Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 26[a]
By David.
26 Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have integrity,[b]
and I trust in the Lord without wavering.
2 Examine me, O Lord, and test me.
Evaluate my inner thoughts and motives.[c]
3 For I am ever aware of your faithfulness,[d]
and your loyalty continually motivates me.[e]
4 I do not associate[f] with deceitful men,
or consort[g] with those who are dishonest.[h]
5 I hate the mob[i] of evil men,
and do not associate[j] with the wicked.
6 I maintain a pure lifestyle,[k]
so I can appear before your altar,[l] O Lord,
7 to give you thanks,[m]
and to tell about all your amazing deeds.[n]
8 O Lord, I love the temple where you live,[o]
the place where your splendor is revealed.[p]
9 Do not sweep me away[q] with sinners,
or execute me along with violent people,[r]
10 who are always ready to do wrong[s]
or offer a bribe.[t]
11 But I have integrity.[u]
Rescue me[v] and have mercy on me!
12 I am safe,[w]
and among the worshipers I will praise the Lord.
Psalm 28[a]
By David.
28 To you, O Lord, I cry out!
My Protector,[b] do not ignore me.[c]
If you do not respond to me,[d]
I will join[e] those who are descending into the grave.[f]
2 Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help,
when I lift my hands[g] toward your holy temple.[h]
3 Do not drag me away with evil men,
with those who behave wickedly,[i]
who talk so friendly to their neighbors,[j]
while they plan to harm them.[k]
4 Pay them back for their evil deeds.
Pay them back for what they do.
Punish them.[l]
5 For they do not understand the Lord’s actions,
or the way he carries out justice.[m]
The Lord[n] will permanently demolish them.[o]
6 The Lord deserves praise,[p]
for he has heard my plea for mercy.[q]
7 The Lord strengthens and protects me;[r]
I trust in him with all my heart.[s]
I am rescued[t] and my heart is full of joy;[u]
I will sing to him in gratitude.[v]
8 The Lord strengthens his people;[w]
he protects and delivers his chosen king.[x]
9 Deliver your people.
Empower[y] the nation that belongs to you.[z]
Care for them like a shepherd and carry them in your arms[aa] at all times![ab]
Psalm 36[a]
For the music director, an oracle, written by the Lord’s servant David.[b]
36 An evil man is rebellious to the core.[c]
He does not fear God,[d]
2 for he is too proud
to recognize and give up his sin.[e]
3 The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful;
he does not care about doing what is wise and right.[f]
4 While he lies in bed he plans ways to sin.
He is committed to a sinful lifestyle;[g]
he does not reject what is evil.[h]
5 O Lord, your loyal love reaches to the sky,[i]
your faithfulness to the clouds.[j]
6 Your justice is like the highest mountains,[k]
your fairness like the deepest sea;
you, Lord, preserve[l] mankind and the animal kingdom.[m]
7 How precious[n] is your loyal love, O God!
The human race finds shelter under your wings.[o]
8 They are filled with food from your house,
and you allow them to drink from the river of your delicacies.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.[p]
10 Extend[q] your loyal love to your faithful followers,[r]
and vindicate[s] the morally upright.[t]
11 Do not let arrogant men overtake me,
or let evil men make me homeless.[u]
12 I can see the evildoers! They have fallen.[v]
They have been knocked down and are unable to get up.[w]
Psalm 39[a]
For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
39 I decided,[b] “I will watch what I say
and make sure I do not sin with my tongue.[c]
I will put a muzzle over my mouth
while in the presence of an evil person.”[d]
2 I was stone silent;[e]
I held back the urge to speak.[f]
My frustration grew;[g]
3 my anxiety intensified.[h]
As I thought about it, I became impatient.[i]
Finally I spoke these words:[j]
4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality
and the brevity of life.[k]
Let me realize how quickly my life will pass.[l]
5 Look, you make my days short-lived,[m]
and my life span is nothing from your perspective.[n]
Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor.[o] (Selah)
6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts.[p]
Surely they accumulate worthless wealth
without knowing who will eventually haul it away.”[q]
7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?
You are my only hope![r]
8 Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion.
Do not make me the object of fools’ insults.
9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth
because of what you have done.[s]
10 Please stop wounding me.[t]
You have almost beaten me to death.[u]
11 You severely discipline people for their sins;[v]
like a moth you slowly devour their strength.[w]
Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)
12 Hear my prayer, O Lord.
Listen to my cry for help.
Do not ignore my sobbing.[x]
For I am a resident foreigner with you,
a temporary settler,[y] just as all my ancestors were.
13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy
before I pass away.[z]
16 Better[a] is little with the fear of the Lord
than great wealth and turmoil[b] with it.[c]
17 Better a meal of vegetables where there is love[d]
than a fattened ox where there is hatred.[e]
18 A quick-tempered person[f] stirs up dissension,
but one who is slow to anger[g] calms[h] a quarrel.[i]
19 The way of the sluggard is like a hedge of thorns,[j]
but the path of the upright is like[k] a highway.[l]
20 A wise child[m] brings joy to his father,
but a foolish person[n] despises[o] his mother.
21 Folly is a joy to one who lacks sense,[p]
but one who has understanding[q] follows an upright course.[r]
22 Plans fail[s] when there is no counsel,
but with abundant advisers they are established.[t]
23 A person has joy[u] in giving an appropriate answer,[v]
and a word at the right time[w]—how good it is!
24 The path of life is upward[x] for the wise person,[y]
to[z] keep him from going downward to Sheol.[aa]
25 The Lord tears down the house of the proud,[ab]
but he maintains the boundaries of the widow.[ac]
26 The Lord abhors[ad] the plans[ae] of the wicked,[af]
but pleasant words[ag] are pure.[ah]
27 The one who is greedy for gain[ai] troubles[aj] his household,[ak]
but whoever hates bribes[al] will live.
28 The heart[am] of the righteous considers[an] how[ao] to answer,[ap]
but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.[aq]
29 The Lord is far[ar] from the wicked,
but he hears[as] the prayer of the righteous.[at]
30 A bright look[au] brings joy to the heart,
and good news gives health to the body.[av]
31 The person[aw] who hears the reproof that leads to life[ax]
is at home[ay] among the wise.[az]
32 The one who refuses correction despises himself,[ba]
but whoever listens to[bb] reproof acquires understanding.[bc]
33 The fear of the Lord provides wise instruction,[bd]
and before honor comes humility.[be]
18 I put this charge[a] before you, Timothy my child, in keeping with the prophecies once spoken about you,[b] in order that with such encouragement[c] you may fight the good fight. 19 To do this[d] you must hold firmly to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck in regard to the faith. 20 Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I handed over to Satan[e] to be taught not to blaspheme.
Prayer for All People
2 First of all, then, I urge that requests,[f] prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people,[g] 2 even for kings[h] and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 Such prayer for all[i] is good and welcomed before God our Savior, 4 since he wants[j] all people[k] to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one intermediary[l] between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human,[m] 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, revealing God’s purpose at his appointed time.[n] 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle—I am telling the truth;[o] I am not lying—and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 8 So I want the men[p] in every place to pray,[q] lifting up holy hands[r] without anger or dispute.
Trees and Their Fruit
33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad[a] and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say anything good, since you are evil? For the mouth speaks from what fills the heart. 35 The good person[b] brings good things out of his[c] good treasury,[d] and the evil person brings evil things out of his evil treasury. 36 I[e] tell you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every worthless word they speak. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah
38 Then some of the experts in the law[f] along with some Pharisees[g] answered him,[h] “Teacher, we want to see a sign[i] from you.” 39 But he answered them,[j] “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish[k] for three days and three nights,[l] so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. 41 The people[m] of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them[n]—and now,[o] something greater than Jonah is here! 42 The queen of the South[p] will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon—and now,[q] something greater than Solomon is here!
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