Book of Common Prayer
The Lord the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Deliverer in Death.
A [a]Mikhtam of David.
16 (A)Preserve me, O God, for (B)I take refuge in You.
2 [b]I said to the Lord, “You are [c]my Lord;
I (C)have no good besides You.”
3 As for the [d](D)saints who are in the earth,
[e]They are the majestic ones (E)in whom is all my delight.
4 The [f](F)sorrows of those who have [g]bartered for another god will be multiplied;
I shall not pour out their drink offerings of (G)blood,
Nor will I (H)take their names upon my lips.
5 The Lord is the (I)portion of my inheritance and my (J)cup;
You support my (K)lot.
6 The (L)lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is (M)beautiful to me.
7 I will bless the Lord who has (N)counseled me;
Indeed, my [h](O)mind instructs me in the night.
8 (P)I have (Q)set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is (R)at my right hand, (S)I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore (T)my heart is glad and (U)my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will (V)dwell securely.
10 For You (W)will not abandon my soul to [i]Sheol;
Nor will You [j](X)allow Your [k]Holy One to [l]undergo decay.
11 You will make known to me (Y)the path of life;
In (Z)Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are (AA)pleasures forever.
Prayer for Protection against Oppressors.
A Prayer of David.
17 Hear a (AB)just cause, O Lord, (AC)give heed to my cry;
(AD)Give ear to my prayer, which is not from (AE)deceitful lips.
2 Let (AF)my [m]judgment come forth from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look with (AG)equity.
3 You have (AH)tried my heart;
You have visited me by night;
You have (AI)tested me and (AJ)You find [n]nothing;
I have (AK)purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
4 As for the deeds of men, (AL)by the word of Your lips
I have kept from the (AM)paths of the violent.
5 My (AN)steps have held fast to Your [o]paths.
My (AO)feet have not slipped.
6 I have (AP)called upon You, for You will answer me, O God;
(AQ)Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech.
7 (AR)Wondrously show Your lovingkindness,
O (AS)Savior of those who take refuge [p]at Your right hand
From those who rise up against them.
8 Keep me as [q]the (AT)apple of the eye;
Hide me (AU)in the shadow of Your wings
9 From the (AV)wicked who despoil me,
My (AW)deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They have (AX)closed their [r]unfeeling heart,
With their mouth they (AY)speak proudly.
11 They have now (AZ)surrounded us in our steps;
They set their eyes (BA)to cast us down to the ground.
12 He is (BB)like a lion that is eager to tear,
And as a young lion (BC)lurking in hiding places.
13 (BD)Arise, O Lord, confront him, (BE)bring him low;
(BF)Deliver my soul from the wicked with (BG)Your sword,
14 From men with (BH)Your hand, O Lord,
From men [s]of the world, (BI)whose portion is in this life,
And whose belly You (BJ)fill with Your treasure;
They are satisfied with children,
And leave their abundance to their babes.
15 As for me, I shall (BK)behold Your face in righteousness;
(BL)I will be satisfied [t]with Your (BM)likeness when I awake.
Greetings of Night Watchers.
A Song of Ascents.
134 Behold, (A)bless the Lord, all (B)servants of the Lord,
Who [a](C)serve (D)by night in the house of the Lord!
2 (E)Lift up your hands to the (F)sanctuary
And bless the Lord.
3 May the Lord (G)bless you from Zion,
He who (H)made heaven and earth.
Praise the Lord’s Wonderful Works. Vanity of Idols.
135 [b](I)Praise [c]the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord;
Praise Him, O (J)servants of the Lord,
2 You who stand in the house of the Lord,
In the (K)courts of the house of our God!
3 [d]Praise [e]the Lord, for (L)the Lord is good;
(M)Sing praises to His name, (N)for it is lovely.
4 For [f]the Lord has (O)chosen Jacob for Himself,
Israel for His [g](P)own possession.
5 For I know that (Q)the Lord is great
And that our Lord is (R)above all gods.
6 (S)Whatever the Lord pleases, He does,
In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
7 [h]He (T)causes the [i]vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;
Who (U)makes lightnings for the rain,
Who (V)brings forth the wind from His treasuries.
8 [j]He (W)smote the firstborn of Egypt,
[k]Both of man and beast.
9 [l]He sent (X)signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt,
Upon (Y)Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 [m](Z)He (AA)smote many nations
And slew mighty kings,
11 (AB)Sihon, king of the Amorites,
And (AC)Og, king of Bashan,
And (AD)all the kingdoms of Canaan;
12 And He (AE)gave their land as a heritage,
A heritage to Israel His people.
13 Your (AF)name, O Lord, is everlasting,
Your [n]remembrance, O Lord, [o]throughout all generations.
14 For the Lord will (AG)judge His people
And (AH)will have compassion on His servants.
15 The (AI)idols of the nations are but silver and gold,
The work of man’s hands.
16 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
They have eyes, but they do not see;
17 They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
Yes, everyone who trusts in them.
23 then he said to them, “This is what the Lord [a]meant: (A)Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and (B)all that is left over [b]put aside to be kept until morning.” 24 So they [c]put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and (C)it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it. 25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 (D)Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be [d]none.”
27 It came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(E)How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My [e]instructions? 29 See, [f]the Lord has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The house of (F)Israel named it [g]manna, and it was like (G)coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey. 32 Then Moses said, “This is [h]what the Lord has commanded, ‘Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33 Moses said to Aaron, “(H)Take a jar and put an omerful of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before (I)the Testimony, to be kept. 35 (J)The sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (Now (K)an omer is a tenth of an [i]ephah.)
13 (A)Who is [a]there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should (B)suffer for the sake of righteousness, (C)you [b]are blessed. (D)And do not fear their [c]intimidation, and do not be troubled, 15 but [d]sanctify (E)Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready (F)to make a [e]defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the (G)hope that is in you, yet (H)with gentleness and [f](I)reverence; 16 [g]and keep a (J)good conscience so that in the thing in which (K)you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For (L)it is better, (M)if [h]God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. 18 For (N)Christ also died for sins (O)once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might (P)bring us to God, having been put to death (Q)in the flesh, but made alive (R)in the [i]spirit; 19 in [j]which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the (S)patience of God (T)kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of (U)the ark, in which a few, that is, (V)eight (W)persons, were brought safely through the [k]water. 21 (X)Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—(Y)not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God [l]for a (Z)good conscience—through (AA)the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 (AB)who is at the right hand of God, (AC)having gone into heaven, (AD)after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.
Keep Fervent in Your Love
4 Therefore, since (AE)Christ has [m]suffered in the flesh, (AF)arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because (AG)he who has [n]suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 (AH)so as to live (AI)the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the (AJ)will of God. 3 For (AK)the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, [o](AL)having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and [p]abominable idolatries. 4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of (AM)dissipation, and they (AN)malign you; 5 but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge (AO)the living and the dead. 6 For (AP)the gospel has for this purpose been [q]preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.
Jesus’ Warning
16 “(A)These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from (B)stumbling. 2 [a]They will (C)make you outcasts from the synagogue, but (D)an hour is coming for everyone (E)who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. 3 These things they will do (F)because they have not known the Father or Me. 4 But these things I have spoken to you, (G)so that when their hour comes, you [b]may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you (H)at the beginning, because I was with you.
The Holy Spirit Promised
5 “But now (I)I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘(J)Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, (K)sorrow has filled your heart. 7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the [c](L)Helper will not come to you; but if I go, (M)I will send Him to you. 8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; 9 concerning sin, (N)because they do not believe in Me; 10 and concerning (O)righteousness, because (P)I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; 11 (Q)and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 But when He, (R)the Spirit of truth, comes, He will (S)guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will (T)glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 (U)All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.
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