Book of Common Prayer
Prayer of an Afflicted Man for Mercy on Himself and on Zion.
A Prayer of the afflicted; when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint to God.
102 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And let my cry for help come to You!
2
Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress!
Incline Your ear to me;
In the day when I call, answer me quickly.
3
For my days have vanished in smoke,
And my bones have been scorched like a hearth.
4
My heart has been struck like grass and withered,
Indeed, [absorbed by my heartache] I forget to eat my food.
5
Because of the sound of my groaning [in suffering and trouble]
My bones cling to my flesh.
6
I am like a [mournful] [a]vulture of the wilderness;
I am like a [desolate] owl of the wasteland.
7
I am sleepless and lie awake [mourning],
I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.
8
My enemies taunt me all day long;
Those who ridicule me use my name as a curse.
9
For I have eaten ashes like bread,
And have mingled my drink with tears(A)
10
Because of Your indignation and Your wrath,
For You have lifted me up and thrown me away.
11
My days are like an evening shadow that lengthens and vanishes [with the sun];
And as for me, I wither away like grass.
12
But You, O Lord, are enthroned forever [ruling eternally as sovereign];
And [the fame and glory of] Your name [endures] to all generations.
13
You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
For it is time to be gracious and show favor to her;
Yes, the appointed time [the moment designated] has come.(B)
14
For Your servants find [melancholy] pleasure in the stones [of her ruins]
And feel pity for her dust.
15
So the nations will fear the name of the Lord,
And all the kings of the earth [will recognize] Your glory.(C)
16
For the Lord has built up Zion;
He has appeared in His glory and brilliance;
17
He has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
And has not despised their prayer.
18
Let this be recorded for the generation to come,
That a people yet to be created will praise the Lord.
19
For He looked down from His holy height [of His sanctuary],
From heaven the Lord gazed on the earth,
20
To hear the sighing of the prisoner,
To set free those who were doomed to death,
21
So that people may declare the name of the Lord in Zion
And His praise in Jerusalem,
22
When the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
23
He has exhausted my strength [humbling me with sorrow] in the way;
He has shortened my days.
24
I said, “O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days;
Your years are [eternal] throughout all generations.
25
“At the beginning You founded the earth;
The heavens are the work of Your hands.
26
“Even they will perish, but You endure;
Yes, all of them will wear out like a garment.
Like clothing You will change them and they shall be changed.
27
“But You remain the same,
And Your years will never end.(D)
28
“The children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You.”
Book Five
The Lord Rescues People from Many Troubles.
107 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His compassion and lovingkindness endure forever!
2
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,
3
And gathered them from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the [a]south.
4
They wandered in the wilderness in a [solitary] desert region;
And did not find a way to an inhabited city.
5
Hungry and thirsty,
They fainted.
6
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He rescued them from their distresses.
7
He led them by the straight way,
To an inhabited city [where they could establish their homes].
8
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!
9
For He satisfies the parched throat,
And fills the hungry appetite with what is good.
10
Some dwelt in darkness and in the deep (deathly) darkness,
Prisoners [bound] in misery and chains,(A)
11
Because they had rebelled against the precepts of God
And spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12
Therefore He humbled their heart with hard labor;
They stumbled and there was no one to help.
13
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them from their distresses.
14
He brought them out of darkness and the deep (deathly) darkness
And broke their bonds apart.(B)
15
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!
16
For He has shattered the gates of bronze
And cut the bars of iron apart.
17
Fools, because of their rebellious way,
And because of their sins, were afflicted.
18
They detested all kinds of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
19
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them from their distresses.
20
He sent His word and healed them,
And rescued them from their destruction.(C)
21
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!(D)
22
And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And speak of His deeds with shouts of joy!
23
Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters;
24
They have seen the works of the Lord,
And His wonders in the deep.
25
For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind,
Which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26
They went up toward the heavens [on the crest of the wave], they went down again to the depths [of the watery trough];
Their courage melted away in their misery.
27
They staggered and trembled like a drunken man,
And were at their wits’ end [all their wisdom was useless].
28
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
29
He hushed the storm to a gentle whisper,
So that the waves of the sea were still.(E)
30
Then they were glad because of the calm,
And He guided them to their desired haven (harbor).
31
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!
32
Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people,
And praise Him at the seat of the elders.
A New Covenant
27 “Behold (listen carefully), the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. 28 It will be that as I have watched over them to uproot and to break down, to overthrow, destroy, and afflict with disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant [with good],” says the Lord.
29
“In those days they will not say again,
‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children’s teeth are set on edge.’(A)
30 But everyone will die [only] for his own wickedness; every man who eats sour grapes—his [own] teeth shall be set on edge.
31 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the [a]house of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and with the house of Judah (the Southern Kingdom),(B) 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” says the Lord. 33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says the Lord, “I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. 34 And each man will no longer teach his neighbor and his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me [through personal experience], from the least of them to the greatest,” says the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness, and I will no longer remember their sin.”(C)
Be Imitators of God
5 Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]; 2 and walk continually in love [that is, value one another—practice empathy and compassion, unselfishly seeking the best for others], just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God [slain for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.(A)
3 But sexual immorality and all [moral] impurity [indecent, offensive behavior] or greed must not even be hinted at among you, as is proper among saints [for as believers our way of life, whether in public or in private, reflects the validity of our faith]. 4 Let there be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse [obscene or vulgar] joking, because such things are not appropriate [for believers]; but instead speak of your thankfulness [to God]. 5 For be sure of this: no immoral, impure, or greedy person—for that one is [in effect] an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God [for such a person places a higher value on something other than God].
6 Let no one deceive you with empty arguments [that encourage you to sin], for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience [those who habitually sin].(B) 7 So do not participate or even associate with them [in the rebelliousness of sin]. 8 For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light [live as those who are native-born to the Light] 9 (for the fruit [the effect, the result] of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn [by experience] what is pleasing to the Lord [and letting your lifestyles be examples of what is most acceptable to Him—your behavior expressing gratitude to God for your salvation]. 11 Do not participate in the worthless and unproductive deeds of darkness, but instead expose them [by exemplifying personal integrity, moral courage, and godly character]; 12 for it is disgraceful even to mention the things that such people practice in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light [of God’s precepts], for [a]it is light that makes everything visible. 14 For this reason He says,
“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine [as dawn] upon you and give you light.”(C)
15 Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], 16 [b]making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is. 18 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is wickedness (corruption, stupidity), but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit and constantly guided by Him.(D) 19 [c]Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, [offering praise by] singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Matthew Called
9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew (Levi) sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me [as My disciple, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk].” And Matthew got up and followed Him.(A)
10 Then as Jesus was reclining at the table in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and [a]sinners [including non-observant Jews] came and ate with Him and His disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Master eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but [only] those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this [Scripture] means: ‘I desire compassion [for those in distress], and not [animal] sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call [to repentance] the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to change], but sinners [those who recognize their sin and actively seek forgiveness].”(B)
The Question about Fasting
14 Then the disciples of John [the Baptist] came to Jesus, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees often fast [as a religious exercise], but Your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus replied to them, “Can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 But no one puts a piece of unshrunk (new) cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17 Nor is new wine put into old [b]wineskins [that have lost their elasticity]; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the [fermenting] wine spills and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, so both are preserved.”
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