Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 75[a]
God Is Judge of the World
1 For the director.[b] According to “Do not destroy!” A psalm of Asaph. A song.
2 We give thanks[c] to you, O God,
we give thanks to you.
For your wondrous deeds
declare that your name is near.
3 [d]You say, “When I receive the assembly,
I will judge with equity.
4 When the earth quakes, with all its inhabitants,
it is I who will hold its pillars firm.[e] Selah
5 [f]“I say to the arrogant,[g] ‘Do not boast,’
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.
6 Do not rebel against heaven
or speak with arrogance against the Rock.’ ”[h]
7 [i]For judgment does not come from east or west,
nor from the wilderness or the mountains.[j]
8 Rather, it is God who judges rightly,
humbling one and exalting another.[k]
9 The Lord holds in his hand a cup
filled with foaming wine and richly spiced.
When he pours it out,
all the wicked[l] of the earth must drink;
they will drain it down to the dregs.
10 As for me, I will proclaim this forever;
I will sing praises[m] to the God of Jacob.
11 “I will cut off all the horns of the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous[n] will be exalted.”
Psalm 76[o]
God, Defender of Zion
1 For the director.[p] With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.
2 [q]God is renowned in Judah;
his name is great in Israel.
3 His tent has been established in Salem,
his dwelling place in Zion.
4 There he shattered the flashing arrows,
shields and swords and weapons of war. Selah
5 [r]You are awesome and resplendent,
more majestic than the everlasting mountains.
6 The bold warriors lie plundered
and sleeping their last sleep.[s]
And not one of the men of war
can lift up his hands.
7 At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both chariots and horses lie prostrate.
8 You indeed are awesome;
who can stand in your presence when your anger is aroused?
9 You thundered your verdicts from the heavens;
the earth in its terror was silent
10 when you arose, O God, to judge,
to rescue all the afflicted of the land.[t] Selah
11 Human wrath only serves to praise you;[u]
those who survive your anger will cling to you.
12 [v]Make vows to the Lord, your God, and keep them;
let all the lands nearby
bring gifts to the Awesome One,
13 who breaks the spirit of rulers
and inspires fear in the kings of the earth.
Psalm 23[a]
Prayer to the Good Shepherd
1 A psalm of David.
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall lack.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;[b]
he leads me to tranquil streams.
3 He restores my soul,[c]
guiding me in paths of righteousness
so that his name may be glorified.
4 Even though I wander
through the valley of the shadow of death,[d]
I will fear no evil,
for you are at my side,
with your rod and your staff
that comfort me.
5 [e]You spread a table for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;[f]
my cup overflows.
6 Only goodness and kindness[g] will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever and ever.
Psalm 27[a]
Trust in God, Our Light and Salvation
1 Of David.
The Lord is my light[b] and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom should I be afraid?
2 When evildoers close in on me
to devour my flesh,[c]
it is they, my adversaries and enemies,
who stumble and fall.
3 Even if an army encamps against me,
my heart[d] will not succumb to fear;
even if war breaks out against me,
I will not have my trust shaken.
4 There is only one thing I ask of the Lord,
just one thing I seek:
to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
so that I may enjoy the beauty of the Lord[e]
and gaze on his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in times of trouble.
He will conceal me under the cover of his tent[f]
and place me high upon a rock.
6 Even now my head is raised high
above my enemies who surround me.
In his tent I will offer sacrifices[g] with joyous shouts;
I will sing and chant praise to the Lord.
7 O Lord, hear my voice when I cry out;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart[h] says of you,
“Seek his face.”
It is your face, O Lord, that I seek;
9 do not hide your face[i] from me.
Do not turn away your servant in anger,
you who have been my help.
Do not reject or forsake me,
O God, my Savior.
10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord will gather me up.[j]
11 Teach me your way,[k] O Lord,
and lead me along a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Do not abandon me to the will of my adversaries,
for lying witnesses have risen against me,
breathing forth violence in their malice.
13 I am confident that I will behold the goodness of the Lord[l]
in the land of the living.
14 Place your hope in the Lord:
be strong and courageous in your heart,
and place your hope in the Lord.
28 The young woman ran and reported all these things to her mother’s household. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and Laban rushed out to the man at the well. 30 In fact, as soon as he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on the wrists of his sister and heard what Rebekah, his sister, said, “This is what that man told me,” he went to the man who was still standing alongside the camels at the well. 31 He said, “Come, blessed one of the Lord! Why are you still standing out here when I have already prepared the house for you and a place for your camels?”
32 The man went into the house while his camels were unloaded and given hay and forage. Water was brought to wash his feet and those of his men. 33 Then food was placed in front of him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I must say.”
They answered, “Of course!”
34 He said, “I am the servant of Abraham. 35 The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become powerful. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys. 36 Sarah, the wife of my master, gave birth to a son when he was already old, and he has given all his possessions to him. 37 My master has made me swear an oath. He said, ‘You must not take a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Canaanites among whom we live. 38 You must go to the house of my father, to my kin, to take a wife for my son.’
49 Now, if you intend to act kindly and loyally toward my master, let me know. If not, let me know as well, so that I may search elsewhere.”
50 Laban and Bethuel then answered, “This is from the Lord; there is nothing we can say. 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go so that she may be the wife of the son of your master, just as the Lord has instructed you.”
12 Therefore, strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that your weakened limbs may not be disabled but rather may be healed.
14 Seek Peace and Sanctification.[a] Seek peace with everyone, as well as the holiness without which no one will ever see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one is deprived of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness may spring up and cause trouble, resulting in the defilement of many.
16 Do not be like Esau, an immoral and worldly-minded person who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he sought to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought it with tears, he found no possibility for repentance.
18 Listen to the One Who Is Speaking.[b] You have not come to something that can be touched: a blazing fire, or complete darkness, or gloom, or a storm, 19 or the sound of a trumpet, or a voice speaking words that made those who heard them beg that nothing more be said to them. 20 For they could not bear to hear the command that was given, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses cried out, “I am terrified and trembling.”
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to myriads of angels in joyful gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn[c] whose names are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous who have been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more powerfully than even the blood of Abel.
25 See that you do not reject the one who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they rejected the one who warned them on earth, how much more is this true of us if we turn away from the one who is from heaven? 26 At that time, his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but heaven as well.”
27 The words “once more” indicate the removal of what can be shaken—that is, all created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, offering to God a worship that is pleasing to him. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.
14 Do Not Judge by Appearances.[a] When the feast was half over, Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. 15 The Jews were astonished, and they wondered, “How has this man acquired such knowledge when he has never studied?”[b] 16 Jesus answered them,
“My teaching is not my own;
rather, it comes from him who sent me.
17 Anyone who resolves to do his will
will know whether my teaching comes from God
or whether I am speaking on my own authority.
18 Whoever speaks on his own authority
is simply seeking his own glory,
but whoever seeks the glory
of the one who sent him
is a truthful person,
and there is no dishonesty in him.
19 “Did not Moses give you the Law?
And not one of you keeps the Law.
Why are you trying to kill me?”
20 The crowd shouted, “You are possessed! Who is trying to kill you?” 21 Jesus replied,
“I performed a single work,[c]
and all of you are astonished.
22 Moses gave you circumcision
—although it did not originate with Moses
but with the patriarchs—
and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.
23 Now if a man can be circumcised on the Sabbath
so that the Law of Moses may not be broken,
why are you angry with me
for making a man’s entire body
completely healthy on the Sabbath?
24 Do not base your judgment on appearances;
judge according to what is right.”
25 Where Is Jesus from and Where Is He Going?[d] Then some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, “Is this not the man they are trying to kill? 26 And yet he is speaking publicly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities realize that he is the Christ? 27 And yet we know where this man is from. But when the Christ appears, no one will know where he is from.”
28 Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple,
“You know me,
and you also know where I am from.
Yet I have not come of my own accord,
but he who sent me is true.
You do not know him,
29 but I know him
because I am from him
and it was he who sent me.”
30 So they tried to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many in the crowd believed in him, and they said, “When the Christ comes, will he perform more signs than this man has accomplished?”
32 When the Pharisees overheard the crowd murmuring about him, the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said,
“I will remain with you
only for a short time longer,
and then I shall return
to him who sent me.
34 You will search for me,
but you will not find me,
for where I am you cannot come.”
35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not be able to find him? Will he go abroad to the people who are dispersed among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean when he says, ‘You will search for me, but you will be unable to find me,’ and ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”
Copyright © 2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.