Book of Common Prayer
BOOK ONE
(Psalms 1–41)
1 Blessed is the person who does not
follow the advice of wicked people,
take the path of sinners,
or join the company of mockers.
2 Rather, he delights in the teachings of the Lord
and reflects on his teachings day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted beside streams—
a tree that produces fruit in season
and whose leaves do not wither.
He succeeds in everything he does.[a]
4 Wicked people are not like that.
Instead, they are like husks that the wind blows away.
5 That is why wicked people will not be able to stand in the judgment
and sinners will not be able to stand where righteous people gather.
6 The Lord knows the way of righteous people,
but the way of wicked people will end.
2 Why do the nations gather together?
Why do their people devise useless plots?
2 Kings take their stands.
Rulers make plans together
against the Lord and against his Messiah [b] by saying,
3 “Let’s break apart their chains
and shake off their ropes.”
4 The one enthroned in heaven laughs.
The Lord makes fun of them.
5 Then he speaks to them in his anger.
In his burning anger he terrifies them by saying,
6 “I have installed my own king on Zion, my holy mountain.”
7 I will announce the Lord’s decree.
He said to me:
“You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.
8 Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance
and the ends of the earth as your own possession.
9 You will break them with an iron scepter.
You will smash them to pieces like pottery.”
10 Now, you kings, act wisely.
Be warned, you rulers of the earth!
11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, or he will become angry
and you will die on your way
because his anger will burst into flames.
Blessed is everyone who takes refuge in him.
A psalm by David when he fled from his son Absalom.
3 O Lord, look how my enemies have increased!
Many are attacking me.
2 Many are saying about me,
“Even with God ⌞on his side⌟,
he won’t be victorious.” Selah
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield that surrounds me.
You are my glory.
You hold my head high.
4 I call aloud to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain. Selah
5 I lie down and sleep.
I wake up again because the Lord continues to support me.
6 I am not afraid of the tens of thousands
who have taken positions against me on all sides.
7 Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
You have slapped all my enemies in the face.
You have smashed the teeth of wicked people.
8 Victory belongs to the Lord!
May your blessing rest on your people. Selah
For the choir director; with stringed instruments; a psalm by David.
4 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness.
You have freed me from my troubles.
Have pity on me, and hear my prayer!
2 You important people,
how long are you going to insult my honor?
How long are you going to love what is empty
and seek what is a lie? Selah
3 Know that the Lord singles out godly people for himself.
The Lord hears me when I call to him.
4 Tremble and do not sin.
Think about this on your bed and remain quiet. Selah
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness
by trusting the Lord.
6 Many are saying, “Who can show us anything good?”
Let the light of your presence shine on us, O Lord.
7 You put more joy in my heart
than when their grain and new wine increase.
8 I fall asleep in peace the moment I lie down
because you alone, O Lord, enable me to live securely.
A shiggaion [a] by David; he sang it to the Lord about the ⌞slanderous⌟ words of Cush, a descendant of Benjamin.
7 O Lord my God, I have taken refuge in you.
Save me, and rescue me from all who are pursuing me.
2 Like a lion they will tear me to pieces
and drag me off with no one to rescue me.
3 O Lord my God,
if I have done this—
if my hands are stained with injustice,
4 if I have paid back my friend with evil
or rescued someone who has no reason to attack me—
5 then let the enemy chase me and catch me.
Let him trample my life into the ground.
Let him lay my honor in the dust. Selah
6 Arise in anger, O Lord.
Stand up against the fury of my attackers.
Wake up, my God.[b]
You have already pronounced judgment.
7 Let an assembly of people gather around you.
Take your seat high above them.
8 The Lord judges the people of the world.
Judge me, O Lord,
according to my righteousness,
according to my integrity.
9 Let the evil within wicked people come to an end,
but make the righteous person secure,
O righteous God who examines thoughts and emotions.
10 My shield is God above,
who saves those whose motives are decent.
11 God is a fair judge,
a God who is angered by injustice every day.
12 If a person does not change, God sharpens his sword.
By bending his bow, he makes it ready ⌞to shoot⌟.
13 He prepares his deadly weapons
and turns them into flaming arrows.
14 See how that person conceives evil,
is pregnant with harm,
and gives birth to lies.
15 He digs a pit and shovels it out.
Then he falls into the hole that he made ⌞for others⌟.
16 His mischief lands back on his own head.
His violence comes down on top of him.
17 I will give thanks to the Lord for his righteousness.
I will make music to praise the name of the Lord Most High.
Israel Will Be Judged for Its Crimes
6 This is what the Lord says:
Because Israel has committed three crimes, and now a fourth crime,
I will not change my plans.
The people of Israel sell the righteous for money
and the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 They stomp the heads of the poor into the dust.
They push the humble out of the way.
Father and son sleep with the same woman.
They dishonor my holy name.
8 Beside every altar, they spread themselves out on clothes
taken as security.
In the temples of their gods, they drink the wine
that they bought with fines.
9 I destroyed the Amorites in front of them,
although the Amorites were as tall as cedars and as strong as oaks.
I destroyed their fruit above the ground and their roots below it.
10 I brought you out of Egypt.
I led you through the desert for 40 years
so that you could take possession of the land of the Amorites.
11 I also sent you prophets from among your children
and Nazirites from among your youths.
Isn’t that so, people of Israel?
The Lord has declared this.
12 You made the Nazirites drink wine.
You commanded the prophets to stop prophesying.
13 I am going to crush you as an overloaded wagon crushes a person.
14 Runners will not be able to escape.
Strong men will find that their strength is useless.
Soldiers will not be able to save themselves.
15 Archers will not stand their ground.
Fast runners will not be able to escape.
Horsemen will not be able to save themselves.
16 Brave soldiers will run away naked that day.
The Lord has declared this.
Greeting
1 From Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.
To those who have obtained a faith that is as valuable as ours, a faith based on the approval that comes from our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
2 May good will [a] and peace fill your lives through your knowledge about Jesus, our God and Lord!
God’s Power Gives Us the Ability to Live Godly Lives
3 God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and for godliness. This power was given to us through knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and integrity. 4 Through his glory and integrity he has given us his promises that are of the highest value. Through these promises you will share in the divine nature because you have escaped the corruption that sinful desires cause in the world.
5 Because of this, make every effort to add integrity to your faith; and to integrity add knowledge; 6 to knowledge add self-control; to self-control add endurance; to endurance add godliness; 7 to godliness add Christian affection; and to Christian affection add love. 8 If you have these qualities and they are increasing, it demonstrates that your knowledge about our Lord Jesus Christ is living and productive. 9 If these qualities aren’t present in your life, you’re shortsighted and have forgotten that you were cleansed from your past sins. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, use more effort to make God’s calling and choosing of you secure.
If you keep doing this, you will never fall away. 11 Then you will also be given the wealth of entering into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The King Comes to Jerusalem(A)
21 When they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples ahead of him. 2 He said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you. You will find a donkey tied there and a colt with it. Untie them, and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them. That person will send them at once.”
4 This happened so that what the prophet had said came true:
5 “Tell the people of Zion,
‘Your king is coming to you.
He’s gentle,
riding on a donkey,
on a colt, a young pack animal.’ ”
6 The disciples did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put their coats on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 Most of the people spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowd that went ahead of him and that followed him was shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
10 When Jesus came into Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar. People were asking, “Who is this?”
11 The crowd answered, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
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