Book of Common Prayer
Meditations and Prayers Relating to the Law of God.
Aleph.
119 How blessed are those whose way is [a](A)blameless,
Who (B)walk in the law of the Lord.
2 How blessed are those who (C)observe His testimonies,
Who (D)seek Him (E)with all their heart.
3 They also (F)do no unrighteousness;
They walk in His ways.
4 You have [b](G)ordained Your precepts,
[c]That we should keep them diligently.
5 Oh that my (H)ways may be established
To (I)keep Your statutes!
6 Then I (J)shall not be ashamed
When I look [d]upon all Your commandments.
7 I shall (K)give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
8 I shall keep Your statutes;
Do not (L)forsake me utterly!
Beth.
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By (M)keeping it according to Your word.
10 With (N)all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me (O)wander from Your commandments.
11 Your word I have (P)treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.
12 Blessed are You, O Lord;
(Q)Teach me Your statutes.
13 With my lips I have (R)told of
All the (S)ordinances of Your mouth.
14 I have (T)rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
[e]As much as in all riches.
15 I will (U)meditate on Your precepts
And [f]regard (V)Your ways.
16 I shall [g](W)delight in Your statutes;
I shall (X)not forget Your word.
Gimel.
17 (Y)Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your law.
19 I am a (Z)stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.
20 My soul is crushed [h](AA)with longing
After Your ordinances at all times.
21 You (AB)rebuke the arrogant, [i]the (AC)cursed,
Who (AD)wander from Your commandments.
22 (AE)Take away reproach and contempt from me,
For I (AF)observe Your testimonies.
23 Even though (AG)princes sit and talk against me,
Your servant (AH)meditates on Your statutes.
24 Your testimonies also are my (AI)delight;
They are [j]my counselors.
God, a Helper against the Treacherous.
For the choir director; [a]upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.
12 Help, Lord, for (A)the godly man ceases to be,
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
2 They (B)speak [b]falsehood to one another;
With (C)flattering [c]lips and with a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
The tongue that (D)speaks great things;
4 Who (E)have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are [d]our own; who is lord over us?”
5 “Because of the (F)devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now (G)I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will (H)set him in the safety for which he longs.”
6 The (I)words of the Lord are pure words;
As silver (J)tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.
7 You, O Lord, will keep them;
You will (K)preserve him from this generation forever.
8 The (L)wicked strut about on every side
When [e](M)vileness is exalted among the sons of men.
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
13 How long, O Lord? Will You (N)forget me forever?
How long (O)will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long shall I (P)take counsel in my soul,
Having (Q)sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3 (R)Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
(S)Enlighten my eyes, or I will (T)sleep the sleep of death,
4 And my enemy will (U)say, “I have overcome him,”
And (V)my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.
5 But I have (W)trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall (X)rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will (Y)sing to the Lord,
Because He has (Z)dealt bountifully with me.
Folly and Wickedness of Men.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
14 The fool has (AA)said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed abominable [f]deeds;
There is (AB)no one who does good.
2 The Lord has (AC)looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there are any who [g](AD)understand,
Who (AE)seek after God.
3 They have all (AF)turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
There is (AG)no one who does good, not even one.
The Lord Provides Water
22 (A)Then Moses [a]led Israel from the [b]Red Sea, and they went out into (B)the wilderness of (C)Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to (D)Marah, they could not drink the waters [c]of Marah, for they were [d]bitter; therefore it was named [e]Marah. 24 So the people (E)grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 Then he (F)cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him (G)a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.
There He (H)made for them a statute and regulation, and there He (I)tested them. 26 And He said, “(J)If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear (K)to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, (L)I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, (M)the Lord, am your healer.”
27 Then they came to (N)Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.
The Lord Provides Manna
16 Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of (O)Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on (P)the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. 2 The whole congregation of the sons of Israel (Q)grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The sons of Israel said to them, “(R)Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, (S)when we sat by the pots of [f]meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, (T)I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may (U)test them, whether or not they will walk in My [g]instruction. 5 (V)On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “At evening [h](W)you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt; 7 and in the morning [i]you will see (X)the glory of the Lord, for (Y)He hears your grumblings against the Lord; and (Z)what are we, that you grumble against us?”
The Lord Provides Meat
8 Moses said, “This will happen when the Lord gives you [j]meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the Lord hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are (AA)not against us but against the Lord.”
9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘(AB)Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your grumblings.’” 10 It came about as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, that they [k]looked toward the wilderness, and behold, (AC)the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.
As Newborn Babes
2 Therefore, (A)putting aside all [a]malice and all deceit and [b]hypocrisy and [c]envy and all [d](B)slander, 2 (C)like newborn babies, long for the [e](D)pure [f]milk of the word, so that by it you may (E)grow [g]in respect to salvation, 3 if you have (F)tasted [h](G)the kindness of the Lord.
As Living Stones
4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been (H)rejected by men, but is [i]choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 (I)you also, as living stones, [j]are being built up as a (J)spiritual house for a holy (K)priesthood, to (L)offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in [k]Scripture:
“(M)Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a (N)precious corner stone,
And he who believes in [l]Him will not be [m]disappointed.”
7 (O)This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,
8 and,
“(R)A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”;
(S)for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, (T)and to this doom they were also appointed.
9 But you are (U)a chosen race, a royal (V)priesthood, a (W)holy nation, (X)a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you (Y)out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 (Z)for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Jesus Is the Vine—Followers Are Branches
15 “(A)I am the true vine, and My Father is the (B)vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He [a]prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 (C)You are already [b]clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 (D)Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit [c]of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he (E)bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is (F)thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, (G)ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My (H)Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so [d](I)prove to be My disciples. 9 Just as (J)the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10 (K)If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as (L)I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 (M)These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your (N)joy may be made full.
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