Book of Common Prayer
33
He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And springs of water into a thirsty ground;(A)
34
A productive land into a [barren] salt waste,
Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.(B)
35
He turns a wilderness into a pool of water
And a dry land into springs of water;(C)
36
And there He has the hungry dwell,
So that they may establish an inhabited city,
37
And sow fields and plant vineyards,
And produce an abundant harvest.
38
Also He blesses them so that they multiply greatly,
And He does not let [the number of] their cattle decrease.
39
When they are diminished and bowed down (humbled)
Through oppression, misery, and sorrow,
40
He pours contempt on princes
And makes them wander in a pathless wasteland.
41
Yet He sets the needy securely on high, away from affliction,
And makes their families like a flock.
42
The upright see it and rejoice;
But all unrighteousness shuts its mouth.
43
Who is wise? Let him observe and heed these things;
And [thoughtfully] consider the lovingkindness of the Lord.
Praise and Supplication to God for Victory.
A Song. A Psalm of David.
108 O God, my heart is steadfast [with confident faith];
I will sing, I will sing praises, even with my soul.
2
Awake, harp and lyre;
I will awaken the dawn!
3
I will praise and give thanks to You, O Lord, among the people;
And I will sing praises to You among the nations.
4
For Your lovingkindness is great and higher than the heavens;
Your truth reaches to the skies.(D)
5
Be exalted [in majesty], O God, above the heavens,
And Your glory above all the earth.
6
That Your beloved [ones] may be rescued,
Save with Your right hand, and answer me!
7
God has spoken in His [a]holiness:
“I will rejoice, I will portion out Shechem [as I divide Canaan among My people],
And measure out the Valley of Succoth.
8
“Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim also is the helmet of My head [My stronghold, My defense];
Judah is My [b]scepter.(E)
9
“Moab is My washbowl;
Over Edom I will throw My shoe [to show Edom is Mine];
Over Philistia I will shout [in triumph].”
10
Who will bring me into the fortified city [of Petra]?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11
Have You not rejected us, O God?
And will You not go out, O God, with our armies?
12
Give us help against the adversary,
For deliverance by man is in vain [a worthless hope].
13
[c]With God we will do valiantly,
For it is He who will trample down our enemies.(F)
Praise to the Creator and Preserver.
33 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming and appropriate for those who are upright [in heart—those with moral integrity and godly character].
2
Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
Sing praises to Him with the harp of ten strings.
3
Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully [on the strings] with a loud and joyful sound.
4
For the word of the Lord is right;
And all His work is done in faithfulness.
5
He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.
6
By the word of the Lord were the heavens made,
And all their host by the breath of His mouth.(A)
7
He gathers the waters of the sea together as in a wineskin;
He puts the deeps in storehouses.
8
Let all the earth fear and worship the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9
For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
10
The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations;
He makes the thoughts and plans of the people ineffective.
11
The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The thoughts and plans of His heart through all generations.
12
Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people whom He has chosen as His own inheritance.(B)
13
The Lord looks [down] from heaven;
He sees all the sons of man;
14
From His dwelling place He looks closely
Upon all the inhabitants of the earth—
15
He who fashions the hearts of them all,
Who considers and understands all that they do.
16
The king is not saved by the great size of his army;
A warrior is not rescued by his great strength.
17
A horse is a false hope for victory;
Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
18
Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear Him [and worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and obedience],
On those who hope [confidently] in His compassion and lovingkindness,
19
To rescue their lives from death
And keep them alive in famine.
20
We wait [expectantly] for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
21
For in Him our heart rejoices,
Because we trust [lean on, rely on, and are confident] in His holy name.
22
Let Your [steadfast] lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
In proportion as we have [a]hoped in You.
God’s Choice for King
15 Now a day before Saul came, the Lord had [a]informed Samuel [of this], saying, 16 “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him as leader over My people Israel; and he will save My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon [the distress of] My people, because their cry [for help] has come to Me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, “There is the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall rule over My people [as their king].” 18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the [city] gate and said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.” 19 Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Go on ahead of me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and in the morning I will let you go, and will tell you all that is on your mind. 20 As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not be concerned about them, for they have been found. And for whom are all things that are desirable in Israel? Are they not for you and for all your father’s household (family)?” 21 Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjamite, of [b]the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And is not my family the smallest of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken this way to me [as if I were very important]?”
22 Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall [at the high place] and gave them a place [to sit] at the head of the persons—about thirty men—who were invited [while the rest ate outside]. 23 Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the [priests’] portion that I gave you, regarding which I told you, ‘Set it aside.’” 24 Then the cook lifted up the leg (thigh) with the meat that was on it [indicating that it was the priest’s honored portion] and placed it before Saul. Samuel said, “Here is what has been reserved [for you]. Set it before you and eat, because it has been kept for you until the appointed time, ever since I invited the people.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25 When they came down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the [c]roof [of his house]. 26 They got up early [the next day]; and at dawn Samuel called Saul [who was sleeping] on the roof, saying, “Get up, so that I may send you on your way.” Saul got up, and both he and Samuel went outside. 27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us so that he may pass by but you stand still now so that I may proclaim the word of God to you.”
Saul among Prophets
10 Then Samuel took the flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has the Lord not anointed you as ruler over His inheritance (Israel)?
30 “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount [a]Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he was astonished at the sight; but as he went near to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came [to him, saying]: 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look. 33 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground [worthy of reverence and respect]. 34 I have most certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Now come, and I will send you to Egypt [as My messenger].’(A)
35 “This Moses whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the very one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer, with the [protecting and helping] hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush.(B) 36 This man led them out [of Egypt] after performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.(C) 37 This is the Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a Prophet [b]like me from your countrymen.’(D) 38 This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles [divine words that still live] to be handed down to you.(E) 39 Our fathers were unwilling to be subject to him [and refused to listen to him]. They rejected him, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.(F) 40 They said to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’(G) 41 In those days they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced and celebrated over the works of their hands.(H) 42 But God turned away [from them] and handed them over to serve the [c]host of heaven. As it is written and forever remains written in the book of the prophets, ‘It was not [really] to Me that you offered victims and sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness, was it, O house of Israel?(I) 43 You also took along the tabernacle (portable temple) of Moloch and the star of the god Rompha, the images which you made to worship; and I will remove you beyond Babylon [carrying you away into exile].’(J)
The Garden of Gethsemane
39 And He came out and went, as was His habit, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed Him. 40 When He arrived at the place [called Gethsemane], He said to them, “Pray continually that you may not fall into temptation.”(A) 41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup [of divine wrath] from Me; yet not My will, but [always] Yours be done.” 43 [a]Now an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony [deeply distressed and anguished; almost to the point of death], He prayed more intently; and His [b]sweat became like drops of blood, falling down on the ground.(B) 45 When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, 46 and He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not fall into temptation.”
Judas Betrays Jesus
47 While He was still speaking, a crowd came, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve [disciples], was leading the way for them. He approached Jesus to [c]kiss Him.(C) 48 And Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 When those who were around Him saw what was about to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with the sword?” 50 And [d]one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.(D) 51 But Jesus replied, “Stop! No more of this.” And He touched the ear and healed him.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.