Book of Common Prayer
33 He changes rivers into a desert,
springs into thirsty ground,
34 and fertile ground into a layer of salt
because of the wickedness of the people living there.
35 He changes deserts into lakes
and dry ground into springs.
36 There he settles those who are hungry,
and they build cities to live in.
37 They plant in fields and vineyards
that produce crops.
38 He blesses them, and their numbers multiply,
and he does not allow a shortage of cattle.
39 They became few in number and were humiliated
because of oppression, disaster, and sorrow.
40 He poured contempt on their influential people
and made them stumble around in a pathless desert.
41 But now he lifts needy people high above suffering
and makes their families like flocks.
42 Decent people will see this and rejoice,
but all the wicked people will shut their mouths.
43 Let those who ⌞think⌟ they are wise
pay attention to these things
so that they may understand the Lord’s blessings.
A song; a psalm by David.
108 My heart is confident, O God.
I want to sing and make music even with my soul.[a]
2 Wake up, harp and lyre!
I want to wake up at dawn.
3 I want to give thanks to you among the people, O Lord.
I want to make music to praise you among the nations
4 because your mercy is higher than the heavens.
Your truth reaches the skies.
5 May you be honored above the heavens, O God.
Let your glory extend over the whole earth.
6 Save ⌞us⌟ with your powerful hand, and answer us
so that those who are dear to you may be rescued.
7 God has promised the following through his holiness:
“I will triumph!
I will divide Shechem.
I will measure the valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is mine.
Manasseh is mine.
Ephraim is the helmet on my head.
Judah is my scepter.
9 Moab is my washtub.
I will throw my shoe over Edom.
I will shout in triumph over Philistia.”
10 Who will bring me into the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Isn’t it you, O God, who rejected us?
Isn’t it you, O God, who refused to accompany our armies?
12 Give us help against the enemy
because human assistance is worthless.
13 With God we will display great strength.
He will trample our enemies.
33 Joyfully sing to the Lord, you righteous people.
Praising ⌞the Lord⌟ is proper for decent people.
2 Give thanks with a lyre to the Lord.
Make music for him on a ten-stringed harp.
3 Sing a new song to him.
Play beautifully and joyfully on stringed instruments.
4 The Lord’s word is correct,
and everything he does is trustworthy.
5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice.
His mercy fills the earth.
6 The heavens were made by the Lord’s word
and all the stars by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the water in the sea like a dam
and puts the oceans in his storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord.
Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him.
9 He spoke, and it came into being.
He gave the order, and there it stood.
10 The Lord blocks the plans of the nations.
He frustrates the schemes of the people of the world.
11 The Lord’s plan stands firm forever.
His thoughts stand firm in every generation.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.
Blessed are the people he has chosen as his own.
13 The Lord looks down from heaven.
He sees all of Adam’s descendants.
14 From the place where he sits enthroned,
he looks down upon all who live on earth.
15 The one who formed their hearts
understands everything they do.
16 No king achieves a victory with a large army.
No warrior rescues himself by his own great strength.
17 Horses are not a guarantee for victory.
Their great strength cannot help someone escape.
18 The Lord’s eyes are on those who fear him,
on those who wait with hope for his mercy
19 to rescue their souls from death
and keep them alive during a famine.
20 We wait for the Lord.
He is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts find joy.
In his holy name we trust.
22 Let your mercy rest on us, O Lord,
since we wait with hope for you.
16 When David had gone over the top ⌞of the Mount of Olives⌟, Ziba, Mephibosheth’s servant, met him with a pair of saddled donkeys. They were loaded with 200 loaves of bread, 100 bunches of raisins, 100 pieces of ripened fruit, and a full wineskin.
2 “Why did you bring these?” David asked Ziba.
“The donkeys are for the king’s family to ride on,” Ziba answered. “The bread and the ripe fruit are for ⌞your⌟ servants to eat. The wine is for those who become tired and thirsty in the desert.”
3 “Where is your master Saul’s grandson?” the king asked.
“He’s staying in Jerusalem,” Ziba answered the king. “He said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back my grandfather’s kingdom.’ ”
4 The king told Ziba, “In that case everything that belonged to Mephibosheth now belongs to you.”
“I sincerely thank you,” said Ziba. “I hope to remain in your good graces, Your Majesty.”
5 When King David came to Bahurim, a man who was a distant cousin of Saul came out cursing. His name was Shimei, son of Gera. 6 He threw stones at David and David’s servants, although all the people and all the warriors were shielding David. 7 Shimei cursed and said, “Get out! Get out, you bloodthirsty man! You worthless person! 8 The Lord is paying you back for all the blood you spilled in the family of Saul, whom you succeeded as king. The Lord is giving the kingship to your son Absalom. Now you’re in trouble because you’re a bloodthirsty man.”
9 Abishai, Zeruiah’s son, asked the king, “Why should this dead dog curse you, Your Majesty? Let me go over there and tear off his head.”
10 But the king said, “You don’t think like me at all, sons of Zeruiah. Let him curse. If the Lord has told him, ‘Curse David,’ should anyone ask, ‘Why do you do that?’ ” 11 David told Abishai and all his servants, “My own son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. Why, then, shouldn’t this Benjaminite do this? Leave him alone. Let him curse, since the Lord has told him to do it. 12 Maybe the Lord will see my misery and turn his curse into a blessing for me today.”
13 As David and his men went along the road, Shimei was walking along the hillside parallel to him. Shimei cursed, hurled stones, and threw dirt at David. 14 The king and all the people with him finally arrived ⌞at their destination⌟ and rested there.
Absalom Enters Jerusalem
15 Meanwhile, Absalom and all Israel’s troops came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him. 16 When David’s friend Hushai from Archi’s family came to Absalom, he said, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
17 “Is that how loyal you are to your friend?” Absalom asked Hushai. “Why didn’t you go with him?”
18 Hushai answered Absalom, “No, I want to be with the one whom the Lord, these people, and all Israel have chosen. I will be his ⌞friend⌟ and stay with him. 19 And besides, whom should I serve? Shouldn’t it be his son? As I served your father, so I’ll serve you.”
20 Then Absalom asked Ahithophel, “What’s your advice? What should we do?”
21 Ahithophel told Absalom, “Sleep with your father’s concubines [a] whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear about how you have made your father despise you. Everyone who is with you will support you even more.”
22 So a tent was put up on the roof for Absalom, and he slept with his father’s concubines in plain sight of Israel.
23 In those days both David and Absalom thought that Ahithophel’s advice was like getting an answer from God.
17 “After that, I returned to Jerusalem. While I was praying in the temple courtyard, I fell into a trance 18 and saw the Lord. He told me, ‘Hurry! Get out of Jerusalem immediately. The people here won’t accept your testimony about me.’
19 “I said, ‘Lord, people here know that I went from synagogue to synagogue to imprison and whip those who believe in you. 20 When Stephen, who witnessed about you, was being killed, I was standing there. I approved of his death and guarded the coats of those who were murdering him.’
21 “But the Lord told me, ‘Go! I’ll send you on a mission. You’ll go far away to people who aren’t Jewish.’ ”
22 Up to that point the mob listened. Then they began to shout, “Kill him! The world doesn’t need a man like this. He shouldn’t have been allowed to live this long!”
23 The mob was yelling, taking off their coats, and throwing dirt into the air. 24 So the officer ordered the soldiers to take Paul into the barracks and told them to question Paul as they whipped him. The officer wanted to find out why the people were yelling at Paul like this. 25 But when the soldiers had Paul stretch out ⌞to tie him to the whipping post⌟ with the straps, Paul asked the sergeant who was standing there, “Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t had a trial?”
26 When the sergeant heard this, he reported it to his commanding officer. The sergeant asked him, “What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen.”
27 The officer went to Paul and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
Paul answered, “Yes.”
28 The officer replied, “I paid a lot of money to become a Roman citizen.”
Paul replied, “But I was born a Roman citizen.”
29 Immediately, the soldiers who were going to question Paul stepped away from him. The officer was afraid when he found out that he had tied up a Roman citizen.
The King Comes to Jerusalem(A)
11 When they came near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead of him. 2 He said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied there. No one has ever sat on it. Untie it, and bring it. 3 If anyone asks you what you are doing, say that the Lord needs it. That person will send it here at once.”
4 The disciples found the young donkey in the street. It was tied to the door of a house. As they were untying it, 5 some men standing there asked them, “Why are you untying that donkey?” 6 The disciples answered them as Jesus had told them. So the men let them go.
7 They brought the donkey to Jesus, put their coats on it, and he sat on it. 8 Many spread their coats on the road. Others cut leafy branches in the fields and spread them on the road. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed him were shouting,
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10 Blessed is our ancestor David’s kingdom that is coming!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
11 Jesus came into Jerusalem and went into the temple courtyard, where he looked around at everything. Since it was already late, he went out with the twelve apostles to Bethany.
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