Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 140
For the Music Director. A Psalm of David.
1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
protect me from violent men,
2 who plan evil deeds in their heart
and continually gather together for conflicts.
3 They have tongues as sharp as a serpent;
adders’ poison is with their lips. Selah
4 Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
preserve me from the violent men
who have planned to overthrow me.
5 The proud have hid a snare for me,
and with cords they have spread a net;
they have set traps for me. Selah
6 I said to the Lord, “You are my God;
hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord.”
7 O God my Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not allow his evil plot,
lest he be raised up. Selah
9 As for the head of those who encompass me,
let the mischief of their own lips overwhelm them;
10 let burning coals fall upon them;
let them be cast into the fire,
into deep pits that they do not rise up again.
11 Let not an evil speaker be established in the land;
let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him!
12 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted
and will give justice to the poor.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto Your name;
the upright shall dwell in Your presence.
Psalm 142
A Contemplative Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.
1 I cried unto the Lord with my voice;
with my voice I made my supplication unto the Lord.
2 I poured out my complaint before Him;
I declared to Him my trouble.
3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
then You knew my path.
In the way where I walk,
they have laid a snare for me.
4 I looked on my right and noticed,
but there was no one who would care for me;
there is no refuge for me;
no one cares for my soul.
5 I cried unto You, O Lord;
I said, “You are my refuge
and my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Attend to my cry,
for I am brought very low;
deliver me from my persecutors,
for they are stronger than me.
7 Bring my soul out of prison,
that I may praise Your name;
the righteous shall surround me,
for You shall deal bountifully with me.
Psalm 141
A Psalm of David.
1 Lord, I cry unto You; make haste to me;
give ear to my voice, when I cry unto You.
2 Let my prayer be set forth before You as incense,
and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not let my heart be drawn to any evil,
to practice wicked deeds
with men who do iniquity,
and do not let me eat of their delights.
5 Let the righteous man strike me;
it shall be a kindness.
Let him rebuke me;
it shall be oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.
For my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
6 When their judges are thrown to stony places,
then they shall hear my words, for they are sweet.
7 As when one plows to break up the land,
so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
8 But my eyes are unto You, O God my Lord,
in You is my trust; do not leave my soul defenseless.
9 Keep me from the snares that they have laid for me,
and the traps of those who do iniquity.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by and escape.
Psalm 143
A Psalm of David.
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
give ear to my supplications;
in Your faithfulness answer me,
and in Your righteousness.
2 Enter not into judgment with Your servant,
for in Your sight no one living is righteous.
3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
he has crushed my life down to the ground;
he has made me to dwell in darkness,
as those who have been long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me;
my heart within me is desolate.
5 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your works;
I consider the work of Your hands.
6 I stretch forth my hands unto You;
my soul thirsts after You as a thirsty land. Selah
7 Respond to me quickly, O Lord,
my spirit fails;
do not hide Your face from me,
lest I be like those who go down into the pit.
8 Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning;
for in You I have my trust;
cause me to know the way I should walk,
for I lift up my soul unto You.
9 Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies;
I flee unto You for my protection.
10 Teach me to do Your will,
for You are my God;
may Your good spirit
lead me onto level ground.
11 Revive me, O Lord, for Your name’s sake,
for Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.
12 In Your mercy cut off my enemies,
and destroy all them who afflict my soul,
for I am Your servant.
9 Please hear this, heads of the house of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel,
who detest justice
and warp all that is straight,
10 who build Zion with bloodguilt
and Jerusalem with wickedness.
11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,
her priests teach for a price,
and her prophets practice divination for money.
Yet upon the Lord they lean, saying,
“Is not the Lord in our midst?
Evil will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore, because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will be mounds of ruins,
and the mountain of the house will become wooded heights.
The Mountain of the Lord(A)
4 Then it will be that in the latter days,
the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established
as head of the mountains,
and will be lifted up above the hills;
and people will stream to it.
2 And many nations will come and say,
“Come, that we might go up to the mountain of the Lord,
and to the house of the God of Jacob,
that He might teach us His ways,
and that we might walk in His paths.”
For from Zion will go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 Then He will judge between many peoples
and mediate for mighty nations far and wide;
they will beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
and they will no longer train for war.
4 Then each man will sit under his vine
and under his fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid;
for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken.
5 For all the peoples may walk,
each in the name of his God,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
our God forever and ever.
Paul Held in Custody
24 After several days, when Felix arrived with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess, he sent for Paul and heard him speak concerning faith in Christ. 25 As he lectured about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix was afraid and answered, “For now, leave! When time permits, I will send for you.” 26 At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him. So he sent for him more often and conversed with him.
27 But after two years Porcius Festus succeeded Felix. And Felix, desiring to do the Jews a favor, left Paul imprisoned.
Paul Appeals to Caesar
25 Now three days after Festus had come into the province, he went from Caesarea up to Jerusalem. 2 The high priest and the elders of the Jews spoke to him against Paul. And they begged him, 3 asking as a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem, plotting to kill him along the way. 4 Festus said that Paul should be kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly. 5 He also said, “Let the men in authority go down with me. If there is anything wrong in the man, let them accuse him.”
6 Having stayed among them more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered that Paul be brought in. 7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him and brought many serious charges against him which they could not prove, 8 while he defended himself, saying, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I sinned at all.”
9 Desiring to do the Jews a favor, Festus answered, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be judged concerning these charges before me?”
10 Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you know very well. 11 If I am doing wrong or have done anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if these are empty charges of which these men accuse me, no one may deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar.”
12 When Festus had conferred with the council, he then answered, “To Caesar you have appealed. To Caesar you shall go.”
Women Who Accompany Jesus
8 Afterward, He went throughout every city and village, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. With Him were the twelve 2 and some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had come out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, who supported Him with their possessions.
The Parable of the Sower(A)
4 When a large crowd had gathered together and people were coming to Him from every city, He told this parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 Some fell on a rock. And as soon as it sprang up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 7 Yet some fell among thorns. And the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8 And other seed fell on good ground and sprang up and yielded a hundred times the amount sown.”
When He had said these things, He cried out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The Purpose of the Parables(B)
9 His disciples asked Him, “What might this parable mean?” 10 He said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to others they are in parables, so that
‘seeing they may not see,
and hearing they may not understand.’[a]
The Parable of the Sower Explained(C)
11 “Now the parable means this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are those who hear. Then comes the devil, who takes away the word from their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rock are the ones who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root, for they believe for a while, then in the time of temptation fall away. 14 That which fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 But the seed on the good ground are those who, having heard the word, keep it in an honest and good heart and bear fruit with patience.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.