Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 40
For the choir director; a psalm by David.
1 I waited patiently for Yahweh.
He turned to me and heard my cry for help.
2 He pulled me out of a horrible pit,
out of the mud and clay.
He set my feet on a rock
and made my steps secure.
3 He placed a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our Elohim.
Many will see this and worship.
They will trust Yahweh.
4 Blessed is the person
who places his confidence in Yahweh
and does not rely on arrogant people
or those who follow lies.
5 You have done many miraculous things, O Yahweh my Elohim.
You have made many wonderful plans for us.
No one compares to you!
I will tell others about your miracles,
which are more than I can count.
6 You were not pleased with sacrifices and offerings.
You have dug out two ears for me.[a]
You did not ask for burnt offerings or sacrifices for sin.
7 Then I said, “I have come!
(It is written about me in the scroll of the book.)
8 I am happy to do your will, O my Elohim.”
Your teachings are deep within me.
9 I will announce the good news of righteousness
among those assembled for worship.
I will not close my lips.
You know that, O Yahweh.
10 I have not buried your righteousness deep in my heart.
I have been outspoken about your faithfulness and your salvation.
I have not hidden your mercy and your truth
from those assembled for worship.
11 Do not withhold your compassion from me, O Yahweh.
May your mercy and your truth always protect me.
12 Countless evils have surrounded me.
My sins have caught up with me so that I can no longer see.
They outnumber the hairs on my head.
I have lost heart.
13 O Yahweh, please rescue me!
Come quickly to help me, O Yahweh![b]
14 Let all those who seek to end my life
be confused and put to shame.
Let those who want my downfall
be turned back and disgraced.
15 Let those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be stunned by their own shame.
16 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad because of you.
Let those who love your salvation continually say,
“Yahweh is great!”
17 But I am oppressed and needy.
May Adonay think of me.
You are my help and my savior.
O my Elohim, do not delay!
Psalm 54
For the choir director; on stringed instruments; a maskil by David when people from the city of Ziph told Saul that David was hiding among them.
1 O Elohim, save me by your name,
and defend me with your might.
2 O Elohim, hear my prayer,
and open your ears to the words from my mouth.
3 Strangers have attacked me.
Ruthless people seek my life.
They do not think about Elohim.[a] Selah
4 Elohim is my helper!
Adonay is the provider for my life.
5 My enemies spy on me.
Pay them back with evil.
Destroy them with your truth!
6 I will make a sacrifice to you along with a freewill offering.
I will give thanks to your good name, O Yahweh.
7 Your name rescues me from every trouble.
My eyes will gloat over my enemies.
Psalm 51
For the choir director; a psalm by David when the prophet Nathan came to him after David’s adultery with Bathsheba.
1 Have pity on me, O Elohim, in keeping with your mercy.
In keeping with your unlimited compassion, wipe out my rebellious acts.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my guilt,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 I admit that I am rebellious.
My sin is always in front of me.
4 I have sinned against you, especially you.
I have done what you consider evil.
So you hand down justice when you speak,
and you are blameless when you judge.
5 Indeed, I was born guilty.
I was a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6 Yet, you desire truth and sincerity.[a]
Deep down inside me you teach me wisdom.
7 Purify me from sin with hyssop,[b] and I will be clean.[c]
Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear sounds of joy and gladness.
Let the bones that you have broken dance.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and wipe out all that I have done wrong.
10 Create a clean heart in me, O Elohim,
and renew a faithful spirit within me.
11 Do not force me away from your presence,
and do not take Ruach Qodesh from me.
12 Restore the joy of your salvation to me,
and provide me with a spirit of willing obedience.
13 Then I will teach your ways to those who are rebellious,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Rescue me from the guilt of murder,
O Elohim, my savior.
Let my tongue sing joyfully about your righteousness!
15 O Adonay, open my lips,
and my mouth will tell about your praise.
16 You are not happy with any sacrifice.
Otherwise, I would offer one to you.
You are not pleased with burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifice pleasing to Elohim is a broken spirit.
O Elohim, you do not despise a broken and sorrowful heart.
18 Favor Zion with your goodness.
Rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—
with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.
Young bulls will be offered on your altar.
22 Joshua sent for the people of Gibeon and asked, “Why did you deceive us by saying, ‘We live very far away from you,’ when you live here with us? 23 You are under a curse now. You will always be servants. You will be woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my Elohim.”
24 They answered Joshua, “We were told that Yahweh your Elohim commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and destroy all who live there. We deceived you because we feared for our lives. 25 Now we’re at your mercy. Do to us what you think is good and right.”
26 So Joshua rescued them and did not let the people of Israel kill them. 27 But that day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation. They served Yahweh’s altar, wherever he chose to put it. They still serve today.
The Day the Sun Stood Still
10 King Adoni Zedek of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and claimed it for the Lord the same way he had destroyed Jericho and its king. He also heard that the people of Gibeon had made peace with the people of Israel and were living with them. 2 He and his people were terribly afraid because Gibeon was a large city. It was like one of the royal cities, larger than Ai. All its men were warriors. 3 So King Adoni Zedek of Jerusalem sent this message to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon: 4 “Come, help me destroy Gibeon because it has made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel.” 5 So the five Amorite kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon combined their armies. They marched to Gibeon, camped there, and attacked it.
6 The men of Gibeon sent this message to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal: “Don’t abandon us! Come quickly, and save us. Help us because all the Amorite kings who live in the mountains have united against us.”
7 So Joshua, with all his soldiers and best warriors, set out from Gilgal. 8 Yahweh told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them. I have handed them over to you. None of them can stand up to you.” 9 So Joshua marched all night from Gilgal and took them by surprise. 10 The Lord threw the enemy into disorder in front of Israel and defeated them decisively at Gibeon. He chased them along the road that goes to the slope of Beth Horon and continued to defeat them all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.
11 As they fled from the Israelites down the slope of Beth Horon toward Azekah, Yahweh threw huge hailstones on them. More died from the hailstones than from Israelite swords.
12 The day Yahweh handed the Amorites over to the people of Israel, Joshua spoke to Yahweh while Israel was watching,
“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and moon, stand still over the valley of Aijalon!”
13 The sun stood still,
and the moon stopped
until a nation got revenge on its enemies.
Isn’t this recorded in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the middle of the sky, and for nearly a day the sun was in no hurry to set. 14 Never before or after this day was there anything like it. Yahweh did what a man told him to do, because Yahweh fought for Israel.
15 Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal.
Paul’s Desire to Tell the Good News to the World
14 I’m convinced, brothers and sisters, that you, too, are filled with goodness. I’m also convinced that you have all the knowledge you need and that you are able to instruct each other. 15 However, I’ve written you a letter, parts of which are rather bold, as a reminder to you. I’m doing this because God gave me the gift 16 to be a servant of Christ Yeshua to people who are not Jewish. I serve as a priest by spreading the Good News of God. I do this in order that I might bring the nations to God as an acceptable offering, made holy by the Holy Spirit. 17 So Christ Yeshua gives me the right to brag about what I’m doing for God. 18 I’m bold enough to tell you only what Christ has done through me to bring people who are not Jewish to obedience. By what I have said and done, 19 by the power of miraculous and amazing signs, and by the power of God’s Spirit, I have finished spreading the Good News about Christ from Jerusalem to Illyricum.
20 My goal was to spread the Good News where the name of Christ was not known. I didn’t want to build on a foundation which others had laid. 21 As Scripture says,
“Those who were never told about him will see,
and those who never heard will understand.”
22 This is what has so often kept me from visiting you. 23 But now I have no new opportunities for work in this region. For many years I have wanted to visit you. 24 Now I am on my way to Spain, so I hope to see you when I come your way. After I have enjoyed your company for a while, I hope that you will support my trip to Spain.
The Death of Judas
27 Early in the morning all the chief priests and the leaders of the people decided to execute Yeshua. 2 They tied him up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
3 Then Judas, who had betrayed Yeshua, regretted what had happened when he saw that Yeshua was condemned. He brought the 30 silver coins back to the chief priests and leaders. 4 He said, “I’ve sinned by betraying an innocent man.”
They replied, “What do we care? That’s your problem.”
5 So he threw the money into the temple, went away, and hanged himself.
6 The chief priests took the money and said, “It’s not right to put it into the temple treasury, because it’s blood money.” 7 So they decided to use it to buy a potter’s field for the burial of strangers. 8 That’s why that field has been called the Field of Blood ever since. 9 Then what the prophet Jeremiah had said came true, “They took the 30 silver coins, the price the people of Israel had placed on him, 10 and used the coins to buy a potter’s field, as the Lord had directed me.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.