Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 119[a]
1 Blessed are those whose lives have integrity,
those who follow the teachings of Yahweh.
2 Blessed are those who obey his written instructions.
They wholeheartedly search for him.
3 They do nothing wrong.
They follow his directions.
4 You have commanded
that your guiding principles be carefully followed.
5 I pray that my ways may become firmly established
so that I can obey your laws.
6 Then I will never feel ashamed
when I study all your commandments.
7 I will give thanks to you
as I learn your regulations, which are based on your righteousness.
8 I will obey your laws.
Never abandon me.
9 How can a young person keep his life pure?
He can do it by holding on to your word.
10 I wholeheartedly searched for you.
Do not let me wander away from your commandments.
11 I have treasured your promise in my heart
so that I may not sin against you.
12 Thanks be to you, O Yahweh.
Teach me your laws.
13 With my lips I have repeated
every regulation that comes from your mouth.
14 I find joy in the way shown by your written instructions
more than I find joy in all kinds of riches.
15 I want to reflect on your guiding principles
and study your ways.
16 Your laws make me happy.
I never forget your word.
17 Be kind to me so that I may live
and hold on to your word.
18 Uncover my eyes
so that I may see the miraculous things in your teachings.
19 I am a foreigner in this world.
Do not hide your commandments from me.
20 My soul is overwhelmed with endless longing for your regulations.
21 You threaten arrogant people, who are condemned
and wander away from your commandments.
22 Remove the insults and contempt that have fallen on me
because I have obeyed your written instructions.
23 Even though influential people plot against me,
I reflect on your laws.
24 Indeed, your written instructions make me happy.
They are my best friends.
Psalm 12
For the choir director; on the sheminith; a psalm by David.
1 Help, O Yahweh.
No godly person is left.
Faithful people have vanished from among Adam’s descendants!
2 All people speak foolishly.
They speak with flattering lips. They say one thing but mean another.
3 May Yahweh cut off every flattering lip
and every bragging tongue
4 that has said,
“We will overcome with our tongues.
With lips such as ours, who can be our master?”
5 “Because oppressed people are robbed and needy people groan,
I will now arise,” says Yahweh.
“I will provide safety for those who long for it.”
6 The promises of Yahweh are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace[a] and purified seven times.
7 O Yahweh, you will protect them.
You will keep each one safe from those people forever.
8 Wicked people parade around
when immorality increases among Adam’s descendants.
Psalm 13
For the choir director; a psalm by David.
1 How long, O Yahweh? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I make decisions alone
with sorrow in my heart day after day?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look at me! Answer me, O Yahweh my Elohim!
Light up my eyes,
or else I will die
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overpowered him.”
My opponents will rejoice because I have been shaken.
5 But I trust your mercy.
My heart finds joy in your salvation.
6 I will sing to Yahweh because he has been good to me.
Psalm 14[b]
For the choir director; by David.
1 Godless fools say in their hearts,
“There is no Elohim.”
They are corrupt.
They do disgusting things.
There is no one who does good things.
2 Yahweh looks down from heaven on Adam’s descendants
to see if there is anyone who acts wisely,
if there is anyone who seeks help from Elohim.
3 Everyone has turned away.
Together they have become rotten to the core.
No one, not even one person, does good things.
4 Are all those troublemakers,
those who devour my people as if they were devouring food,
so ignorant that they do not call on Yahweh?
5 There they are—panic-stricken
because Elohim is with the person who is righteous.
6 They put the advice of oppressed people to shame
because Yahweh is their Machseh.
7 If only salvation for Israel would come from Zion!
When Yahweh restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice.
Israel will be glad.
12 This is what Yahweh says:
As a shepherd rescues two legs or a piece of an ear out of a lion’s mouth,
so the Israelites living in Samaria will be rescued,
having only a corner of a bed or a piece of a couch.[a]
13 Listen, and testify against the descendants of Jacob,
declares Adonay Yahweh Elohe Tsebaoth.
14 On the day I punish Israel for its disobedience,
I will also destroy the altars at Bethel.
The horns of the altar will be cut off and will fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down winter houses as well as summer houses.
Houses decorated with ivory will be destroyed.
Mansions will be demolished, declares Yahweh.
The Lord Will Punish the Women of Samaria
4 Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan who live on Mount Samaria.
You women oppress the poor and abuse the needy.
You say to your husbands, “Get some wine! Let’s drink!”
2 Adonay Yahweh has taken an oath on his holiness:
Surely, the time is going to come
when you will be taken away on hooks,
and the rest of you on fishhooks.
3 Each of you will leave the city
through breaks in the wall, one woman ahead of another.
You will be thrown into a garbage dump.
Yahweh declares this.
4 Go to Bethel and sin.
Go to Gilgal and sin even more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning.
Bring a tenth of your income every three days.
5 Burn bread as a thank offering.
Brag and boast about your freewill offerings.
This is what you people of Israel love to do.
Adonay Yahweh declares this.
Be Ready for the Day of the Lord
3 Dear friends, this is the second letter I’m writing to you. In both letters I’m trying to refresh your memory. 2 I want you to remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and what the Lord and Savior commanded you through your apostles.
3 First, you must understand this: In the last days people who follow their own desires will appear. These disrespectful people will ridicule God’s promise 4 by saying, “What’s happened to his promise to return? Ever since our ancestors died, everything continues as it did from the beginning of the world.”
5 They are deliberately ignoring one fact: Because of God’s word, heaven and earth existed a long time ago. The earth appeared out of water and was kept alive by water. 6 Water also flooded and destroyed that world. 7 By God’s word, the present heaven and earth are designated to be burned. They are being kept until the day ungodly people will be judged and destroyed.
8 Dear friends, don’t ignore this fact: One day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 9 The Lord isn’t slow to do what he promised, as some people think. Rather, he is patient for your sake. He doesn’t want to destroy anyone but wants all people to have an opportunity to turn to him and change the way they think and act.
10 The day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day heaven will pass away with a roaring sound. Everything that makes up the universe will burn and be destroyed. The earth and everything that people have done on it will be exposed.[a]
Jesus’ Authority Challenged(A)
23 Then Yeshua went into the temple courtyard and began to teach. The chief priests and the leaders of the people came to him. They asked, “What gives you the right to do these things? Who told you that you could do this?”
24 Yeshua answered them, “I, too, have a question for you. If you answer it for me, I’ll tell you why I have the right to do these things. 25 Did John’s right to baptize come from heaven or from humans?”
They discussed this among themselves. They said, “If we say, ‘from heaven,’ he will ask us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘from humans,’ we’re afraid of what the crowd might do. All those people think of John as a prophet.” 27 So they answered Yeshua, “We don’t know.”
Yeshua told them, “Then I won’t tell you why I have the right to do these things.
A Story about Two Sons
28 “What do you think about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go to work in the vineyard today.’
29 “His son replied, ‘I don’t want to!’ But later he changed his mind and went.
30 “The father went to the other son and told him the same thing. He replied, ‘I will, sir,’ but he didn’t go.
31 “Which of the two sons did what the father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Yeshua said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Tax collectors and prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 John came to you and showed you the way that God wants you to live, but you didn’t believe him. The tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. But even after you had seen that, you didn’t change your minds and believe him.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.