Book of Common Prayer
1 [a]Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in accord with the law[b] of the Lord.
2 Blessed are those who observe his statutes
and seek him with their whole heart.[c]
3 They do nothing wrong;
they walk in his ways.[d]
4 [e]You have ordained
that your commands be diligently observed.
5 May my ways be steadfast
in the observance of your decrees.
6 Then I will never be put to shame
when I take note of all your precepts.
7 I will praise you in sincerity of heart
as I ponder your righteous judgments.
8 I will observe your decrees;
do not forsake me completely.
Beth
9 [f]How can a young man lead a spotless life?
By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;[g]
do not let me stray from your precepts.
11 I treasure your word in my heart[h]
for fear that I may sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord;
teach me your decrees.
13 With my lips I recite
all the judgments you have announced.
14 I rejoice in following your statutes
more than I would rejoice in endless riches.
15 I will meditate on your commands
and respect your ways.
16 I find my delight in your decrees;
I will never forget your word.
Gimel
17 [i]Be good to your servant
so that I may live[j] and keep your word.
18 Open my eyes so that I may clearly see
the wonders to be found in your law.
19 I am only a wayfarer on earth,
but do not hide your precepts from me.[k]
20 My soul is ever consumed
with longing for your judgments.
21 You rebuke the arrogant,[l] the accursed,
who stray from your precepts.
22 Set me free from scorn and contempt,
for I have observed your statutes.
23 Even though princes assemble and slander me,
your servant meditates on your decrees.
24 Your statutes are my delight,
for they offer me counsel.
Daleth
Psalm 12[a]
Prayer against the Arrogance of Sinners
1 For the director.[b] “Upon the eighth.” A psalm of David.
2 Help, O Lord, for there are no godly left;
the faithful have vanished from the human race.
3 Neighbors utter lies to each other;
they speak with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.[c]
4 May the Lord destroy all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue,
5 those who say, “We will prevail by our tongues;
with our lips as our ally,
who can lord it over us?”
6 “The poor have been oppressed,
and those who are needy groan.
Therefore, I will rise up now,” says the Lord;
“I will grant them the safety
for which they long.”
7 And the promises of the Lord are certain;
they are like silver refined in a furnace
and purified seven times.[d]
8 [e]You, O Lord, will watch over us
and preserve us from this generation forever.
9 For the wicked prowl on every side,
and what is vile is exalted by mankind.
Psalm 13[f]
Prayer of One in Sorrow
1 For the director.[g] A psalm of David.
2 How long,[h] O Lord—will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
3 How long must I suffer anguish in my soul
and sorrow in my heart[i] day and night?
How long will my enemy lord it over me?
4 Look upon me, O Lord, my God, and answer me;
enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep in death,
5 lest my enemy say, “I have defeated him,”
and my foes exult in my collapse.
6 As for me, I trust in your kindness;[j]
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
7 I will sing to the Lord
because he has been good to me.[k]
Psalm 14[l]
Corruption and Punishment of the Godless
1 For the director.[m] Of David.
The fool says in his heart,[n]
“There is no God.”
People are depraved and their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does what is right.
2 The Lord[o] looks down from heaven
upon the entire human race,
to see if there are any who act with wisdom,
if even a single one seeks God.
3 But they have all left the right path;
all alike are corrupt.
There is no one who does what is right,
not even one.[p]
4 Have all these evildoers[q] no understanding?
They devour my people as they eat bread,
and they never call upon the Lord.
5 But later they will be filled with terror,
for God is on the side of the righteous.[r]
6 They sought to crush the hopes of the poor,[s]
but the Lord is their refuge.
7 Who will accomplish the salvation of Israel
that is to come out of Zion?[t]
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice and Israel will exult.
The Journey through the Wilderness[a]
22 The Waters of Marah and Elim. Moses led the children of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they traveled toward the Desert of Shur. They walked three days into the desert and they did not find water. 23 They arrived at Marah, but they could not drink the waters of Marah for they were bitter. That is why the place was called Marah.[b] 24 So the people murmured against Moses, saying, “What will we drink?” 25 He called upon the Lord, who showed him a tree. When he cast it into the water, it became sweet.
The Lord made a statute and an ordinance for them there and put them to the test. 26 He said, “If you listen to the voice of the Lord, your God, and you do what is right in his sight, if you listen to his ordinances and observe all of his laws, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”
27 Then they arrived at Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. Here they camped near the waters.
Chapter 16[c]
Manna and Quail. 1 The entire community of the children of Israel set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is found between Elim and the Sinai on the fifteenth day of the second month after they left the land of Egypt. 2 In the desert the entire community of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron. 3 The children of Israel said to them, “Would that the hand of the Lord had killed us in the land of Egypt where we were seated by our pots filled with meat and where we had more than enough bread to eat. Instead you brought us out into this desert to slay the whole assembly with hunger.”
4 The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread down from the heavens for you. The people should go out each day to collect the amount they need for that day so that I might test them to see whether they follow my law or not. 5 But on the sixth day, when they are gathering what they will bring home, they are to collect double what they collect on the other days.”
6 Moses and Aaron said this to the children of Israel: “This evening you will know that the Lord brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and tomorrow morning you will see the glory of the Lord, for he has heard your murmuring against him. For what are we, that you murmur against us?” 8 Moses also said, “When the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and bread to fill you in the morning, it will be because the Lord has heard the murmuring that you utter against him. What are we, after all? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord.”
9 Moses said to Aaron, “Give this command to the whole community of Israel: ‘Draw near to the presence of the Lord, for he has heard your murmurings.’ ” 10 While Aaron spoke to the entire community of the children of Israel, they turned toward the desert and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the clouds.
Chapter 2
1 Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all deceit, hypocrisy, and envy, and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may advance on the path to salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
The Mystery of the Church.[a] 4 Come to him, a living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious. 5 You, too, are like living stones, being built up into a spiritual temple and a holy priesthood[b] to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it states in Scripture,
“See, I am laying a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone chosen and precious.
Whoever believes in it
will not be put to shame.”
7 Therefore, it is precious to you who believe. However, for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and
“A stone that makes them stumble,
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the word—for this they were born.[c]
9 But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people claimed by God as his own possession,” so that you may proclaim the praise of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
10 Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people.
Once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.
The Community of the Witnesses to Christ[a]
Chapter 15
Union with Jesus[b]
1 “I am the true vine,
and my Father is the vinegrower.
2 He removes every branch
that does not bear fruit,
and every branch that does
he prunes to make it bear even more.
3 You have already been cleansed
by the word I have spoken to you.
4 “Abide in me,
as I abide in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself
unless it abides in the vine,
so you cannot bear fruit
unless you abide in me.
5 “I am the vine,
you are the branches.
Whoever abides in me, and I in him,
will bear much fruit.
Apart from me you can do nothing.
6 Whoever does not abide in me
will be thrown away like a withered branch.
Such branches are gathered up,
thrown into the fire, and burned.
7 “If you abide in me
and my words abide in you,
you may ask for whatever you wish,
and it will be done for you.
8 By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit
and become my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me,
so have I loved you.
Remain in my love.
10 If you keep my commandments,
you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
11 “I have told you these things
so that my joy may be in you
and your joy may be complete.
Copyright © 2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.