Book of Common Prayer

The King of Glory Entering Zion.

A Psalm of David.

The Voice of the Lord in the Storm.

A Psalm of David.

The Lord’s Glory and Mankind’s Dignity.

For the music director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of David.

Longing for the Temple Worship.

For the music director; ^[a]on the Gittith. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Charging Interest Abolished

5 Now ^(A)there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their ^(B)Jewish brothers. ² For there were those who said, “We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let’s ^(C)get grain so that we may eat and live.” ³ And there were others who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses so that we might get grain because of the famine.” ⁴ There also were those who said, “We have borrowed money ^(D)for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. ⁵ And now ^(E)our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, ^(F)we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters are forced into bondage already, and ^[a]we are helpless because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”

⁶ Then I was very ^(G)angry when I heard their outcry and these words. ⁷ So I thought it over and contended with the nobles and the leading people, and said to them, “^(H)You are lending at interest, each to his brother!” Therefore, I held a great assembly against them. ⁸ And I said to them, “We, according to our ability, ^(I)have ^[b]redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?” Then they were silent and could not find a word to say. ⁹ So I said, “The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of ^(J)the taunting of the nations, our enemies? ¹⁰ And likewise I, my brothers, and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please, let’s ^[c]do without this interest. ¹¹ Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, as well as the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil that you are charging as interest from them.” ¹² Then they said, “We ^(K)will give it back and ^(L)will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say.” So I called the priests and made them ^(M)take an oath to act in accordance with this ^[d]promise. ¹³ I ^(N)also shook out the ^[e]front of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every person from his house and from his possessions who does not keep this ^[f]promise; just so may he be shaken out and emptied.” And ^(O)all the assembly said, “Amen!” And they praised the Lord. Then the people acted in accordance with this ^[g]promise.

Nehemiah’s Example

¹⁴ Furthermore, since the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from ^(P)the twentieth year to the ^(Q)thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my kinsmen have eaten the governor’s food allowance. ¹⁵ But the previous governors who were before me ^[h]laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But I did not do so ^(R)because of my fear of God. ¹⁶ I also ^[i]applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. ¹⁷ Moreover, ^(S)there were at my table 150 Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. ¹⁸ Now ^(T)that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep; also birds were prepared for me, and every ten days all sorts of wine were provided in abundance. Yet for all this ^(U)I did not request the governor’s food allowance, because the forced labor was heavy on this people. ^19 (V)Remember me, my God, for good, in return for all that I have done for this people.

⁷ On ^(A)the first day of the week, when ^(B)we were gathered together to ^(C)break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his ^[a]message until midnight. ⁸ There were many ^(D)lamps in the ^(E)upstairs room where we were gathered together. ⁹ And there was a young man named ^[b]Eutychus sitting ^[c]on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, Eutychus was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor, and was picked up dead. ¹⁰ But Paul went down and ^(F)fell upon him, and after embracing him, he ^(G)said, “^[d]Do not be troubled, for ^[e]he is still alive.” ¹¹ When Paul had gone back up and had ^(H)broken the bread and ^[f]eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. ¹² They took away the boy alive, and were ^[g]greatly comforted.

²² And He said to His disciples, “^(A)For this reason I tell you, ^[a]do not worry about your ^[b]life, as to what you are to eat; nor for your body, as to what you are to wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. ²⁴ Consider the ^(B)ravens, that they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor ^(C)barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! ²⁵ And which of you by worrying can add a ^[c](D)day to his ^[d]life’s span? ²⁶ Therefore if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about the other things? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither labor nor ^[e]spin; but I tell you, not even ^(E)Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. ²⁸ Now if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? ^(F)You of little faith! ²⁹ And do not ^[f]seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not ^(G)keep worrying. ³⁰ For ^[g]all these things are what the nations of the world ^[h]eagerly seek; and your Father knows that you need these things. ³¹ But ^[i]seek His kingdom, and ^(H)these things will be ^[j]provided to you.