Book of Common Prayer
A prayer by the afflicted man who is overwhelmed and talks about his troubles with the Lord.
A Prayer for Help
102 Lord, hear my prayer!
May my cry for help come to you.
2 Do not hide your face from me when I am in trouble.
Listen to me.
When I call to out you,
hurry to answer me!
3 For my days are vanishing like smoke;
my bones are charred as in a fireplace.
4 Withered like grass, my heart is overwhelmed,
and I have even forgotten to eat my food.
5 Because of the sound of my sighing,
my bones cling to my skin.
6 I resemble a pelican in the wilderness
or an owl in a desolate land.
7 I lie awake,
yet I am like a bird isolated on a rooftop.
8 My enemies revile me all day long;
those who ridicule me use my name to curse.
9 I have eaten ashes as food
and mixed my drink with tears
10 because of your indignation and wrath,
when you lifted and threw me away.
11 My life is[a] like a declining shadow,
and I am withering like a plant.
12 But you, Lord, are enthroned forever;
You are remembered throughout all generations.
13 You will arise to extend compassion on Zion,
for it is time to show her favor—
the appointed time has come.
14 Your servants take pleasure in its stones
and delight in its debris.
15 Nations will fear the name of the Lord,
and all the kings of the earth, your splendor.
16 When the Lord rebuilds Zion,
he will appear in his glory.
17 He will turn to the prayer of the destitute,
not despising their prayer.
18 Write this for the next generation,
that a people yet to be created will praise the Lord.
19 For when he looked down from his holy heights—
the Lord looked over the earth from heaven—
20 to listen to the groans of prisoners,
to set free those condemned to death,
21 so they would declare the name of the Lord in Zion
and his praise in Jerusalem,
22 when people and kingdoms gather together
to serve the Lord.
23 He has weakened my[b] strength along the way.[c]
He has cut short my days.
24 I say, “My God, whose years continue through all generations,
do not take me in the middle of my life.
25 You established the earth long ago;
the heavens are the work[d] of your hands.
26 They will perish,
but you will remain;
and they all will become worn out,[e] like a garment.
You[f] will change them like clothing,
and they will pass away.
27 But you remain the same;
your years never end.
28 May the descendants of your servants live securely,
and may their children be established in your presence.”
BOOK V (Psalms 107-150)
Gratitude for God’s Deliverance
107 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His gracious love exists forever.
2 Let those who have been redeemed by the Lord declare it—
those whom he redeemed
from the power[a] of the enemy,
3 those whom he gathered from other lands—
from the east, west, north, and south.[b]
4 They wandered in desolate wilderness;
they found no road to a city where they could live.
5 Hungry and thirsty,
their spirits[c] failed.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them in a straight way
to find a city where they could live.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord
for his gracious love
and his awesome deeds for mankind.
9 He has satisfied the one who thirsts,
filling the hungry with what is good.
10 Some sat in deepest darkness,
shackled with cruel iron,
11 because they had rebelled against the command of God,
despising the advice of the Most High.
12 He humbled them[d] through suffering,
as they stumbled without a helper.
13 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
he delivered them from their distress.
14 And he[e] brought them out from darkness and the shadow of death,[f]
shattering their chains.
15 Let them give[g] thanks to the Lord for his gracious love,
and for his awesome deeds to mankind.
16 For he shattered bronze gates
and cut through iron bars.
17 Because of their rebellious ways,
fools suffered for their iniquities.
18 They[h] loathed all food,
and even reached the gates of death.
19 Yet when they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
he delivered them from certain destruction.
20 He issued his command[i] and healed them;
he delivered them from their destruction.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his gracious love,
and for his awesome deeds for mankind.
22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
and talk about his works with shouts of joy.
23 Those who go down to the sea in ships,
who work in the great waters,
24 witnessed the works of the Lord—
his awesome deeds in the ocean’s depth.
25 He spoke and stirred up a windstorm
that made its waves surge.
26 The people[j] ascended skyward and descended to the depths,
their courage[k] melting away in their peril.
27 They reeled and staggered like a drunkard,
as all their wisdom became useless.
28 Yet when they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
the Lord brought them out of their distress.
29 He calmed the storm
and its waves[l] quieted down.
30 So they rejoiced that the waves[m] became quiet,
and he led them to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his gracious love
and for his awesome deeds on behalf of mankind.
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the counsel of the elders.
Saul Selected as Israel’s First King
9 There was a man from Benjamin named Kish, Abiel’s son, the grandson of Zeror and great-grandson of Aphiah’s son Becorath. A prominent man[a] from Benjamin, 2 he had a son named Saul, who was a choice and handsome[b] young man. There was no one among the Israelis as handsome as he, and he was a head taller[c] than any of the other people.
3 The donkeys belonging to Kish, Saul’s father, were lost, and Kish told his son Saul, “Take one of the young men with you, get up, and go look for the donkeys.” 4 He went through the hill country of Ephraim and through the region of Shalishah, but they did not find them. Then they went through the region of Shaalim, but they were not there. They also went through the territory of the descendants of Benjamin, but they did not find them.
5 When they entered the region of Zuph, Saul told the[d] young man with him, “Come on, let’s go back so my father does not stop worrying[e] about the donkeys and become anxious about us.”
6 The young man[f] said, “Look, there’s a man of God in this town. The man is respected, and everything he predicts happens. Now, let’s go there. Perhaps he can tell us about the[g] journey on which we have set out.”
7 Saul told the[h] young man, “Look, we could go, but what could we bring the man? The bread is gone from our bags, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have with us?”
8 The young man answered Saul again, “Look here! I have in my hand a quarter shekel[i] of silver. I’ll give it to the man of God, and he will tell us about our journey.”
9 (Previously in Israel, a person would say when he went to inquire of God, “Come on! Let’s go to the seer!” because the person known as a prophet[j] today was formerly called a seer.)
10 Saul told his young man, “That’s a good suggestion! Come on, let’s go!” Then they entered the town where the man of God was.
11 As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women going out to draw water, and they told them, “Is the seer here?”
12 They answered them: “Yes, he’s right there ahead of you. Hurry, for he came to town just today because there is a sacrifice for the people on the high place today. 13 When you come into town you can find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people don’t eat until he arrives, because he must bless the sacrifice and then after that those who are invited will eat. So go up right now because you can find him now.” 14 They went up to the town, and as they were coming to the center of the town, Samuel was coming out to meet them, on his way[k] up to the high place.
17 “Now as the time approached for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people’s population increased a great deal in Egypt. 18 Eventually, a different king who had not known Joseph became ruler of Egypt.[a] 19 By shrewdly scheming against our people, he oppressed our ancestors and forced them to abandon their infants to the elements, so that they wouldn’t live.
20 “At this time Moses was born. He was beautiful in the sight of God, and for three months he was cared for in his father’s house. 21 When he was placed outside, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 22 So Moses learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man, both in words and in deeds.
23 “When he was 40 years old, he decided[b] to visit his brothers, the descendants of Israel. 24 When he saw one of them being mistreated, he defended him[c] and avenged the man who was being mistreated by killing the Egyptian. 25 He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was using him to rescue them, but they didn’t understand. 26 The next day, he presented himself to some of them while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them. He said, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why should you be hurting another?’
27 “But the man who was harming his neighbor pushed Moses[d] away and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? 28 You don’t want to kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’[e] 29 Because of this, Moses fled and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There he had two sons.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial(A)
31 “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has asked permission to sift all of you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail. When you have come back, you must strengthen your brothers.”
33 Peter[a] told him, “Lord, I am ready to go even to prison and to die with you!”
34 But Jesus[b] said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you deny three times that you know me.”
Be Prepared for Trouble
35 Then Jesus[c] asked his disciples,[d] “When I sent you out without a wallet, traveling bag, or sandals, you didn’t lack anything, did you?”
They replied, “Nothing at all.”
36 Then he told them, “But now whoever has a wallet must take it along, and his traveling bag, too. And the one who has no sword must sell his coat and buy one. 37 Because I tell you, what has been written about me must be fulfilled: ‘He was counted among the criminals.’[e] Indeed, what is written about me must be fulfilled.”
38 So they said, “Lord, look! Here are two swords.”
He answered them, “Enough of that!”[f]
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