Book of Common Prayer
My Soul Thirsts for You
A Psalm of David, (A)when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
63 O God, you are my God; (B)earnestly I seek you;
(C)my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in (D)a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding (E)your power and glory.
3 Because your (F)steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you (G)as long as I live;
in your (H)name I will (I)lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be (J)satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
6 when I remember you (K)upon my bed,
and meditate on you in (L)the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help,
and in (M)the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
8 My soul (N)clings to you;
your right hand (O)upholds me.
9 But those who seek to destroy my life
(P)shall go down into (Q)the depths of the earth;
10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
they shall be a portion for jackals.
11 But (R)the king shall rejoice in God;
all who (S)swear by him shall exult,
(T)for the mouths of (U)liars will be stopped.
Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord
A Psalm.
98 Oh sing to the Lord (A)a new song,
for he has done (B)marvelous things!
His (C)right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has (D)made known his salvation;
he has (E)revealed his righteousness in (F)the sight of the nations.
3 He has (G)remembered his (H)steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All (I)the ends of the earth have seen
(J)the salvation of our God.
Bless the Lord, O My Soul
Of David.
103 (A)Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
2 (B)Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and (C)forget not all his benefits,
3 who (D)forgives all your iniquity,
who (E)heals all your diseases,
4 who (F)redeems your life from the pit,
who (G)crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who (H)satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like (I)the eagle's.
6 The Lord works (J)righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his (K)ways to Moses,
his (L)acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is (M)merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 (N)He will not always chide,
nor will he (O)keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us (P)according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For (Q)as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his (R)steadfast love toward (S)those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he (T)remove our transgressions from us.
13 As (U)a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion (V)to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame;[a]
he (W)remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like (X)grass;
he flourishes like (Y)a flower of the field;
16 for (Z)the wind passes over it, and (AA)it is gone,
and (AB)its place knows it no more.
17 But (AC)the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on (AD)those who fear him,
and his righteousness to (AE)children's children,
18 to those who (AF)keep his covenant
and (AG)remember to do his commandments.
19 The Lord has (AH)established his throne in the heavens,
and his (AI)kingdom rules over all.
Shepherd the Flock of God
5 So I exhort the elders among you, (A)as a fellow elder and (B)a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 (C)shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,[a] (D)not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;[b] (E)not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not (F)domineering over those in your charge, but (G)being examples to the flock. 4 And when (H)the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the (I)unfading (J)crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. (K)Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for (L)“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
6 (M)Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 (N)casting all your anxieties on him, because (O)he cares for you. 8 (P)Be sober-minded; (Q)be watchful. Your (R)adversary the devil (S)prowls around (T)like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 (U)Resist him, (V)firm in your faith, knowing that (W)the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And (X)after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, (Y)who has called you to his (Z)eternal glory in Christ, will himself (AA)restore, (AB)confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 (AC)To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
A Tree and Its Fruit
15 (A)“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are (B)ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them (C)by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, (D)every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 (E)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them (F)by their fruits.
I Never Knew You
21 (G)“Not everyone who (H)says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will (I)enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who (J)does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 (K)On that day (L)many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not (M)prophesy in your name, and cast out demons (N)in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 (O)And then will I declare to them, ‘I (P)never knew you; (Q)depart from me, (R)you workers of lawlessness.’
Build Your House on the Rock
24 (S)“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like (T)a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like (U)a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
The Authority of Jesus
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, (V)the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 (W)for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.