Book of Common Prayer
The Psalmist’s Profession of Uprightness.
A Psalm of David.
101 I will (A)sing of lovingkindness and [a]justice,
To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.
2 I will [b](B)give heed to the [c]blameless way.
When will You come to me?
I will walk within my house in the [d](C)integrity of my heart.
3 I will set no (D)worthless thing before my eyes;
I hate the [e]work of those who (E)fall away;
It shall not fasten its grip on me.
4 A (F)perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will know no evil.
5 Whoever secretly (G)slanders his neighbor, him I will [f]destroy;
No one who has a (H)haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.
6 My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a [g](I)blameless way is the one who will minister to me.
7 He who (J)practices deceit shall not dwell within my house;
He who speaks falsehood (K)shall not [h]maintain his position before me.
8 (L)Every morning I will [i](M)destroy all the wicked of the land,
So as to (N)cut off from the (O)city of the Lord all those who do iniquity.
Vengeance Invoked upon Adversaries.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
109 O (A)God of my praise,
(B)Do not be silent!
2 For they have opened the [a]wicked and (C)deceitful mouth against me;
They have spoken [b]against me with a (D)lying tongue.
3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me (E)without cause.
4 In return (F)for my love they act as my accusers;
But (G)I am in prayer.
5 Thus they have [c](H)repaid me evil for good
And (I)hatred for my love.
6 Appoint a wicked man over him,
And let an [d](J)accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, let him (K)come forth guilty,
And let his (L)prayer become sin.
8 Let (M)his days be few;
Let (N)another take his office.
9 Let his (O)children be fatherless
And his (P)wife a widow.
10 Let his (Q)children wander about and beg;
And let them (R)seek sustenance [e]far from their ruined homes.
11 Let (S)the creditor [f]seize all that he has,
And let (T)strangers plunder the product of his labor.
12 Let there be none to [g](U)extend lovingkindness to him,
Nor (V)any to be gracious to his fatherless children.
13 Let his (W)posterity be [h]cut off;
In a following generation let their (X)name be blotted out.
14 Let (Y)the iniquity of his fathers be remembered [i]before the Lord,
And do not let the sin of his mother be (Z)blotted out.
15 Let (AA)them be before the Lord continually,
That He may (AB)cut off their memory from the earth;
16 Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness,
But persecuted the (AC)afflicted and needy man,
And the (AD)despondent in heart, to (AE)put them to death.
17 He also loved cursing, so (AF)it came to him;
And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
18 But he (AG)clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
And it (AH)entered into [j]his body like water
And like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be to him as (AI)a garment with which he covers himself,
And for a belt with which he constantly (AJ)girds himself.
20 [k]Let this be the (AK)reward of my accusers from the Lord,
And of those who (AL)speak evil against my soul.
21 But You, O [l]God, the Lord, deal kindly with me (AM)for Your name’s sake;
Because (AN)Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me;
22 For (AO)I am afflicted and needy,
And [m]my heart is (AP)wounded within me.
23 I am passing (AQ)like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off (AR)like the locust.
24 My (AS)knees [n]are weak from (AT)fasting,
And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.
25 I also have become a (AU)reproach to them;
When they see me, they (AV)wag their head.
26 (AW)Help me, O Lord my God;
Save me according to Your lovingkindness.
27 [o]And let them (AX)know that this is Your hand;
You, Lord, have done it.
28 (AY)Let them curse, but You bless;
When they arise, they shall be ashamed,
But Your (AZ)servant shall be glad.
29 [p]Let (BA)my accusers be clothed with dishonor,
And [q]let them (BB)cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.
30 With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord;
And in the midst of many (BC)I will praise Him.
Ayin.
121 I have (A)done justice and righteousness;
Do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Be (B)surety for Your servant for good;
Do not let the arrogant (C)oppress me.
123 My (D)eyes fail with longing for Your salvation
And for Your righteous [a]word.
124 Deal with Your servant (E)according to Your lovingkindness
And (F)teach me Your statutes.
125 (G)I am Your servant; (H)give me understanding,
That I may know Your testimonies.
126 It is time for the Lord to (I)act,
For they have broken Your law.
127 Therefore I (J)love Your commandments
Above gold, yes, above fine gold.
128 Therefore I esteem right all Your (K)precepts concerning everything,
I (L)hate every false way.
Pe.
129 Your testimonies are (M)wonderful;
Therefore my soul (N)observes them.
130 The (O)unfolding of Your words gives light;
It gives (P)understanding to the simple.
131 I (Q)opened my mouth wide and (R)panted,
For I (S)longed for Your commandments.
132 (T)Turn to me and be gracious to me,
After Your manner [b]with those who love Your name.
133 Establish my (U)footsteps in Your [c]word,
And do not let any iniquity (V)have dominion over me.
134 (W)Redeem me from the oppression of man,
That I may keep Your precepts.
135 (X)Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
And (Y)teach me Your statutes.
136 My eyes [d]shed (Z)streams of water,
Because they (AA)do not keep Your law.
Tsadhe.
137 (AB)Righteous are You, O Lord,
And upright are Your judgments.
138 You have commanded Your testimonies in (AC)righteousness
And exceeding (AD)faithfulness.
139 My (AE)zeal has [e]consumed me,
Because my adversaries have forgotten Your words.
140 Your [f](AF)word is very [g]pure,
Therefore Your servant (AG)loves it.
141 I am small and (AH)despised,
Yet I do not (AI)forget Your precepts.
142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
And (AJ)Your law is truth.
143 Trouble and anguish have [h]come upon me,
Yet Your commandments are my (AK)delight.
144 Your (AL)testimonies are righteous forever;
(AM)Give me understanding that I may live.
36 [a]Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 37 “Say to Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, that he shall take up the censers out of the midst of the [b]blaze, for they are holy; and you scatter the [c]burning coals abroad. 38 As for the censers of these [d]men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into hammered sheets for a plating of the altar, since they did present them before the Lord and they are holy; and (A)they shall be for a sign to the sons of Israel.” 39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers which the men who were burned had offered, and they hammered them out as a plating for the altar, 40 as a [e]reminder to the sons of Israel that (B)no [f]layman who is not of the [g]descendants of Aaron should come near (C)to burn incense before the Lord; so that he will not become like Korah and his company—just as the Lord had spoken to him [h]through Moses.
Murmuring and Plague
41 But on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel (D)grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You are the ones who have caused the death of the Lord’s people.” 42 It came about, however, when the congregation had assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tent of meeting, and behold, the cloud covered it and (E)the glory of the Lord appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “[i](F)Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly.” Then they fell on their faces. 46 Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put in it fire from the altar, and lay incense on it; then bring it quickly to the congregation and (G)make atonement for them, for (H)wrath has gone forth from the Lord, the plague has begun!” 47 Then Aaron took it as Moses had spoken, and ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people. (I)So he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 He took his stand between the dead and the living, so that the plague was checked. 49 (J)But those who died by the plague were 14,700, besides those who (K)died on account of Korah. 50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the doorway of the tent of meeting, for the plague had been checked.
13 For (A)the promise to Abraham or to his [a]descendants (B)that he would be heir of the world was not [b]through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For (C)if those who are [c]of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; 15 for (D)the Law brings about wrath, but (E)where there is no law, there also is no violation.
16 For this reason it is [d]by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with (F)grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to (G)all the [e]descendants, not only to [f]those who are of the Law, but also to [g](H)those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is (I)the father of us all, 17 (as it is written, “(J)A father of many nations have I made you”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, (K)who gives life to the dead and [h](L)calls into being (M)that which does not exist. 18 In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become (N)a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “(O)So shall your [i]descendants be.” 19 Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now (P)as good as dead since (Q)he was about a hundred years old, and (R)the deadness of Sarah’s womb; 20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, (S)giving glory to God, 21 and (T)being fully assured that (U)what God had promised, He was able also to perform. 22 Therefore (V)it was also credited to him as righteousness. 23 Now (W)not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, 24 but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those (X)who believe in Him who (Y)raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 He who was (Z)delivered over because of our transgressions, and was (AA)raised because of our justification.
Laborers in the Vineyard
20 “For (A)the kingdom of heaven is like [a]a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his (B)vineyard. 2 When he had agreed with the laborers for a [b]denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the [c]third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. 5 Again he went out about the [d]sixth and the ninth hour, and did [e]the same thing. 6 And about the [f]eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he *said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ 7 They *said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He *said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
8 “When (C)evening came, the [g]owner of the vineyard *said to his (D)foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ 9 When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a [h]denarius. 10 When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; [i]but each of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the (E)scorching heat of the day.’ 13 But he answered and said to one of them, ‘(F)Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your (G)eye [j]envious because I am [k]generous?’ 16 So (H)the last shall be first, and the first last.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.