Book of Common Prayer
Protestation of Integrity and Prayer for Protection.
A Psalm of David.
26 Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity;
I have [relied on and] trusted [confidently] in the Lord without wavering and I shall not slip.
2
Examine me, O Lord, and try me;
Test my heart and my mind.
3
For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And I have walked [faithfully] in Your truth.
4
I do not sit with deceitful or unethical or worthless men,
Nor seek companionship with pretenders (self-righteous hypocrites).
5
I hate the company of evildoers,
And will not sit with the wicked.
6
I will wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go about Your altar, O Lord,
7
That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving
And declare all Your wonders.
8
O Lord, I love the habitation of Your house
And the place where Your glory dwells.
9
Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
Nor [sweep away] my life with men of bloodshed,
10
In whose hands is a wicked scheme,
And whose right hand is full of bribes.
11
But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
Redeem me and be merciful and gracious to me.
12
My foot stands on a level place;
In the congregations I will bless the Lord.
A Prayer for Help, and Praise for Its Answer.
A Psalm of David.
28 To you I call, O Lord,
My rock, do not be deaf to me,
For if You are silent to me,
I will become like those who go down to the pit (grave).
2
Hear the voice of my supplication (specific requests, humble entreaties) as I cry to You for help,
As I lift up my hands and heart toward Your innermost sanctuary (Holy of Holies).
3
Do not drag me away with the wicked
And with those who do evil,
Who speak peace with their neighbors,
While malice and mischief are in their hearts.
4
Repay them according to their work and according to the evil of their practices;
Repay them according to the deeds of their hands;
Repay them what they deserve.(A)
5
Because they have no regard for the works of the Lord
Nor the deeds of His hands,
He will tear them down and not rebuild them.
6
Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplication.
7
The Lord is my strength and my [impenetrable] shield;
My heart trusts [with unwavering confidence] in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I shall thank Him and praise Him.
8
The Lord is their [unyielding] strength,
And He is the fortress of salvation to His anointed.
9
Save Your people and bless Your inheritance;
Be their shepherd also, and carry them forever.
Wickedness of Men and Lovingkindness of God.
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.
36 Transgression speaks [like an oracle] to the wicked (godless) [deep] within his heart;
There is no fear (dread) of God before his eyes.(A)
2
For he flatters and deceives himself in his own eyes
Thinking that his sinfulness will not be discovered and hated [by God].
3
The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4
He plans wrongdoing on his bed;
He sets himself on a path that is not good;
He does not reject or despise evil.
5
Your lovingkindness and graciousness, O Lord, extend to the skies,
Your faithfulness [reaches] to the clouds.
6
Your righteousness is like the mountains of God,
Your judgments are like the great deep.
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
7
How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8
They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;
And You allow them to drink from the river of Your delights.
9
For with You is the fountain of life [the fountain of life-giving water];
In Your light we see light.(B)
10
O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness (salvation) to the upright in heart.
11
Do not let the foot of the proud [person] overtake me,
And do not let the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12
There those who [are perverse and] do evil have fallen;
They have been thrust down and cannot rise.
The Vanity of Life.
To the Chief Musician; for Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will guard my ways
That I may not sin with my tongue;
I will muzzle my mouth
While the wicked are in my presence.”
2
I was mute and silent [before my enemies],
I refrained even from good,
And my [a]distress grew worse.
3
My heart was hot within me.
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4
“Lord, let me know my [life’s] end
And [to appreciate] the extent of my days;
Let me know how frail I am [how transient is my stay here].
5
“Behold, You have made my days as [short as] hand widths,
And my lifetime is as nothing in Your sight.
Surely every man at his best is a mere breath [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]!(A) Selah.
6
“Surely every man walks around like a shadow [in a charade];
Surely they make an uproar for nothing;
Each one builds up riches, not knowing who will receive them.(B)
7
“And now, Lord, for what do I expectantly wait?
My hope [my confident expectation] is in You.
8
“Save me from all my transgressions;
Do not make me the scorn and reproach of the [self-righteous, arrogant] fool.
9
“I am mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is You who has done it.
10
“Remove Your plague from me;
I am wasting away because of the conflict and opposition of Your hand.
11
“With rebukes You discipline man for sin;
You consume like a moth what is precious to him;
Surely every man is a mere breath [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]. Selah.
12
“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and listen to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears;
For I am Your temporary guest,
A sojourner like all my fathers.
13
“O look away from me, that I may smile and again know joy
Before I depart and am no more.”
16
Better is a little with the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the Lord
Than great treasure and trouble with it.(A)
17
Better is a dinner of vegetables and herbs where love is present
Than a fattened ox served with hatred.(B)
18
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger and patient calms disputes.
19
The way of the lazy is like a hedge of thorns [it pricks, lacerates, and entangles him],
But the way [of life] of the upright is smooth and open like a highway.
20
A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man despises his mother.
21
Foolishness is joy to him who is without heart and lacks [intelligent, common] sense,
But a man of understanding walks uprightly [making his course straight].(C)
22
Without consultation and wise advice, plans are frustrated,
But with many counselors they are established and succeed.
23
A man has joy in giving an appropriate answer,
And how good and delightful is a word spoken at the right moment—how good it is!
24
The [chosen] path of life leads upward for the wise,
That he may keep away from Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) below.(D)
25
The Lord will tear down the house of the proud and arrogant (self-righteous),
But He will establish and protect the boundaries [of the land] of the [godly] widow.
26
Evil plans and thoughts of the wicked are exceedingly vile and offensive to the Lord,
But pure words are pleasant words to Him.
27
He who profits unlawfully brings suffering to his own house,
But he who hates bribes [and does not receive nor pay them] will live.(E)
28
The heart of the righteous thinks carefully about how to answer [in a wise and appropriate and timely way],
But the [babbling] mouth of the wicked pours out malevolent things.(F)
29
The Lord is far from the wicked [and distances Himself from them],
But He hears the prayer of the [consistently] righteous [that is, those with spiritual integrity and moral courage].
30
The light of the eyes rejoices the hearts of others,
And good news puts fat on the bones.
31
The ear that listens to and learns from the life-giving rebuke (reprimand, censure)
Will remain among the wise.
32
He who neglects and ignores instruction and discipline despises himself,
But he who learns from rebuke acquires understanding [and grows in wisdom].
33
The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the instruction for wisdom [its starting point and its essence];
And before honor comes humility.
18 This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, so that [inspired and aided] by them you may fight the good fight [in contending with false teachers], 19 keeping your faith [leaning completely on God with absolute trust and confidence in His guidance] and having a good conscience; for some [people] have rejected [their moral compass] and have made a shipwreck of their faith. 20 Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have [a]handed over to Satan, so that they will be disciplined and taught not to blaspheme.
A Call to Prayer
2 First of all, then, I urge that petitions (specific requests), prayers, intercessions (prayers for others) and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all people, 2 for [b]kings and all who are in [positions of] high authority, so that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This [kind of praying] is good and acceptable and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who [c]wishes all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge and recognition of the [divine] truth. 5 For there is [only] one God, and [only] one Mediator between God and mankind, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom [a substitutionary sacrifice to atone] for all, the testimony given at the right and proper time. 7 And for this matter I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying [when I say this]—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
8 Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and disputing or quarreling or doubt [in their mind].
Words Reveal Character
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is recognized and judged by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35 The good man, from his [inner] good treasure, brings out good things; and the evil man, from his [inner] evil treasure, brings out evil things. 36 But I tell you, on the day of judgment people will have to give an accounting for every careless or useless word they speak. 37 For by your words [reflecting your spiritual condition] you will be justified and acquitted of the guilt of sin; and by your words [rejecting Me] you will be condemned and sentenced.”
The Desire for Signs
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign (attesting miracle) from You [proving that You are what You claim to be].” 39 But He replied and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation [that is morally unfaithful to God] craves and demands a [miraculous] sign; but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah;(A) 40 for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.(B) 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up [as witnesses] at the judgment against this generation, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now, something greater than Jonah is here.(C) 42 The Queen of the South (Sheba) will stand up [as a witness] at the judgment against this generation, and will condemn it because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and now, something greater than Solomon is here.(D)
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