Book of Common Prayer
מ (Mem)
97 O how I love your law!
All day long I meditate on it.
98 Your commandments[a] make me wiser than my enemies,
for I am always aware of them.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your rules.
100 I am more discerning than those older than I,
for I observe your precepts.
101 I stay away[b] from every evil path,
so that I might keep your instructions.[c]
102 I do not turn aside from your regulations,
for you teach me.
103 Your words are sweeter
in my mouth than honey![d]
104 Your precepts give me discernment.
Therefore I hate all deceitful actions.[e]
נ (Nun)
105 Your word[f] is a lamp to walk by,
and a light to illumine my path.[g]
106 I have vowed and solemnly sworn
to keep your just regulations.
107 I am suffering terribly.
O Lord, revive me with your word.[h]
108 O Lord, please accept the freewill offerings of my praise.[i]
Teach me your regulations.
109 My life is in continual danger,[j]
but I do not forget your law.
110 The wicked lay a trap for me,
but I do not wander from your precepts.
111 I claim your rules as my permanent possession,
for they give me joy.[k]
112 I am determined to obey[l] your statutes
at all times, to the very end.
ס (Samek)
113 I hate people with divided loyalties,[m]
but I love your law.
114 You are my hiding place and my shield.
I find hope in your word.
115 Turn away from me, you evil men,
so that I can observe[n] the commands of my God.[o]
116 Sustain me as you promised,[p] so that I will live.[q]
Do not disappoint me.[r]
117 Support me, so that I will be delivered.
Then I will focus[s] on your statutes continually.
118 You despise[t] all who stray from your statutes,
for such people are deceptive and unreliable.[u]
119 You remove all the wicked of the earth like slag.[v]
Therefore I love your rules.[w]
120 My body[x] trembles[y] because I fear you;[z]
I am afraid of your judgments.
Psalm 81[a]
For the music director, according to the gittith style;[b] by Asaph.
81 Shout for joy to God, our source of strength!
Shout out to the God of Jacob!
2 Sing[c] a song and play the tambourine,
the pleasant-sounding harp, and the ten-stringed instrument.
3 Sound the ram’s horn on the day of the new moon,[d]
and on the day of the full moon when our festival begins.[e]
4 For observing the festival is a requirement for Israel;[f]
it is an ordinance given by the God of Jacob.
5 He decreed it as a regulation in Joseph,
when he attacked the land of Egypt.[g]
I heard a voice I did not recognize.[h]
6 It said:[i] “I removed the burden from his shoulder;
his hands were released from holding the basket.[j]
7 In your distress you called out and I rescued you.
I answered you from a dark thundercloud.[k]
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.[l] (Selah)
8 I said,[m] ‘Listen, my people!
I will warn[n] you.
O Israel, if only you would obey me![o]
9 There must be[p] no other[q] god among you.
You must not worship a foreign god.
10 I am the Lord, your God,
the one who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.’
11 But my people did not obey me;[r]
Israel did not submit to me.[s]
12 I gave them over to their stubborn desires;[t]
they did what seemed right to them.[u]
13 If only my people would obey me![v]
If only Israel would keep my commands![w]
14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies,
and attack[x] their adversaries.”
15 (May those who hate the Lord[y] cower in fear[z] before him.
May they be permanently humiliated.)[aa]
16 “I would feed Israel the best wheat,[ab]
and would satisfy your appetite[ac] with honey from the rocky cliffs.”[ad]
Psalm 82[ae]
A psalm of Asaph.
82 God stands in[af] the assembly of El;[ag]
in the midst of the gods[ah] he renders judgment.[ai]
2 He says,[aj] “How long will you make unjust legal decisions
and show favoritism to the wicked?[ak] (Selah)
3 Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless.[al]
Vindicate the oppressed and suffering.
4 Rescue the poor and needy.
Deliver them from the power[am] of the wicked.
5 They[an] neither know nor understand.
They stumble around[ao] in the dark,
while all the foundations of the earth crumble.[ap]
6 I thought,[aq] ‘You are gods;
all of you are sons of the Most High.’[ar]
7 Yet you will die like mortals;[as]
you will fall like all the other rulers.”[at]
8 Rise up, O God, and execute judgment on the earth!
For you own[au] all the nations.
19 Gideon took 100 men to the edge of the camp[a] at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars they were carrying.[b] 20 All three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right.[c] Then they yelled, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 They stood in order[d] all around the camp. The whole Midianite[e] army ran away; they shouted as they scrambled away.[f] 22 When the 300 men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the Midianites to attack one another with their swords[g] throughout[h] the camp. The army fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went[i] to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased the Midianites.[j]
Gideon Appeases the Ephraimites
24 Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the Ephraimite hill country who announced, “Go down and head off the Midianites.[k] Take control of the fords of the streams[l] all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.”[m] When all the Ephraimites had assembled,[n] they took control of the fords[o] all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River. 25 They captured the two Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb.[p] They executed Oreb on the rock of Oreb and Zeeb[q] in the winepress of Zeeb. They chased the Midianites[r] and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now on the other side of the Jordan River.[s]
8 The Ephraimites said to him, “Why have you done such a thing to us? You did not summon us[t] when you went to fight the Midianites!” They argued vehemently with him. 2 He said to them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Even Ephraim’s leftover grapes[u] are better quality than Abiezer’s harvest![v] 3 It was to you that God handed over the Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb! What did I accomplish to rival that?”[w] When he said this, they calmed down.[x]
Gideon Tracks Down the Midianite Kings
4 Now Gideon and his 300 men had crossed over the Jordan River, and even though they were exhausted, they were still chasing the Midianites.[y] 5 He said to the men of Sukkoth, “Give[z] some loaves of bread to the men[aa] who are following me,[ab] because they are exhausted. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 6 The officials of Sukkoth said, “You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give[ac] bread to your army?”[ad] 7 Gideon said, “Since you will not help,[ae] after the Lord hands Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will thresh[af] your skin[ag] with[ah] desert thorns and briers.” 8 He went up from there to Penuel and made the same request.[ai] The men of Penuel responded the same way the men of Sukkoth had.[aj] 9 He also threatened[ak] the men of Penuel, warning,[al] “When I return victoriously,[am] I will tear down this tower.”
10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their armies. There were about 15,000 survivors from the army of the eastern peoples; 120,000 sword-wielding soldiers had been killed.[an] 11 Gideon went up the road of the nomads[ao] east of Nobah and Jogbehah and ambushed the surprised army.[ap] 12 When Zebah and Zalmunna ran away, Gideon[aq] chased them and captured the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. He had surprised[ar] their entire army.
12 When Peter saw this, he declared to the people, “Men of Israel,[a] why are you amazed at this? Why[b] do you stare at us as if we had made this man[c] walk by our own power or piety? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,[d] the God of our forefathers,[e] has glorified[f] his servant[g] Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected[h] in the presence of Pilate after he had decided[i] to release him. 14 But you rejected[j] the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a man who was a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed[k] the Originator[l] of life, whom God raised[m] from the dead. To this fact we are witnesses![n] 16 And on the basis of faith in Jesus’[o] name,[p] his very name has made this man—whom you see and know—strong. The[q] faith that is through Jesus[r] has given him this complete health in the presence[s] of you all. 17 And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance,[t] as your rulers did too. 18 But the things God foretold[u] long ago through[v] all the prophets—that his Christ[w] would suffer—he has fulfilled in this way. 19 Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, 20 so that times of refreshing[x] may come from the presence of the Lord,[y] and so that he may send the Messiah[z] appointed[aa] for you—that is, Jesus. 21 This one[ab] heaven must[ac] receive until the time all things are restored,[ad] which God declared[ae] from times long ago[af] through his holy prophets. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must obey[ag] him in everything he tells you.[ah] 23 Every person[ai] who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removed[aj] from the people.’[ak] 24 And all the prophets, from Samuel and those who followed him, have spoken about and announced[al] these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors,[am] saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants[an] all the nations[ao] of the earth will be blessed.’[ap] 26 God raised up[aq] his servant and sent him first to you, to bless you by turning[ar] each one of you from your iniquities.”[as]
29 On the next day John[a] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God[b] who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is greater than I am,[c] because he existed before me.’ 31 I did not recognize[d] him, but I came baptizing with water so that he could be revealed to Israel.”[e]
32 Then[f] John testified,[g] “I saw the Spirit descending like a dove[h] from heaven,[i] and it remained on him.[j] 33 And I did not recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining—this is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have both seen and testified that this man is the Chosen One of God.”[k]
35 Again the next day John[l] was standing there[m] with two of his disciples. 36 Gazing at Jesus as he walked by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”[n] 37 When John’s[o] two disciples heard him say this,[p] they followed Jesus.[q] 38 Jesus turned around and saw them following and said to them, “What do you want?”[r] So they said to him, “Rabbi” (which is translated Teacher),[s] “where are you staying?” 39 Jesus[t] answered,[u] “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. Now it was about four o’clock in the afternoon.[v]
Andrew’s Declaration
40 Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two disciples who heard what John said[w] and followed Jesus.[x] 41 He first[y] found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah!”[z] (which is translated Christ).[aa] 42 Andrew brought Simon[ab] to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, the son of John.[ac] You will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).[ad]
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