song of Ascents.
129 “Many a time they have (J)afflicted[b] me from (K)my youth,”
(L)Let Israel now say—
2 “Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth;
Yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed on my back;
They made their furrows long.”
4 The Lord is righteous;
He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked.
5 Let all those who hate Zion
Be put to shame and turned back.
6 Let them be as the (M)grass on the housetops,
Which withers before it grows up,
7 With which the reaper does not fill his hand,
Nor he who binds sheaves, his [c]arms.
8 Neither let those who pass by them say,
(N)“The blessing of the Lord be upon you;
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
Waiting for the Redemption of the Lord
A Song of Ascents.
130 Out (O)of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;
2 Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
3 (P)If You, Lord, should [d]mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could (Q)stand?
4 But there is (R)forgiveness with You,
That (S)You may be feared.
Dangerous Promises
6 My son, (A)if you become [a]surety for your friend,
If you have [b]shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
2 You are snared by the words of your mouth;
You are taken by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, and deliver yourself;
For you have come into the hand of your friend:
Go and humble yourself;
Plead with your friend.
4 (B)Give no sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids.
5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
And like a bird from the hand of the [c]fowler.
The Folly of Indolence
6 (C)Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
7 Which, having no [d]captain,
Overseer or ruler,
8 Provides her [e]supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
9 (D)How long will you [f]slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
11 (E)So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.
The Wicked Man
12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
Walks with a perverse mouth;
13 (F)He winks with his eyes,
He [g]shuffles his feet,
He points with his fingers;
14 Perversity is in his heart,
(G)He devises evil continually,
(H)He sows discord.
15 Therefore his calamity shall come (I)suddenly;
Suddenly he shall (J)be broken (K)without remedy.
16 These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to [h]Him:
17 (L)A[i] proud look,
(M)A lying tongue,
(N)Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 (O)A heart that devises wicked plans,
(P)Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 (Q)A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who (R)sows discord among brethren.
Obedience by Faith
5 Whoever believes that (A)Jesus is the Christ is (B)born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and (C)keep His commandments. 3 (D)For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And (E)His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For (F)whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that (G)has overcome the world—[a]our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but (H)he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
The Certainty of God’s Witness
6 This is He who came (I)by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. (J)And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear witness [b]in heaven: the Father, (K)the Word, and the Holy Spirit; (L)and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: (M)the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.
9 If we receive (N)the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; (O)for this is the witness of [c]God which He has testified of His Son. 10 He who believes in the Son of God (P)has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God (Q)has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. 11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 (R)He who has the Son has [d]life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
The Plot to Kill Jesus(A)
45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, (B)and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and (C)told them the things Jesus did. 47 (D)Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, (E)“What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.”
49 And one of them, (F)Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50 (G)nor do you consider that it is expedient for [a]us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and (H)not for that nation only, but (I)also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.
53 Then, from that day on, they plotted to (J)put Him to death. 54 (K)Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called (L)Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.