Book of Common Prayer
Protestation of Integrity and Prayer for Protection.
A Psalm of David.
26 [a](A)Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have (B)walked in my integrity,
And I have (C)trusted in the Lord [b](D)without wavering.
2 (E)Examine me, O Lord, and try me;
(F)Test my [c]mind and my heart.
3 For Your (G)lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And I have (H)walked in Your [d]truth.
4 I do not (I)sit with [e]deceitful men,
Nor will I go with [f](J)pretenders.
5 I (K)hate the assembly of evildoers,
And I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I shall (L)wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go about (M)Your altar, O Lord,
7 That I may proclaim with the voice of (N)thanksgiving
And declare all Your [g]wonders.
8 O Lord, I (O)love the habitation of Your house
And the place [h]where Your (P)glory dwells.
9 (Q)Do not [i]take my soul away along with sinners,
Nor my life with (R)men of bloodshed,
10 In whose hands is a (S)wicked scheme,
And whose right hand is full of (T)bribes.
11 But as for me, I shall (U)walk in my integrity;
(V)Redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 (W)My foot stands on a (X)level place;
In the (Y)congregations I shall bless the Lord.
A Prayer for Help, and Praise for Its Answer.
A Psalm of David.
28 To You, O Lord, I call;
My (A)rock, do not be deaf to me,
For if You (B)are silent to me,
I will become like those who (C)go down to the pit.
2 Hear the (D)voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help,
When I (E)lift up my hands (F)toward [a]Your holy (G)sanctuary.
3 (H)Do not drag me away with the wicked
And with those who work iniquity,
Who (I)speak peace with their neighbors,
While evil is in their hearts.
4 Requite them (J)according to their work and according to the evil of their practices;
Requite them according to the deeds of their hands;
Repay them their [b]recompense.
5 Because they (K)do not regard the works of the Lord
Nor the deeds of His hands,
He will tear them down and not build them up.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
Because He (L)has heard the voice of my supplication.
7 The Lord is my (M)strength and my (N)shield;
My heart (O)trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore (P)my heart exults,
And with (Q)my song I shall thank Him.
8 The Lord is [c]their (R)strength,
And He is a [d](S)saving defense to His anointed.
9 (T)Save Your people and bless (U)Your inheritance;
Be their (V)shepherd also, and (W)carry them forever.
Wickedness of Men and Lovingkindness of God.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.
36 Transgression speaks to the ungodly within [a]his heart;
There is (A)no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For [b]it (B)flatters him in his own eyes
Concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it.
3 The (C)words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has (D)ceased to [c]be wise and to do good.
4 He (E)plans wickedness upon his bed;
He sets himself on a (F)path that is not good;
He (G)does not despise evil.
5 Your (H)lovingkindness, O Lord, [d]extends to the heavens,
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
6 Your (I)righteousness is like the [e]mountains of God;
Your (J)judgments are like a great deep.
O Lord, You (K)preserve man and beast.
7 How (L)precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
And the children of men (M)take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8 They (N)drink their fill of the [f]abundance of Your house;
And You give them to drink of the (O)river of Your delights.
9 For with You is the (P)fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.
The Vanity of Life.
For the choir director, for [a]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will (A)guard my ways
That I (B)may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard (C)my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was (D)mute [b]and silent,
I [c]refrained even from good,
And my [d]sorrow grew worse.
3 My (E)heart was hot within me,
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, make me to know (F)my end
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how (G)transient I am.
5 “Behold, You have made (H)my days as handbreadths,
And my (I)lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Surely every man [e]at his best is [f]a mere (J)breath. [g]Selah.
6 “Surely every man (K)walks about as [h]a phantom;
Surely they make an (L)uproar for nothing;
He (M)amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.
7 “And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My (N)hope is in You.
8 “(O)Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Make me not the (P)reproach of the foolish.
9 “I have become (Q)mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is (R)You who have done it.
10 “(S)Remove Your plague from me;
Because of (T)the opposition of Your hand I am [i]perishing.
11 “With (U)reproofs You chasten a man for iniquity;
You (V)consume as a moth what is precious to him;
Surely (W)every man is a mere breath. Selah.
16 (A)Better is a little with the [a]fear of the Lord
Than great treasure and turmoil with it.
17 (B)Better is a [b]dish of [c]vegetables where love is
Than a (C)fattened ox served with hatred.
18 A (D)hot-tempered man stirs up strife,
But the (E)slow to anger (F)calms a dispute.
19 The way of the lazy is as a hedge of thorns,
But the path of the upright is a highway.
20 A (G)wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man (H)despises his mother.
21 Folly is joy to him who lacks [d]sense,
But a man of understanding (I)walks straight.
22 Without consultation, plans are frustrated,
But with many counselors they [e]succeed.
23 A (J)man has joy in an [f]apt answer,
And how delightful is a timely (K)word!
24 The (L)path of life leads upward for the wise
That he may keep away from [g]Sheol below.
25 The Lord will (M)tear down the house of the proud,
But He will (N)establish the boundary of the (O)widow.
26 Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord,
But pleasant words are pure.
27 He who (P)profits illicitly troubles his own house,
But he who (Q)hates bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous (R)ponders how to answer,
But the (S)mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
29 The Lord is (T)far from the wicked,
But He (U)hears the prayer of the righteous.
30 [h]Bright eyes gladden the heart;
Good news puts fat on the bones.
31 He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof
Will dwell among the wise.
32 He who (V)neglects discipline (W)despises himself,
But he who (X)listens to reproof acquires [i]understanding.
33 The [j]fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom,
And before honor comes humility.
18 This (A)command I entrust to you, Timothy, (B)my [a]son, in accordance with the (C)prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you (D)fight the good fight, 19 keeping (E)faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to [b](F)their faith. 20 [c]Among these are (G)Hymenaeus and (H)Alexander, whom I have (I)handed over to Satan, so that they will be (J)taught not to blaspheme.
A Call to Prayer
2 First of all, then, I urge that (K)entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 (L)for kings and all who are in [d]authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and [e]dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of (M)God our Savior, 4 (N)who desires all men to be (O)saved and to (P)come to the [f]knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is (Q)one God, and (R)one mediator also between God and men, the (S)man Christ Jesus, 6 who (T)gave Himself as a ransom for all, the (U)testimony [g]given at [h](V)the proper time. 7 (W)For this I was appointed a [i]preacher and (X)an apostle ((Y)I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of (Z)the Gentiles in faith and truth.
8 Therefore (AA)I want the men (AB)in every place to pray, (AC)lifting up (AD)holy hands, without wrath and dissension.
Words Reveal Character
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for (A)the tree is known by its fruit. 34 (B)You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak [a]what is good? (C)For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35 (D)The good man brings out of his good treasure [b]what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure [c]what is evil. 36 But I tell you that every [d]careless word that people [e]speak, they shall give an accounting for it in (E)the day of judgment. 37 For [f]by your words you will be justified, and [g]by your words you will be condemned.”
The Desire for Signs
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, (F)we want to see a [h]sign from You.” 39 But He answered and said to them, “(G)An evil and adulterous generation craves for a [i]sign; and yet no [j]sign will be given to it but the [k]sign of Jonah the prophet; 40 for just as (H)Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will (I)the Son of Man be (J)three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 (K)The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because (L)they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, (M)something greater than Jonah is here. 42 (N)The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, (O)something greater than Solomon is here.
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