Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 72
Of Solomon.
72 God, give your judgments to the king.
Give your righteousness to the king’s son.
2 Let him judge your people with righteousness
and your poor ones with justice.
3 Let the mountains bring peace to the people;
let the hills bring righteousness.
4 Let the king bring justice to people who are poor;
let him save the children of those who are needy,
but let him crush oppressors!
5 Let the king live[a] as long as the sun,
as long as the moon,
generation to generation.
6 Let him fall like rain upon fresh-cut grass,
like showers that water the earth.
7 Let the righteous flourish throughout their lives,
and let peace prosper until the moon is no more.
8 Let the king rule from sea to sea,
from the river to the ends of the earth.
9 Let the desert dwellers bow low before him;
let his enemies lick the dust.
10 Let the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute;
let the kings of Sheba and Seba present gifts.
11 Let all the kings bow down before him;
let all the nations serve him.
12 Let it be so, because he delivers the needy who cry out,
the poor, and those who have no helper.
13 He has compassion on the weak and the needy;
he saves the lives of those who are in need.
14 He redeems their lives from oppression and violence;
their blood is precious in his eyes.
15 Let the king live long!
Let Sheba’s gold be given to him!
Let him be prayed for always!
Let him be blessed all day long!
16 Let there be abundant grain in the land.
Let it wave on the mountaintops.
Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon.
Let it thrive like grass on the land.
17 Let the king’s name last forever.
Let his name endure as long as the sun.
Let all the nations be blessed through him and call him happy.
18 Bless the Lord God, the God of Israel—
the only one who does wondrous things!
19 Bless God’s glorious name forever;
let his glory fill all the earth!
Amen and Amen!
20 The prayers of David, Jesse’s son, are ended.
י yod
73 Your hands have made me and set me in place.
Help me understand so I can learn your commandments.
74 Then those who honor you will see me and be glad
because I have waited for your promise.
75 Lord, I know that your rules are right
and that you rightly made me suffer.
76 Please let your faithful love comfort me,
according to what you’ve said to your servant.
77 Let your compassion come to me so I can live again,
because your Instruction is my joy!
78 But let the arrogant be ashamed
because they oppressed me with lies—
meanwhile, I will be contemplating your precepts!
79 Let the people who honor you come back to me;
let those who know your precepts return to me.
80 Let my heart be blameless in your statutes
so that I am not put to shame.
כ kaf
81 My whole being yearns for your saving help!
I wait for your promise.
82 My eyes are worn out looking for your word.
“When will you comfort me?” I ask,
83 because I’ve become like a bottle dried up by smoke,
though I haven’t forgotten your statutes.
84 How much more time does your servant have?
When will you bring my oppressors to justice?
85 The arrogant have dug pits for me—
those people who act against your Instruction.
86 All your commandments are true,
but people harass me for no reason.
Help me!
87 They’ve almost wiped me off the face of the earth!
Meanwhile, I haven’t abandoned your precepts!
88 Make me live again according to your faithful love
so I can keep the law you’ve given!
ל lamed
89 Your word, Lord,
stands firm in heaven forever!
90 Your faithfulness extends from one generation to the next!
You set the earth firmly in place, and it is still there.
91 Your rules endure to this day
because everything serves you.
92 If your Instruction hadn’t been my delight,
I would have died because of my suffering.
93 I will never forget your precepts
because through them you gave me life again.
94 I’m yours—save me
because I’ve pursued your precepts!
95 The wicked wait for me,
wanting to kill me, but I’m studying your laws.
96 I’ve seen that everything,
no matter how perfect, has a limit,[a]
but your commandment is boundless.
23 By his calculations, he stilled the deep,
and he planted islands in it.
24 Those who sail the sea
describe its danger,
and we are amazed at what we hear.
25 Incredible and amazing works are there,
all sorts of living things,
great sea monsters.
26 Because of him, each messenger succeeds,
and all things hold together by his word.
27 We could say many things
and never say enough.
The final word is: The Lord is “the All.”
28 Where will we find the strength
to glorify him?
For God is great beyond all his works.
29 The Lord is awesome and very great,
and his power is marvelous.
30 Glorify the Lord,
and exalt him as much as you can:
he surpasses even that.
Exalt him, increase your strength,
and don’t grow tired:
you will never say enough.
31 Who has seen him and will describe him?
Whose praises of him
will match what he really is?
32 There are many hidden things
greater than these,
for we have seen only
a few of his works.
33 The Lord made everything,
and he gave wisdom to the godly.
16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple say to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the seven bowls of God’s anger on the earth.” 2 So the first angel poured his bowl on the earth, and a nasty and terrible sore appeared on the people who had the beast’s mark and worshipped its image. 3 The second angel poured his bowl into the sea, and the sea turned into blood, like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing in the sea died. 4 The third angel poured his bowl into the rivers and springs of water, and they turned into blood. 5 Then I heard the angel of the waters say,
“You are just, holy one, who is and was,
because you have given these judgments.
6 They poured out the blood of saints and prophets,
and you have given them blood to drink. They deserve it!”
7 And I heard the altar say,
“Yes, Lord God Almighty, your judgments are true and just.”
8 The fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to burn people with fire. 9 The people were burned by intense heat, and they cursed the name of the God who had power over these plagues. But they didn’t change their hearts and lives and give him glory. 10 The fifth angel poured his bowl over the beast’s throne, and darkness covered its kingdom. People bit their tongues because of their pain, 11 and they cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores; but they didn’t turn away from what they had done.
Healing on a Sabbath
10 Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 A woman was there who had been disabled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and couldn’t stand up straight. 12 When he saw her, Jesus called her to him and said, “Woman, you are set free from your sickness.” 13 He placed his hands on her and she straightened up at once and praised God.
14 The synagogue leader, incensed that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, responded, “There are six days during which work is permitted. Come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath day.”
15 The Lord replied, “Hypocrites! Don’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from its stall and lead it out to get a drink? 16 Then isn’t it necessary that this woman, a daughter of Abraham, bound by Satan for eighteen long years, be set free from her bondage on the Sabbath day?” 17 When he said these things, all his opponents were put to shame, but all those in the crowd rejoiced at all the extraordinary things he was doing.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible