Book of Common Prayer

A Prayer for the King

72 O God, make the king right in what he decides. Make the king’s son right with You. ² May he be right when he decides who is right and who is wrong and may he be fair to the poor. ³ Let mountains and hills bring peace to the people through what is right and good. ⁴ May he stand by those who are poor, save the children of those in need, and destroy the bad power over them.

⁵ May all the children-to-come fear You as long as the sun and the moon last. ⁶ May He come down like rain upon the cut grass, like rain that waters the earth. ⁷ In His days may all go well with those who are right and good. And may there be much peace until the moon is no more.

⁸ May he also rule from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. ⁹ Those who live in the desert will put their faces to the ground before Him. And those who hate Him will kiss the dust. ¹⁰ Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring gifts. Let the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts. ¹¹ Yes, let all kings fall down at His feet, and all nations serve Him.

¹² For He will take out of trouble the one in need when he cries for help, and the poor man who has no one to help. ¹³ He will have loving-pity on the weak and those in need. He will save the lives of those in need. ¹⁴ He will take them from the bad power that is held over them and from being hurt. Their blood will be of much worth in His eyes. ¹⁵ He will live, and the gold of Sheba will be given to Him. Prayer will be given for Him all the time. Let them honor Him all day long.

¹⁶ May there be much grain in the land on top of the mountains. May its fruit grow like the trees of Lebanon. And may those of the city grow like the grass of the earth. ¹⁷ May His name last forever. May His name become bigger as long as the sun shines. And let men respect themselves through Him. Let all nations honor Him.

¹⁸ Honor and thanks be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who alone does great things. ¹⁹ And honor be to His great name forever. May the whole earth be filled with His shining-greatness. Let it be so.

²⁰ The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

⁷³ Your hands made me and put me together. Give me understanding to learn Your Law. ⁷⁴ May those who fear You see me and be glad, for I have put my hope in Your Word. ⁷⁵ O Lord, I know that what You decide is right and good. You punish me because You are faithful. ⁷⁶ May Your loving-kindness comfort me because of Your promise to Your servant. ⁷⁷ Let Your loving-pity come to me so I may live. For Your Law is my joy. ⁷⁸ May the proud be ashamed, because they do wrong to me for no reason, but I will think about Your Law. ⁷⁹ May those who fear You and those who know Your Law turn to me. ⁸⁰ Let my heart be without blame in Your Law. Do not let me be put to shame.

⁸¹ My soul becomes weak with desire for Your saving power, but I have put my hope in Your Word. ⁸² My eyes become weak with desire for Your Word. I say, “When will You comfort me?” ⁸³ I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, but I do not forget Your Law. ⁸⁴ How long must Your servant wait? When will You punish those who make it hard for me? ⁸⁵ The proud have dug deep holes for me. They do not obey Your Law. ⁸⁶ All of Your Word is faithful. Help me! For they have made it hard for me with a lie. ⁸⁷ They almost destroyed me on the earth, but I did not turn away from Your Law. ⁸⁸ Give me life again by Your loving-kindness, and I will keep the Word of Your mouth.

⁸⁹ Forever, O Lord, Your Word will never change in heaven. ⁹⁰ You are faithful to all people for all time. You have made the earth, and it stands. ⁹¹ They stand today by Your Law, for all things serve You. ⁹² I would have been lost in my troubles if Your Law had not been my joy. ⁹³ I will never forget Your Word for by it You have given me new life. ⁹⁴ I am Yours. Save me, for I have looked to Your Law. ⁹⁵ The sinful wait to destroy me, but I will think about Your Word. ⁹⁶ I have seen that all things have an end, even if they are perfect, but Your Word is without end.

Laws about Right Living

19 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Say to all the people of Israel, ‘Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. ³ Every one of you must have respect for his mother and his father. And keep My Days of Rest. I am the Lord your God. ⁴ Do not turn to false gods or make gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

⁵ ‘When you give the Lord a peace gift, give it so you will be pleasing Him. ⁶ It will be eaten the same day you give it, and the next day. But what is left until the third day will be burned with fire. ⁷ If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is a sin. It will not be received. ⁸ Every one who eats it will carry his guilt. For he has made the holy thing of the Lord sinful. That person will not be among God’s people.

⁹ ‘When you pick the food of your land at gathering time, do not pick all the way to the corners of your field. And do not gather the food left on the ground there after you have picked. ¹⁰ Do not gather what is left among your vines, or gather the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for those in need and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God.

¹¹ ‘Do not steal. Be honest in what you do. Do not lie to one another. ¹² Do not lie when you make a promise in My name, and so put the name of your God to shame. I am the Lord.

¹³ ‘Do not make it hard for your neighbor or rob him. You should not keep the pay of a man who works for you until the next morning. ¹⁴ Do not say bad things against a man who cannot hear. Do not put something in the way of a man who cannot see. But fear your God. I am the Lord.

¹⁵ ‘Be fair in how you judge. Do not show favor to the poor or to the great. Be fair in how you judge your neighbor. ¹⁶ Do not go around saying things that hurt your people. Do not do things against the life of your neighbor. I am the Lord.

¹⁷ ‘In your heart do not hate someone from your own country. You may speak sharp words to your neighbor, but do not sin because of him. ¹⁸ Do not hurt someone who has hurt you. Do not keep on hating the sons of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

Christian Living

¹² We ask you, Christian brothers, to respect those who work among you. The Lord has placed them over you and they are your teachers. ¹³ You must think much of them and love them because of their work. Live in peace with each other.

¹⁴ We ask you, Christian brothers, speak to those who do not want to work. Comfort those who feel they cannot keep going on. Help the weak. Understand and be willing to wait for all men. ¹⁵ Do not let anyone pay back for the bad he received. But look for ways to do good to each other and to all people.

¹⁶ Be full of joy all the time. ¹⁷ Never stop praying. ¹⁸ In everything give thanks. This is what God wants you to do because of Christ Jesus. ¹⁹ Do not try to stop the work of the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Do not laugh at those who speak for God. ²¹ Test everything and do not let good things get away from you. ²² Keep away from everything that even looks like sin.

²³ May the God of peace set you apart for Himself. May every part of you be set apart for God. May your spirit and your soul and your body be kept complete. May you be without blame when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. ²⁴ The One Who called you is faithful and will do what He promised. ²⁵ Christian brothers, pray for us. ²⁶ Greet all the Christians with a kiss of holy love. ²⁷ I tell you to have this letter read to all the Christians. ²⁸ May you have loving-favor from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Teaches about Having Riches

¹⁹ “Do not gather together for yourself riches of this earth. They will be eaten by bugs and become rusted. Men can break in and steal them. ²⁰ Gather together riches in heaven where they will not be eaten by bugs or become rusted. Men cannot break in and steal them. ²¹ For wherever your riches are, your heart will be there also. ²² The eye is the light of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ If your eye is bad, your whole body will be dark. If the light in you is dark, how dark it will be! ²⁴ No one can have two bosses. He will hate the one and love the other. Or he will listen to the one and work against the other. You cannot have both God and riches as your boss at the same time.