Book of Common Prayer
Mem
97 How I (A)love Your Law!
It is my (B)meditation all the day.
98 Your (C)commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
For they are ever [a]mine.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my (D)meditation.
100 I understand (E)more than those who are old,
Because I have (F)complied with Your precepts.
101 I have (G)restrained my feet from every evil way,
So that I may keep Your word.
102 I have not (H)turned aside from Your judgments,
For You Yourself have taught me.
103 How (I)sweet are Your [b]words to my [c]taste!
Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 From Your precepts I (J)get understanding;
Therefore I (K)hate every false way.
Nun
105 Your word is a (L)lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
106 I have (M)sworn and I will confirm it,
That I will keep Your righteous judgments.
107 I am exceedingly (N)afflicted;
[d](O)Revive me, Lord, according to Your word.
108 Be pleased to accept the [e](P)voluntary offerings of my mouth, Lord,
And (Q)teach me Your judgments.
109 My [f](R)life is continually [g]in my hand,
Yet I do not (S)forget Your Law.
110 The wicked have (T)set a [h]trap for me,
Yet I have not (U)wandered from Your precepts.
111 I have (V)inherited Your testimonies forever,
For they are the (W)joy of my heart.
112 I have (X)inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, even (Y)to the end.
Samekh
113 I hate those who are (Z)double-minded,
But I love Your (AA)Law.
114 You are my (AB)hiding place and my (AC)shield;
I [i](AD)wait for Your word.
115 (AE)Leave me, you evildoers,
So that I may (AF)comply with the commandments of my God.
116 (AG)Sustain me according to Your [j]word, that I may live;
And (AH)do not let me be [k]ashamed of my hope.
117 Sustain me so that I may be (AI)safe,
That I may (AJ)have regard for Your statutes continually.
118 You have [l]rejected all those (AK)who stray from Your statutes,
For their deceitfulness is [m]useless.
119 You have [n]removed all the wicked of the earth like [o](AL)impurities;
Therefore I (AM)love Your testimonies.
120 My flesh [p](AN)trembles from the fear of You,
And I am (AO)afraid of Your judgments.
God’s Goodness and Israel’s Waywardness.
For the music director; [a]on the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.
81 (A)Sing for joy to God our (B)strength;
Shout (C)joyfully to the (D)God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song, strike (E)the tambourine,
The sweet sounding (F)lyre with the (G)harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the (H)new moon,
At the full moon, on our (I)feast day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
An ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He established it as a testimony in Joseph
When he [b](J)went throughout the land of Egypt.
I heard a (K)language I did not know:
6 “I [c](L)relieved his shoulder of the burden,
His hands were freed from the [d]basket.
7 You (M)called in trouble and I rescued you;
I (N)answered you in the hiding place of thunder;
I put you to the test at the (O)waters of Meribah. Selah
8 (P)Hear, My people, and I will admonish you;
Israel, if you (Q)would listen to Me!
9 There shall be no (R)strange god among you;
Nor shall you worship a foreign god.
10 (S)I, the Lord, am your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
(T)Open your mouth wide and I will (U)fill it.
11 “But My people (V)did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not [e]obey Me.
12 So I (W)gave [f]them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk by their own plans.
13 Oh that My people (X)would listen to Me,
That Israel would (Y)walk in My ways!
14 I would quickly (Z)subdue their enemies
And (AA)turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 (AB)Those who hate the Lord would (AC)pretend to obey Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
16 [g]But I would feed you with the [h](AD)finest of the wheat,
And with (AE)honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Unjust Judgments Rebuked.
A Psalm of Asaph.
82 God takes His (AF)position in [i]His assembly;
He (AG)judges in the midst of the (AH)gods.
2 How long will you (AI)judge unjustly
And (AJ)show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 (AK)Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
4 (AL)Rescue the weak and needy;
Save them from the hand of the wicked.
5 They (AM)do not know nor do they understand;
They (AN)walk around in darkness;
All the (AO)foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 [j]I (AP)said, “You are gods,
And all of you are (AQ)sons of the Most High.
7 Nevertheless (AR)you will die like men,
And fall like (AS)one of the princes.”
8 (AT)Arise, God, (AU)judge the earth!
For You (AV)possess all the nations.
73 Now (A)the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel lived in their cities.
(B)And when the seventh month came, the sons of Israel were in their cities.
Ezra Reads the Law
8 And all the people gathered as one person at the public square which was in front of (C)the Water Gate, and they [a]asked (D)Ezra the scribe to bring (E)the Book of the Law of Moses which the Lord had [b]given to Israel. 2 Then (F)Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding, on (G)the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it before the public square which was in front of (H)the Water Gate, from [c]early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and [d]all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
5 Then Ezra opened (A)the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people (B)stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, “(C)Amen, Amen!” with the raising of their hands; then (D)they kneeled down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites explained the Law to the people while the people remained in their place. 8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, [a]translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.
This Day Is Holy
9 Then Nehemiah, who was the [b](E)governor, and Ezra (F)the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “(G)This day is holy to the Lord your God; (H)do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat the festival foods, drink the sweet drinks, and (I)send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your [c]refuge.” 11 So the Levites silenced all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 Then all the people went away to eat, drink, (J)to send portions, and to [d]celebrate a great feast, (K)because they understood the words which had been made known to them.
Feast of Booths Restored
13 Then on the second day the heads of fathers’ households of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered to Ezra the scribe so that they might gain insight into the words of the Law. 14 And they found written in the Law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the sons of Israel (L)were to live in [e]booths during the feast of the seventh month. 15 (M)And that they were to proclaim and circulate a proclamation in all their cities and (N)in Jerusalem, saying, “(O)Go out to the hills, and bring olive branches and [f]wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of other trees with thick branches, to make booths, as it is written.” 16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each (P)on his roof, and in their courtyards and in the courtyards of the house of God, and in the public square at (Q)the Water Gate, and in the square at (R)the Gate of Ephraim. 17 The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths. Indeed, the sons of Israel (S)had not done so since the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And (T)there was very great rejoicing. 18 (U)He read from the Book of the Law of God daily, from the first day to the last day. And they (V)celebrated the feast seven days, and on (W)the eighth day there was a festive assembly in accordance with the ordinance.
21 Then [a]a (A)strong angel (B)picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, (C)the great city, be thrown down with violence, and (D)will never be found again. 22 And (E)the sound of harpists, musicians, flute players, and trumpeters will never be heard in you again; and no craftsman of any craft will ever be found in you again; and the (F)sound of a mill will never be heard in you again; 23 and the light of a lamp will never shine in you again; and the (G)voice of the groom and bride will never be heard in you again; for your (H)merchants were the powerful people of the earth, because all the nations were deceived (I)by your witchcraft. 24 And in her was found the (J)blood of prophets and of [b]saints, and of (K)all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
Healing Crowds
29 (A)Departing from there, Jesus went along (B)the Sea of Galilee, and after going up on the mountain, He was sitting there. 30 And [a]large crowds came to Him bringing with them those who were limping, had impaired limbs, were blind, or were unable to speak, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and (C)He healed them. 31 So the crowd was astonished as they saw those who were unable to speak talking, those with impaired limbs [b]restored, those who were limping walking around, and those who were blind seeing; and they (D)glorified the God of Israel.
Four Thousand Men Fed
32 (E)Now Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “(F)I feel compassion for the [c]people, because they [d]have remained with Me now for three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” 33 The disciples *said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?” 34 And Jesus *said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And He directed the [e]people to [f]sit down on the ground; 36 and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and after (G)giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large (H)baskets full. 38 And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
39 And sending away the crowds, Jesus got into (I)the boat and came to the region of (J)Magadan.
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