Book of Common Prayer
ז Zayin
49 Remember your word(A) to your servant,
for you have given me hope.(B)
50 My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life.(C)
51 The arrogant mock me(D) unmercifully,
but I do not turn(E) from your law.
52 I remember,(F) Lord, your ancient laws,
and I find comfort in them.
53 Indignation grips me(G) because of the wicked,
who have forsaken your law.(H)
54 Your decrees are the theme of my song(I)
wherever I lodge.
55 In the night, Lord, I remember(J) your name,
that I may keep your law.(K)
56 This has been my practice:
I obey your precepts.(L)
ח Heth
57 You are my portion,(M) Lord;
I have promised to obey your words.(N)
58 I have sought(O) your face with all my heart;
be gracious to me(P) according to your promise.(Q)
59 I have considered my ways(R)
and have turned my steps to your statutes.
60 I will hasten and not delay
to obey your commands.(S)
61 Though the wicked bind me with ropes,
I will not forget(T) your law.
62 At midnight(U) I rise to give you thanks
for your righteous laws.(V)
63 I am a friend to all who fear you,(W)
to all who follow your precepts.(X)
64 The earth is filled with your love,(Y) Lord;
teach me your decrees.(Z)
ט Teth
65 Do good(AA) to your servant
according to your word,(AB) Lord.
66 Teach me knowledge(AC) and good judgment,
for I trust your commands.
67 Before I was afflicted(AD) I went astray,(AE)
but now I obey your word.(AF)
68 You are good,(AG) and what you do is good;
teach me your decrees.(AH)
69 Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,(AI)
I keep your precepts with all my heart.
70 Their hearts are callous(AJ) and unfeeling,
but I delight in your law.
71 It was good for me to be afflicted(AK)
so that I might learn your decrees.
72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me
than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.(AL)
Psalm 49[a]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 Hear(A) this, all you peoples;(B)
listen, all who live in this world,(C)
2 both low and high,(D)
rich and poor alike:
3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom;(E)
the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.(F)
4 I will turn my ear to a proverb;(G)
with the harp(H) I will expound my riddle:(I)
5 Why should I fear(J) when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me—
6 those who trust in their wealth(K)
and boast(L) of their great riches?(M)
7 No one can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for them—
8 the ransom(N) for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough—(O)
9 so that they should live on(P) forever
and not see decay.(Q)
10 For all can see that the wise die,(R)
that the foolish and the senseless(S) also perish,
leaving their wealth(T) to others.(U)
11 Their tombs(V) will remain their houses[b] forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,(W)
though they had[c] named(X) lands after themselves.
13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,(AA)
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.[d]
14 They are like sheep and are destined(AB) to die;(AC)
death will be their shepherd
(but the upright will prevail(AD) over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
far from their princely mansions.
15 But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;(AE)
he will surely take me to himself.(AF)
16 Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
when the splendor of their houses increases;
17 for they will take nothing(AG) with them when they die,
their splendor will not descend with them.(AH)
18 Though while they live they count themselves blessed—(AI)
and people praise you when you prosper—
19 they will join those who have gone before them,(AJ)
who will never again see the light(AK) of life.
Psalm 53[a](A)
For the director of music. According to mahalath.[b] A maskil[c] of David.
1 The fool(B) says in his heart,
“There is no God.”(C)
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven(D)
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,(E)
any who seek God.(F)
3 Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.(G)
4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on God.
5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
where there was nothing to dread.(H)
God scattered the bones(I) of those who attacked you;(J)
you put them to shame,(K) for God despised them.(L)
6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
The Woman and the Dragon
12 A great sign(A) appeared in heaven:(B) a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars(C) on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain(D) as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven:(E) an enormous red dragon(F) with seven heads(G) and ten horns(H) and seven crowns(I) on its heads. 4 Its tail swept a third(J) of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.(K) The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child(L) the moment he was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”[a](M) And her child was snatched up(N) to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.(O)
Woes on the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law
37 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table.(A) 38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.(B)
39 Then the Lord(C) said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.(D) 40 You foolish people!(E) Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor,(F) and everything will be clean for you.(G)
42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth(H) of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God.(I) You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.(J)
43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.(K)
44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves,(L) which people walk over without knowing it.”
45 One of the experts in the law(M) answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”
46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.(N)
47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.(O) 49 Because of this, God in his wisdom(P) said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’(Q) 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel(R) to the blood of Zechariah,(S) who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.(T)
52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”(U)
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