Book of Common Prayer
Prayer for Breaking Away from the Treacherous.
A Song of [a]Ascents.
120 In my trouble I cried to the Lord,
And He answered me.
2
Rescue my soul, O Lord, from lying lips,
And from a deceitful tongue.
3
What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you,
You deceitful tongue?—
4
Sharp arrows of the warrior,
With the [b]burning coals of the broom tree.
5
Woe to me, for I sojourn in Meshech,
and I live among the tents of Kedar [among hostile people]!(A)
6
Too long my soul has had its dwelling
With those who hate peace.
7
I am for peace, but when I speak,
They are for war.
The Lord the Keeper of Israel.
A Song of [c]Ascents.
121 I will lift up my eyes to the hills [of Jerusalem]—
From where shall my help come?(B)
2
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
3
He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.(C)
4
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber [briefly] nor sleep [soundly].
5
The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.(D)
6
The sun will not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.(E)
7
The Lord will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your life.
8
The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in [everything that you do]
From this time forth and forever.(F)
Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem.
A Song of [d]Ascents. Of David.
122 I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”(G)
2
Our feet are standing
Within your gates, O Jerusalem,
3
Jerusalem, that is built
As a city that is firmly joined together;
4
To which the [twelve] tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord,
[As was decreed as] an ordinance for Israel,
To give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5
For there the thrones of judgment were set,
The thrones of the house of David.
6
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you [holy city].
7
“May peace be within your walls
And prosperity within your palaces.”
8
For the sake of my brothers and my friends,
I will now say, “May peace be within you.”
9
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God [which is Jerusalem],
I will seek your (the city’s) good.
Prayer for the Lord’s Help.
A Song of [e]Ascents.
123 Unto you I lift up my eyes,
O You who are enthroned in the heavens!
2
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
And as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He is gracious and favorable toward us.
3
Be gracious to us, O Lord, be gracious and favorable toward us,
For we are greatly filled with contempt.
4
Our soul is greatly filled
With the scoffing of those who are at ease,
And with the contempt of the proud [who disregard God’s law].
Praise for Rescue from Enemies.
A Song of [f]Ascents. Of David.
124 “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,”
Let Israel now say,
2
“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
When men rose up against us,
3
Then they would have [quickly] swallowed us alive,
When their wrath was kindled against us;
4
Then the waters would have engulfed us,
The torrent would have swept over our soul;
5
Then the [g]raging waters would have swept over our soul.”
6
Blessed be the Lord,
Who has not given us as prey to be torn by their teeth.
7
We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers;
The trap is broken and we have escaped.
8
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
The Lord Surrounds His People.
A Song of [h]Ascents.
125 Those who trust in and rely on the Lord [with confident expectation]
Are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but remains forever.
2
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So the Lord surrounds His people
From this time forth and forever.
3
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land of the righteous,
So that the righteous will not reach out their hands to do wrong.
4
Do good, O Lord, to those who are good
And to those who are upright in their hearts.
5
But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways [in unresponsiveness to God],
The Lord will lead them away with those who do evil.
Peace be upon Israel.
Thanksgiving for Return from Captivity.
A Song of [i]Ascents.
126 When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion (Jerusalem),
We were like those who dream [it seemed so unreal].(H)
2
Then our mouth was filled with laughter
And our tongue with joyful shouting;
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3
The Lord has done great things for us;
We are glad!
4
Restore our [j]captivity, O Lord,
As the stream-beds in the South (the Negev) [are restored by torrents of rain].
5
They who sow in tears shall reap with joyful singing.
6
He who goes back and forth weeping, carrying his bag of seed [for planting],
Will indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Prosperity Comes from the Lord.
A Song of [k]Ascents. Of Solomon.
127 Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.(I)
2
It is vain for you to rise early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of anxious labors—
For He gives [blessings] to His beloved even in his sleep.
3
Behold, children are a heritage and gift from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb a reward.(J)
4
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5
How blessed [happy and fortunate] is the man whose quiver is filled with them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies [in gatherings] at the [city] gate.
Israel’s Labor Increased
5 Afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go, so that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go on a three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, so that He does not discipline us with pestilence or with the sword.” 4 But the king of Egypt said to Moses and Aaron, “Why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens!” 5 Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them stop their work!” 6 The very same day Pharaoh gave orders to the [Egyptian] taskmasters in charge of the people and their [Hebrew] foremen, saying, 7 “You will no longer give the people [a]straw to make brick as before; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the number of bricks which they were making before, you shall [still] require of them; you are not to reduce it in the least. For they are idle and lazy; that is why they cry, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let labor be heavier on the men, and let them work [hard] at it so that they will pay no attention to [their God’s] lying words.”
10 Then the [Egyptian] taskmasters [in charge] of the people and their [Hebrew] foremen went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you any straw. 11 Go, get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work [quota] will not be reduced in the least.’” 12 So the people were scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. 13 And the taskmasters pressured them, saying, “Finish your work, [fulfill] your daily quotas, just as when there was straw [given to you].” 14 And the Hebrew foremen, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your required quota of making bricks yesterday and today, as before?”
15 Then the Hebrew foremen came to Pharaoh and cried, “Why do you deal like this with your servants? 16 No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And look, your servants are being beaten, but it is the fault of your own people.” 17 But Pharaoh said, “You are lazy, very lazy and idle! That is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Get out now and get to work; for no straw will be given to you, yet you are to deliver the same quota of bricks.” 19 The Hebrew foremen saw that they were in a bad situation because they were told, “You must not reduce [in the least] your daily quota of bricks.” 20 When they left Pharaoh’s presence, the foremen met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them. 21 And the foremen said to them, “May the Lord look upon you and judge you, because you have made us odious (something hated) in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and you have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
22 Then Moses turned again to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have You brought harm and oppression to this people? Why did You ever send me? [I cannot understand Your purpose!] 23 Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has harmed and oppressed this people, and You have done nothing at all to rescue Your people.”
God Promises Action
6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for [b]under compulsion he will [not only] let them go, but under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.”
Instruction for the Church
20 Brothers and sisters, do not be children [immature, childlike] in your thinking; be infants in [matters of] evil [completely innocent and inexperienced], but in your minds be mature [adults]. 21 It is written in the Law, “By men of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, and not even then will they listen to Me,” says the Lord.(A) 22 Therefore, [unknown] tongues are [meant] for a [supernatural] sign, not to believers but to unbelievers [who might be receptive]; while prophecy [foretelling the future, speaking a new message from God to the people] is not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 So then, if the whole church gathers together and all of you speak in [unknown] tongues, and outsiders or those who are not gifted [in spiritual matters] or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if all prophesy [foretelling the future, speaking a new message from God to the people], and an unbeliever or outsider comes in, he is convicted [of his sins] by all, and he is called to account by all [because he can understand what is being said]; 25 the secrets of his heart are laid bare. And so, falling on his face, he will worship God, declaring that God is really among you.
26 What then is the right course, believers? When you meet together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation (disclosure of special knowledge), a tongue, or an interpretation. Let everything be constructive and edifying and done for the good of all the church. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be limited to two or at the most three, and each one speaking in turn, and one must interpret [what is said]. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, the one [who wishes to speak in a tongue] must keep silent in church; let him speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak [as inspired by the Holy Spirit], while the rest pay attention and weigh carefully what is said. 30 But if an inspired revelation is made to another who is seated, then the first one must be silent. 31 For [in this way] you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may be instructed and everyone may be encouraged; 32 for the spirits of prophets are subject to the prophets [the prophecy is under the speaker’s control, and he can stop speaking]; 33 for God [who is the source of their prophesying] is not a God of confusion and disorder but of peace and order.
As [is the practice] in all the churches of the saints (God’s people),
39 Therefore, believers, desire earnestly to prophesy [to foretell the future, to speak a new message from God to the people], and do not forbid speaking in unknown tongues. 40 But all things must be done appropriately and in an orderly manner.
42 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe and trust in Me to stumble [that is, to sin or lose faith], it would be better for him if a heavy millstone [one requiring a donkey’s strength to turn it] were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.(A) 43 If your hand causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]! It is better for you to enter life crippled, than to have two hands and go into [a]hell, into the unquenchable fire, 44 [b][where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out.](B) 45 If your foot causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]! It would be better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell, 46 [c][where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out.](C) 47 If your eye causes you to stumble and sin, throw it out [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]! It would be better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where their worm [that feeds on the dead] does not die, and the fire is not put out.(D)
49 “For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good and useful; but if salt has lost its saltiness (purpose), how will you make it salty? Have salt within yourselves continually, and be at peace with one another.”
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