Book of Common Prayer
God Sustains His Servant.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
40 I (A)waited [a]patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me and (B)heard my cry.
2 He brought me up out of the (C)pit of destruction, out of the [b]miry clay,
And (D)He set my feet upon a rock (E)making my footsteps firm.
3 He put a (F)new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will (G)see and fear
And will trust in the Lord.
4 How (H)blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,
And (I)has not [c]turned to the proud, nor to those who (J)lapse into falsehood.
5 Many, O Lord my God, are (K)the wonders which You have done,
And Your (L)thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They (M)would be too numerous to count.
6 [d](N)Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired;
My ears You have [e]opened;
Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is [f]written of me.
8 (O)I delight to do Your will, O my God;
(P)Your Law is within my heart.”
9 I have (Q)proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will (R)not restrain my lips,
O Lord, (S)You know.
10 I have (T)not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have (U)spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.
11 You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
[g]Your (V)lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.
12 For evils beyond number have (W)surrounded me;
My (X)iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are (Y)more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my (Z)heart has [h]failed me.
13 (AA)Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
Make (AB)haste, O Lord, to help me.
14 Let those be (AC)ashamed and humiliated together
Who (AD)seek my [i]life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight [j]in my hurt.
15 Let those (AE)be [k]appalled because of their shame
Who (AF)say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16 (AG)Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let those who love Your salvation (AH)say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
17 Since (AI)I am afflicted and needy,
[l](AJ)Let the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.
Prayer for Defense against Enemies.
For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A [a]Maskil of David, [b]when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Is not David hiding himself among us?”
54 Save me, O God, by (A)Your name,
And [c]vindicate me by (B)Your power.
2 (C)Hear my prayer, O God;
(D)Give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have (E)risen against me
And (F)violent men have (G)sought my [d]life;
They have (H)not set God before them. [e]Selah.
A Contrite Sinner’s Prayer for Pardon.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David, when [a]Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
51 (A)Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of (B)Your compassion (C)blot out my transgressions.
2 (D)Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And (E)cleanse me from my sin.
3 For [b]I (F)know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
4 (G)Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is (H)evil in Your sight,
So that (I)You [c]are justified [d]when You speak
And [e]blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was (J)brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire (K)truth in the [f]innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will (L)make me know wisdom.
7 [g]Purify me (M)with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
[h]Wash me, and I shall be (N)whiter than snow.
8 [i]Make me to hear (O)joy and gladness,
Let the (P)bones which You have broken rejoice.
9 (Q)Hide Your face from my sins
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 (R)Create [j]in me a (S)clean heart, O God,
And renew [k]a (T)steadfast spirit within me.
11 (U)Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your (V)Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the (W)joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a (X)willing spirit.
13 Then I will (Y)teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will [l]be (Z)converted to You.
14 Deliver me from (AA)bloodguiltiness, O God, (AB)the God of my salvation;
Then my (AC)tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, [m](AD)open my lips,
That my mouth may (AE)declare Your praise.
16 For You (AF)do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You are not pleased with burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a (AG)broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah saying, 9 “Thus has the Lord of hosts said, ‘(A)Dispense true justice and practice (B)kindness and compassion each to his brother; 10 and (C)do not oppress the widow or the [a]orphan, the [b]stranger or the poor; and do (D)not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’ 11 But they (E)refused to pay attention and [c](F)turned a stubborn shoulder and [d](G)stopped their ears from hearing. 12 They made their (H)hearts like [e](I)flint [f]so that they could not hear the law and the (J)words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the (K)former prophets; therefore great (L)wrath came from the Lord of hosts. 13 And just as (M)He called and they would not listen, so (N)they called and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts; 14 “but I [g](O)scattered them with a (P)storm wind among all the nations whom they have not known. Thus the land is (Q)desolated behind them [h]so that (R)no one went back and forth, for they (S)made the pleasant land desolate.”
The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion
8 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I am (T)exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.’ 3 Thus says the Lord, ‘I will return to Zion and will (U)dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of (V)Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.’ 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘(W)Old men and old women will again sit in the [i]streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of [j]age. 5 And the [k]streets of the city will be filled with (X)boys and girls playing in its [l]streets.’ 6 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘If it is [m](Y)too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be [n](Z)too difficult in My sight?’ declares the Lord of hosts. 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the [o](AA)east and from the land of the [p]west; 8 and I will (AB)bring them back and they will (AC)live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be (AD)My people, and I will be their God in [q]truth and righteousness.’
6 And I saw [a]between the throne (with the four living creatures) and (A)the elders a (B)Lamb standing, as if (C)slain, having seven (D)horns and (E)seven eyes, which are (F)the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 And He came and took (G)the book out of the right hand of Him who (H)sat on the throne. 8 When He had taken the [b]book, the (I)four living creatures and the (J)twenty-four elders (K)fell down before the (L)Lamb, each one holding a (M)harp and (N)golden bowls full of incense, which are the (O)prayers of the [c]saints. 9 And they *sang a (P)new song, saying,
“(Q)Worthy are You to take the [d]book and to break its seals; for You were (R)slain, and (S)purchased for God with Your blood men from (T)every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
10 “You have made them to be a (U)kingdom and (V)priests to our God; and they will (W)reign upon the earth.”
Angels Exalt the Lamb
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels (X)around the throne and the (Y)living creatures and the (Z)elders; and the number of them was (AA)myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,
“(AB)Worthy is the (AC)Lamb that was (AD)slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
13 And (AE)every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,
“To Him who (AF)sits on the throne, and to the (AG)Lamb, (AH)be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
14 And the (AI)four living creatures kept saying, “(AJ)Amen.” And the (AK)elders (AL)fell down and worshiped.
Parable of the Talents
14 “(A)For it is just like a man (B)about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five [a](C)talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he (D)went on his journey. 16 Immediately the one who had received the five (E)talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his [b]master’s money.
19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *(F)settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five (G)talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and (H)faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will (I)put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your [c]master.’
22 “Also the one who had received the two (J)talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and (K)faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
24 “And the one also who had received the one (L)talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then you ought to have put my money [d]in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
29 “(M)For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 Throw out the worthless slave into (N)the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.