Book of Common Prayer
For the choir director; by David; to be kept in mind.
70 Come quickly to rescue me, O God!
Come quickly to help me, O Lord!
2 Let those who seek my life
be confused and put to shame.
Let those who want my downfall
be turned back and disgraced.
3 Let those who say, “Aha! Aha!”
be turned back because of their own shame.
4 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad because of you.
Let those who love your salvation continually say,
“God is great!”
5 But I am oppressed and needy.
O God, come to me quickly.
You are my help and my savior.
O Lord, do not delay!
71 I have taken refuge in you, O Lord.
Never let me be put to shame.
2 Rescue me and free me because of your righteousness.
Turn your ear toward me, and save me.
3 Be a rock on which I may live,
a place where I may always go.
You gave the order to save me!
Indeed, you are my rock and my fortress.
4 My God, free me from the hands of a wicked person,
from the grasp of one who is cruel and unjust.
5 You are my hope, O Almighty Lord.
You have been my confidence ever since I was young.
6 I depended on you before I was born.
You took me from my mother’s womb.
My songs of praise constantly speak about you.
7 I have become an example to many people,
but you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
with your glory all day long.
9 Do not reject me when I am old
or abandon me when I lose my strength.
10 My enemies talk about me.
They watch me as they plot to take my life.
11 They say, “God has abandoned him.
Pursue him and grab him because there is no one to rescue him.”
12 O God, do not be so distant from me.
O my God, come quickly to help me.
13 Let those who accuse me come to a shameful end.
Let those who want my downfall be covered
with disgrace and humiliation.
14 But I will always have hope.
I will praise you more and more.
15 My mouth will tell about your righteousness,
about your salvation all day long.
Even then, it is more than I can understand.
16 I will come with the mighty deeds of the Almighty Lord.
I will praise your righteousness, yours alone.
17 O God, you have taught me ever since I was young,
and I still talk about the miracles you have done.
18 Even when I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God.
Let me live to tell the people of this age
what your strength has accomplished,
to tell about your power to all who will come.
19 Your righteousness reaches to the heavens, O God.
You have done great things.
O God, who is like you?
20 You have made me endure many terrible troubles.
You restore me to life again.
You bring me back from the depths of the earth.
21 You comfort me and make me greater than ever.
22 Because of your faithfulness, O my God,
even I will give thanks to you as I play on a lyre.
I will make music with a harp to praise you, O Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will sing with joy when I make music to praise you.
My soul, which you have rescued, also will sing joyfully.
24 My tongue will tell about your righteousness all day long,
because those who wanted my downfall
have been disgraced and put to shame.
A maskil [a] by Asaph.
74 Why, O God, have you rejected us forever?
Why does your anger
smolder against the sheep in your care?
2 Remember your congregation.
Long ago you made it your own.
You bought this tribe to be your possession.
This tribe is Mount Zion, where you have made your home.
3 Turn your steps toward these pathetic ruins.
The enemy has destroyed everything in the holy temple.
4 Your opponents have roared inside your meeting place.
They have set up their own emblems as symbols.
5 Starting from its entrance, they hacked away
like a woodcutter in a forest.
6 They smashed all its carved paneling with axes and hatchets.
7 They burned your holy place to the ground.
They dishonored the place where you live among us.
8 They said to themselves, “We will crush them.”
They burned every meeting place of God in the land.
9 We no longer see miraculous signs.
There are no prophets anymore.
No one knows how long this will last.
10 How long, O God, will the enemy insult us?
Will the enemy despise you forever?
11 Why do you hold back your hand, especially your right hand?
Take your hands out of your pockets.
Destroy your enemies!
12 And yet, from long ago God has been my king,
the one who has been victorious throughout the earth.
13 You stirred up the sea with your own strength.
You smashed the heads of sea monsters in the water.
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan
and gave them to the creatures of the desert for food.
15 You opened the springs and brooks.
You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.
16 The day and the night are yours.
You set the moon and the sun in their places.
17 You determined all the boundaries of the earth.
You created summer and winter.
18 Remember how the enemy insulted you, O Lord.
Remember how an entire nation of godless fools despised your name.
19 Do not hand over the soul of your dove to wild animals.
Do not forget the life of your oppressed people forever.
20 Consider your promise [b]
because every dark corner of the land is filled with violence.
21 Do not let oppressed people come back in disgrace.
Let weak and needy people praise your name.
22 Arise, O God!
Fight for your own cause!
Remember how godless fools insult you all day long.
23 Do not forget the shouting of your opponents.
Do not forget the uproar made by those who attack you.
Ezra’s Family Background
7 After these things, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra left Babylon.
Ezra was the son of Seraiah, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of Hilkiah, 2 who was the son of Shallum, who was the son of Zadok, who was the son of Ahitub, 3 who was the son of Amariah, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of Meraioth, 4 who was the son of Zerahiah, who was the son of Uzzi, who was the son of Bukki, 5 who was the son of Abishua, who was the son of Phinehas, who was the son of Eleazer, who was the son of Aaron (the first priest).
6 As a scribe, Ezra was an expert in Moses’ Teachings, which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king gave Ezra everything he requested because the Lord his God was guiding him.
7 Some Israelites (including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants) went to Jerusalem in Artaxerxes’ seventh year as king. 8 In that same year in the fifth month, Ezra arrived in Jerusalem. 9 He had left Babylon on the first day of the first month, and on the first day of the fifth month, he arrived in Jerusalem, since his God was good to him. 10 Ezra was determined to study the Lord’s Teachings, live by them, and teach their rules and regulations in Israel.
King Artaxerxes’ Letter to Ezra
11 This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest and scribe, a man with a thorough knowledge of the Lord’s commands and laws for Israel:
12 From: Artaxerxes, king of kings
To: Ezra the priest, a scribe for the Teachings of the God of Heaven:
I wish you peace and prosperity!
13 I have issued a decree that any Israelites who are in my kingdom and want to go with you to Jerusalem may go. This also includes the priests and Levites. 14 I, the king, and my seven advisers are sending you to evaluate the situation in Judah and Jerusalem on the basis of your God’s Teachings, which you hold in your hands. 15 Also, you must take the silver and gold that the king and his advisers willingly contributed to the God of Israel, the God whose temple is in Jerusalem. 16 Take any silver and gold that you find in the whole province of Babylon when you take the gifts contributed by the people and the priests. They willingly contributed these gifts for the temple of their God in Jerusalem. 17 You must use this money to buy bulls, rams, lambs, grain, and wine to offer on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem. 18 You and your relatives may do whatever you think is right with the rest of the silver and gold. However, what you do must conform to the will of your God. 19 The utensils that have been given to you so that they can be used in your God’s temple must all be presented to the God of Jerusalem. 20 You may use the king’s treasury to pay for anything else that you must provide for your God’s temple.
21 I, King Artaxerxes, order all the treasurers ⌞in the province⌟ west of the Euphrates River to do exactly what Ezra the priest, a scribe for the Teachings of the God of Heaven, asks you to do. 22 ⌞You may give him⌟ up to 7,500 pounds of silver, 100 measures of wheat, 600 gallons of wine, 600 gallons of olive oil, and as much salt as he needs. 23 Whatever the God of heaven has commanded must be carried out in detail for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should God become angry with the king’s empire and his sons? 24 Furthermore, we are notifying you that you are forbidden to make any priest, Levite, singer, gatekeeper, servant, or worker in the temple of this God pay any taxes, fees, or tolls.
25 You, Ezra, using your God’s wisdom—the Teachings you hold in your hands—will appoint judges and administrators for all the people who know your God’s Teachings and live ⌞in the province⌟ west of the Euphrates River. In addition, you will teach anyone who doesn’t know the Teachings.
26 Whoever will not strictly follow your God’s Teachings and the king’s orders should be promptly exiled, have his goods confiscated, be imprisoned or be sentenced to die.
The New Song on Mount Zion
14 I looked, and the lamb was standing on Mount Zion. There were 144,000 people with him who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 Then I heard a sound from heaven like the noise of raging water and the noise of loud thunder. The sound I heard was like the music played by harpists. 3 They were singing a new song in front of the throne, the four living creatures, and the leaders. Only the 144,000 people who had been bought on earth could learn the song.
4 These 144,000 virgins are pure. They follow the lamb wherever he goes. They were bought from among humanity as the first ones offered to God and to the lamb. 5 They’ve never told a lie. They are blameless.
The Harvest of the Earth
6 I saw another angel flying overhead with the everlasting Good News to spread to those who live on earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 The angel said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the time has come for him to judge. Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs.”
8 Another angel, a second one, followed him, and said, “Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! She has made all the nations drink the wine of her passionate sexual sins.”
9 Another angel, a third one, followed them, and said in a loud voice, “Whoever worships the beast or its statue, whoever is branded on his forehead or his hand, 10 will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured unmixed into the cup of God’s anger. Then he will be tortured by fiery sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the lamb. 11 The smoke from their torture will go up forever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast or its statue, or for anyone branded with its name.” 12 In this situation God’s holy people, who obey his commands and keep their faith in Jesus, need endurance.
13 I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: From now on those who die believing in the Lord are blessed.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit. “Let them rest from their hard work. What they have done goes with them.”
Recalling John’s Death(A)
14 At that time Herod, ruler of Galilee, heard the news about Jesus. 2 He said to his officials, “This is John the Baptizer! He has come back to life. That’s why he has the power to perform these miracles.”
3 Herod had arrested John, tied him up, and put him in prison. Herod did this for Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. 4 John had been telling Herod, “It’s not right for you to be married to her.” 5 So Herod wanted to kill John. However, he was afraid of the people because they thought John was a prophet.
6 When Herod celebrated his birthday, Herodias’ daughter danced for his guests. Herod was so delighted with her that 7 he swore he would give her anything she wanted.
8 Urged by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptizer on a platter.”
9 The king regretted his promise. But because of his oath and his guests, he ordered that her wish be granted. 10 He had John’s head cut off in prison. 11 So the head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother.
12 John’s disciples came for the body and buried it. Then they went to tell Jesus.
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