Book of Common Prayer
Prayer of an Afflicted Man for Mercy on Himself and on Zion.
A Prayer of the Afflicted when he is faint and [a]pours out his complaint before the Lord.
102 (A)Hear my prayer, O Lord!
And let my cry for help (B)come to You.
2 (C)Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress;
(D)Incline Your ear to me;
In the day when I call (E)answer me quickly.
3 For my days (F)have been [b]consumed in smoke,
And my (G)bones have been scorched like a hearth.
4 My heart (H)has been smitten like [c]grass and has (I)withered away,
Indeed, I (J)forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the [d]loudness of my groaning
My (K)bones [e]cling to my flesh.
6 I [f]resemble a (L)pelican of the wilderness;
I have become like an owl of the waste places.
7 I (M)lie awake,
I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.
8 My enemies (N)have reproached me all day long;
Those who [g](O)deride me [h]have used my name as a (P)curse.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread
And (Q)mingled my drink with weeping
10 (R)Because of Your indignation and Your wrath,
For You have (S)lifted me up and cast me away.
11 My days are like a [i](T)lengthened shadow,
And [j]I (U)wither away like [k]grass.
12 But You, O Lord, [l](V)abide forever,
And Your [m](W)name to all generations.
13 You will (X)arise and have (Y)compassion on Zion;
For (Z)it is time to be gracious to her,
For the (AA)appointed time has come.
14 Surely Your servants [n]find pleasure in her stones
And feel pity for her dust.
15 [o]So the [p](AB)nations will fear the name of the Lord
And (AC)all the kings of the earth Your glory.
16 For the Lord has (AD)built up Zion;
He has (AE)appeared in His glory.
17 He has (AF)regarded the prayer of the [q]destitute
And has not despised their prayer.
18 [r]This will be (AG)written for the (AH)generation to come,
[s]That (AI)a people yet to be created [t]may praise [u]the Lord.
19 For He (AJ)looked down from His holy height;
(AK)From heaven the Lord gazed [v]upon the earth,
20 To hear the (AL)groaning of the prisoner,
To (AM)set free [w]those who were doomed to death,
21 That men may (AN)tell of the name of the Lord in Zion
And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 When (AO)the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
23 He has weakened my strength in the way;
He has (AP)shortened my days.
24 I say, “O my God, (AQ)do not take me away in the [x]midst of my days,
Your (AR)years are throughout all generations.
25 “Of old You (AS)founded the earth,
And the (AT)heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 “[y]Even they will (AU)perish, but You endure;
And all of them will wear out like a garment;
Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.
27 “But You are [z](AV)the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.
28 “The (AW)children of Your servants will continue,
And their [aa](AX)descendants will be established before You.”
BOOK 5
The Lord Delivers Men from Manifold Troubles.
107 Oh (A)give thanks to the Lord, for (B)He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Let (C)the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has (D)redeemed from the hand of the adversary
3 And (E)gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the [a]south.
4 They (F)wandered in the wilderness in a [b]desert region;
They did not find a way to [c]an inhabited (G)city.
5 They were hungry [d]and thirsty;
Their (H)soul fainted within them.
6 Then they (I)cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He delivered them out of their distresses.
7 He led them also by a [e](J)straight way,
To go to [f](K)an inhabited city.
8 (L)Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His [g]wonders to the sons of men!
9 For He has (M)satisfied the [h]thirsty soul,
And the (N)hungry soul He has filled with what is good.
10 There were those who (O)dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death,
(P)Prisoners in [i]misery and [j]chains,
11 Because they had (Q)rebelled against the words of God
And (R)spurned the (S)counsel of the Most High.
12 Therefore He humbled their heart with labor;
They stumbled and there was (T)none to help.
13 Then they (U)cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.
14 He (V)brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death
And (W)broke their bands apart.
15 (X)Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His [k]wonders to the sons of men!
16 For He has (Y)shattered gates of bronze
And cut bars of iron asunder.
17 Fools, because of [l]their rebellious way,
And (Z)because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
18 Their (AA)soul abhorred all kinds of food,
And they (AB)drew near to the (AC)gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.
20 He (AD)sent His word and (AE)healed them,
And (AF)delivered them from their [m]destructions.
21 (AG)Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His [n]wonders to the sons of men!
22 Let them also offer (AH)sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And (AI)tell of His works with joyful singing.
23 Those who (AJ)go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters;
24 They have seen the works of the Lord,
And His [o]wonders in the deep.
25 For He (AK)spoke and raised up a (AL)stormy wind,
Which (AM)lifted up the waves [p]of the sea.
26 They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths;
Their soul (AN)melted away in their misery.
27 They reeled and (AO)staggered like a drunken man,
And [q]were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
29 He (AP)caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves [r]of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He guided them to their desired haven.
31 (AQ)Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His [s](AR)wonders to the sons of men!
32 Let them (AS)extol Him also (AT)in the congregation of the people,
And (AU)praise Him at the seat of the elders.
A New Covenant
27 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will (A)sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. 28 As I have (B)watched over them to (C)pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy and to bring disaster, so I will watch over them to (D)build and to plant,” declares the Lord.
29 “In those days they will not say again,
‘(E)The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children’s teeth are [a]set on edge.’
30 But (F)everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be [b]set on edge.
31 “(G)Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a (H)new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the (I)covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I (J)took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My (K)covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “But (L)this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “(M)I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and (N)I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 They will (O)not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all (P)know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will (Q)forgive their iniquity, and their (R)sin I will remember no more.”
Be Imitators of God
5 (A)Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and (B)walk in love, just as Christ also (C)loved [a]you and (D)gave Himself up for us, an (E)offering and a sacrifice to God [b]as a (F)fragrant aroma.
3 But (G)immorality [c]or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among [d]saints; 4 and there must be no (H)filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which (I)are not fitting, but rather (J)giving of thanks. 5 For this you know with certainty, that (K)no [e]immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom (L)of Christ and God.
6 (M)Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things (N)the wrath of God comes upon (O)the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be (P)partakers with them; 8 for (Q)you were formerly (R)darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as (S)children of Light 9 (for (T)the fruit of the Light consists in all (U)goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 [f](V)trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 (W)Do not participate in the unfruitful (X)deeds of (Y)darkness, but instead even [g](Z)expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible (AA)when they are [h]exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14 For this reason [i]it says,
15 Therefore [j]be careful how you (AE)walk, not (AF)as unwise men but as wise, 16 [k](AG)making the most of your time, because (AH)the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but (AI)understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And (AJ)do not get drunk with wine, [l]for that is (AK)dissipation, but be (AL)filled with the Spirit, 19 (AM)speaking to [m]one another in (AN)psalms and (AO)hymns and spiritual (AP)songs, (AQ)singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 (AR)always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to [n](AS)God, even the Father;
Matthew Called
9 (A)As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called (B)Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He *said to him, “(C)Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.
10 Then it happened that as [a]Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and [b]sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “(D)Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not (E)those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn [c](F)what this means: ‘(G)I desire [d]compassion, [e]and not sacrifice,’ for (H)I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The Question about Fasting
14 Then the disciples of John *came to Him, asking, “Why do we and (I)the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “The [f]attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 But no one puts [g]a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for [h]the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17 Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
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