Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 75
For the choir director; al tashcheth; a psalm by Asaph; a song.
1 We give thanks to you, O Elohim; we give thanks.
You are present, and your miracles confirm that.
2 When I choose the right time,
I will judge fairly.
3 When the earth and everyone who lives on it begin to melt,
I will make its foundations as solid as rock. Selah
4 I said to those who brag, “Don’t brag,”
and to wicked people,
“Don’t raise your weapons.
5 Don’t raise your weapons so proudly
or speak so defiantly.”
6 The authority to reward someone does not come
from the east,
from the west,
or even from the wilderness.
7 Elohim alone is the Shophet.
He punishes one person and rewards another.
8 A cup is in Yahweh’s hand.
(Its foaming wine is thoroughly mixed with spices.)
He will empty it,
and all the wicked people on earth
will have to drink every last drop.
9 But I will speak about your miracles forever.
I will make music to praise the Elohim of Jacob.
10 I will destroy all the weapons of wicked people,
but the weapons of righteous people will be raised proudly.
Psalm 76
For the choir director; on stringed instruments; a psalm by Asaph; a song.
1 Elohim is known in Judah.
His name is great in Israel.
2 His tent is in Salem.
His home is in Zion.
3 There he destroyed flaming arrows,
shields, swords, and weapons of war. Selah
4 You are the radiant one.
You are more majestic than the ancient mountains.[a]
5 Brave people were robbed.
They died.
None of the warriors were able to lift a hand.
6 At your stern warning, O Elohim of Jacob,
chariot riders and horses were put to sleep.
7 You alone must be feared!
Who can stand in your presence when you become angry?
8 From heaven you announced a verdict.
The earth was fearful and silent
9 when you rose to judge, O Elohim,
when you rose to save every oppressed person on earth. Selah
10 Even angry mortals will praise you.
You will wear the remainder of their anger.[b]
11 Make vows to Yahweh your Elohim, and keep them.
Let everyone around him bring gifts to the one who must be feared.
12 He cuts short the lives of influential people.
He terrifies the kings of the earth.
Psalm 23
A psalm by David.
1 Yahweh is my Roeh.
I am never in need.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside peaceful waters.
3 He renews my soul.
He guides me along the paths of righteousness
for the sake of his name.
4 Even though I walk through the dark valley of death,
because you are with me, I fear no harm.
Your rod and your staff give me courage.
5 You prepare a banquet for me while my enemies watch.
You anoint my head with oil.
My cup overflows.
6 Certainly, goodness and mercy will stay close to me all the days of my life,
and I will remain in Yahweh’s house for days without end.
Psalm 27
By David.
1 Yahweh is my light and my salvation.
Who is there to fear?
Yahweh is my life’s fortress.
Who is there to be afraid of?
2 Evildoers closed in on me to tear me to pieces.
My opponents and enemies stumbled and fell.
3 Even though an army sets up camp against me,
my heart will not be afraid.
Even though a war breaks out against me,
I will still have confidence in the Lord.
4 I have asked one thing from Yahweh.
This I will seek:
to remain in Yahweh’s house all the days of my life
in order to gaze at Yahweh’s beauty
and to search for an answer in his temple.
5 He hides me in his shelter when there is trouble.
He keeps me hidden in his tent.
He sets me high on a rock.
6 Now my head will be raised above my enemies who surround me.
I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy in his tent.
I will sing and make music to praise Yahweh.
7 Hear, O Yahweh, when I cry aloud.
Have pity on me, and answer me.
8 When you said,
“Seek my face,”
my heart said to you,
“O Yahweh, I will seek your face.”[a]
9 Do not hide your face from me.
Do not angrily turn me away.
You have been my help.
Do not leave me!
Do not abandon me, O Elohim, my savior!
10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,
Yahweh will take care of me.
11 Teach me your way, O Yahweh.
Lead me on a level path
because I have enemies who spy on me.
12 Do not surrender me to the will of my opponents.
False witnesses have risen against me.
They breathe out violence.
13 I believe that I will see the goodness of Yahweh
in this world of the living.
14 Wait with hope for Yahweh.
Be strong, and let your heart be courageous.
Yes, wait with hope for Yahweh.
The Banquet at Joseph’s House
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the man in charge of his house, “Take these men to my house. Butcher an animal, and prepare a meal, because they are going to eat with me at noon.”
17 So the man did as Joseph said and took them to Joseph’s house. 18 The men were frightened, because they had been brought to Joseph’s house. They thought, “We’ve been brought here because of the money that was put back into our sacks the first time. They’re going to attack us, overpower us, take our donkeys, and make us slaves.”
19 So they came to the man in charge of Joseph’s house and spoke to him at the door. 20 “Please, sir,” they said, “we came here to buy food once before. 21 When we stopped for the night, we opened our sacks, and each man found all of his money inside. So we brought it back with us. 22 We also brought more money to buy food. We have no idea who put our money back in our sacks.”
23 “It’s alright,” he said. “Don’t be afraid! Your Elohim, the Elohim of your father, must have given you treasure in your sacks. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
24 The man took the brothers into Joseph’s house. He gave them water to wash their feet and feed for their donkeys. 25 They got their gifts ready for Joseph’s return at noon, because they had heard they were going to eat there.
26 When Joseph came home, they gave him the gifts they had brought to the house. Then they bowed to him with their faces touching the ground. 27 He asked them how they were. Then he said, “You told me about your elderly father. How is he? Is he still alive?”
28 They answered, “Yes, sir. Our father is alive and well.” Then they knelt, bowing down.
29 As Joseph looked around, he saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son. “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” he asked. “God be gracious to you, my son,” he said. 30 Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, he hurried away, looking for a place to cry. He went into his private room and cried there.
31 Then he washed his face and came out. He was in control of his emotions when he said, “Serve the food.”
32 He was served separately from his brothers. The Egyptians who were there with him were also served separately, because they found it offensive to eat with Hebrews. 33 The brothers were seated facing him according to their ages—from the oldest to the youngest. They looked at each other in amazement.
34 Joseph had portions of food brought to them from his table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times more than any of the others. So they ate and drank with Joseph until they were drunk.
10 I pass this command along (not really I, but the Lord): A wife shouldn’t leave her husband. 11 If she does, she should stay single or make up with her husband. Likewise, a husband should not divorce his wife.
12 I (not the Lord) say to the rest of you: If any Christian man is married to a woman who is an unbeliever, and she is willing to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13 If any Christian woman is married to a man who is an unbeliever, and he is willing to live with her, she should not divorce her husband. 14 Actually, the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and an unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise, their children would be unacceptable to God, but now they are acceptable to him. 15 But if the unbelieving partners leave, let them go. Under these circumstances a Christian man or Christian woman is not bound by a marriage vow. God has called you to live in peace. 16 How do you as a wife know whether you will save your husband? How do you as a husband know whether you will save your wife?
17 Everyone should live the life that the Lord gave him when God called him. This is the guideline I use in every church.
18 Any man who was already circumcised when he was called to be a Christian shouldn’t undo his circumcision. Any man who was uncircumcised when he was called to be a Christian shouldn’t get circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing, and the lack of it is nothing. But keeping what God commands is everything. 20 All people should stay as they were when they were called. 21 Were you a slave when you were called? That shouldn’t bother you. However, if you have a chance to become free, take it. 22 If the Lord called you when you were a slave, you are the Lord’s free person. In the same way, if you were free when you were called, you are Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought for a price. Don’t become anyone’s slaves. 24 Brothers and sisters, you should remain in whatever circumstances you were in when God called you. God is with you in those circumstances.
Jesus Cures a Demon-Possessed Man(A)
5 They arrived in the territory of the Gerasenes on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. 2 As Yeshua stepped out of the boat, a man came out of the tombs and met him. The man was controlled by an evil spirit 3 and lived among the tombs. No one could restrain him any longer, not even with a chain. 4 He had often been chained hand and foot. However, he snapped the chains off his hands and broke the chains from his feet. No one could control him. 5 Night and day he was among the tombs and on the mountainsides screaming and cutting himself with stones.
6 The man saw Yeshua at a distance. So he ran to Yeshua, bowed down in front of him, 7 and shouted, “Why are you bothering me now, Yeshua, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me.” 8 He shouted this because Yeshua said, “You evil spirit, come out of the man.”
9 Yeshua asked him, “What is your name?”
He told Yeshua, “My name is Legion [Six Thousand], because there are many of us.” 10 He begged Yeshua not to send them out of the territory.
11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on a mountainside nearby. 12 The demons begged him, “Send us into the pigs! Let us enter them!”
13 Yeshua let them do this. The evil spirits came out of the man and went into the pigs. The herd of about two thousand pigs rushed down the cliff into the sea and drowned.
14 Those who took care of the pigs ran away. In the city and countryside they reported everything that had happened. So the people came to see what had happened. 15 They came to Yeshua and saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. The man was sitting there dressed and in his right mind. The people were frightened. 16 Those who saw this told what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. 17 Then the people began to beg Yeshua to leave their territory.
18 As Yeshua stepped into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged him, “Let me stay with you.” 19 But Yeshua would not allow it. Instead, he told the man, “Go home to your family, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been to you.”
20 So the man left. He began to tell how much Yeshua had done for him in the Ten Cities.[a] Everyone was amazed.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.