Book of Common Prayer
God Implored to Confound His Enemies.
A Song, a Psalm of Asaph.
83 O God, (A)do not remain quiet;
(B)Do not be silent and, O God, do not be still.
2 For behold, Your enemies (C)make an uproar,
And (D)those who hate You have [a](E)exalted themselves.
3 They (F)make shrewd plans against Your people,
And [b]conspire together against (G)Your [c]treasured ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and (H)let us wipe them out [d]as a nation,
That the (I)name of Israel be remembered no more.”
5 For they have [e](J)conspired together with one mind;
Against You they make a covenant:
6 The tents of (K)Edom and the (L)Ishmaelites,
(M)Moab and the (N)Hagrites;
7 (O)Gebal and (P)Ammon and (Q)Amalek,
(R)Philistia with the inhabitants of (S)Tyre;
8 (T)Assyria also has joined with them;
They have become [f]a help to the (U)children of Lot. [g]Selah.
9 Deal with them (V)as with Midian,
As (W)with Sisera and Jabin at the torrent of Kishon,
10 Who were destroyed at En-dor,
Who (X)became as dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like (Y)Oreb and Zeeb
And all their princes like (Z)Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “(AA)Let us possess for ourselves
The (AB)pastures of God.”
13 O my God, make them like the [h](AC)whirling dust,
Like (AD)chaff before the wind.
14 Like (AE)fire that burns the forest
And like a flame that (AF)sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them (AG)with Your tempest
And terrify them with Your storm.
16 (AH)Fill their faces with dishonor,
That they may seek Your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be (AI)ashamed and dismayed forever,
And let them be humiliated and perish,
18 That they may (AJ)know that (AK)You alone, whose name is the Lord,
Are the (AL)Most High over all the earth.
BOOK 2
Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.
For the choir director. A [a]Maskil of the sons of Korah.
42 As the deer [b]pants for the water brooks,
So my soul [c](A)pants for You, O God.
2 My soul (B)thirsts for God, for the (C)living God;
When shall I come and [d](D)appear before God?
3 My (E)tears have been my food day and night,
While they (F)say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember and I (G)pour out my soul within me.
For I (H)used to go along with the throng and [e]lead them in procession to the house of God,
With the voice of (I)joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
5 (J)Why are you [f](K)in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become (L)disturbed within me?
[g](M)Hope in God, for I shall [h]again praise [i]Him
For the [j](N)help of His presence.
6 O my God, my soul is [k]in despair within me;
Therefore I (O)remember You from (P)the land of the Jordan
And the [l]peaks of (Q)Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your (R)breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.
8 The Lord will (S)command His lovingkindness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me (T)in the night,
A prayer to (U)the God of my life.
9 I will say to God (V)my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go (W)mourning [m]because of the (X)oppression of the enemy?”
10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me,
While they (Y)say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
11 (Z)Why are you [n]in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
[o]Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,
The [p]help of my countenance and my God.
Prayer for Deliverance.
43 (AA)Vindicate me, O God, and (AB)plead my case against an ungodly nation;
[q]O deliver me from (AC)the deceitful and unjust man!
2 For You are the (AD)God of my strength; why have You (AE)rejected me?
Why do I go (AF)mourning [r]because of the oppression of the enemy?
Prayer for God’s Mercy upon the Nation.
For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
85 O Lord, You showed (A)favor to Your land;
You [a](B)restored the captivity of Jacob.
2 You (C)forgave the iniquity of Your people;
You (D)covered all their sin. [b]Selah.
3 You (E)withdrew all Your fury;
You (F)turned away from Your burning anger.
4 (G)Restore us, O God of our salvation,
And (H)cause Your indignation toward us to cease.
5 Will (I)You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger to [c]all generations?
6 Will You not Yourself [d](J)revive us again,
That Your people may (K)rejoice in You?
7 Show us Your lovingkindness, O Lord,
And (L)grant us Your salvation.
8 [e]I will hear what God the Lord will say;
For He will (M)speak peace to His people, [f]to His godly ones;
But let them not (N)turn back to [g]folly.
9 Surely (O)His salvation is near to those who [h]fear Him,
That (P)glory may dwell in our land.
10 (Q)Lovingkindness and [i]truth have met together;
(R)Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 [j]Truth (S)springs from the earth,
And righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 Indeed, (T)the Lord will give what is good,
And our (U)land will yield its produce.
13 (V)Righteousness will go before Him
And will make His footsteps into a way.
A Psalm of Supplication and Trust.
A Prayer of David.
86 (W)Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me;
For I am (X)afflicted and needy.
2 (Y)Preserve my [k]soul, for I am a (Z)godly man;
O You my God, save Your servant who (AA)trusts in You.
3 Be (AB)gracious to me, O Lord,
For (AC)to You I cry all day long.
4 Make glad the soul of Your servant,
For to You, O Lord, (AD)I lift up my soul.
5 For You, Lord, are (AE)good, and (AF)ready to forgive,
And (AG)abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.
6 (AH)Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
And give heed to the voice of my supplications!
7 In (AI)the day of my trouble I shall call upon You,
For (AJ)You will answer me.
8 There is (AK)no one like You among the gods, O Lord,
Nor are there any works (AL)like Yours.
9 (AM)All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And they shall glorify Your name.
10 For You are (AN)great and (AO)do [l]wondrous deeds;
You alone (AP)are God.
11 (AQ)Teach me Your way, O Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
(AR)Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will (AS)give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And will glorify Your name forever.
13 For Your lovingkindness toward me is great,
And You have (AT)delivered my soul from the [m]depths of [n]Sheol.
14 O God, arrogant men have (AU)risen up against me,
And [o]a band of violent men have sought my [p]life,
And they have not set You before them.
15 But You, O Lord, are a God (AV)merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and [q]truth.
16 (AW)Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
Oh (AX)grant Your strength to Your servant,
And save the (AY)son of Your handmaid.
17 (AZ)Show me a sign for good,
That those who hate me may (BA)see it and be ashamed,
Because You, O Lord, (BB)have helped me and comforted me.
Jacob Moves to Egypt
46 So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to (A)Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the (B)God of his father Isaac. 2 (C)God spoke to Israel [a]in visions of the night and said, “(D)Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3 He said, “(E)I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will (F)make you a great nation there. 4 (G)I will go down with you to Egypt, and (H)I will also surely bring you up again; and (I)Joseph will [b]close your eyes.”
5 Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob and their little ones and their wives in the (J)wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 They took their livestock and their property, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and (K)came to Egypt, Jacob and all his [c]descendants with him: 7 his sons and his grandsons with him, his daughters and his granddaughters, and all his [d]descendants he brought with him to Egypt.
28 Now he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out the way before him to (A)Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. 29 Joseph [a]prepared his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; as soon as he appeared [b]before him, he fell on his neck and (B)wept on his neck a long time. 30 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.” 31 Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “(C)I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me; 32 and the men are shepherds, for they have been [c]keepers of livestock; and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ 33 When Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘(D)What is your occupation?’ 34 you shall say, ‘Your servants have been [d](E)keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ that you may [e]live in the land of (F)Goshen; for every shepherd is [f](G)loathsome to the Egyptians.”
Paul’s Use of Liberty
9 Am I not (A)free? Am I not an (B)apostle? Have I not (C)seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not (D)my work in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the (E)seal of my (F)apostleship in the Lord.
3 My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 [a](G)Do we not have a right to eat and drink? 5 [b](H)Do we not have a right to take along a [c]believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the (I)brothers of the Lord and (J)Cephas? 6 Or do only [d](K)Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working? 7 Who at any time serves (L)as a soldier at his own expense? Who (M)plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not [e]use the milk of the flock?
8 I am not speaking these things (N)according to [f]human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “(O)You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.” God is not concerned about (P)oxen, is He? 10 Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, (Q)for our sake it was written, because (R)the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. 11 (S)If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we (T)did not use this right, but we endure all things (U)so that we will cause no hindrance to the (V)gospel of Christ. 13 (W)Do you not know that those who (X)perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share [g]from the altar? 14 So also (Y)the Lord directed those who proclaim the (Z)gospel to (AA)get their living from the gospel.
15 But I have (AB)used none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make (AC)my boast an empty one.
30 (A)The (B)apostles *gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. 31 And He *said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and (C)they did not even have time to eat.) 32 (D)They went away in (E)the boat to a secluded place by themselves.
Five Thousand Fed
33 The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus went [a]ashore, He (F)saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because (G)they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. 35 When it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and said, “[b]This place is desolate and it is already quite late; 36 send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves [c]something to eat.” 37 But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” (H)And they *said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred [d](I)denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” 38 And He *said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they *said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 And He commanded them all to [e]sit down by groups on the green grass. 40 They [f]sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. 41 And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He (J)blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and they picked up twelve full (K)baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. 44 There were (L)five thousand men who ate the loaves.
Jesus Walks on the Water
45 (M)Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into (N)the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to (O)Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. 46 After (P)bidding them farewell, He left (Q)for the mountain to pray.
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